Deep River (Hikaru Utada album)

Last updated
Deep River
UtadaHikaruDEEPRIVER.jpg
Studio album by
Hikaru Utada
ReleasedJune 19, 2002
Recorded2001–2002
Studio
Genre
Length54:54
Label Toshiba EMI
Producer
Hikaru Utada chronology
Distance
(2001)		Deep River
(2002)		 Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 1
(2004)
Singles from Deep River
  1. "Final Distance"
    Released: July 25, 2001
  2. "Traveling"
    Released: November 28, 2001
  3. "Hikari"
    Released: March 20, 2002
  4. "Sakura Drops / Letters"
    Released: May 9, 2002

Deep River is the fourth studio album by Japanese-American singer Hikaru Utada. It was released via Toshiba EMI on June 19, 2002. Utada wrote and co-produced the majority of the record, and unlike her previous album Distance (2001), she worked primarily with Japanese collaborator Akira Miyake and her father Teruzane Utada. Musically, Deep River is also noted as the transition state from Utada's earlier style, R&B, to ethereal pop.

Contents

Music critics praised Deep River's production and Utada's experimental approach to her sound. Because of its glowing critical reviews, Deep River and its content received numerous awards and accolades. Commercially the album achieved meteoric success. In Japan, it debuted at number one on the Oricon Albums Chart and was certified triple million by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for selling over three million copies, and is the eighth highest-selling album in Japanese music history.

To promote the album, Utada released four singles: "Final Distance", "Traveling", "Hikari" and "Sakura Drops / Letters". All four of them performed well in Japan, with the second single "Traveling" becoming the album's most commercially successful track. The album's third single "Hikari" and its English-language version "Simple & Clean" served as the theme song for Square's action role-playing video game Kingdom Hearts (2002). Along with the four singles, the song "Play Ball" was used as a radio single to promote the album, and the album's title track received a music video. To promote the album, Utada went on promotional tours throughout Japan, and a video collection titled Utada Hikaru Single Clip Collection Vol. 3 was released, which included all of the album's music videos.

Background and content

On March 28, 2001, Utada released Distance , her third studio album. [1] It serves as the follow-up to her highly successful major-label debut First Love (1999). Distance was a critical and commercial success in her native Japan, with the highest first-week sales of all time at the time (before Adele's 25 ), and eventually becoming the fourth best-selling album in the country. [2] [3] [4] It also spawned a conga line of million-selling singles in Japan, with the Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis produced "Addicted to You" becoming the most successful of the bunch. [5]

After finishing the record's promotional tour, Utada attended Columbia University for less than a year. [6] [7] During that time, Utada began working on a new album. However, production was temporarily halted when she was diagnosed with a benign ovarian tumour, which she successfully removed; she resumed work after recovering from surgery. [8] Utada wrote and co-produced the majority of Deep River, but unlike Distance, she worked primarily with Japanese producers Akira Miyake and her father Teruzane. [9] The album was produced in about a year, the shortest period of development for an album in her career. In an interview at the time, Utada said, "Maybe it was because I felt that I had to make it in a hurry now. I thought it could only be done by me now. I know I'm changing rapidly, so...." [10]

Akira Miyake, who has been involved in the creation of Utada's music since her debut, attributes the increased pace of songwriting to "her budding professionalism." [11] He also says that this album is like a strong "espresso" album filled with her own "color" because Utada herself even participated fully in the arrangements.

Composition

Ganges River (Varanasi), one of the themes of Deep River Varanasiganga.jpg
Ganges River (Varanasi), one of the themes of Deep River

The musical compositions of Deep River is an evident departure from the templated Americanized R&B sound of Utada's blockbuster Distance album. The album is widely noted as the transition state from Utada's earlier style, R&B, to ethereal sounding pop music.

