Hikaru Utada was born to Japanese parents who both had roots in the Japanese music industry; her father, Teruzane Utada, was a producer, while her mother, Junko Utada, was an enka singer (she performed under the stage name Keiko Fuji (藤圭子). Utada Hikaru has been recording since 1993. She made her first professional recording at the age of twelve, and recorded her first album, Precious, in 1996 under the pseudonym Cubic U. This album led to her career overseas. In an interview for MTV's, You Hear It First, Hikaru said: "Someone in Japan heard it, at a Japanese record company, and he said, 'Oh, can't you write in Japanese? You speak Japanese.' And I didn't want to say no, so I had to try it."
Hikaru moved to Tokyo in late 1997 and attended Seisen International School, and later the American School in Japan while continuing to record on a new contract with Toshiba-EMI. Unlike other pop stars at the time, she was more focused on becoming a singer and songwriter while other Japanese female singers were attempting to become idols. Leading up to the release of her Japanese debut album "First Love", Hikaru released two successful million-selling singles: "Automatic/ time will tell" and "Movin' on without you". "Automatic/Time Will Tell" sold over two million copies. Backed by her singles, First Love went on to sell over 7 million units in Japan alone (with an additional 3 million overseas, bringing it to a sum of at least 10 million units), becoming the highest-selling album in Japan's history.
After a two-year break, Hikaru released her follow up album "Distance", garnering first-week sales of 3 million units sold. Backed by her singles — "Addicted to You", "Wait & See ~リスク~", "For You / タイム・リミット" and "Can You Keep a Secret?" — Distance became the best-selling album of the year, with almost 5 million copies sold in Japan alone. Additionally, "Addicted to You" became Hikaru's best-selling single, selling one million in its first week. Hikaru went on to release a single which was dedicated to the female victim of a murder case in Ikeda, Osaka, titled "Final Distance".
Leading up to the third album, "Deep River", Hikaru released "traveling", "光", and "SAKURAドロップス"; all the songs reached the top of the charts. Deep River sold 2.35 million copies in its first week. Oricon reported that sales eventually surpassed 3.6 million, making Utada the only act in Japanese music history to have three consecutive albums surpass the three million mark. The album was cited by many fans and critics as Hikaru's most acclaimed work, as well as achieving the Triple Crown at the 17th Golden Disc Awards in Japan. Later, she attempted to break into the US market under her stage name Utada with her album Exodus.
A year after the release of Exodus, Hikaru moved back to Tokyo and started work on her next album. Leading up to the release of her fourth album, "Ultra Blue", Hikaru released a string of successful hit singles: "COLORS" (no. 1), "誰かの願いが叶うころ" (no. 1), "Be My Last", (no. 1), "Passion" (no. 4), and "Keep Tryin'" (no. 2). The digital single "This Is Love" was released to promote the album, netting around one million digital downloads. Ultra Blue sold 500,317 copies in the first week, lower than that of the previous album, although it still topped the Oricon Daily, Weekly, and Monthly charts. Ultra Blue gave the artist her fifth consecutive chart-topping Japanese album (excluding her English album) to sell in excess of 500,000 copies for first-week sales. On July 13, Toshiba EMI published a report stating that Ultra Blue had sold over one million copies worldwide and four million digital ringtones already making it one of EMI's 10th best-selling albums of the past year.
A tour of Japan, "Utada United 2006," commenced on June 30th, 2006 (Two weeks after Ultra Blue's release) and ended on September 12th, 2006, after Hikaru Utada's performances at Yoyogi. Ticket sales started on May 28th, 2006, with the majority of venues selling out in less than two hours.
Hikaru Utada released the single "Flavor of Life" on February 28th, 2007. Her next single, "Beautiful World / Kiss & Cry", was released in Japan on August 29th, 2007 - A track which also doubled as the theme song to the anime movie "Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone".
