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/
another chance
宇多田ヒカル Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
静かにくちずさんだメロディー
Playback してる
きみの涙の振動
空気をつたわって
腕をかすかにふれた瞬間
見逃しちゃったシグナル
ひとりでいるのには 広すぎる星
Give me another chance
こころ重ねると浮かび上がる いろ模様
こんなに natural な感覚が
間違ってるわけないのに
記憶のすき間からのぞくと消える あの模様
どんなに遠くはなれても あきらめられるはずない
どんなにつきはなしても
かくせない
今プライドを捨てて
おねがいしてる
夢からさめた時に
君がそこにいてくれたら
Oh 何もいらない
太陽かくされて
はじめて知った弱さも
二人でいれるなら 強くなる
Give me another chance
I'm searching for you, my dear
In the まわるいろ模様
終わりのない迷路のなかで きみにもう少し近づきたい
この毎日の闘いのなかでは とどかない
どんなに強く抱きしめても 伝わるはずはないけど
こころ重ねると浮かび上がる いろ模様
こんなに natural な感覚が
間違ってるわけないのに
記憶のすき間からのぞくと消える あの模様
どんなに遠くはなれても あきらめられるはずない
(I need)
(I need you, I need you, I need you)
The lyrics to 宇多田ヒカル's song Another Chance tell the story of someone who is seeking another chance with their loved one, despite past mistakes and misunderstandings. They describe the power of memories and how they can bring people closer together, even in the midst of a seemingly endless maze. The singer is searching for their love in the colorful patterns of their memories, hoping to bridge the distance that separates them.
The song's opening lines, "Kuchibue fuke nai kimi / Shizuka ni kuchizusanda melody / Playback shiteru" (You who never stops whistling / quietly hum a melody that / I am now playing back), suggest that the singer is longing for their love's presence and is reminded of them by the melody that they are playing back. The second verse describes how the vibrations of their loved one's tears traveled through the air and subtly touched the singer's arm, with the line "Kimi no namida no shindou / Kuuki wo tsutawatte / Ude wo kasuka ni fureta shunkan" (The vibration of your tears / traveled through the air / and touched my arm ever so slightly).
The chorus, "Give me another chance / Kokoro kasaneru to ukabiagaru iro moyou / Konna ni natural na kankaku ga / Machigatte ru wake nai no ni" (Give me another chance / The colors and patterns that emerge when our hearts overlap / This natural feeling / Can't be wrong, even though it's mistaken) emphasizes the importance of second chances, and how the overlapping of two hearts can bring about an understanding that is natural and true. The song ends with the repeated refrain, "I need / I need you, I need you, I need you," driving home the singer's desperate desire for their lover's presence.
Line by Line Meaning
口笛ふけない君
You're the one who stays quiet and keeps whistling
静かにくちずさんだメロディー Playback してる
Your melody was silently humming, and I'm hearing it on playback
きみの涙の振動 空気をつたわって 腕をかすかにふれた瞬間
The vibrations of your tears flow through the air and touched my arm so lightly
太陽まぶしくて 見逃しちゃったシグナル ひとりでいるのには 広すぎる星 Give me another chance
The signal was missed because of the shining sun, and the stars are too vast when you're alone. Give me another chance
こころ重ねると浮かび上がる いろ模様 こんなに natural な感覚が 間違ってるわけないのに
The colors appear when our hearts come together. This natural feeling can't be wrong
記憶のすき間からのぞくと消える あの模様 どんなに遠くはなれても あきらめられるはずない
That pattern will disappear when we see it through a gap in our memories. No matter how far we stray, we shouldn't give up
どんなにつきはなしても かくせない 今プライドを捨てて おねがいしてる
I can never hide no matter how hard I try. I'm begging you to let go of my pride
夢からさめた時に 君がそこにいてくれたら Oh 何もいらない
When I wake up from a dream, I don't need anything else as long as you're there
太陽かくされて はじめて知った弱さも 二人でいれるなら 強くなる Give me another chance
With the sun hidden, we both discovered our own sorrows, but if we're together, we'll become stronger. Give me another chance
I'm searching for you, my dear In the まわるいろ模様 終わりのない迷路のなかで きみにもう少し近づきたい
My dear, I'm searching for you in these spinning colors. In this endless maze, I want to get a little closer to you
この毎日の闘いのなかでは とどかない どんなに強く抱きしめても 伝わるはずはないけど
We won't make it through these daily struggles. No matter how tightly you hold me, I still can't feel it, but...
こころ重ねると浮かび上がる いろ模様 こんなに natural な感覚が 間違ってるわけないのに
The colors appear when our hearts come together. This natural feeling can't be wrong
記憶のすき間からのぞくと消える あの模様 どんなに遠くはなれても あきらめられるはずない
That pattern will disappear when we see it through a gap in our memories. No matter how far we stray, we shouldn't give up
(I need)
(I need you, I need you, I need you)
I need you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Hikaru Utada
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@yuno4599
歌詞
口笛ふけない君
静かにくちずさんだメロディー
Playback してる
きみの涙の振動
空気をつたわって
腕をかすかにふれた瞬間
太陽まぶしくて
見逃しちゃったシグナル
ひとりでいるのには 広すぎる星
Give me another chance
こころ重ねると浮かび上がる いろ模様
こんなに natural な感覚が
間違ってるわけないのに
記憶のすき間からのぞくと消える あの模様
どんなに遠くはなれても あきらめられるはずない
どんなにつきはなしても
かくせない
今プライドを捨てて
おねがいしてる
夢からさめた時に
君がそこにいてくれたら
Oh 何もいらない
太陽かくされて
はじめて知った弱さも
二人でいれるなら 強くなる
Give me another chance
I'm searching for you, my dear
In the まわるいろ模様
終わりのない迷路のなかで きみにもう少し近づきたい
この毎日の闘いのなかでは とどかない
どんなに強く抱きしめても 伝わるはずはないけど
こころ重ねると浮かび上がる いろ模様
こんなに natural な感覚が
間違ってるわけないのに
記憶のすき間からのぞくと消える あの模様
どんなに遠くはなれても あきらめられるはずない
@katsukatsu9913
私も一番大好きな曲です🎶
Another Chance
に秘められた素敵なストーリー…
『昨日までずっと一緒に過ごした大切な彼女が死を迎えてしまった…
彼女は自分の余命はわかっていたが大好きな彼にはどうしてもそのことを打ち明けることが出来ない…
言葉で伝えなきゃ…
とわかっているが伝えられない自分の弱さについ涙が溢れてしまった…
その時に溢れた彼女の涙は彼の腕に微かに触れたけど太陽の眩しさで彼はそれに気付いてあげることが出来なかった…
そのことは彼女が亡くなった後にあの時彼女が伝えたかった精一杯のシグナルだったことを知る…
それから月日は流れたがこの現実をどうしても未だ受け入れることができない彼…
Give me another chance
I'm searching for you, my
dear In the
「もう一度チャンスをください 私はあなたを探しています…」
どんなに遠くへ消えてしまってもやっぱり忘れることが出来ない…
夢であって欲しい…
だが現実は違う…
彼はプライドも何もかも要らないから
Give me another chance
とずっと祈り続けている…』
とつても切ないラブストーリーなんですよね…🥹
こんな素敵な作詞・作曲を手掛け自ら歌うなんて宇多田ヒカルは本当の歌姫なんですよね😌
@yuno4599
歌詞
口笛ふけない君
静かにくちずさんだメロディー
Playback してる
きみの涙の振動
空気をつたわって
腕をかすかにふれた瞬間
太陽まぶしくて
見逃しちゃったシグナル
ひとりでいるのには 広すぎる星
Give me another chance
こころ重ねると浮かび上がる いろ模様
こんなに natural な感覚が
間違ってるわけないのに
記憶のすき間からのぞくと消える あの模様
どんなに遠くはなれても あきらめられるはずない
どんなにつきはなしても
かくせない
今プライドを捨てて
おねがいしてる
夢からさめた時に
君がそこにいてくれたら
Oh 何もいらない
太陽かくされて
はじめて知った弱さも
二人でいれるなら 強くなる
Give me another chance
I'm searching for you, my dear
In the まわるいろ模様
終わりのない迷路のなかで きみにもう少し近づきたい
この毎日の闘いのなかでは とどかない
どんなに強く抱きしめても 伝わるはずはないけど
こころ重ねると浮かび上がる いろ模様
こんなに natural な感覚が
間違ってるわけないのに
記憶のすき間からのぞくと消える あの模様
どんなに遠くはなれても あきらめられるはずない
@auralee379
最近毎日聴いてる曲。
First Love発売当時にはメインの曲ばかり聴いて気に留めていなかったが、
今、20年以上経って聴き返してみて、このアルバムの中で一番良いと思う。
@user-lk9er9wm7x
まだ聞いてますか？
@auralee379
まだ聴き続けていますよ〜
@user-kz8cg7eq8e
俺も一番好きっす
@user-ts5qr3ic4o
1番好きな曲
@user-po7cm8on4z
同じく！
@user-yh8ig2nx2s
あーずっと聴いてたなぁ。。。
独りが当たり前で、でも自由で、でもやっぱりさみしかった日々を思い出す
@user-lm6qz3lk4o
あの頃の感情が記憶の中から蘇る、そんな曲。
あれから、20年。
時が止まっている感情があることに気付かされる。
@user-jt8hu9ei9x
この孤独溢れる感じが大好きです