The album opener "Sakura Drops" is a mid-tempo ballad inspired by the oriental flavor of "cherry blossoms" and the gentle feeling of the season, and the arrangement by Utada herself is particularly noteworthy, blending psychedelic tones naturally with an exotic, sweeping melody. [12] [13] Utada also noted that the "two-step, half-finished" beat is a fine example of the intense emotional ups and downs of the song. [14] The song "Traveling", which Utada says was intended to be "light and easy to understand" and "a cheerful song with a groove," is one of the most unique songs on the album, with its sophisticated house beat and caricature-like lyrics that also quote a famous passage from The Tale of the Heike . [15] The lyrics are known for being difficult to understand, [16] and Yosui Inoue finds "the destructive impulse, nihilism, and momentary moments behind the humor" in the lyrics. [17]

"Shiawase ni Narou" features a western approach to R&B music in its light tempo, with a simple and unrefined piano, and also quotes the melody of Beethoven's "Für Elise" in the latter half of the song. It has also been pointed out that this is "a quotation as a foreshadowing of tragedy" since the background of the composition of "Für Elise" was "a love affair with an aristocratic lady that could not be fulfilled". [18] The album's title track uses a sitar in both the intro and outro; the song was inspired by Shusaku Endo's Deep River, which is about the Ganges River and indigenous beliefs in India. [18] "Letters" features Latin-style rhythms and a melody that spirals upward. [19] It is a "hard-edged romantic" song with a "fierceness" according to Utada, and it brings together Char, Yuji Toriyama, and HISASHI (GLAY), who Utada describes as "hard-edged guitarists with a manly spirit." [14] "Play Ball" is sung smoothly, comparing the emotions that oscillate between boldness and delicacy to playing baseball. [20] It also features a slightly backward rhythm that emphasizes the third and fourth beats. [21]

"Tokyo Nights" depicts a wanderer in search of a place where he can quench his thirst in the bustling nightless city of Tokyo, with arpeggios of oboe and harpsichord that seem to herald the arrival of night. [20] "A.S.A.P." contains the sampling of bells that continues from the intro and the beat, which is hastened by heavy, thick strings, creating a suspicious cloudiness. [20] "Uso Mitai na I Love You" is a rock number with the same melody used in part in "Simple & Clean," the English version of the single "Hikari."

"Final Distance" is the song that inspired the creation of this album. Utada said that the meaning of the word "final" for this song is "most important" rather than "last." [14] "Bridge - Interlude" is a string-driven, one-minute instrumental. "Hikari", which Utada chose to use her real name as the title, is neither a dance song nor a ballad, but a number with a new style that is different from her previous songs, featuring a deep acoustic guitar sound and a sparkling melody. [20] [22] Utada said that when she wrote the lyrics for this song, she dared to use styles and phrases that are not usually used in lyrics, and she also used the first person, "boku" and "watashi," which she had not used before, to give character to the main character of the lyrics. [14]

Title and artwork

The visuals for Deep River was done by Kiriya Kazuaki Kiriya Kazuaki, 2015 (cropped).jpg
The visuals for Deep River was done by Kiriya Kazuaki

The title of the album, as well as the song "Deep River," was inspired by the novel Deep River by Shusaku Endo. [23] In May 2000, Utada revealed on her official website that she liked Endo's The Sea and Poison and that she was in the process of reading Deep River again. [24] The artwork for the album jacket and booklet was done by Kazuaki Kiriya, who also worked on the visuals of Utada's previous album Distance . The entire album's artwork is grayscale, and the booklet is infamous for including a photo of Utada's foot.

Around the time of the album's release, a large exhibition of Utada's photographs taken by Daido Moriyama was held. [25] The photographs were taken in the streets of Shinjuku. All of the photographs were in black and white and show Utada standing alone in a deserted urban alleyway. [26] Utada and Moriyama have never met up with each other since then, and Moriyama recalled their encounter as a "holy once-in-a-lifetime" experience in a 2018 magazine interview. Moriyama said that his impression of Utada at the time was that she was "a very smart girl, very honest and of good character," and that he had photographed Utada's mother, Keiko Fuji, once before, which was one of the reasons he agreed to do the shoot. He also said that it was cute when Utada told him during the shoot, "Please take beautiful pictures of me like my mother." Moriyama added, "When I moved closer to get a close-up of Utada, she really looked like Keiko Fuji in the viewfinder. When I took the camera off, I saw Hikaru Utada, who still looked like a little girl. It was a strange feeling. I remember that feeling." [26]