On February 20th, 2008, she released her 20th Japanese single, HEART STATION/Stay Gold which reached #1 on Japan’s weekly radio charts, which was followed shortly after by her 6th Japanese studio album, HEART STATION released on the 19th of March 2008. Hikaru intended to go for a "simpler" approach for the album; she stated, "From the beginning, I had always intended to make this album easier to listen to so anyone can enjoy it. I always aimed for a simple melody, simple lyrics and a simple message rather than over-complicating it all. But overall, I had a lot of fun making this album." Utada then returned to the US market, releasing This Is the One. She also went on tour with 'Utada: In the Flesh', playing in cities around the world, such as Los Angeles, New York, and London.
On August 9, 2010, Hikaru announced on her personal blog that beginning in 2011, she would go on an indefinite hiatus, citing fatigue since her debut 12 years previously. She also stated a need for rest, to study new things and learn more about the world, as well as see to some personal matters. It was unclear as for how long this break would last and if she would ever return to the music scene. Before the hiatus began, she said that she would go "full throttle" on her artistic activities, and soon after her site was updated, a new compilation album, "Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 2", was announced, with a release date of November 24, 2010. This new album would include all her Japanese singles from "誰かの願いが叶うころ" to "Prisoner of Love" on disc one, as well as an extra EP, featuring five new tracks.
From November 24, 2010, first-week sales for Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 2 were 231,000 units according to Oricon album daily charting. On April 10, 2011, Utada won the award for "Best Conceptual Video" in the SpaceShowerTV Music Video Awards for the PV for "Goodbye Happiness", which also marked her directorial debut. An announcement was made that Utada would perform a two-night concert titled Wild Life at Yokohama Arena to promote the album, her first Japanese concert since 2006's Utada United.
On August 8, 2016, her sixth Japanese album's title was released: "Fantôme", French for "ghost". Following its release on September 28, Fantôme was commercially and critically successful. It debuted atop the Oricon Albums Chart and stayed there for four consecutive weeks, the most of any Utada studio album since First Love. It was awarded Album of the Year at the Japan Record Awards and received positive reviews from media outlets. Musically, Fantôme is a collection of tracks that emphasize acoustic and stripped-down instrumentation, alongside influences of pop, electronic, and R&B music. The lyrical content delves into themes of grief, sadness, love, and death, mostly influenced by the death of her mother, her second marriage, and the birth of her son in 2015.
Hikaru's seventh album, "初恋", was released on June 27, 2018. The release coincided with the commemoration of her 20th anniversary as an artist in Japan. A national tour was announced to support the album in November 2018, "Laughter in the Dark 2018", her first Japan concert tour in 12 years. It is currently available on iTunes for digital download and Netflix for streaming.
Hikaru released her eighth album, "BADモード" on January 19, 2022. It features production from musicians such as Skrillex and A. G. Cook.
Official sites:
www.emimusic.jp/hikki
http://www.u3music.com/
Movin' on without you
宇多田ヒカル Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only you can stop me
夜中の3時am 枕元のPHS
鳴るのを待ってる バカみたいじゃない
時計の鐘が鳴る おとぎ話みたいに
ガラスのハイヒール 見つけてもダメ
私だって そんなに暇じゃないんだから
I'm movin' on without you
フザけたアリバイ 知らないフリはもう出来ない
こんな思い出ばかりの 二人じゃないのに
切なくなるはずじゃなかったのに どうして
いいオンナ演じるのは まだ早すぎるかな
Nothing's gonna stop me
Only you can stop me
用意したセリフは 完璧なのに
まだ 電波届かない 午前4時
静かすぎる夜は 考えが暴れ出すの
分ってるのに 結局寝不足
あんな約束 もう忘れたよ
指輪も返すから 私のこころ返して
I have to go without you
くやしいから 私から別れてあげる
いいオンナ演じるのも 楽じゃないよね
切なくなるはずじゃなかったのに どうして
いいオンナ演じるのは まだ早すぎるかな
Nothing's gonna stop me
Only you can stop me
とまどいながらでもいいから 愛してほしい
そんなこと言わなくても わかってほしいのに
切なくなるはずじゃなかったのに どうして
いいオンナ演じるのは まだ早すぎるかな
Nothing's gonna stop me
Only you can stop me
Nothing's gonna stop me
Only you can stop me
Nothing's gonna stop me
Only you can stop me
Nothing's gonna stop me
Only you can stop me
The song "Movin' on without you" by Utada Hikaru is about a woman who finally decides to move on from a relationship that was not fruitful. The lyrics describe the singer waiting by her phone at 3 am hoping her former lover would reach out to her, but as time passes, she realizes she has to move on with her life. She professes that nothing will stop her from progressing, except for her former lover, who still has the power to hold her back. The lyrics also express her frustration over a failed relationship and the feelings of sadness that creep in when she realizes she has to say goodbye.
