Renowned singer Jay Chou, who has been in the music industry for 25 years, celebrated the 20th anniversary of his self-penned song “Listen to Mother’s Words” this year. The song, included in his 2006 album “Still Fantasy,” broke away from the traditional heavy sentimentality of parent-child songs. With a light-hearted, hip-hop and playful humor, Jay Chou not only expressed his deep gratitude to his mother, Ye Huimei, but also transformed “filial piety” into a cross-generational cultural symbol.
Jay Chou was raised by his mother, Ye Huimei, since he was young. As early as 2003, he named an album “Ye Huimei” after his mother. In 2006, he released the song “Listen to Mother’s Words” on the album “Still Fantasy,” personally handling the lyrics and composition. The first half of the song playfully encourages children to study hard and listen to their mothers, while the second half expresses gratitude to mothers in adulthood.
Through this song, Jay Chou has continuously encouraged his fans to be filial like him. The lyrics “Listen to Mother’s Words, don’t let her get hurt. Want to grow up quickly to be able to protect her” have deeply resonated with people. “Do you have a lot of question marks, children?” has become a popular phrase widely shared by contemporary young people and on various social media platforms.
At 47 years old, despite being a superstar, Jay Chou has entrusted all his earnings to his mother after becoming famous. Even when he wants to buy a car or make a significant purchase, he seeks his mother’s approval beforehand.
In 2024, during a concert in Shenzhen, China, which coincided with his mother’s birthday, Jay Chou led the audience in celebrating her birthday. He exclaimed on stage, “I invite the audience to sing ‘Listen to Mother’s Words’ together, hoping that you are all filial children.” He also mentioned that despite having written numerous classic songs, the most meaningful one is “Listen to Mother’s Words,” which is played by everyone on Mother’s Day.
Due to its positive message, “Listen to Mother’s Words” broke records by being selected as a first-grade elementary school teaching material in Taiwan in the year of its release. It has become a must-sing song for school music classes and Mother’s Day activities. As of now, the official version of “Listen to Mother’s Words” on YouTube has accumulated 62 million views.
This song not only accompanied the youth of the 80s and 90s but now, many former fans who are now parents themselves, bring their children to concerts to sing this song together. It has become a shared memory link between two generations.