Toy and Help Yourself

'''''Toy''''' and '''''Help Yourself''''' are two Cantonese extended plays (EPs) by Chinese recording artist Faye Wong when she was based in Hong Kong. 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 or 1997. However, Cinepoly decided to release the ten tracks separately on four 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''== {{Infobox album | italic_title = no | name = Toy ({{noitalics|玩具}}) | type = EP | artist = Faye Wong | cover = FayeWong_Toy .jpg | alt = | released = {{start date|1997|2|20}} | recorded = | venue = | studio = | genre = Cantopop | length = 19:06 | label = Cinepoly | producer = | prev_title = Fuzao | prev_year = 1996 | next_title = Help Yourself | next_year = 1997 }} '''''Toy''''' ({{lang-zh|c={{linktext|玩具}}|j=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.<ref>:zh:电视月刊 1999 "到(浮躁》,从(玩具〉、《王菲〉再到(菲买品〉,王菲一宜在音乐的世界里随意驰稗,也一直是乐坛关注的焦点,而且《浮 II 〉更是被人们视为突出 ..."</ref><ref>:zh:前哨 108-113 p105 2000 "但由於王菲工作忙經常飛往香港,兩人的愛情結晶《童〉便由脔唯又當爹又當娘(一人分飾兩角》地擔負。王菲回來時總也忘不了給孩子買超值的《玩具〉。一家人就這麼幸福地生活着。"</ref>

The five tracks on ''Toy'' would be Wong's most significant release of new Cantonese songs until her self-titled album in 2001.<ref name=st-2011>{{cite news|last=Chan|first=Boon|title=Faye's back|newspaper=The Straits Times|date=October 28, 2011|location=Singapore|page=C2}}</ref>

{{Track listing | headline = Track listing | title1 = 暗湧 | note1 = Ngaam Yoong; Undercurrent | length1 = 4:21 | title2 = 約定 | note2 = Yerk Ding; Date/Rendezvous | length2 = 4:25 | title3 = 敷衍 | note3 = Fu Yeen | length3 = 3:00 | title4 = 玩具 | note4 = Woon Gui; Toy | length4 = 4:20 | title5 = 我信 | note5 = Ngor Seun; I Believe | length5 = 3:00 | total_length = 19:06 }}

===Certifications=== {{Certification Table Top}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Hong Kong|type=album|artist=Faye Wong|title=Toy|award=Platinum|relyear=1997|certyear=1997}} {{Certification Table Bottom|noshipments=true}}

==''Help Yourself''== {{Infobox album | italic_title = no | name = Help Yourself ({{noitalics|自便}}) | type = EP | artist = Faye Wong | cover = FayeWong_HelpYourself .jpg | alt = | released = {{start date|1997|5|29}} | length = 23:48 | recorded = | venue = | studio = | genre = Cantopop | label = Cinepoly | producer = | prev_title = Toy | prev_year = 1997 | next_title = Faye Wong | next_year = 1997 }} '''''Help Yourself''''' ({{lang-zh|c={{linktext|自|便}}|j=zi6 bin6}}) followed in May 1997.<ref>Dian shi yue kan 1998 "王菲会不会再拍电影呢? 答:目前金典音像又引进了王菲的《自便〉专辑,这是王菲在宝丽金所保留的珍藏作品。据王菲表示她今后的发展重点在国语欹坛上,至于电影方面,她也不排除有大显身手的可能性, ..."</ref> Although this EP (like ''Toy'') contained new songs, including the hit ballad "On Time" ({{Lang|zh|守時}}), and was welcomed by fans, it received indifferent 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.

{{Track listing | headline = Track listing | title1 = 守時 | note1 = Sau See; Punctuality | length1 = 4:12 | title2 = 守護天使 | note2 = Sau Wu Teen See; Guardian Angel | length2 = 3:38 | title3 = 自便 | note3 = Jee Been; Help Yourself | length3 = 4:56 | title4 = Di-Dar | note4 = | length4 = 3:15 | title5 = 誓言 | note5 = Shi Yan | length5 = 3:55 | title6 = 夢遊 | note6 = Moong Yau; Sleepwalk (Universal Mix) | length6 = 3:50 | total_length = 23:48  }}

===Other songs=== Cinepoly's first releases of their remaining original recordings by Faye Wong were as follows: *"{{Lang|zh|不得了}}" ({{Transliteration|yue|Baat dak liu}}) - :: 'Unbelievable', on the 1997 compilation ''Not for Sale'' (菲賣品) *"{{Lang|zh|心驚膽戰}}" ({{Transliteration|yue|Saam ging daam jin}}) :: 'Scary', on the 2002 compilation ''Faye Best''

==''Be Perfunctory''== {{Infobox album | italic_title = no | name = Be Perfunctory ({{noitalics|敷衍}}) | type = Album | artist = Faye Wong | cover = Perfunctory.jpg | alt = | released = {{Start date|2015|11|22}} | recorded = 1996 | length = 42:03 | venue = | studio = | genre = Cantopop | label = Chaotic Silence | producer = | prev_title = To Love | prev_year = 2003 | next_title = | next_year = }} '''''Be Perfunctory''''' is the last Cantonese album by Chinese singer Faye Wong.<ref>[http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2015-10/29/content_36927834.htm Fan spends 1 mln yuan to release Faye Wong's album], China.org.cn, October 29, 2015</ref> 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 ten tracks together in one album.

{{Track listing | headline = Track listing | title1 = 敷衍 | note1 = Fuhin | length1 = 4:20 | title2 = 暗涌 | note2 = Amjung | length2 = 4:21 | title3 = 心驚膽戰 | note3 = Samging daamzin | length3 = 4:18 | title4 = 守護天使 | note4 = Sauwu tinsi | length4 = 3:43 | title5 = 守時 | note5 = Sausi | length5 = 4:16 | title6 = 不得了 | note6 = Bat dak liu | length6 = 3:52 | title7 = 玩具 | note7 = Wun geoi | length7 = 3:00 | title8 = 我信 | note8 = Ngo seon | length8 = 4:48 | title9 = 自便 | note9 = Zi bin | length9 = 5:00 | title10 = 約定 | note10 = Joek ding | length10 = 4:25 | total_length = 42:03  }}

===Charts=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+ Chart performance for ''Be Perfunctory'' ! scope="col"| Chart (2026) ! scope="col"| Peak position |- {{album chart|Oricon|49|date=2026-01-05/p/5|rowheader=true|access-date=January 6, 2026}} |} {{clear}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://music.douban.com/subject/1395078/ Wun Geui] at douban.com {{in lang|zh}} *[http://mojim.com/tw100019x23.htm Wun Geui] at mojim.com {{in lang|zh}} *[http://music.douban.com/subject/1401394/ Ji Bin] at douban.com {{in lang|zh}} *[http://mojim.com/tw100019x1.htm Ji Bin] at mojim.com {{in lang|zh}}

Category:Faye Wong albums Category:1997 EPs Category:Cinepoly Records EPs Category:Cantopop EPs

Toy and Help Yourself

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