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/
Shiawase ni Narou
宇多田ヒカル Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
これが「しあわせ」なら もっと欲しい
忘れそうになる その都度に
また交わしたい 静かな誓い
初めてだったらよかったのに
幸せになろう オフィシャルな野望
恋人になろう 手つないで歩こう
あなたを誰よりも ヲー!
幸せになろう 悲しみは利用
寄り道もしたけど ヲー!
今すぐに会おう 思い出は昨日
明日は今日よりも ヲー!
その続きを知りたくて 賢者を訪ねた
すると彼は言いました 教えない
何度も同じ扉の前に 辿り着いては
ノックしかけたんだけど
君が手を貸してくれたなら
幸せになろう あくまでも希望
現実は意外と ヲー!
決めないでおこう 不確かな世相
だからこそあなたと ヲー!
幸せになろう 言い訳は無用
遠回りしてでも ヲー!
待ち合わせしよう 跳び箱の向こう
両手でしっかりと
(I'm gonna be happy, I'm gonna be happier, I'm gonna be happier)
(Do you really, really want to see a brighter day? Then look this way at me)
(Or would you rather stay unhappy another day? Then go ahead, not me)
幸せになろう 当然の野望
明日は今日よりも ヲー!
約束をしよう 夜通し話そう
私達はずっと ヲー!
幸せになろう 悲しみは利用
寄り道もしたけど ヲー!
今すぐに会おう 思い出の向こう
明日は今日よりも ヲー!
幸せに go ahead, don't turn away, go ahead, don't turn away
だからこそあなたと
The first two lines of the song talk about how the singer wants more than just the current state of happiness that they have, and they want to continue without questioning it. They go on to say that every time they feel like they're about to forget what they have, they want to make a quiet promise to keep going. They mention that they wish they could go back to when things were new, possibly implying that they're in a long-term relationship and miss the excitement of the beginning.
The chorus is about wanting to be happy and have official ambitions towards it, while acknowledging that sadness can be used to their advantage. The second verse talks about asking a wise person about what comes next and not being given an answer. The singer has knocked on the same door many times before, but it's only with the help of their partner that they can continue forward. The chorus repeats, with the addition of a line about making promises and staying up all night. Throughout the song, there is a positive and hopeful tone, with a focus on striving for happiness even in the face of uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
何も聞かずに続けて
Continue without questioning anything
これが「しあわせ」なら もっと欲しい
If this is what happiness is, I want more
忘れそうになる その都度に
Every time I feel like forgetting,
また交わしたい 静かな誓い
I want to reaffirm the quiet promise we made
初めてだったらよかったのに
It would have been nice if it was our first time
幸せになろう オフィシャルな野望
Let's aim for happiness as our official goal
明日は今日よりも ヲー!
Tomorrow will be better than today
恋人になろう 手つないで歩こう
Let's become lovers and walk hand in hand
あなたを誰よりも ヲー!
You are the most important to me
幸せになろう 悲しみは利用
Let's turn sadness into an opportunity to be happy
寄り道もしたけど ヲー!
We took a detour, but it's okay
今すぐに会おう 思い出は昨日
Let's meet now, yesterday's memories
その続きを知りたくて 賢者を訪ねた
I wanted to know what happens next, so I went to see a wise person
すると彼は言いました 教えない
But he said he wouldn't tell me
何度も同じ扉の前に 辿り着いては
I've arrived in front of the same door many times,
ノックしかけたんだけど
But I only knocked
君が手を貸してくれたなら
If you had given me a helping hand
幸せになろう あくまでも希望
Let's hope to be happy, no matter what
現実は意外と ヲー!
Reality is surprisingly
決めないでおこう 不確かな世相
Let's not decide anything, in this uncertain world
だからこそあなたと ヲー!
That's why I want to be with you
幸せになろう 言い訳は無用
Let's be happy, with no excuses
遠回りしてでも ヲー!
Even if that means taking the long way around
待ち合わせしよう 跳び箱の向こう
Let's meet beyond the hurdles
両手でしっかりと
And hold each other tight
(I'm gonna be happy, I'm gonna be happier, I'm gonna be happier)
(Do you really, really want to see a brighter day? Then look this way at me)
(Or would you rather stay unhappy another day? Then go ahead, not me)
幸せになろう 当然の野望
It's only natural to want to be happy
約束をしよう 夜通し話そう
Let's make a promise to talk all night long
私達はずっと ヲー!
The two of us will always be together
幸せに go ahead, don't turn away, go ahead, don't turn away
Let's go forward and not turn away from happiness
だからこそあなたと
That's why I want to be with you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Hikaru Utada
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tue0815
歌詞（lyrics）
何も聞かずに続けて
これが「しあわせ」なら
もっと欲しい
忘れそうになるその都度に
また交わしたい静かな誓い
初めてだったらよかったのに
幸せになろう
オフィシャルな野望
明日は今日よりも。。。（ヲ－！）
恋人になろう
手つないであ步こう
あなたを誰よりも。。。（ヲ－！）
幸せになろう
悲しみは利用
寄り道もしたけど。。。（ヲ－！）
今すぐに会おう
思い出は昨日
明日は今日よりも。。。（ヲ－！）
その続きを知りたくて
賢者を訪ねた
すると彼は言いました
「教えない」
何度も同じ扉の前に辿り着いては
ノックしかけたんだけど
君が手を貸してくれたなら
幸せになろう
あくまでも希望
現実は意外と。。。（ヲ－！）
決めないでおこう
不確かな世相
だからこそあなたと。。。（ヲ－！）
幸せになろう
言い訳は無用
遠回りしてでも。。。（ヲ－！）
待ち合わせしよう
跳び箱の向こう
両手でしっかりと。。。
幸せになろう
当然の野望
明日は今日よりも。。。（ヲ－！）
約束をしよう
夜通し話そう
私達はずっと。。。（ヲ－！）
幸せになろう
悲しみは利用
寄り道もしたけど。。。（ヲ－！）
今すぐに会おう
思い出の向こう
明日は今日よりも。。。（ヲ－！）
@sleepy3919
何も聞かずに続けて
これが「しあわせ」なら
もっと欲しい
忘れそうになるその都度に
また交わしたい静かな誓い
初めてだったらよかったのに
幸せになろう
オフィシャルな野望
明日は今日よりも…(ヲー!)
