Distance (Hikaru Utada album)

Last updated
Distance
Utadadistance.png
Studio album by
Hikaru Utada
ReleasedMarch 28, 2001
Recorded1999–2001
Studio
Genre
Length64:26
Label Toshiba-EMI
Producer
Hikaru Utada chronology
First Love
(1999)		Distance
(2001)		 Deep River
(2002)
Singles from Distance
  1. "Addicted to You"
    Released: November 10, 1999
  2. "Wait & See (Risk)"
    Released: April 19, 2000
  3. "For You / Time Limit"
    Released: June 30, 2000
  4. "Can You Keep a Secret?"
    Released: February 16, 2001

Distance is the third studio album by Japanese singer Hikaru Utada. Toshiba EMI released it on March 28, 2001, making it her second release with the label. Utada wrote and co-produced the majority of the album, alongside previous collaborators Akira Miyake and her father Teruzane Utada, as well as new collaborations with American producers Rodney Jerkins and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Distance, like its predecessor First Love (1999), is influenced by pop music and R&B, with additional hip-hop, rock music, reggae, and techno influences from Western music.

Contents

Music critics praised the overall sound and production quality of Distance, earning her numerous awards and recognitions as a result of its critical success. Prior to its release, Distance was scheduled to coincide with the release of Ayumi Hamasaki's greatest hits album A Best (2001), which Avex Trax had organised. This resulted in extensive coverage in both Japanese and Western music media. Despite its marketing and competition, Distance was a huge commercial success. It ascended to number one on the Oricon Albums Chart with the highest-ever first-week sales in music history until Adele's 25 14 years later, and eventually became the fourth best-selling album of all time in Japan.

To promote the album, Utada released four singles: "Addicted to You," "Wait & See (Risk)," "For You / Time Limit" and "Can You Keep a Secret?." All four releases were successful in the Japanese market, selling over a million copies and becoming best-sellers. She promoted the album by performing two shows in Japan: Bohemian Summer 2000 and a special Unplugged event, both of which resulted in live releases. Furthermore, a video collection titled Utada Hikaru Single Clip Collection Vol. 2 was released, which included all of the album's music videos.

Background and recording

First Love , Utada's major-label debut studio album, was released in March 1999 via Toshiba EMI. [1] First Love, which she co-wrote and produced with her father Teruzane Utada and Akira Miyake, was a commercial success throughout the year, becoming the best-selling album in Japanese music history. [2] With a string of successful singles, Utada quickly rose to prominence in Japan, where she was ranked fifth on the Tokyo Hot 100's Top 100 Artists of the 20th Century, as voted on by stations and listeners. [3] During the summer of 1999, her final summer vacation as a high school student, she performed a video concert called LUV LIVE REMIX ~hello from new york~, [4] a charity concert called Soukenbicha Natural Breeze Concert '99 with TLC and Monica, [5] made her first TV commercial appearance, [6] and recorded a new song that was called “Addicted To You.” [7]

Distance contains songs recorded between 1999 and 2001. During her last summer vacation as a high school student in 1999, Utada flew to Minneapolis and produced "Addicted To You" with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, the production team that has worked with artists such as TLC and Janet Jackson. [8] In both the United States and Japan, the producer's influence is often more prominent than that of the artist, but in Minneapolis, Utada said that the production with them was on an equal footing, and that it was a "ball of ideas." [9] The follow-up, “Wait & See (Risk),” was also produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, but this time Utada was unable to make it to Minneapolis due to schoolwork. However, Utada even made an arrangement track for the song in the demo tape stage, which was retained in the actual arrangement, and Utada's name was added to the arranger's credits for the first time. Before her first national tour in 2000, she produced “Time Limit” with top producer Rodney Jerkins, one of the R&B scene's leading producers at the time. [8] "For You,” for which the melody was created before her debut, was also completed around this time. In addition, several of the recorded songs were created during the same tour. Utada said that live performances are not R&B but rock, and those songs were also arranged with a rock flavor. [9] The rest of the album's songs were written and recorded in November of the same year, after her university exams were over, and were recorded over the New Years when her university was on winter vacation. When asked why she was not appearing on Kōhaku Uta Gassen at the time, Utada replied: "Because I want to make an album." [10]