Promotion

Singles and other songs

On July 25, 2001, Toshiba EMI released the album's lead single, "Final Distance." The physical version of the single contained both the original recording "Distance" and various mixes of the songs. [27] The song received positive reviews from critics and peaked at number two on the Oricon Singles Chart. [28] After shipping over 400,000 units, the Recording Industry Association of Japan certified it platinum. [29] The album's second single, "Traveling," was released on November 28, 2001, along with an additional DVD that included the music video and behind-the-scenes footage. [30] [31] Critics praised the song's danceable sound and production style. It became the album's first chart-topper on the Oricon Singles Chart, and it was certified million by the RIAJ after shipping more than one million copies nationwide. [32] [33]

On March 20, 2002, "Hikari" was released as the album's third single. [34] The song served as the theme song for Square's action role-playing video game Kingdom Hearts (2002), as well as its English version "Simple & Clean" in international markets. It received positive reviews from critics and debuted at the top of the Oricon Singles Chart. [35] The single was certified double platinum by the RIAJ after selling over 800,000 copies in Japan. [36] "Sakura Drops" and "Letters" were released as a double A-side single on May 9, 2002. [37] Both songs received positive feedback and debuted at the top of the Oricon Singles Chart, earning the album's final double platinum certification from the RIAJ. [38] The RIAJ certified "Sakura Drops" gold for exceeding 100,000 digital downloads. [39] The song "Play Ball" was released as a radio single prior to the release of the album for promotion.

To promote the album, the video collection Utada Hikaru Single Clip Collection Vol. 3 was released on home video, which included all of the music videos from the Deep River era as well as behind-the-scenes footage for each one. Toshiba EMI distributed it throughout Japan on September 30, 2002. [40]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
CDJournal(positive) [41]

Toshiba EMI released Deep River on June 19, 2002. In Japan, it was initially available on CD, picture disc, and double vinyl, each with twelve tracks. [9] EMI Music went on to release the album in several Asian countries, including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. [lower-alpha 1] Deep River was re-released worldwide on January 23, 2019, through digital and streaming services, with a double vinyl edition re-issued in Japan by Universal Music Japan on March 10, 2022. [48] [49]

The Japanese music publication CDJournal gave the album a good review. They praised the album's sound and overall arrangement quality, while also mentioning Utada's "sincere" songwriting and storytelling. [41] From 2002 to 2003, the album and several singles received numerous awards. At the 2002 Japan Gold Disc Awards, Deep River won Rock & Pop Album of the Year, "Travelling" won Music Video of the Year, and "Travelling," "Hikari," and "Sakura Drops" won Songs of the Year. [50] [51] The Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC Awards) honoured the album's single "Hikari" with the Foreign Silver Award, while "Travelling" received the Silver Award. [52] In 2002, Utada, the album, and "Travelling" were nominated for Best Female Artist, Album of the Year, and Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan. A year later, "Sakura Drops" was named the Best Female Video. [53] The Television Drama Academy Awards went on to accolade "Sakura Drops" with the best Drama Song Award. [54]

Commercial performance

Deep River achieved great commercial success nationwide. It debuted at number one on the Oricon Albums Chart with 2,350,170 copies sold in its first week, making it the country's fifth-fastest-selling album. [55] It stayed at number one for a second consecutive week with 550,250 copies sold. [56] Overall, Deep River charted for a total of 57 weeks. [57] Deep River was the best-selling album in Japan of 2002, having sold 3,526,780 units by the end of the year. [58] The Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) certified the album triple million for selling more than three million copies, with Oricon claiming sales of over 3.604 million in Japan. [59] [60] The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) named Deep River the 18th best-selling record in 2002, [61] and it is currently the eighth best-selling album in Japan, and is Utada's third best-selling studio album after Distance and First Love.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Hikaru Utada

