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Toy and Help Yourself

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Released
  
February 1997

Artist
  
Faye Wong

Label
  
Cinepoly Records

Toy (1997)
  
Help Yourself (1997)

Release date
  
February 1997

Genres
  
Cantopop, Mandopop

Toy and Help Yourself httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaenthumbe

Toy and Help Yourself are two 1997 Cantonese EPs recorded by Chinese Cantopop singer Faye Wong when she was based in Hong Kong.

Contents

In 1996, the last year of her recording contract with Cinepoly Records, Wong recorded ten original songs in Cantonese, all with lyrics by Lin Xi but composed by others such as Wong Ka Keung, Adrian Chan, and Chan Xiao Xia. These songs were supposed to be released as an album in 1996/1997; however, Cinepoly decided to release the 10 tracks separately on 4 occasions. Cinepoly later released eight of these songs in the two EPs entitled Toy and Help Yourself. The other two songs were included in later compilations.

Toy

Toy (Yale romanization; Chinese: 玩具; Jyutping: wun6 geoi6) was released in February 1997, during Faye Wong's parental leave where she gave birth to her first child. The EP's cover photo depicts Wong in her home in Beijing, China, having moved back there after several successful years based in Hong Kong.

The five tracks on Toy would be Wong's most significant release of new Cantonese songs until her self-titled album in 2001.

  1. "暗湧" (Ngaam Yoong) –
  2. "約定" (Yerk Ding) –
  3. "敷衍" (Fu Yeen) –
  4. "玩具" (Woon Gui) –
  5. "我信" (Ngor Seun) –

Help Yourself

Help Yourself (Chinese: 自便; Jyutping: zi6 bin6) followed in May 1997.

Although this EP (like Toy) contained new songs, including the hit ballad "On Time" (守時), and was welcomed by fans, it received lukewarm critical responses, particularly for the three remixes of songs from earlier albums.

The album cover was a photograph of Faye Wong taken several years previously.

  1. "守時" (Sau See) -
  2. "守護天使" (Sau Wu Teen See) –
  3. "自便" (Jee Been) –
  4. "Di-Dar" (Historical Remix) –
  5. "誓言" (Shi Yan) –
  6. "夢遊" (Moong Yau) –

Other songs

Cinepoly's first releases of their remaining original recordings by Faye Wong were as follows:

  • "不得了" (Baat dak liu) -
  • "心驚膽戰" (Saam ging daam jin)

    • Be Perfunctory

    Be Perfunctory is the last Cantonese album by Chinese singer Faye Wong. In 2015, a fan of Faye Wong purchased the Hong Kong publishing rights from Cinepoly (now under Universal Music Group) and started a company called Chaotic Silence in order to issue the 10 tracks together in one album.

    1. "敷衍" (Fuhin) –
    2. "暗湧" (Amjung) –
    3. "心驚膽戰" (Samging daamzin) –
    4. "守護天使" (Sauwu tinsi) –
    5. "守時" (Sausi) -
    6. "不得了" (Bat dak liu) -
    7. "玩具" (Wun geoi) –
    8. "我信" (Ngo seon) –
    9. "自便" (Zi bin) –
    10. "約定" (Joek ding) –

    Songs

    Undercurrent4:21
    Set Date4:27
    Toy2:59

    References

    Toy and Help Yourself Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA