Utada is a third culture singer, composer, arranger, and record producer working in Japan and the United States. They have sold an estimated 52 million albums worldwide. Utada is fluent in both English and Japanese as they were raised in both New York and Tokyo. They’re most notable in the west for composing and singing the main themes for Kingdom Hearts 光 (Hikari) and Simple and Clean, as well as the theme songs for Kingdom Hearts II, Passion and Sanctuary.
Utada Hikaru was born on January 19, 1983 in New York City to Japanese parents who both had roots in the Japanese music industry; their father, Teruzane Utada, was a producer, while their mother, Junko Utada, was an enka singer (she performed under the stage name 藤圭子/Keiko Fuji). Utada has been recording since 1993, creating their first professional recording at the age of twelve. They released their first album comprised of all English songs, Precious, in 1996 under the pseudonym Cubic U. The album led to their career overseas. In an MTV interview (MTV's You Hear It First, October 2004), Utada 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."
While much of Utada's earlier work borrows from the stylings of 90s Western R&B, their music has shifted to incorporate more pop/experimental tones over time. This R&B sound was what brought them so much attention with their first release in Japan; Automatic/time will tell, stood out among the crowd, as there were no other artists with their distinct style.
Utada was once-married to famed director Kiriya Kazuaki, who directed the movie CASSHERN, where they sang the main theme song Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro.
After their first singles compilation album Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol.1 was released in March 31st, 2004, Utada moved back to New York to work on their second English album Exodus, which was released in the US on October 5th, 2004. Due to lack of promotion by their record label Island Def Jam and a lack of precedent for third culture artists at the time, however, the album was met with indifference in the US market. The second single from this album, "Devil Inside," managed to become a club smash in the US despite this and topped the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Airplay charts. Devil Inside also had a notable appearance in the 2000s LGBT serial drama Queer as Folk.
Utada moved back to Tokyo after a year of promotion for Exodus, and returned to the Japanese music scene. Despite flogging sales overseas, they released three albums over the span of 2 years: Ultra Blue and Heart Station, both certified of selling one million for shipments by the RIAJ, On October 20, 2008, their song "Eternally" from their 2001 album Distance was used as the theme for the drama Innocent Love. The song was later released as a digital single. By the end of the year, Utada was also voted the "#1 Favorite Artist of 2008" by Oricon's annual readers poll, making it their second consecutive year, and third time overall, to win the vote; their previous years being 2004 and 2007.
According to Utada's blog, on September 25th, 2007, Utada began speaking to Island Def Jam about their second English-language album. There was no set schedule, as Utada's tone suggested that they were in no rush. On October 23rd, 2007, Utada said that they had already made several demo tracks for not only the upcoming English album, but also their fifth Japanese album and was scheduled to record some of the songs on that afternoon.
On November 14th, 2007 it was announced that Utada would be featured on a download only version of Ne-Yo's song Do You. The song was released in Japan on November 21st.
Utada released their second English album, This Is The One, on March 24th, 2009 in the United States electronically. A physical copy was released later, on May 12th, 2009. The main single "Come Back To Me", which they dubbed them "breakout song" during an interview with KiwiBox, was released for airplay on February 9th, 2009. Despite their previous English album's lesser success, Utada was confident about this one. "I don't want to do experimental stuff. I just want to make a really good pop album," they told the interviewer. "This is the one, you know?"
Hikaru Utada hasn’t released anything under the “Utada” pseudonym since their last effort in 2009.
Official sites:
www.utada.com
www.emimusic.jp/hikki
www.u3music.com
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
Utada Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah
I give you my heart
Hold on, let me sign it
Your señorita, aka your best friend
Love like, never before
I'm always at your service
You just have to holler at me
NYC, NYC (what, what?)
Tokyo, Tokyo (what, what?)
Send it out from the streets to the highest, to the highest high
MP3, MP3, players
Work it out, work it out, hustlers
Om Mani Padme Hum, Hum
You know why, I'm gonna be yours tonight
We're gonna ooh ah
FYI, we're gonna be up all night
I'll see you later
Call me
You know my number
Like Captain Picard
I'm chillin' and flossin'
It's seven o'clock
I issue you the warning
That's right, we're stealing this show
Damn right, letting him know
We're sipping Chardonnay on 2PM on our working day
Ching a ling, ching a ling (what, what?)
Ching a ling, ching a ling (what, what?)
