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Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 1
''Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 1'' is the first compilation album by Hikaru Utada, released on March 31, 2004. It features all A-sides of her hit singles to that date, including 11 number-one hits and all 15 tracks reached the top 5. The album version was remastered by Ted Jensen. The album was released on iTunes in April 2004. It sold over 1.4 million copies in its debut week, and became the number one selling album of the year in Japan (Their fourth consecutive time accomplishing this particular milestone, a record in Japan's music history.). This is Utada's longest charting release on any Oricon chart, with a 2-year trajectory and still growing. ''Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 1'' is the 35th highest selling album in Japan of all time. The album is Japan's 21st highest-ranked in debut sales. The album was the 19th best selling album worldwide in 2004. Track listing Charts Weekly charts Monthly charts Year-end charts All-time charts Sales and cer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hikaru Utada
, also known mononymously as Utada, is a Japanese and American singer, songwriter, and producer. She is considered to be one of the most influential and best-selling musical artists in Japan. She is best known by international audiences for writing and producing four theme-song contributions to Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios, Disney's collaborative video game series ''Kingdom Hearts'': "Hikari (Hikaru Utada song), Simple and Clean", "Passion (Hikaru Utada song), Sanctuary", "Chikai (Hikaru Utada song), Don't Think Twice", and "Face My Fears". Utada was born in New York City to Japanese parents, record producer Teruzane Utada and singer Keiko Fuji. She began to write music and lyrics at an early age and often traveled to Tokyo as a result of her father's job. After signing to EMI Music Japan, Toshiba-EMI, she released her English-language debut album ''Precious (Cubic U album), Precious'' under the name Cubic U in 1998, which was a commercial failure. In the follow ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Movin' On Without You
"Movin' On Without You" is the second single by Japanese–American singer and producer Hikaru Utada. It serves as the second single from her debut studio album '' First Love'' (1999). The song was the first song that Utada had written and composed by herself. "Movin' On Without You" was incepted while Utada was attending high school in Tokyo, Japan, during 1997. Utada, who received a recording contract by Toshiba-EMI, had written an English-language version of the song, which remains unreleased to this day. Musically, the song utilizes dance-oriented music from the mid-1990s and also incorporates the use of R&B music from the parent album and house music. Lyrically, the song talks about an independent woman who can thrive outside of a relationship. The song received favorable reception from most music critics, who praised the musical arrangement and praised Utada's vocals and songwriting. Some have even dubbed the song as a "J-Pop classic" and view it as a memorable song in the J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ultra Blue
''Ultra Blue'' (stylized in all caps) is the sixth album by Japanese–American singer Hikaru Utada, released on June 14, 2006, by Eastworld. It is the first original Japanese language album under Hikaru Utada's name in four years since her third album '' Deep River'' (2002). ''Ultra Blue'' contains thirteen songs, including six singles released between 2003 and 2006. While the arrangements for her album ''Deep River'' were done collaboratively, all but one of the songs on ''Ultra Blue'' were written, composed, and arranged solely by Utada, who also did the programming herself. In this album, the R&B elements that have been present since her debut are further diminished, and the majority of the songs have an electronic flavor with an emphasis on synth sounds. ''Ultra Blue'' received mostly positive reception from music critics. The album was a commercial success in Japan, selling over 500,000 copies in its first week and debuting at number one on the Oricon Albums Chart. By t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Letters (Hikaru Utada Song)
"Letters" is a song by Japanese American musician Hikaru Utada. It was released as a double A-side single with the song " Sakura Drops" on May 9, 2002. Background and development Since she debuted as a musician in 1998, Utada had worked as the primary or sole songwriter for her music. Beginning with her second album ''Distance'' (2001), Utada began to co-arrange songs, such as " Wait & See (Risk)", "Distance" and "Kettobase!" The bonus track on ''Distance'', "Hayatochi-Remix", was arranged entirely by Utada. In March 2002, Hikaru Utada released " Hikari", the theme song for the game '' Kingdom Hearts''. "Letters" was written and arranged solely by Utada. It featured six different guitarists all performing the acoustic guitar in the backing, including Char, Hisashi from Glay and her own father Teruzane Utada. Promotion and release The song was used in commercials for NTT DoCoMo's 2002 range of FOMA cellphones. This was the third song of Utada's to be used in collaboration wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sakura Drops
is a song by Japanese-American musician Hikaru Utada. It was released as a double A-side single with the song " Letters" on May 9, 2002. Background and development Since she debuted as a musician in 1998, Utada had worked as the primary or sole songwriter for her music. Beginning with their second album ''Distance'' (2001), Utada began to co-arrange songs, such as " Wait & See (Risk)", "Distance" and "Kettobase!" The bonus track on ''Distance'', "Hayatochi-Remix", was arranged entirely by Utada. In March 2002, Hikaru Utada released " Hikari", the theme song for the game ''Kingdom Hearts''. "Sakura Drops" was first announced as the theme song for the drama ''First Love'' in mid-February. Promotion and release The song was used as the theme song for the TBS drama ''First Love'', starring Atsuro Watabe and Kyoko Fukada. This was Utada's third composition to be used as a drama theme song, after " First Love" was used for '' Majo no Jōken'' (1999), and " Can You Keep a Secret?" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hikari (Hikaru Utada Song)
