The Guardian (album)
| The Guardian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 22, 2024 | |||
| Recorded | 2024 | |||
| Genre | Mandopop | |||
| Length | 44:27 | |||
| Language | Mandarin | |||
| Label | Chaoshi Music[1] | |||
| Joker Xue chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Guardian (Chinese: 守村人) is the thirteenth album by Chinese singer-songwriter Joker Xue. It was released on November 22, 2024, by Xue's own label Chaoshi Music.[2]
Background
[edit]Of the ten tracks on the album, Xue composed music for six tracks and wrote lyrics for six tracks. The album title is a reference to the folklore of the village guardian, with the title track including lyrics such as "Real name must be hidden" and "I guard the village against the monster spreading its arms and refuse to retreat" and "I will endure until the next me arrives".[3] In the folklore, a village guardian is someone who has committed wrongs in their previous life and makes amends through defending the village, enduring mockery, and learning from the kindness shown by others in this life.[4] The concept is similar to the village idiot but without the stereotypical comic relief aspects.
"Youth of the Galaxy" is a collaboration with Essay Wang, who was a regular guest of and performed the song with Xue on Xue's Extraterrestrial World Tour. "Relieve Boredom" is the theme song of and created specifically for QQ Speed after Xue was named the brand ambassador; it was released via an in-game virtual concert then on streaming platforms the following day.[5]
"Rent or Purchase" and "That Day On the Road of No Return" were submitted by songwriters Dong Jiahong and Mooney, respectively, and selected by Xue on the music variety show Melody Journey. Both songs had a live stage on the show and the live versions were released prior to the studio version. The live version of "Rent or Purchase", in particular, performed very well and has the highest QQ Music heatscore of all songs performed on the show.[6] The first track, "The Guardian", and the final track, "Idea", were released on his birthday in 2024 and 2023, respectively, bookending the track listing.[7][8]
On Tencent Music's 2023 year-end chart, "Worship" and "Idea" were among the Top 10 Songs of the Year, "Idea" and "Youth of Galaxy" was among songs preferred by listeners aged 19-22, and "Worship" was among Top Radio Songs of the Year.[9]
Track listing
[edit]| # | Track listing | Lyricist | Composer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Guardian" (守村人) | Joker Xue | Song Tao | 4:57 |
| 2 | "Youth of the Galaxy" (银河少年; feat. Essay Wang) | Joker Xue/Ding Yu | Essay Wang/Joker Xue/Ding Yu | 4:21 |
| 3 | "AI" | Joker Xue | Joker Xue/Zhou Yili | 4:40 |
| 4 | "Nothing" | Jace Guo | Joker Xue | 4:00 |
| 5 | "Worship" (崇拜 | Joker Xue/Zi Wang | Joker Xue/Jace Guo | 4:56 |
| 6 | "Love Letter" (情书) | Zhang Ronghao | Zhang Ronghao | 4:56 |
| 7 | "Rent or Purchase" (租购) | Zhang Pengpeng/Dong Jiahong | Dong Jiahong | 4:31 |
| 8 | "Relieve Boredom" (解解闷) | Joker Xue | Joker Xue | 3:34 |
| 9 | "That Day On the Road of No Return" (在那天回不去的路上) | Mooney | Mooney | 3:24 |
| 10 | "Idea" (念) | Joker Xue | Joker Xue/Zhao Yingjun | 5:08 |
Accolades
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | NetEase Cloud Music Awards | Top 10 Popular Songs of the Year | "Worship" | Won | [10] |
| 2024 | Tencent Music Entertainment Awards | Top 10 Hits of the Year | "Worship" | Won | [11] |
References
[edit]- ^ "阔景音乐官方微博" (in Chinese). Weibo. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ "《守村人》专辑介绍" ["The Guardian" Album Details] (in Chinese). NetEase Music. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ "网易云音乐 《守村人》" [NetEase Music "The Guardian"] (in Chinese). Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ ""守村人"是何含义? 为什么每个村庄都有这样一位傻子" [What does "village guardian" mean? Why does every village have such a fool?]. Sina News (in Chinese). November 11, 2024.
- ^ "《QQ飞车手游》官方微博: 8月3日晚上19:00，由薛之谦创作的新歌·QQ飞车极速主题曲《解解闷》开启全网首唱，准时锁定QQ飞车手游休闲世界，一同观赏薛之谦极速音乐会。这首全新单曲也将在8月4日零点重磅上线各大音乐平台，大家记得准时来收听哦~" [QQ Music Official Weibo: At 19:00 on August 3, the new song "Relieve Boredom", the theme song of QQ Speed created by Joker Xue, will be performed online for the first time. Please tune in to the QQ Speed Mobile Game Leisure World on time to watch Joker Xue's Speed Concert. This new single will also be released on major music platforms at midnight on August 4. Please remember to listen to it on time~]. weibo.com (in Chinese). August 2, 2024.
- ^ "QQ音乐综艺 音乐缘计划" [QQ Music Variety Shows Melody Journey]. QQ Music. October 28, 2024.
- ^ "薛之谦微博: 陪我 热爱的 挚爱的 坚持的 抵抗的 承蒙关照 薛之谦《念》" [Joker Xue's Weibo: Accompanying me with passion, love, determination, endurance. Thank you for your care. Joker Xue "Idea"]. Weibo (in Chinese). July 16, 2024.
- ^ "薛之谦微博: 今晚12点 新歌 全网见" [Joker Xue's Weibo: Tonight at 12 o'clock New song, see you all online]. Weibo. July 16, 2024.
- ^ "2023腾讯音乐榜年度榜单". Tencent. 2023.
- ^ "网易云音乐2023年度音乐奖揭晓". NetEase. 2023.
- ^ "TMElive官方微博: 2024TMEA 腾讯音乐娱乐盛典 音乐典礼完整荣誉名单公布!" [TMElive official Weibo: 2024TMEA Tencent Music Entertainment Awards Full Honor List Announced!]. Weibo (in Chinese). July 21, 2024.
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