Adorable Lady
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Adorable Lady
| cover =
| type = Single
| artist = Jay Chou
| album = Jay
| A-side =
| released = November 7, 2000
| language = Mandarin
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre = * Pop
| length = 4:57
| label = BMG{{cite web|url=http://gma.tavis.tw/gm29/GMA/history.asp?PID=12|title=歷屆得獎名單 - 第29屆金曲獎頒獎典禮|access-date=April 19, 2025|archive-date=2020-02-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224144651/http://gma.tavis.tw/gm29/GMA/history.asp?PID=12|url-status=dead}}
| writer = Vivian Hsu
| producer = Jay Chou
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Tornado
| next_year = 2000
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|87VUC4J_0Ps&ab|"Adorable Lady"}}}}
}}
"Adorable Lady" ({{zh|c=可愛女人|p=Kě'ài nǚrén}}) is the debut single by Taiwanese recording artist Jay Chou. It is taken from his debut studio album Jay, which was released through BMG on November 7, 2000.{{cite web|url=http://www.jvrmusic.com/artist/work-album_full.asp?id=11&artistid=1|title=《杰倫》专辑介绍|publisher=杰威尔音乐|language=zh-tw|access-date=April 19, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210032759/http://www.jvrmusic.com/artist/work-album_full.asp?id=11&artistid=1|archive-date=2017-12-10}} It is a midtempo pop and R&B number with lyrics written by Vivian Hsu and composition and production handled by Chou himself.{{Cite web |title=周杰倫『周杰倫同名專輯』 |url=http://www.iwant-radio.com/showinformation.php?sisn=5067 |access-date=January 6, 2025 |website=銀河網路電台}}{{Cite web |title=周杰伦首张专辑《Jay》诞生17周年，今天听每一首歌都是经典！ |url=https://www.sohu.com/a/202809173_99998883 |access-date=2024-07-03 |website=Sohu Entertainment}} The song became a hit in Greater China after the album's release and instantaneously put Chou's singing career on the map.
The accompanying music video was directed Kuang Sheng and is solely focused on Chou and Hsu bonding with each other in a dimly lit room. The song was heavily promoted by television shows and radio, and Chou himself appeared on programs to promote the song and its parent album. In 2001, Chou was nominated for the Best Composer Award at the 12th Golden Melody Awards for this song.{{Cite web |title=台湾第12届金曲奖入围名单公布 |url=http://ent.163.com/imusic/5/010330_44269_94728.html |date=March 30, 2001|access-date=April 19, 2025 |website=NetEase|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040504135150/http://ent.163.com/imusic/5/010330_44269_94728.html|archive-date=May 4, 2004}}
Background and composition
{{Listen
|filename = Adorable Lady (Jay Chou song - sample).ogg
|pos = right
|title = "Adorable Lady"
|description = A sample of "Adorable Lady," a pop and R&B ballad that described the fantasies of a lovesick man
}}
In his early years, Jay Chou was still working in the Alfa Music Studio founded by Jacky Wu. Wu invited JR Yang to help him manage the company. When Yang met Chou, he asked him to bring him a demo tape of a song he had written and listen to it. Chou rummaged through a drawer and took out a cassette of “Adorable Lady.” When Yang listened to it, he was captivated by Chou's singing voice and praised him. "Adorable Lady" was the title track of Chou's first full-length album, and he did all the composing, harmonizing and programming by himself.{{Cite web |title=吴宗宪怒呛周杰伦结婚不邀请自己：杨峻荣暗中使绊子 |url=https://www.guancha.cn/broken-news/2015_03_17_312490.shtml |access-date=April 18, 2025 |website=Guancha|language=zh-CN}} "Adorable Lady“ was originally written to be sung by Wu, who had already written a version of the lyrics called ”Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter“, but he felt that he couldn't sing it and returned it. It was only after that that the lyrics were filled out as ”Adorable Lady" by Vivian Hsu, and sung by Chou himself.{{Cite web |date=July 7, 2005 |title=你所不知道的杰伦的秘密－－音乐篇 |url=http://music.yule.sohu.com/20050707/n226231827.shtml |access-date=April 18, 2025 |website=sohu.com |language=zh-TW}}
