After 10 years, she became one of the best-selling artists of the decade and one of the most popular and influential artists in Japan.
Koda officially debuted with the single TAKE BACK in December 2000.
In 2002, after the release of several singles, she released her first studio album affection, which charted at #12.
Some success came her way when she was asked to do the main songs for the video game, "Final Fantasy X-2", with real Emotion/1000の言葉 (1000 words), Koda also provided the voice for the character Lenne in the Japanese version of the game as well as the character, "Yuna's", opening sequence dance via motion capture. The single proved to be a success, debuting at #3 and becoming Koda's first release to enter the top ten. It sold 282,734 copies and became the #24th highest-selling single of 2003. A few weeks later, Koda released her second studio album, grow into one, which debuting at #9.
In 2004, Koda released three more singles before the release of her 3rd studio album, feel my mind which again showed Koda's determinated progress, charting at #7.
From here on, Koda's success increased and her popularity rose with the release of her 11th single, a cover of 1970's anime opening, キューティーハニー, debuted at #4. This single also marked the start of Koda's to be trademark, new style: "ero-kakoii" (or "ero-Kawaii") which roughly translates as: "sexy-cool" or "sexy-cute". Koda's fourth album secret was released in February 2005. The album debuted #3 with 505,600 copie sold, making it the #22 album of 2005.
With Koda's popularity reaching new heights, she held her first live show, "secret ~FIRST CLASS LIMITED LIVE~", (later becoming one of the top 10 selling DVDs in Japan) and released her sixteenth single, Butterfly. Debuting at #2, it became her highest charting single of her career to date and was very well received by the Japanese public. Following this success, she released her first best-of compilation, BEST ~first things~. This is the album which is said to have skyrocketed her career, reaching #1 on the weekly charts and selling 1,207,793 copies, making it the #6 album of the year and the highest selling female album of 2005.
In December 2005, Koda Kumi began her 12 Singles Project in which she released one single each week for twelve consecutive weeks. The first single, you, became Koda's first ever #1 single. Each of the remaining singles from the project charted in the top five of the weekly singles chart. The success of the project was celebrated with the release of Koda's second best-of compilation album BEST ~second session~ which sold over a million copies in just over a week. It became the #2 album of 2006 with 1,768,628 copies sold. During this time, Kumi also won the 47th Nihon Record Taishō (best award prize in Japan) with Butterfly.
Her 30th single, 恋のつぼみ, the first single to be released since the 12 singles project, was released in May 2006 and debuted at #2 with 140,000 copies sold. The track became one of the most downloaded single of the year, with more than 2 millions legal downloads in just a few weeks. After the release of several successful singles, including 4 hot wave (a maxi summer single) and 夢のうた, which had become her #1 and #2 best selling singles with more than 300,000 copies sold, Koda released her fifth studio album, Black Cherry which remained at the #1 position for four weeks, selling more than 1 million copies. By the end of 2006, both BEST ~first things~ & BEST ~second session~ had nearly sold two million copies. Koda Kumi became the highest selling female artist of the year.
In 2007, Koda Kumi released several singles including 愛のうた, which became one of the most sung songs in Karaoke and one of the biggest hits from Koda’s discography. On the December 21st 2007, Koda Kumi became the seventh Japanese female artist to hold a solo concert at Tokyo Dome. During the concert, she celebrated the 7th year anniversary since her debut in front of 35,000 fans. By the end of the year, Kumi became, for the 2nd time running, the highest selling female artist of the year.
In January 2008, during the promotion of her 6th album, Kingdom, Kumi appeared as a guest on TBS radio show, "All Night Nippon". During which Koda mentioned her manager had recently got married and that she had asked her manager, "whether or not they would have children". When her manager replied that they wouldn't for the time being, Koda responded with her opinion that they ought to have children as soon as possible, as, "when women are around 35 years old their amniotic fluids go bad."
The comment was deemed so offensive that many radio shows and newspapers received angry complaints from women around the country. Koda's official website was shut down, along with endorser websites featuring her. Despite the public backlash, the album reached #1 on the Oricon charts for two weeks, selling over 600,000 copies.
4 months later, Koda made a return to the market with Moon Crying. Through the song, Koda expressed her real feelings and her apologies. The song quickly became a success and Koda was able to make a return to performing her songs on TV and radio. Shortly after the release of her 40th single, Koda released the upbeat single TABOO (to become one of the most popular song with her overseas fan-base) as well as the winter ballad single stay with me (which reached 2,000,000 downloads in few weeks) before the release of her 7th album : TRICK, which topped the Oricon Charts at #1 for 2 consecutive weeks.