Take me down to the fields where the grasses, where the grasses, lie
MP3, MP3, players
Work it out, work it out, hustlers
Om Mani Padme Hum, Hum
You know why, I'm gonna be yours tonight
We're gonna ooh ah
FYI, we're gonna be up all night
I'll see you later
Call me
You know my number
See I don't need a freeloader
No, I don't want a freeloader
If you want a piece of this stuff
Got to give, got to give something
You know why (you know why), I'm gonna be yours tonight (yours tonight)
We're gonna ooh ah
FYI, we're gonna be up all night
I'll see you later (see you later)
Call me
You know my number
You know why (you know why)
I'm gonna be yours tonight (I'm gonna be yours tonight)
We're gonna ooh ah
FYI (FYI), we're gonna be up all night (we're gonna be up all night)
I'll see you later (I'll see you later)
Call me
You know my number
The song "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" by Utada is a remix of Ryuichi Sakamoto's original composition of the same title. Utada's rendition combines the original score with her own lyrics, creating a bilingual and contemporary pop song. The lyrics depict a romantic encounter between two people, with the female protagonist offering her heart and services to the male lead, who represents the listener. She emphasizes that she is always at his service and that he can call her anytime. The lyrics also mention various cities around the world, such as New York and Tokyo, emphasizing the global nature of the singer's affection. The chorus repeats the phrase "you know why, I'm gonna be yours tonight," suggesting an imminent romantic encounter.
It's worth noting that the lyrics of Utada's version of "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" differ significantly from the original Sakamoto composition, which was written for the 1983 film of the same title. Sakamoto's instrumental piece was a haunting and melancholic tribute to a World War II-era prisoner of war camp, while Utada's song is a uptempo and lighthearted pop tune.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah
Repetitive sounds to create a catchy beat for the song
I give you my heart
I offer you my love and affection
Hold on, let me sign it
Let me make it official and declare my commitment to you
Your señorita, aka your best friend
I am your lover and your closest confidant
Hereby, let it be known
I announce and proclaim my feelings for you
Love like, never before
I am giving you an unprecedented level of love and devotion
I'm always at your service
I am always available to help and support you
You just have to holler at me
You just need to call or reach out to me for assistance
NYC, NYC (what, what?)
A cheer for the city of New York
Tokyo, Tokyo (what, what?)
A cheer for the city of Tokyo
Send it out from the streets to the highest, to the highest high
Spreading the love and energy of the song from the streets to the highest points
MP3, MP3, players
A reference to the modern technology through which people listen to music
Work it out, work it out, hustlers
Keep striving and working hard to achieve your goals
Om Mani Padme Hum, Hum
A Buddhist chant that represents compassion and wisdom
You know why, I'm gonna be yours tonight
I am making it clear that I want to be with you tonight
We're gonna ooh ah
We will enjoy intimate moments together
FYI, we're gonna be up all night
We will stay up all night together
I'll see you later
I will meet with you again later
Call me
Please contact me when you want to see me again
You know my number
You have my contact information and can reach me easily
Like Captain Picard
A reference to Star Trek character Jean-Luc Picard to express a sense of coolness and calm
I'm chillin' and flossin'
I am relaxed and showing off my style
It's seven o'clock
A specific time mentioned in the song
I issue you the warning
I am alerting the listener to something important
That's right, we're stealing this show
We are taking control and making this moment ours
Damn right, letting him know
Asserting our power and showing someone else we are in charge
We're sipping Chardonnay on 2PM on our working day
Enjoying leisure time in the middle of a workday
Ching a ling, ching a ling (what, what?)
A playful and catchy chorus to the song
Take me down to the fields where the grasses, where the grasses, lie
Invoking images of beautiful natural scenery
See I don't need a freeloader
I am not interested in someone who takes without giving back
No, I don't want a freeloader
Reinforcing the previous statement about not wanting someone who is not willing to contribute
If you want a piece of this stuff
If you want to be with me or enjoy what I have to offer
Got to give, got to give something
You need to be willing to give something in return
FYI (FYI), we're gonna be up all night (we're gonna be up all night)
Repeating the statement about staying up all night to emphasize it
I'll see you later (I'll see you later)
Repeating the statement about meeting again later to emphasize it
You know why (you know why)
Repeating the statement to emphasize that there is a reason for the actions being taken
I'm gonna be yours tonight (I'm gonna be yours tonight)
Repeating the statement to emphasize the desire to be with someone tonight
We're gonna ooh ah
Repeating the statement as a playful description of what will happen tonight
We're gonna be up all night (we're gonna be up all night)
Repeating the statement to emphasize staying up all night
I'll see you later (I'll see you later)
Repeating the statement to confirm plans to meet again later
Call me
Repeating the statement as a reminder to stay in touch
You know my number
Repeating the statement to emphasize having contact information
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind