i like Mandarin Chinese pop music very much. honestly, i used to joke my Japanese friend who like to listen those musics. one reason is what Richard already said, yes if we don`t understand the language, it`s just sound or noise but not language. i think music is very much cultural thing. if you don`t understand that culture, we never understand that taste and it could be sounds even "odd" and uncomfortable to listen. we are used to listen english songs and i myself grown up listening Beatles, Madonna, and other British and american pop musics. depends on genre, but doesn`t have any hard feeling listen major pop music of them. i have one nice Norwegian net mate, she send me Norwegian rock music and i don`t understand it at all, sounds even scares me. it is all because i am not understanding its language and back grand culture which made that song. first i start to listen Wang Leehom songs, (skip Fei Wong.. because her song is loved many people here in japan too and her melody line are beautiful and melodic.) his music is catchy and his old songs had any english songs. i think that made me easier to listen and he got american music taste, not like compare to Jay Chou. Jay is now one of most famous Mandarin Chinese Pop musician. even i have already start to listen Wang Leehom and other soft pop Mandarin songs, Jay`s song were difficult to understand. from the different side of back grand.. his music is too unique for major. he has own cool style and somebody who likes unique ideas those for westerns as like who loves Japanese unique fashions ( i say this because for most western we all bunch of Asian) and pop cultures might be understand that taste.

Not just Americans, any western people (speaking the Latin languages) who cannot speak Chinese, Japanese or Korean will often laugh when they hear songs in far eastern languages. Why? because they dont understand them, they cant make out one word from the other and thus think it sounds funny. I can admit to doing the same, especially for Japanese music. But now that i can understand a little, i dont think it's funny at all. We REALLY HATE it when Chinese and Japanese music has an English sentence "injected" in to the lyrics, that is the funniest thing! especially because 99% the sentence is gramatically wrong or the pronunciation is terrible. In my personal opinion, Jay's music would have the same reaction. It all sounds the same to people who cannot undestand.

this is my genre and i really love this qustion... forgive me to answer another long comment... I can pick up another example for what is the cultural understanding as in MC Jin. he is major in US hip hop entertainment, then i don`t think many Chinese people who born in China not the one like Jin, born in America or another country, won`t understand why he uses bad words of Chinese people of himself or say something negative side of being Chinese. that is because we need to understand what is like to be a Chines or Asian in USA and also need to know understand what is Hip Hop culture, what is "DIS: Disrespect", etc,. it is all about the background of culture the music have. i listen Jay now. I have most albums. his music is creative. we only can accept it when we understood what the behind of the music. and only when it suite for our taste. well.. i still can joke what Jay do tho.. some say music is border-less but i think music have more border than its languages. and plus, what we think the best or world famous etc, you should doubt first. we probably believe those are major and popular for everybody that because we might live in small world, small world the popular things are only popular where we are living which is small.

Well...i think lots of chinese ancient songs are quite beatiful, many westeners enjoy them very much, such as 吻别, you know, transfered into english version as Take me to your heart... Nowadays, it becomes different, many chinese singers copy the rhythme of western ones, i feel sad for that... Jay's songs are good, mixed both western elements and chinese traditional ones, i think that's why foreign people like his creations.

"99% of the time the sentence is gramatically wrong " ? you should know it's just lyrics, even it is in chinese,there have somthing "strange" usage, i think you may be good at chinese,so for example, "我始终带着你爱的微笑 " it'a lyrics, we'll be puzzled if we understand it in chinese gramar, and "我的眼泪早已写成了诗" well,both of them are all lyrics,and is incorrect in gramar, but who care,it's a manner to show the art. maybe there are some mistakes in my words, because i never learned gramer ,as the same with my chinese, so i just want to convey my personal viewpoint :)