Musically, "Adorable Lady" is a midtempo pop and R&B ballad. The whole song exhibits a brand new R&B flavor, with simple lyrics but exudes infinite imagination, getting rid of the general ballad style in the market. Lyrically, it depicts a lovesick man fawning over and fantasizing about his lover.{{Cite web |date=May 12, 2010 |title=
初露锋芒 周杰伦同名《Jay》掀起个人风暴 |url=http://ent.hunantv.com/m/20100512/646753.html |access-date=April 18, 2025 |website=Hunan Television |archive-url=
https://web.archive.org/web/20100519170215/http://ent.hunantv.com/m/20100512/646753.html |archive-date=
May 19, 2010 |language=zh-CN}} "Adorable Lady" is a typical Chou-style R&B song, which is clearly a commercial style, but at that time, such a light and rhythmic style was a new product in the Chinese music scene.{{Cite web |date=November 3, 2010 |title=
腾讯音乐大耳机：十年辉煌 十年杰伦 |url=http://ent.qq.com/a/20101103/000480.htm |access-date=April 18, 2025 |website=Tencent |archive-url=
https://web.archive.org/web/20171220052702/http://ent.qq.com/a/20101103/000480.htm |archive-date=
December 20, 2017 |language=zh-CN}}
Music video
The accompanying music video was directed by eminent director Kuang Sheng.{{Citation |title=周杰倫 Jay Chou【可愛女人 Cute Girl (feat.徐若瑄Vivian)】 -Official Music Video | date=September 17, 2012 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87VUC4J_0Ps&pp=ygUM5Y-v5oSb5aWz5Lq6 |language=zh |access-date=April 5, 2024}} The director of the production skillfully arranged for the two of them to have a storyline that would leave room for the audience's imagination.{{Cite web |title=周杰倫『周杰倫同名專輯』 |url=http://www.iwant-radio.com/showinformation.php?sisn=5067 |access-date=January 6, 2025 |website=銀河網路電台}}
Vivian Hsu wrote the lyrics for this song and made a guest appearance in the video, thus becoming the heroine of Chou's first hit song music video. Hsu had never filmed a music video for any other artist before, and had been a good friend of Chou's for many years, with the two having collaborated on music several times before. In the course of production, she agreed to play the female lead in "Adorable Lady."This was a very important support for Chou, who was a newcomer at the time. Hsu's move not only greatly increased Jay Chou's popularity, but also increased the attention of Jay Chou's news.{{Cite web |date=October 11, 2008 |title=
盘点：周杰伦MV里的“J女郎” |url=http://ent.qq.com/a/20081011/000162.htm |access-date=April 18, 2025 |website=Tencent |archive-url=
https://web.archive.org/web/20081021071938/http://ent.qq.com/a/20081011/000162.htm |archive-date=
October 21, 2008 |language=zh-CN}}
Live performances
Chou performed the song live at the 12th Golden Melody Awards on May 5, 2001.{{Cite web |title=周杰伦「可爱女人」第12届金曲奖! “「可爱女人」一声Wu~开启了一个时代” 周杰伦出道23周年, 21世纪华语乐坛最重量级的天王, 没有之一！ 12届金曲奖 |url=https://www.facebook.com/jaychoums/videos/%E5%91%A8%E6%9D%B0%E4%BC%A6%E5%8F%AF%E7%88%B1%E5%A5%B3%E4%BA%BA%E7%AC%AC12%E5%B1%8A%E9%87%91%E6%9B%B2%E5%A5%96%E5%8F%AF%E7%88%B1%E5%A5%B3%E4%BA%BA%E4%B8%80%E5%A3%B0wu%E5%BC%80%E5%90%AF%E4%BA%86%E4%B8%80%E4%B8%AA%E6%97%B6%E4%BB%A3-%E5%91%A8%E6%9D%B0%E4%BC%A6%E5%87%BA%E9%81%9323%E5%91%A8%E5%B9%B4-21%E4%B8%96%E7%BA%AA%E5%8D%8E%E8%AF%AD%E4%B9%90%E5%9D%9B%E6%9C%80%E9%87%8D%E9%87%8F%E7%BA%A7%E7%9A%84%E5%A4%A9%E7%8E%8B-%E6%B2%A1%E6%9C%89%E4%B9%8B%E4%B8%8012%E5%B1%8A%E9%87%91%E6%9B%B2%E5%A5%96%E4%B8%8A-%E5%91%A8%E6%9D%B0%E4%BC%A6%E8%87%AA%E5%BC%B9%E8%87%AA%E5%94%B1%E4%BA%86%E5%8F%AF%E7%88%B1%E5%A5%B3%E4%BA%BA/274373672266029/ |access-date=April 19, 2025 |website=Facebook}}