is a song recorded by Japanese–American recording artist Hikaru Utada for her fourth studio and third Japanese language album, '' Deep River'' (2002). It premiered on March 20, 2002, as the third single from the album in Japan. It was written and composed by Utada, whilst production and arrangement was handled by Utada, her father Teruzane Utada, and long-time collaborator Miyake Akira. The single, and a remix by Russell McNamara (under the alias PlanitB), was used as the official Japanese theme song for the 2002 action role-playing video game ''Kingdom Hearts'', and appeared on its original soundtrack respectively. Musically, "Hikari" is a pop folk song. Lyrically, it is about mysteries in life and human activities. Upon its release, the track garnered positive reviews from music critics. Many critics highlighted the track as one of Utada's best singles, and commended her vocal abilities and songwriting. It was also successful in Japan, peaking at number one both on the Ori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Traveling (song)
"Traveling" (stylized in lowercase) is a song recorded by Japanese–American recording artist Hikaru Utada. It was released as the second single from her fourth studio and third Japanese language album, '' Deep River'' (2002). The track was written and composed by Utada, whilst production was handled by Utada, her father Teruzane Utada, and long-time collaborator Akira Miyake. Musically, "Traveling" is a dance-pop song, influenced by house music. Lyrically, it discusses human activities and dreams. The song received positive reviews from most music critics. Many selected it as one of Utada's best singles, and was complimented for its production and dance-oriented composition. It was also successful in Japan, peaking at number one the Oricon Singles Chart and Tokyo Broadcasting System's (TBS) '' Count Down TV'' singles chart. It was certified in two categories by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), and was the second best selling single of the year 2002. A music vid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Final Distance
"Final Distance" is a song by Japanese recording artist Hikaru Utada for her third studio album '' Deep River'' (2002). Written by Utada herself, the song was produced and composed by long-time collaborators Akira Miyake, Utada's father Teruzane Utada and herself. "Final Distance" was originally recorded as "Distance" which was taken from the album with the same name, despite not being a single. The song was re-recorded, re-arranged, and dedicated to Rena Yamashita, a six-year-old victim of the Ikeda school massacre who had written an essay about being inspired by Utada. Utada had stated that the meaning of the word "final" for the song "Final Distance" is "most important" rather than "last." Musically, "Final Distance" incorporates more instrumentation than the previous version, including violins, an acoustic piano and synthesizers. The song strips the original pop music from "Distance" and is a pop ballad song. Despite being written in 2000 from the original version, Utada refle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Can You Keep A Secret? (song)
"Can You Keep a Secret?" is the seventh single by Japanese recording artist Hikaru Utada. It was released on February 16, 2001, by Toshiba EMI and serves as the last single from her sophomore album ''Distance (Hikaru Utada album), Distance'' (2001). The song was written and composed entirely by Utada herself. It was the ending theme song for the dorama called ''Hero (2001 TV series), Hero'' (2001), in which Utada had her acting debut, appearing in a cameo as a waitress, and starring Takuya Kimura. Musically, "Can You Keep A Secret?" is an upbeat R&B and dance-pop song that takes on the cross fusion of pop music, pop and R&B which was popular in the United States around the time of its release. Lyrically, the song talks about a woman expressing her love and asking her partner if they can keep it a secret. The song was warmly received by music critics, praising its production and Utada's vocals and songwriting; some of them going as far to describe it as a highlight in her discograp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Time Limit (song)
is a song by Japanese musician Hikaru Utada. It was released as a double A-side single with the song " For You" on June 30, 2000. Background and development In Spring 1999, Utada released her debut album '' First Love'', which became the most commercially successful album of all time in Japan. After this success, she released two follow-up singles, " Addicted to You" (1999) and " Wait & See (Risk)" (2000), which were both produced by American production team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. For "Time Limit", Utada enlisted the help of American producer Rodney Jerkins, and recorded the song at Darkchild Studios in New Jersey. The song was co-composed with Takuro of the band Glay, the first time Utada had shared the role of songwriter since her 1998 pre-debut album '' Precious'' as Cubic U. For Utada's second album ''Distance'' (2001), she worked together with Takuro again on the song "Drama". The "For You" / "Time Limit" single was released right before Bohemian Summer 2000, her fir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
For You (Hikaru Utada Song)
"For You" is a song by Japanese-American musician Hikaru Utada. It was released as a double A-side single with the song "Time Limit" on June 30, 2000. Background and development In 1999, Utada released her debut album '' First Love'', which was the most commercially successful album of all time in Japan. After this success, she released two follow-up singles, " Addicted to You" (1999) and " Wait & See (Risk)" (2000), which were both produced by American production team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. "For You" was a continuation of Utada's collaboration with arranger Kei Kawano, who had previously worked with Utada on '' First Love'' (1999) (including the single " First Love") and the coupling tracks on her single "Wait & See (Risk)". The song was recorded at Toshiba EMI's Studio Terra in Tokyo. The "For You" / "Time Limit" single was released right before Bohemian Summer 2000, her first wide-scale tour of Japan, and on the same day as the DVD single release of her previous single, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wait & See (Risk)
"Wait & See (Risk)" (stylized as Wait & See ~リスク~) is a song recorded by Japanese–American singer Hikaru Utada for her third studio and second Japanese language album, ''Distance'' (2001). It was released on April 19, 2000 as the second single from the album in Japan. It was written and composed by Utada, whilst production and arrangement was handled by Utada and American duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. The single also included the two B-side tracks, "Hayatochiri" and "Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)", with the former song appearing on the parent album. Musically, "Wait & See (Risk)" is an R&B song, influenced by dance-pop and rock. Upon its release, the track garnered positive reviews from music critics. Many critics highlighted the track as one of Utada's best singles, and commended the production and composition. It was also successful in Japan, peaking at number one on both the Oricon Singles Chart and Tokyo Broadcasting System's (TBS) '' Count Down TV'' singles chart ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
