Showing posts with label J-Pop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label J-Pop. Show all posts

Thursday, October 9, 2008

First Love (Song)

Yeah, it's Utada Hikaru's song. As I put a "song" in bracket you must notice that it's her song as there is no more popular song using the same title. It's a very popular song (not in Japan only) and I think most people ever listened to it before. If you never listened to it I suggest to try because it's a really nice ballad, plus not sound like J-Pop song (if you don't like J-Pop), am I right?

It's a very old song (1999's song) but I never felt bored of it. The first time I listened to this song was around 5-7 years ago. It is one of the very first J-Pop songs I ever listened to and memorized the lyric. Of course at that time I still didn't know the meaning of the song, I never cared about the lyric before, maybe I hadn't know what the hell LOVE is :) Until now I still listened to this song and sometimes realized that it does not sound like other usual 'typical' J-Pop songs.

However one thing I impressed in is that this kinda well-known song ~which is also the title track of the album which became the best selling album in Japanese music history till now, more than 10 millions copies sold~ came from an only 15 years old girl, who was just a normal student with her friends at school, then suddenly in a night after her debut became a superstar, by 2 million copies sold crazily in the first week of that album.

Many english parts included in the lyric -apart of the japanese as the main lyric- helpful so much for me to understand the meaning of the song, as I don't know Japanese at all =p , yeah surely helpful also to memorize the lyric. She ever lived some years in USA, recorded a few songs there (although only moderate successful), that's why you can see that she sang the english part smoothly. Hmm, actually there is no many thing to say since I never learn music. I seldom addicted to a kinda ballad song, but this one is very special, a very nice song.

I put the video of her singing the song live, in her 2006 tour, and she sang it perfectly, as if she put the song alive again, although I think the song is always alive (in some websites the song is stated to be one of the most favourite karaoke songs up till today). One more credit, her vocal in this video is not so different from the original one in CD, her voice is so stable ^^ Just in my opinion, this is still the best J-Pop song so far, has a such level of originality, not influenced by any other songs, has its own style, which we difficult to find in this era. Enjoy the vid :)



LYRIC

saigo no kisu wa
tabako no flavor ga shita
nigakute setsunai kaori

ashita no imagoro ni wa
anata wa doko ni iru n' darou
dare wo omotte 'ru n' darou

you are always gonna be my love
itsu ka dare ka to mata koi ni ochite mo
i'll remember to love
you taught me how
you are always gonna be the one
ima wa mada kanashii love song
atarashii uta utaeru made

tachidomaru jikan ga
ugoki-dasou to shite 'ru
wasuretaku nai koto bakari

ashita no imagoro ni wa
watashi wa kitto naite 'ru
anata wo omotte 'ru n' darou

you will always be inside my heart
itsu mo anata dake no basho ga aru kara
i hope that i have a place in your heart too
now and forever you are still the one
ima wa mada kanashii love song
atarashii uta utaeru made

you are always gonna be my love
itsuka dare ka to mata koi ni ochitemo
i'll remember to love
you taught me how
you are always gonna be the one
ima wa mada kanashii love song
now and forever..

the last kiss
tasted like tobacco
a bitter and sad smell

tomorrow, at this time
where will you be?
who will you be thinking about?

you are always gonna be my love
even if i fall in love with someone once again
i'll remember to hold on
you taught me how
you are always gonna be the one
it's still a sad song
until i can sing a new song

the paused time is
about to start moving
there's many things that i don't want to forget about

tomorrow, at this time
i will probably be crying
i will probably be thinking about you

you will always be inside my heart
you will always have your own place
i hope that i have a place in your heart too
now and forever you are still the one
it's still a sad song
until i can sing a new song

you are always gonna be my love
even if i fall in love with someone once again
i'll remember to hold on
you taught me how
you are always gonna be the one
it's still a sad song
now and forever...

Friday, September 26, 2008

Best Fiction

3rd compilation album from Namie Amuro.
It's released on July 30, 2008 and 1st since her 2nd compilation album in 2002. The 6 years gap may become a reason why this album became so popular since few months before it's released.

Many fans said it's a very correct time for her to release another compilation album because of her revived popularity in the past one year. She got back #1 in album chart last year (PLAY) since her last #1 in 2000 and #1 in single chart this year (60s 70s 80s) since her last in 1998 (10 years), plus an award in VMA Japan 2008 which reveal her comeback. What the fans said maybe correct looking at the fact that this album did top the chart for 6 consecutive weeks, made her as the first female solo singer to do so since 1979 or almost 30 years. The album still continues to stay in top 10 regularly till now and sold almost 1.4 million in Japan only.


I was not too surprised about how the album can achieve that since I also think that it's just a correct time and enough well promotions. But the only setback in my opinion is that this album looks like more a single collection album rather than best-of album. I cannot see whether they are just too lazy to put a number of nice songs during the past 6 years into one album. How funny they just put the 15 singles released in past 6 years in addition to 2 new songs, although I admire the two new songs which support this album so much. The singles are not bad, but she has some album tracks which are better than some bad singles. I was really disappointed when the tracks of this album were released and I couldn't believe they just made it like a single collection.

Afterall, I still like this album and since I have not listened to her past songs, this album can be a good reference although it only contains single tracks. My favorite tracks are Do Me More, Sexy Girl, What A Feeling, Wishing on The Same Star, All For You, Baby Don't Cry, Girl Talk, and White Light, and Rock Steady. Yeah it's more than half of the tracks and the others are also nice to listen. Love the covers, the images, and the PVs ^^



Track List :Songwriters:
1. Do Me MoreNao'ymt
2. Wishing On The Same StarDiane Warren, kenko-p
3. Shine MorePaul Taylor, Scott Nickoley, Sandra Pires, H.U.B
4. Put 'Em UpDallas Austin, Jasper Cameron, Michico
5. So CrazyFull Force, Jennifer "JJ" Johnson, Michico, Tiger
6. AlarmJusme, Monk
7. All For YouNatsumi Watanabe, Ryoki Matsumoto
8. Girl TalkT.Kura, Michico
9. Want Me, Want MeMichico, Sugi-V
10. White Light Nao'ymt
11. Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm SickT.Kura, Michico
12. Baby Don't CryNao'ymt
13. Funky Town T.Kura, Michico, L.L. Brothers
14. New LookMichico, T.Kura, Brian Holland, Eddie Holland
15. Rock SteadyMichico, Muro, Aretha Franklin
16. What A Feeling Michico, Shinichi Osawa, Keith Forsey, Irene Cara, Giorgio Moroder
17. Sexy GirlRyosuke Imai, Usk Trak