"Alarm" | ||||
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Single by Namie Amuro | ||||
from the album Queen of Hip-Pop | ||||
B-side | "Strobe" | |||
Released | March 17, 2004 | |||
Recorded | 2004 | |||
Studio | Rojam Studio | |||
Length | 4:16 | |||
Label | Avex Trax | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Namie Amuro singles chronology | ||||
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"Alarm" (stylized in all caps) is the 26th single by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released by Avex Trax on March 17, 2004, serving as the lead single to Amuro's seventh studio album Queen of Hip-Pop (2005). The song was written by Jusme and composed by Monk. The B-side "Strobe" was first planned as the main track of this single and when Amuro got the demo for "Alarm" the song was titled "Clock."
Musically, "Alarm" is a pop and R&B song with a heavy bass and takes influences from the Crunk music sound that was prevalent in the American music charts during the mid-2000s. The final product was recorded at Rojam Studio. "Alarm" was generally well-received by music critics, praising its melody and its production.
Commercially, the song was a disappointment in Japan. It became Amuro's first solo single, and only to date, to appear out of the top ten on the Oricon Singles Chart by peaking at only number eleven. The single was re-released on November 14, 2017 to try and enhance its original position, and to reach the top ten. The purchase campaign was both supported by music stores and "Alarm"'s songwriter, Monk. Avex Trax also accepted to reissue the single, so enough copies could be made available in stores. Unfortunately, the single only reached number fourteen. Since its release, "Alarm has appeared on several of Amuro's concert tours, as well as her greatest hits album Best Fiction (2008).
After completing her namie amuro SO CRAZY tour featuring BEST singles 2003-2004 tour, [1] which was her first international tour, [2] [3] Amuro began work on her seventh studio album, Queen of Hip-Pop . Amuro collaborated on the album with Japanese producers and songwriters T.Kura, Michico, and Nao'ymt, as well as Tricky Stewart and Sugi-V. [4] Amuro enlisted Michico to assist her with new music because they had previously collaborated; she was inspired by their work together on her album Style (2003), particularly her song "Namie's Style," and both of them wanted to continue working towards Amuro's transition from dance-oriented music to R&B and hip-hop influences. [5] [6] [7]
Both "Alarm" and the B-side "Strobe" was written by Jusme, while their music was composed and arrange by Monk. [4] Amuro recorded the song with Toshihiro Wako at Rojam Studio, with Yoshiaki Onishi mixing at Studio Somewhere. [4] The final project was mastered by Tom Coyne. [4] Musically, the song is an up-beat pop and R&B song that features a heavy bass. [8] In an interview, Amuro stated that the singles she had released before “Alarm” were all rather R&B-oriented songs, so she was looking for a song with a slightly different nuance, an up-tempo song, and that's when she came across “Alarm." [6] She believed it was a song that she could sing live and vent in various ways. [6] The B-side "Strobe" is an R&B song featuring dynamic drums and intertwining bubble sounds at the beginning of the song. [9]
Avex Trax released "Alarm" in Japan on March 17, 2004, in digital and physical formats. [10] [11] It serves as the lead single from Amuro's seventh studio album Queen of Hip-Pop (2005). The CD single and digital format include the title track and the B-side track "Strobe." [10] The song served as a commercial song for Mandom's “LUCIDO-L Prism Magic Hair Color” commercials. [12]
The music video for "Alarm" was directed by Ugichin. [13] The video was predominately filmed in black-and-white and depicts Amuro and her backup dancers dancing in a warehouse wearing biker fashion. There are also interspersed scenes throughout the video of a TV screen in a bar showing Amuro walking down a runway while wearing a yellow minidress. A drag queen named Margaret also makes a brief appearance. At the end of the video, a ring is chucked at the screen and picked up by a long-haired man whose look is reminiscent of Amuro’s ex-husband. The video was included on the DVD version of Best Fiction and her video album Filmography 2001-2005 (2005). [14] [15] On May 23, 2004, she performed “Alarm” as a performing artist at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2004 held at the Tokyo Bay NK Hall. [16] [17]
Music critics gave "Alarm" positive reviews. Eri Kato of Hot Express was extremely positive on the single, feeling that it is "another single where you can fully enjoy her charm. You can feel her vision of the world in your mind. The powerful tracks and the layered vocals give you goosebumps! They are thrilling, but they do not overpower each other, and neither one stands out too much, and they assert themselves in just the right balance." [18] Japanese magazine CDJournal reviewed the single and its appearances on Queen of Hip-Pop and Best Fiction. CDJournal praised the track for being simple, with as few notes as possible, and the sharpness of the music is being enhanced, bringing her vocals to the fore. [9] Its appearance on Queen of Hip-Pop was praised for the matte and sexy singing voice combined with the heavy bass that makes the listener's heart pound with excitement. [8] For Best Fiction, the song was praised for its cool, solid bass and a stoic development that doesn't miss a beat. [19]
Commercially, "Alarm" underperformed in Japan upon release. It debuted at number eleven on the Oricon Singles Chart, selling 21,049 units in its first week. [20] It dropped to number fifteen the next week, selling 8,403 copies. [21] The single stayed in the top twenty one last week, ranking at number eighteen and selling 6,308 copies. [22] It remained on the charts for fifteen weeks in total, [23] selling 57,998 units by September 2018. [24] "Alarm" is the only solo single by Amuro that did not chart on the Oricon Weekly top ten. As a consequence, when she announced her retirement in September 2017, Tower Records decided to launch a special campaign to push "Alarm" to the weekly top ten, so Amuro could achieve a new record. [25] Unfortunately, the single only reached number fourteen with 6,808 copies sold.
Chart (2004) | Peak position |
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Japan Weekly Singles (Oricon) [23] | 11 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Japan | — | 57,998 [24] |
Namie Amuro is a retired Japanese singer. She rose to prominence as a teen idol, and transitioned into a leading pop artist due to her versatility across music styles and visual presentation. Due to her career reinventions and longevity, she is known as an icon across Japan and Asia. She has been referred to as the "Queen of Japanese Pop", and her influence domestically has drawn equivalent comparisons to artists such as Janet Jackson and Madonna in Western pop culture.
Queen of Hip-Pop is the seventh studio album by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released on July 13, 2005, by Avex Trax. The album's lyrical content, composing and arrangement was handled by multiple music collaborators, such as Nao'ymt, Sugi-V, Michico, Tricky Stewart, T.Kura, among many others. It is her second full-length urban contemporary record, and is made up of songs of various musical genres. Amuro uses the term "hip-pop" to describe the music on the album because it fuses pop music with other genres including R&B and hip-hop music. Three different formats were released to promote the album: a standalone CD, a limited edition Playbutton, and a digital download.
"Want Me, Want Me" is the 29th single by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released by Avex Trax on April 6, 2005, and was the last retailed single to precede her seventh studio album, Queen of Hip-Pop (2005). "Want Me, Want Me" was initially supposed to be released as an album track of Queen of Hip-Pop or a coupling song, but Amuro thought it was so good she made it a single despite the opposition of her staff. The song's lyrics were written by Michico, while its music was composed by Sugi-V. Musically, "Want Me, Want Me" is an upbeat reggae-style tune with an addictive loop that incorporates Japanese elements like the koto that plays during the intro. Atypical for Amuro, the song contains sexually aggressive lyrics and namechecks the condom brand Trojan in the chorus.
"White Light" is a song by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released by Avex Trax in Japan on November 16, 2005, as a double A-single with "Violet Sauce". "White Light" was supposed to promote Amuro's eighth studio album Play (2007), but it was scrapped from the final track list. Instead, an alternative version of "Violet Sauce" appeared. A demo version of the song was sent to Amuro, who decided it needed a warmer tone and reworked it as a Christmas song. It was modified by Nao'ymt, the song's sole composer, producer, and writer. Musically, it's a midtempo Christmas song with lyrics about love and holiday festivities.
"Girl Talk" is a song by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. Avex Trax released it on digital and physical formats on October 14, 2004, and it is the third single from Amuro's seventh studio album, Queen of Hip-Pop (2005). It was also released as a double A-side with "The Speed Star", though the latter did not appear on the parent album. "Girl Talk" was written and produced by T.Kura and Michico, and is a dance song with R&B and pop influences that, like its parent album, transitions from Amuro's original dance sound to a more mature yet transatlantic sound.
"All for You" is the 27th single by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released on July 22, 2004, by Avex Trax, and serves as Amuro's second single from her seventh studio album Queen of Hip-Pop (2005). The lyrics were written by Natsumi Watanabe, who had translated "Stop the music" into Japanese for Amuro's 1995 single. The music was composed by Ryoki Matsumoto, known for composing other hit songs such as RUI's "Tsuki no Shizuku" and Mika Nakashima's "Yuki no Hana." Musically, "All For You" is a synthesizer-heavy power ballad.
"Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick" is the 31st single by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released by Avex Trax in Japan alongside "Ningyo" on May 17, 2006, as a double A-single. "Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick" served as the second single from Amuro's eighth studio album Play (2007), but "Ningyo" was excluded from the track list. "Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick" was produced by her two most frequent collaborators at the time: T.Kura and Michico for Giant Swing Productions. Musically, it is an upbeat urban contemporary and dance pop song that features a hefty amount of saxophones. Lyrically, it speaks of a lovesick person who can't get anything done when he or she thinks about their lover.
"Put ‘Em Up" is the 24th single by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released on digital and physical formats by Avex Trax on July 16, 2003, and serves as Amuro's third single from her sixth studio album Style (2003). It was originally written by Jasper Cameron and producer Dallas Austin, but portions of it were rewritten by Japanese songwriter Michico because Amuro felt the demo version was too harsh.