恋人になろう
手つないで歩こう
あなたを誰よりも…(ヲー!)
幸せになろう
悲しみは利用
寄り道もしたけど…(ヲー!)
今すぐに会おう
思い出は昨日
明日は今日よりも…(ヲー!)
その続きを知りたくて
賢者を訪ねた
すると彼は言いました
｢教えない｣
何度も同じ扉の前に辿り着いては
ノックしかけたんだけど
君が手を貸してくれたなら
幸せになろう
あくまでも希望
現実は意外と…(ヲー!)
決めないでおこう
不確かな世相
だからこそあなたと…(ヲー!)
幸せになろう
言い訳は無用
遠回りしてでも…(ヲー!)
待ち合わせしよう
跳び箱の向こう
両手でしっかりと…
幸せになろう
当然の野望
明日は今日よりも…(ヲー!)
約束をしよう
夜通し話そう
私達はずっと…(ヲー!)
幸せになろう
悲しみは利用
寄り道もしたけど…(ヲー!)
今すぐに会おう
思い出の向こう
明日は今日よりも…(ヲー!)
@p4n101
幸せになろうって言ってるのに悲壮感がちらついているのが好きです
@user-oi8xe8ko4l
宇多田ヒカルの曲の中で一番好きな曲です。
アルバム曲であまりメジャーではありませんが、マイナー調できれいなメロディーライン…。
隠れた名曲ですね。
@user-rf8sq5lt6m
2023年も聴いている人いますか？
歌詞力歌唱力抜群です💞💗
聴かせて見させて頂きましてありがとうございます🙏💗💞そのまんまの宇多田ヒカルさんが大好きです✴
by ヒデキ💗
@showmelovenotadream69
掘っても掘っても神曲ばっかでマジでやばい
@ten-hikki57
全体的に不穏な空気感が伝わってくるんだよね。あまりにも直接的な「幸せになろう」を何度もコールするし、「ヲー」という叫びにぎこちない響きを感じるし、「成就できない貴族女性の恋」がテーマの「エリーゼのために」を引用しているところも悲劇の予告のようだし。
この曲が、どこか虚無感や無常感を感じさせる「traveling」の次の曲で、この後に深遠なテーマを取り扱う「Deep River」が続くところもポイントになりそう。
@user-kk4gv9xj3y
サビに向かって落ちていくのがヒッキーらしくてエモい
@tue0815
歌詞（lyrics）
何も聞かずに続けて
これが「しあわせ」なら
もっと欲しい
忘れそうになるその都度に
また交わしたい静かな誓い
初めてだったらよかったのに
幸せになろう
オフィシャルな野望
明日は今日よりも。。。（ヲ－！）
恋人になろう
手つないであ步こう
あなたを誰よりも。。。（ヲ－！）
幸せになろう
悲しみは利用
寄り道もしたけど。。。（ヲ－！）
今すぐに会おう
思い出は昨日
明日は今日よりも。。。（ヲ－！）
その続きを知りたくて
賢者を訪ねた
すると彼は言いました
「教えない」
何度も同じ扉の前に辿り着いては
ノックしかけたんだけど
君が手を貸してくれたなら
幸せになろう
あくまでも希望
現実は意外と。。。（ヲ－！）
決めないでおこう
不確かな世相
だからこそあなたと。。。（ヲ－！）
幸せになろう
言い訳は無用
遠回りしてでも。。。（ヲ－！）
待ち合わせしよう
跳び箱の向こう
両手でしっかりと。。。
幸せになろう
当然の野望
明日は今日よりも。。。（ヲ－！）
約束をしよう
夜通し話そう
私達はずっと。。。（ヲ－！）
幸せになろう
悲しみは利用
寄り道もしたけど。。。（ヲ－！）
今すぐに会おう
思い出の向こう
明日は今日よりも。。。（ヲ－！）
@user-lc6xt7en5h
なんだろう、メジャーじゃないのに
大好きな曲
@user-pq8zj1gv2w
「幸せになろう」と言いつつ、とても悲しい曲です。
恋人を事故か病気で亡くした人が、亡くなった恋人との思い出しながら「これからも私はあなたとずっと一緒で、幸せになる」と歌っている曲のように感じました。
最近（恋人ではないですが）身近な人が亡くなって、急にこの曲が聞きたくなりました。
@tama7752
デープリバーは個人的に最高のアルバムで全曲が神曲なのでみんなデープリバーのアルバム曲聞いてええええええ