The singer of the song is depicted as a strong and independent woman who is ready to move on with her life despite the pain of the past. She acknowledges that being a "good woman" is not easy, and perhaps, it's still too early for her to take on that responsibility. The song suggests that getting over somebody might be difficult, but it's necessary to be strong and move on. The repeated chorus of "Nothing's gonna stop me, Only you can stop me" reinforces the idea that the singer is in control of her life and her ex-lover no longer has any power over her.
Line by Line Meaning
Nothing's gonna stop me
I won't let anything stand in my way of moving on without you.
Only you can stop me
You are the only one who can hold me back from moving on.
夜中の3時am 枕元のPHS 鳴るのを待ってる バカみたいじゃない
It's foolish to wait for your call in the middle of the night like this, by my phone at 3AM.
時計の鐘が鳴る おとぎ話みたいに
The sounds of the clock chime almost seem like something from a fairy tale.
ガラスのハイヒール 見つけてもダメ
Even if I find Cinderella's glass slippers, they won't help me in this situation.
構うのが面倒なら 早く教えて 私だって そんなに暇じゃないんだから I'm movin' on without you
If you don't want to deal with it, just tell me quickly. Because I'm not that free. I'm moving on without you.
フザけたアリバイ 知らないフリはもう出来ない こんな思い出ばかりの 二人じゃないのに
I can't pretend that I don't know about your ridiculous excuses anymore. We shouldn't have to only remember the bad times we shared together.
切なくなるはずじゃなかったのに どうして いいオンナ演じるのは まだ早すぎるかな
It wasn't supposed to be this sad. But why do I feel like it's too early for me to act like a mature woman?
用意したセリフは 完璧なのに まだ 電波届かない 午前4時
The words I have prepared are perfect, but the phone signal still won't go through at 4AM.
静かすぎる夜は 考えが暴れ出すの 分ってるのに 結局寝不足
The stillness of the night only makes my mind race. I know it, but I still end up sleepless.
あんな約束 もう忘れたよ 指輪も返すから 私のこころ返して I have to go without you
I've forgotten about the promises we made. I'll return the ring, so please return my heart. I have to go without you.
くやしいから 私から別れてあげる いいオンナ演じるのも 楽じゃないよね
It hurts, but I'll be the one to end it. It's not exactly easy to act like a mature woman, is it?
とまどいながらでもいいから 愛してほしい そんなこと言わなくても わかってほしいのに
Even in my confusion, I want you to love me. I wish you could understand that without me having to say it.
Nothing's gonna stop me
I won't let anything stand in my way of moving on without you.
Only you can stop me
You are the only one who can hold me back from moving on.
Nothing's gonna stop me
I won't let anything stand in my way of moving on without you.
Only you can stop me
You are the only one who can hold me back from moving on.
Nothing's gonna stop me
I won't let anything stand in my way of moving on without you.
Only you can stop me
You are the only one who can hold me back from moving on.
Contributed by Declan K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@crystalsvlog
Nothing's gonna stop me
Only you can stop me
夜中の3時am 枕元のPHS
鳴るの待ってる バカみたいじゃない
時計の鐘が鳴る おとぎ話みたいに
ガラスのハイヒール 見つけてもダメ
構うのが面倒なら 早く教えて
私だって そんなに暇じゃないんだから
I'm movin' on without you
フザけたアリバイ 知らないフリはもう出来ない
こんな思い出ばかりの 二人じゃないのに
※切なくなるはずじゃなかったのに どうして
いいオンナ演じるのは まだ早すぎるかな
Nothing's gonna stop me
Only you can stop me
用意したセリフは 完璧なのに
また 電波届かない 午前4時
静かすぎる夜は 考えが暴れ出すの
分ってるのに 結局寝不足
あんな約束 もう忘れたよ
指輪も返すから 私のこころ返して
I have to go without you
くやしいから 私から別れてあげる
いいオンナ演じるのも 楽じゃないよね
(※くり返し)
とまどいながらでもいいから 愛してほしい
そんなこと言わなくても わかってほしいのに
(※くり返し)
@j.k7318
しかし、大ヒットの後、両親は離婚
母親の藤圭子は精神疾患により飛び降り自殺、本人も2度の離婚
壮絶過ぎて、もし私なら耐えられないレベルの逆境に直面しても、歌う事を捨てなかった...
初期の楽曲はカッコいいけど、今の自分には、最近の日本語を大事にしている楽曲が心に響く...
でも、この頃の曲は、日本って枠を無意識に軽々と飛び越えてて、
これからの日本人なんだなぁ...と
戦う場所は世界なんだと...
@user-gj9oz1oo3n
作詞作曲:宇多田ヒカル
Nothing's gonna stop me
Only you can stop me
Nothing's gonna stop me
Only you can stop me
夜中の3時am 枕元のPHS
鳴るの待ってる バカみたいじゃない
時計の鐘が鳴る おとぎ話みたいに
ガラスのハイヒール 見つけてもダメ
構うのが面倒なら 早く教えて
私だって そんなに暇じゃないんだから
I'm movin' on without you
フザけたアリバイ
知らないフリはもう出来ない
こんな思い出ばかりの二人じゃないのに
切なくなるはず
じゃなかったのに どうして
いいオンナ演じるのはまだ早すぎるかな
Nothing's gonna stop me
Only you can stop me
用意したセリフは 完璧なのに
また 電波届かない 午前4時
静かすぎる夜は 考えが暴れ出すの
分かってるのに 結局寝不足
あんな約束 もう忘れたよ
指輪も返すから 私のこころ返して
I have to go without you
くやしいから
私から別れてあげる
いいオンナ演じるのも楽じゃないよね
切なくなるはず
じゃなかったのに どうして
いいオンナ演じるのはまだ早すぎるかな
とまどいながらでも
いいから 愛してほしい
そんなこと言わなくても
わかってほしいのに
切なくなるはずじゃなかったのに どうして
いいオンナ演じるのはまだ早すぎるかな
@user-pf2hq8mi2f
「親の七光り」なんて言葉とは一切無縁な天才
@mamo217
このへんまでは、ルックスがまだ「そこらにいる高校生感」があって、それが逆に才能の凄さを際立たせてた。怖いくらいだった。
@user-xf9ku8hy5b
令和6年、聞いてるし歌ってます。
こんなに歌詞とリンクしまくったの初めて！
若い頃の思い出がいっきに蘇る
@RT-tc4pd
｢切なくなるは...ずじゃな...かった...のにどうして｣の切り方が最高すぎるんだよな︎
︎（՞ټ՞☝
@nnfnnf1110
宇多田ヒカルといえばautomaticとかFirst Loveとかフィーチャーされがちやけど、個人的にはこの曲聞いた時が一番衝撃的やったなぁ。
カッコよすぎ。
今のZ世代にも是非聴いて欲しいと思える1曲。
@user-uu1rf4ud3z
中3です。親の影響もあって90、2000年代の曲しか聴いてないです笑最近の曲あんまり刺さらない
@jorinkujyo894
自分もこの曲です。
イントロ出だしのギターで電流走りました。
@code_dxm_ine5862
Z世代ですが、友達のDJイベントで初めて聴いて衝撃受けました
@user-sv7rf9ms6m
@@user-uu1rf4ud3z
今の歌はあまり心に刺さらないですね。
70、80年代も掘り返すといい曲いっぱいありますよ～
@user-te8xi2nk8j
Z世代、きいています！