No.TitleLength
1."Sakura Drops (SAKURAドロップス, Sakura Doroppusu)"4:58
2."Traveling"5:14
3."Shiawase ni Narō (幸せになろう, Let's Be Happy)"4:46
4."Deep River"4:37
5."Letters"4:48
6."Play Ball (プレイ・ボール, Purei Bōru)"4:14
7."Tokyo Nights (東京NIGHTS)"4:43
8."A.S.A.P."4:56
9."Uso Mitai na I Love You (嘘みたいな I Love You, The Dubious I Love You)"4:49
10."Final Distance"5:38
11."Bridge (Interlude)"1:09
12."Hikari (光, Light)"5:02
No.TitleLength
13."Simple & Clean" (2018 remastered bonus track)5:02

Personnel

Personnel details were sourced from the Deep River liner notes booklet. [9]

Musicians

Technical and production

Visuals

Charts

Certification and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ) [59] 3× Million3,604,588 [60]

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)LabelRef.
JapanJune 19, 2002 Toshiba EMI [9]
China2002CD [42]
Indonesia [43]
Philippines [45]
South Korea [46]
Taiwan [47]
Thailand [44]
VariousJanuary 23, 2019 Digital download EMI Music [48]
JapanMarch 10, 2022Vinyl Universal Music Japan [49]