"Shine More" is the 23rd single by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released on March 5, 2003, by Avex Trax and serves as the second single from her sixth studio album Style (2003). It was originally written by Scott Nickoley, Sandra Pires and Paul Taylor, while the lyrics were translated into Japanese by H.U.B. Amuro called "Shine More" the first part of a dance number trilogy including "Put 'Em Up" and "So Crazy."
"Say the Word" is the 18th single by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro, and her 7th vinyl record. The CD single was released on August 8, 2001, by Avex Trax. The vinyl edition was released on September 12, 2001, by Rhythm Republic. This is Amuro's first single since severing ties with her former long-time producer Tetsuya Komuro. The song is not found on any of her studio records, but was later placed on her second best album Love Enhanced Single Collection, which was released five months later. It was produced by Swedish producers Ronald Malmberg and Thomas Johansson who are best known for their work with Swedish pop group A-Teens.
"You're My Sunshine" is the sixth single by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released on June 5, 1996, by Avex Trax and was produced by Tetsuya Komuro. The song was the image song for the Bristol-Myers Squibb "Sea Breeze '96" commercial in which she appeared. The version used in the initial commercial had a different tempo and tune from the CD package version. The following year, 1997, she was used for the second consecutive year in a "Sea Breeze" commercial, this time using her hit song "How to Be a Girl".
Play is the eighth studio album by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released on June 27, 2007, by Avex Trax and was made available in both physical and digital formats. Following the success of her previous album, Queen of Hip-Pop (2005), Amuro enlisted long-time collaborators Nao'ymt and T. Kura to produce the album. Play, like its predecessor, is an urban contemporary record with elements of pop music, rock and dance-pop. Lyrically, the record explores themes of love, frustration, and relationships.
60s 70s 80s is a triple A-side single by Japanese singer Namie Amuro from her third greatest hits album, Best Fiction (2008). It was released on March 12, 2008, through Avex Trax and consists of the songs "New Look", "Rock Steady", and "What a Feeling", each sampling from a specific decade in music, hence the title.
Best Fiction is the third greatest hits album by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released on July 30, 2008, by Avex Trax and features seventeen singles released between 2002-2008, which included five new songs, three of which were released as a triple A-side single called "60s 70s 80s." Furthermore, the album tracks "Do Me More" and "Sexy Girl" were released as digital singles.
"Wild" is a song by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released by Avex Trax on March 16, 2009, and serves as the lead single for her ninth studio album, Past<Future (2009). Furthermore, all physical and digital formats included the A-side titled "Dr.," which appears on the parent album. Amuro intended to depart from her previous releases with "Wild" and "Dr.", her first forays into new material. Michico, T. Kura, and Nao'ymt created and produced "Wild," which was recorded at Tokyo's Azabu-O-Studio with Ryosuke Kataoka's assistance.
Past<Future is the ninth studio album by Japanese pop singer Namie Amuro. It was released on December 16, 2009, through Avex Trax. This was her first original album to be released in two and a half years. The record came after the release of her blockbuster greatest hits album Best Fiction (2008), which sold over a million copies. Unlike her previous studio albums, Queen of Hip-Pop (2005) and Play (2007), Past<Future features a more electropop and synth-pop sound that was prevalent in the western music charts at the time.
"Go Round" is a song by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro from her tenth studio album Uncontrolled (2012). It was released as a double a-side single with another album track "Yeah-Oh" and was served as the fourth single on March 21, 2012 by Avex Trax. "Go Round" was written by Aili, produced by T-Sk and co-composed by Tesung Kim and Australian duo Nervo. With a cover sleeve, photographed by Takaki Kumada, showing Amuro in front of a blurry window pane, "Go Round" was recorded both in English and Japanese language and is a dance-pop song.
"Hero" is a song by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released as a stand-alone single on July 27, 2016 by Avex Trax and Amuro’s own label Dimension Point; it was distributed physically in Japan and Taiwan, and digitally worldwide. The song was written by Ryosuke Imai and Sunny Boy, whilst production and composing was handled by the latter collaborator. Originally slated to appear as a B-side track to her previous single "Mint", it served as the official Japanese theme song to the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, broadcast by the NHK. Alongside this, a B-side track titled "Show Me What You’ve Got" appeared on the release of "Hero".
"Dr." is a song by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro, taken as the only A-side single from her ninth studio album Past<Future (2009). The track was written, composed, arranged and produced entirely by long-time collaborator Nao'ymt, and recorded at Azabu-O Studios in Minato, Tokyo. Musically, "Dr." is a dance number that is influenced by modern club music, and also samples an orchestral section from the musical piece "Boléro", composed by French conductor Maurice Ravel. Lyrically, it is a love song that uses the titular term to metaphorically describe Amuro's lover.
"So Crazy" is a song by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released on October 16, 2003, by Avex Trax, and serves as the fourth and final single from her sixth studio album, Style (2003). Furthermore, all physical and digital formats included an additional A-side titled "Come," which appears on the parent album. "So Crazy" was written by Full Force, Jennifer "JJ" Johnson, Michico, and Tiger, and produced by Cobra Endo.