In 2010, Koda celebrated the 10th anniversary of career beginnings, making it know that she wished to make the year special for her fans, the first project of the year was the release of her 8th album, UNIVERSE, coupled with a best album containing the biggest hits from her 2006~2008 works. During the year, she released several singles, including Lollipop & 好きで、好きで、好きで。, the later became her biggest digital success since 2008. She later released her first cover album, ETERNITY ~Love & Songs~, and held her first Stadium Tour in Summer 2010. In December, 2010, Koda Kumi hold a special concert in Tokyo Dome, for the 2nd time, in order to close the first chapter of her career with her fans.
Koda released her ninth studio album named Dejavu in March 2011. Shortly after its release, the singer started her national tour. Although Koda decided to perform in hall in order to be closer to her fans, this live tour is so far her longest tour to date with 72 dates from April to October.
Koda's 50th single was released August 2011 titled 4 TIMES. It included 4 songs as well as 4 music videos (first time since Summer 2006). The main song of the single is Poppin' love cocktail feat.TEEDA, a summer song produced by the pop rock band BACK-ON. The same year, she released 2 more singles where Koda shows the sexiest image of herself. In November 2011, Koda performed in Singapore for Mnet Asian Music Awards. She was the only Japanese star to perform and won the "Hottest Asian Artist" award. Koda's tenth album album was announced on December for a release in the beginning of 2012. Entitled , JAPONESQUE, the album includes a music video for each song, 17 in total. In the same time, Koda surprised everyone by writing on her official site that she is engaged to Kenji03 from BACK-ON. She announced her wedding by the end of the year. Few days after, Koda also confessed that she was 8 weeks pregnant.
TATTOO
倖田來未 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
哀れなアンドロイド
くどき上手のチープなレプリカント
ハートの萎えた男は要らない
Get out!
チャンスをあげるわ
熱い儀式(レボリューション)
錆びた魂 バラのTattooを
Get up!
さあ ひえた胸に
じっと眠る炎 起こして
いま ゾクゾクする夢を
追ってごらん
手頃な恋(プレイ)で
麻痺したエモーション
感動したくて 女はアジテーション
言葉じゃなくて Soulを 感じたい
Wake up!
いま せとぎわだわ
焦(じ)り焦(じ)り凍りつく私を
さあ 欲しいのなら
愛を見せてごらん
Show me your real love
咲かせなさい
その胸に 消えないバラを
Show me your real love
陥としてみて この私 Tattooで
Just falling you
都会(まち)はSweet drug
いかさまパラダイス
孤独にまみれて 恋もパラノイア
優しささえ
毒入りのジェリービーンズ
Wake up!
いま 時代という
ぬるいベッドなんか這い出て
さあ わしづかみで
愛を獲ってごらん
Show me your real love
空白(しろ)い胸に
焼きつけて 消せないバラを
Show me your real love
刻みつけて 私へと Tattooを
Just falling you ...
Show me your real love
咲かせなさい
その胸に 消えないバラを
Show me your real love
陥としてみて この私 Tattooで
Just falling you
Show me your real love
空白(しろ)い胸に
焼きつけて 消せないバラを
Show me your real love
刻みつけて 私へと Tattooを
Just falling you
The lyrics to "TATTOO" by Koda Kumi convey a sense of rebellion and empowerment, as the singer rejects societal expectations and seeks true love and self-expression. In the first verse, the lyrics describe a cold and heartless urban environment filled with pitiful androids and cheap replicas. The singer declares that she doesn't need a man with a withered heart and tells him to get out. However, she also offers a chance for a passionate revolution, where she will engrave a red rose tattoo on her rusty soul and be reborn.
In the following verses, the lyrics emphasize the singer's desire for genuine emotions and soulful connections. She is tired of numbness and superficial relationships, longing to feel moved and to experience love that goes beyond words. The lyrics urge the listener to wake up from their frozen state and pursue their dreams with fiery passion. The city is depicted as a deceptive paradise, where loneliness and paranoia reign, and even kindness is tainted like poisonous jelly beans.
Ultimately, the lyrics encourage the listener to show their true love and embrace the singer's rebellious spirit. They implore the listener to nurture a rose in their heart that remains forever, and to imprint a tattoo on their being as a symbol of their connection with the singer. The repeated phrase "Just falling you" indicates a strong attraction or infatuation, emphasizing the intense emotions that this rebellious love evokes.
