# Love Exercise

Love Exercise (Chinese: 愛的練習語) is a cover album by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai, released by Gold Typhoon and Mars on October 31, 2008. The album was accompanied by a book of the same title and features Tsai's covers of 10 English songs. It was produced by Paula Ma, Peter Lee, Jim Lee, Daniel Bi, Paul Lee, and Adia.
Originally scheduled for release on March 7, 2008, the album's release was delayed due to internal personnel changes and share acquisitions at EMI Greater China, which affected the album's production timeline. The album received mixed reviews from critics, with some noting a lack of innovation in its production and feeling that the original songs were too iconic to be effectively reinterpreted. Despite the mixed critical reception, Love Exercise was commercially successful in Taiwan, selling over 30,000 copies and ranking as the best-selling Western album of 2008 in the region.

## Background and development

On September 21, 2007, Tsai released her ninth studio album, Agent J, which sold over 200,000 copies in Taiwan and over 3 million copies across Asia. The album was the best-selling album of 2007 in Taiwan. On January 12, 2008, media reports revealed that Tsai had begun recording an English album, scheduled for release after the Chinese New Year in the same year. It was also disclosed that the album would be accompanied by a new English teaching book. Previously, Tsai had released two English instructional books in 2005, Jolin's English Diary Book and Jolin's Party, both of which sold over 120,000 and 150,000 copies in Taiwan, respectively.
On January 20, 2008, EMI announced that the album would be available for pre-order starting February 14, 2008, with a planned release date of March 7, 2008. Tsai explained that listening to English songs was a quick and practical way to learn the language, stating, "I still prefer learning English through listening to songs." The album was set to feature 10 English songs related to themes of love, paired with a book of the same title, which would explain vocabulary and grammar points through the song lyrics.
However, on February 29, 2008, media reports revealed that the album's release had been delayed due to internal personnel changes at EMI Greater China. Tsai's manager, Howard Chiang, confirmed that the album's production cost had exceeded NT$5 million, urging EMI to finalize the release date as soon as possible. On March 26, 2008, media outlets reported that EMI would cease its record business in Asia after Easter 2008. By July 4, 2008, it was disclosed that Tsai's promotional schedule for the album had already been missed, and Tsai's team informed EMI that she would no longer be able to participate in the album's promotional activities.
On August 3, 2008, former EMI Asia General Manager Norman Cheng announced plans to acquire all of EMI's shares in Greater China, including its subsidiaries in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China. This acquisition would lead to the restructuring of the company into a new label, Gold Typhoon. All artists previously under EMI Greater China, including Tsai, would automatically transfer their contracts to Gold Typhoon. On August 27, 2008, it was revealed that the album was now scheduled for release between September and October of the same year.

## Release and promotion

On October 14, 2008, Gold Typhoon announced that Tsai's album would be available for pre-order on October 17, 2008, and officially released on October 31, 2008. On October 20, the track "I Won't Last a Day Without You" was released. The music video for the song was released on October 30, 2008, directed by Marlboro Lai.
On November 23, 2008, the music video for "When You Say Nothing at All" was released, directed by Hooya Chen. However, Tsai did not appear in the video. On November 28, 2008, Gold Typhoon released a special edition of the album, titled the "LOHAS Edition". In December 2008, the music video for "Lady Marmalade" was released, directed by HooYa Production, with Tsai again not appearing in the video.
The album debuted at number one on the Western album sales charts in Taiwan during its first week, including rankings from G-Music and Five Music. By December 31, 2008, the album had sold over 30,000 copies in Taiwan despite limited promotional activities. It ranked 10th and 2nd respectively on the G-Music and Five Music annual Western album sales charts, and was named the best-selling Western album of the year in Taiwan. The song "I Won't Last a Day Without You" ranked 7th on Hit FM Top 100 Singles of 2008.

## Critical reception

NetEase Entertainment's critic Lin Ju Li commented: "Not only was the album released six months later than originally planned, but its production also stays very faithful to the original versions. The arrangements are traditional, with little to no reworking of the songs, and the overall approach is conventional, lacking significant innovation." NetEase Entertainment's critic Cabin wrote: "Although Love Exercise ultimately underperformed in sales due to delays in the approval process, the album's song selection concept is worth noting for other artists in the industry. The album focuses on Jolin Tsai's experiences of love, featuring ten classic English love songs, which is the album's unique 'concept.' These songs were all popular hits, widely known since their original releases. Additionally, Tsai added her personal interpretation and understanding to the songs, and with successful adaptations in the production, she managed to put her own stamp on the music." Tencent Entertainment's critic Shu Wa stated: "The production quality is insufficient, and the selection of songs is overly classic, leading to a flood of negative reviews for the album."

## Release history

| Region | Date | Format | Edition | Distributor |
| Various | October 31, 2008 | Streaming | Standard | Mars |
| China | October 31, 2008 | CD | Standard | Push Typhoon |
| China | December 15, 2008 | CD | Deluxe | Push Typhoon |
| China | February 9, 2009 | CD | LOHAS | Push Typhoon |
| Taiwan | October 31, 2008 | CD | Standard | Gold Typhoon |
| Taiwan | November 28, 2008 | CD | LOHAS | Gold Typhoon |