November's Chopin

Because of his busy schedule filming and promotion for his first movie, Initial D, and his Incomparable Tour, Chou's album, November's Chopin, missed his usual summer release window.^[9] On 20 September 2005, it was reported that Chou had already begun recording demos for his new album.^[10] After concluding his concerts in Harbin and Shenzhen, Chou anounced that he would release his new album in November 2005.^[11] On 14 October 2005, Sony Music announced that Chou 's latest album for 2005 would be officially released globally on November 1st; the album, originally titled the obscure "Jay the Thief," had been changed to "November's Chopin."^[12]

"Nocturne" is an R&B track with a light classical-themed background music played by piano and acoustic guitar, and was the first piece to be completed for the record in November 2004. The lyrics describe the death of a lover, using metaphors involving black crows and wells to express emotion. The production of "Blue Storm" utilizes distorted electric guitar and turntable scratching, while its lyrics deal with religious themes. The track "Hair Like Snow" incorporates traditional Chinese instruments including the pipa and yangqin, while the vocals are sung softly. Towards the end, a false voice is used.^{[13][14][15][16]}

"Black Sweater" is an R&B piece with a slow tempo, and incorporates acoustic guitar on top of soft vocals. The lyrics expresses one's longing for their beloved. "Surrounded" utilizes violin, cello and synthesizers, while its lyrics express his resentment towards the paparazzi. Chou openly calls them "dogs" who "bite an apple in their mouths and hold a camera in their hands". Toward the end of the track, Chou raps a few lines in Korean.^[13][14]

"Maple Leaf" incorporates piano, violin and cello over a soft R&B beat. The lyrics describe the sorrow behind a lost love. "Romantic Cellphone" is a R&B piece that features an electric guitar, whereas "Reverse Scale" is a hip-hop number. "Malt Candy" uses violin and electric guitar with lyrics focusing on romance themes. "Coral Sea" is a duet between Jay Chou and Lara Veronin and utilizes instrumentations from piano, violin, acoustic and electric guitars.^[13][14]

Because at the 16th Golden Melody Awards, Chou and Nan Quan Mama performed a piano duet, Alpha Records was inspired by the idea of “in the name of the piano poet,” which led to the album ultimately being titled November’s Chopin.^[9] Chopin also happens to be Chou’s idol, so he immediately agreed to the name.^[17] Since the album was produced in Taiwan, the Mainland China release directly adopted the Taiwanese translation of “Chopin” as “Xiao Bang” (萧邦).^[18] After filming in Italy, Vladivostok, and Japan, the album cover and interior photos for November's Chopin were all taken in Venice, with the album cover being shot in front of Piazza San Marco.^[19] The entire album photoshoot cost an astonishing 1 million yuan, excluding airfare and accommodation, setting a new record for Chou's most expensive photoshoot at that point.^[20]

The pre-sale for the album began in various regions on 19 October 2005.^[21] The album's lead single "Nocturne" premiered on radio Hit FM and was broadcast simultaneously on 50 radio stations across Asia on 17 October 2005, which was the anniversary of Chopin's death.^[22] The music video for "Nocturne" premiered in Asia on 21 October 2005.^[23]

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Review scores
Source	Rating
MTVChinese.com	[27]
Taipei Times	(favorable)[2]

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November's Chopin received generally positive reviews from music critics. Apin of MTVChinese.com gave the album a score of three out of five stars; the reviewer felt November’s Chopin is polished but ultimately predictable, offering all the usual “Jay‑style” elements without the spark or innovation of his earlier work. They reminisce about how fresh and exciting Chou’s early songs felt and argue that this album lacks that same impact, despite still sounding like unmistakable Jay Chou. While praising “Nocturne” and some melodies, they note that many tracks resemble older songs and that the promised classical influence didn’t live up to expectations. In the end, they conclude that their own high hopes—and Chou’s own hype—may have set the bar too high.^[27]

Gavin Phipps of the Taipei Times gave the album a warmly enthusiastic review on his "Best CDs of 2005" article, calling November’s Chopin Chou’s most mature and introspective album yet. Phipps acknowledges that ranking it the year’s best might look like favoritism, but argues the choice is justified by its musical depth and huge commercial impact. Phipps highlighted Chou’s shift toward moody, piano‑ and guitar‑driven ballads as a successful evolution that impressed older listeners in particular, and they frame the album as a clear artistic high point in his career.^[2]

Yuan Yong‑xing of HERE magazine, praised Chou’s 2005 album November’s Chopin for its strong production, cohesive structure, and continued influence on Mandopop. Yuan highlights standout tracks such as “Nocturne” and notes that the album maintains Chou’s creative consistency despite limited stylistic innovation.^[28]

November's Chopin was nominated for two Golden Melody Awards. The album won for an IFPI Hong Kong Top Sales Music Award for Top 10 Best Selling Mandarin Albums of the Year.^[29] The album was awarded the Best Original Album award at the 2005 Metro Radio Music Awards.^[30] The album was also places on the shortlist of the Top 10 Albums of the Year by the Chinese Musicians Exchange Association.^[31]

"Nocturne" won the Hot Song Award at the 2005 Metro Radio Music Awards; the song also won Song of the Year and it's accompanying video won the Best Music Video Award at the 2006 China Music Awards.^[30][32] Vincent Fang won the Best Lyricist award for the song "Hair Like Snow" at the Chinese Music Media Awards.^[33] The track, "Drifting," was nominated a Golden Horse Award for Best Original Film Song and a Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Film Song.^[34]