See also

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References

Notes

Citations

  1. ↑ Hikaru Utada (2001). Distance (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. TOCT-24601.
  2. ↑ Hikaru Utada (1999). First Love (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. TOCT-24067.
  3. ↑ "歴代アルバムランキング TOP280" (in Japanese). Music TV Program. Archived from the original on January 3, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  4. ↑ 歴代アルバム初動ランキング (in Japanese). Music TV Program. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Addicted to You - Hikaru Utada" (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  6. ↑ Farley, Christopher John (September 15, 2001). "Diva On Campus". Time . Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  7. ↑ Daly, Sean (October 14, 2004). "Leaving the Girl Behind". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Pop star hikaru Utada hospitalized". The Japan Times . May 6, 2002. Archived from the original on June 17, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Japanese versions listed below:
  10. ↑ "宇多田ヒカル『DEEP RIVER』インタビュー"（早川加奈子）.GbMusicnet8月号 .ソニーマガジンズ
  11. ↑ 「2002年音楽業界総予測」日経エンタテインメント、2月号、日経BP
  12. ↑ "CDでーた　宇多田ヒカル　レビュー一覧". CDでーた.com. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  13. ↑ "ROCKIN'ON JAPAN 編集部 鹿野編集長と宇野氏による"Utada Hikaru SINGLE COLLECTION VOL.1"収録楽曲全曲レビュー". ROCKIN'ON.COM. 2004. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  14. 1 2 3 4 『点 -ten-』（u3music.2009) ."シングル『FINAL DISTANCE』-『SAKURAドロップス/Letters』" .78-123頁
  15. ↑ "ROCKIN'ON JAPAN 編集部 鹿野編集長と宇野氏による"Utada Hikaru SINGLE COLLECTION VOL.1"収録楽曲全曲レビュー". ROCKIN'ON.COM. 2004. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  16. ↑ "CDでーた　宇多田ヒカル　レビュー一覧". CDでーた.com. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  17. ↑ "「traveling」 のテレビ露出情報". TVでた蔵. 2016-12-31. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  18. 1 2 "エリーゼのために/宇多田ヒカル「幸せになろう」". Classic Variation. 2018-12-24. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  19. ↑ "ROCKIN'ON JAPAN 編集部 鹿野編集長と宇野氏による"Utada Hikaru SINGLE COLLECTION VOL.1"収録楽曲全曲レビュー". ROCKIN'ON.COM. 2004. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "宇多田ヒカル / DEEP RIVER". CD Journal. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  21. ↑ "宇多田ヒカル楽曲の変遷　3つの音楽的ポイントから探る 3/3". Real Sound. 2018-11-24. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  22. ↑ "CDでーた　宇多田ヒカル　レビュー一覧". CDでーた.com. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  23. ↑ Utadaとしてのデビューアルバム『EXODUS』日本盤ブックレットでの新谷洋子との対談より
  24. ↑ "あっそーだ". MESSAGE from HIKKI. 2000-05-06. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  25. ↑ "宇多田ヒカルが全国CD店で写真展開催、撮影は世界的フォトグラファーの森山大道". tower.jp (in Japanese). 2002-06-02. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  26. 1 2 "森山大道 [重なった二つの影]". SWITCH. 36 (5). 株式会社スイッチ・パブリッシング: 33. May 2018.
  27. ↑ Hikaru Utada (2001). Final Distance (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. TOCT-4311.
  28. ↑ "Final Distance - Hikaru Utada" (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  29. ↑ "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2001年7月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. July 2001 Edition](PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 502. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 8. September 10, 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 8, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  30. ↑ Hikaru Utada (2001). Traveling (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. TOCT-4351.
  31. ↑ Hikaru Utada (2001). Traveling (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. TTOBF-5126.
  32. ↑ "Traveling - Hikaru Utada" (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  33. ↑ "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2002年1月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. January 2002 Edition](PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 508. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 12. March 10, 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  34. ↑ Hikaru Utada (2002). Hikari (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. TOCT-4361.
  35. ↑ "Hikari - Hikaru Utada" (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  36. ↑ "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2002年3月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. March 2002 Edition](PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 510. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 12. May 10, 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  37. ↑ Hikaru Utada (2002). Sakura Drops/Letters (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. TOCT-4381.
  38. ↑ "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2002年5月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. May 2002 Edition](PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 512. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 12. July 10, 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  39. ↑ "レコード協会調べ 4月度有料音楽配信認定" [Record Association Investigation: April Digital Music Download Certifications] (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. May 20, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  40. ↑ Hikaru Utada (2002). Utada Hikaru Single Clip Collection Vol. 3 (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. TOBF-5170.
  41. 1 2 "Hikaru Utada / Deep River". CDJournal (in Japanese). Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  42. 1 2 Hikaru Utada (2002). Deep River (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. SCD-624.
  43. 1 2 Hikaru Utada (2002). Deep River (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. EJ015.
  44. 1 2 Hikaru Utada (2002). Deep River (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. 7243 540346 2 6.
  45. 1 2 Hikaru Utada (2002). Deep River (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. 07243 540346 2 6.
  46. 1 2 Hikaru Utada (2002). Deep River (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. TKPD-0004.
  47. 1 2 Hikaru Utada (2002). Deep River (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. 7243 540346 26.
  48. 1 2 "Deep River - Album by Hikaru Utada" (in Japanese). Apple Music . Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  49. 1 2 Hikaru Utada (2022). Deep River (liner notes). Universal Music Japan. UPJY-9206/7.
  50. ↑ "第16回日本ゴールドディスク大賞" [The 16th Japan Gold Disc Awards]. Japan Gold Disc Awards (in Japanese). Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  51. ↑ "第17回日本ゴールドディスク大賞" [The 17th Japan Gold Disc Awards]. Japan Gold Disc Awards (in Japanese). Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  52. ↑ "2003年JASRAC賞 「千と千尋の神隠しBGM」が金賞を受賞" ["Spirited Away BGM" wins 2003 JASRAC Award Gold Award]. JASRAC (in Japanese). May 21, 2003. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  53. ↑ "VMAJ 2003 Winners". MTV Japan (in Japanese). May 25, 2003. Archived from the original on August 23, 2017.
  54. ↑ "第33回ザテレビジョンドラマアカデミー賞" [33rd The Television Drama Academy Awards]. The Television JP (in Japanese). April–June 2002. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  55. ↑ 歴代アルバム初動ランキング (in Japanese). Music TV Program. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  56. ↑ Oricon Style Staff (July 7, 2002). "Oricon Albums Chart – Chart Week July 7, 2002". Oricon; published through Yahoo! GeoCities (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  57. 1 2 "Deep River - Hikaru Utada" (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  58. 1 2 "2002年　アルバム年間TOP100". Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  59. 1 2 "Japanese album certifications – Hikaru Utada – Distance" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan . Retrieved January 31, 2024.Select 2002年8月 on the drop-down menu
  60. 1 2 "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  61. ↑ "Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2002" (PDF). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  62. ↑ "RIAS Regional Album Rankings". Archived from the original on 2002-08-14. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
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