Line by Line Meaning
都会(まち)にはびこる
The city is filled with
哀れなアンドロイド
pitiful androids
くどき上手のチープなレプリカント
smooth-talking cheap replicants
ハートの萎えた男は要らない
I don't need a man with a withered heart
Get out!
Get out!
チャンスをあげるわ
I'll give you a chance
熱い儀式(レボリューション)
a passionate revolution
錆びた魂 バラのTattooを
Engrave a tattoo of a rusted soul and roses
紅く刻んで 産まれ変わるのよ
Carve it in crimson, and I'll be reborn
Get up!
Get up!
さあ ひえた胸に
Now, in my cold heart
じっと眠る炎 起こして
Wake up the dormant flame
いま ゾクゾクする夢を
And chase after the thrilling dreams
追ってごらん
Come and chase them
手頃な恋(プレイ)で
With a convenient love affair
麻痺したエモーション
numbed emotions
感動したくて 女はアジテーション
Yearning to be moved, women agitate
言葉じゃなくて Soulを 感じたい
I want to feel their soul, not their words
Wake up!
Wake up!
いま せとぎわだわ
Now, in the corner of the world
焦(じ)り焦(じ)り凍りつく私を
I, frozen in impatience and anxiety
さあ 欲しいのなら
So if you want it
愛を見せてごらん
Show me your love
Show me your real love
Show me your real love
咲かせなさい
Make it bloom
その胸に 消えないバラを
A rose that never fades in your heart
陥としてみて この私 Tattooで
Fall for me, with this tattoo of mine
Just falling you
Just falling for you
都会(まち)はSweet drug
The city is a sweet drug
いかさまパラダイス
A paradise of deception
孤独にまみれて 恋もパラノイア
Covered in loneliness, even love becomes paranoia
優しささえ
Even kindness
毒入りのジェリービーンズ
Is like poisonous jelly beans
Wake up!
Wake up!
いま 時代という
Now, in this era
ぬるいベッドなんか這い出て
Crawl out of the lukewarm bed
さあ わしづかみで
So, seize it firmly
愛を獲ってごらん
And win love
Show me your real love
Show me your real love
空白(しろ)い胸に
In an empty heart
焼きつけて 消せないバラを
Brand an indelible rose
刻みつけて 私へと Tattooを
Carve it into me, this tattoo
Just falling you ...
Just falling for you ...
Show me your real love
Show me your real love
咲かせなさい
Make it bloom
その胸に 消えないバラを
A rose that never fades in your heart
Show me your real love
Show me your real love
陥としてみて この私 Tattooで
Fall for me, with this tattoo of mine
Just falling you
Just falling for you
Show me your real love
Show me your real love
空白(しろ)い胸に
In an empty heart
焼きつけて 消せないバラを
Brand an indelible rose
Show me your real love
Show me your real love
刻みつけて 私へと Tattooを
Carve it into me, this tattoo
Just falling you
Just falling for you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Yuriko Mori, Anri Sekine
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
チャラリーマン
モノ凄い名曲を
汚された気がするのは俺だけか？
下品さが目立つよな。
中森明菜さんが歌えば
「男がどう足掻いても届かない高嶺の花の品のある強気な女性」
この人が歌えば
「男遊びしまくってる貞操感が全く無い下品な女性」
に見事に変わる。
見なきゃ良かったと心底思う。
。裕紀
30年経つが
明菜の凄さが
歌唱力含め
再確認できたわー‼️
kanji enomoto
あかん。明菜には全く敵わへん。
Do !
同じ曲でも歌う人が違えばこんなにつまらなくなるんだ。この曲は良い女が歌ってこそだね
matowi
この人が歌うカバーって謎アレンジのせいなのか、
原曲へのリスペクトが全然感じられないんだよね
不知火やむ
明菜ちゃんのは普段は清楚な女性がガラッと変わって大人の女性になって駆け引きしてるって感じで、倖田來未さんのは色っぽい女性がバーとかで男を口説いて遊んでるって感じ
結論はどちらも素敵です
polypropylene9999999
カバーとして歌い上げも良くて
この曲だからこそ倖田來未という選択は良いな。けどみんなが仰るとおり、エロっぽさが前面に出過ぎてっのがちょっとね…
中森明菜のクールにちょっと上から目線でワタシを捕まえてごらん？って感じがやっぱりいいね。
ぴやんぴ
セクシーな名曲が下品になる。ある意味すごい。
Rosetree
Very beautiful vocal. Amazing cover song
世界のカリスマ
ちょっとこれは世間は許してくれやせんよ
恋虹
やはり明菜は、歌う「女優」。
歌の中の「世界観」が見える歌手。と
再確認が出来た