On January 26, 2001, Utada announced on her official website that recording for the album Distance had been completed. [11] Akira Miyake, who has been Utada's producer since her debut, wrote a "Post-Recording Notes" on Utada's official website on February 2, 2001, saying: "We wrote the songs, wrote the lyrics, made demos, made arrangement demos, and then redid them over and over again, through trial and error, singing in the studio, and doing the chorus dozens of times (in some places it's layered about 40 times. It wasn't done by machine). I honestly thought it would be hard because Hikaru was doing it herself, but it was a year and eight months of coldly working and giving deadlines. But Hikaru always struggled, but she always lived up to our expectations by demonstrating her magician-like nature." [12]

Composition

Musically, Distance expands on her previous studio album's R&B-influenced sound while also incorporating jazz, pop music, hip-hop, and rock elements. [13] [14] According to Ian Martin, writing for AllMusic, the tracks produced by Jerkins, Jam, and Lewis had a "rich production" as opposed to the "cheap, tinny" sound of Japanese pop at the time. [13] "Wait & See (Risk)" is a genuine US-style R&B number with a sprinkling of funk and soul flavors. [15] "Can You Keep a Secret?" was billed as a J-pop song with "sophisticated" songwriting and production standards. [13] The album's title track is a pop song that features twinkling beats, topped with a 90s-like piano melody and filled with breathy background vocals. [16] "Sunglasses" is a medium-slow number that features an ensemble that intersects with a falsetto. [16] "Drama" is a song that was written in collaboration with Takuro from Glay; it features brazenly strummed distortion guitars. [16]

"Eternally" is a power ballad that sings about "love" and "eternity" head-on. [16] "Addicted to You" is a authentic R&B produced song that incorporates the "chiki-chiki" sound throughout. [17] "For You" is an R&B pop ballad. [17] "Kettobase!" is a high-speed pop rock song with a punchy guitar rock sound that combines hard and sharp elements. [16] "Parody" is a reggae-style song with phrases reminiscent of Sting's "Englishman in New York." [16] "Time Limit" is medium tempo R&B track. [17] "Kotoba ni Naranai Kimochi" is an R&B number with a funky bass line. [16]

Promotion

On November 10, 1999, Toshiba EMI released the album's lead single, "Addicted to You". [7] Two versions of the song were on the single: the "Up-In-Heaven Mix" and the "Underwater Mix," though only the "Up-In-Heaven Mix" received radio airplay and its own music video. [7] The song received high marks for its production quality and sound, with praise towards its producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Commercially, it reached number one on the Oricon Singles Chart and was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of over 1.6 million. [lower-alpha 1] To date, it is Utada's best-selling single. [18] [19] The album's second single, "Wait & See (Risk)", was released on April 19, 2000, with a physical edition that included a few B-side tracks and remixes. [20] [21] Critics also praised the single's sound and production value. It reached number one on the Oricon Singles Chart and was the album's second single to receive quadruple RIAJ certification. [22] [23] [lower-alpha 1]

On June 30, 2000, the songs "For You" and "Time Limit" were packaged together and released as double A-side single. [24] Both tracks had music videos, with Utada performing the song live. It received positive reviews from critics and debuted at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart. [25] The single was certified triple platinum by the RIAJ after shipping over 1.2 million units in Japan. [26] [lower-alpha 2] The fourth and final single from the album, "Can You Keep a Secret?" debuted on February 16, 2001. [27] "Can You Keep a Secret?" served as the theme song to the 2001 dorama Hero , in which Utada appeared as an actor. [28] The song received positive reviews from publications and debuted at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart, earning her final triple platinum certification from the RIAJ. [29] [30] [lower-alpha 2] It also received platinum and gold certifications for exceeding 250,000 digital downloads and 50 million streams, respectively. [31] [32]

The song "Distance" was originally planned to be a single without any alterations, but it was instead released in a rearranged ballad form called "Final Distance" in memory of a fan who died in the June 2001 Ikeda school massacre; [33] this new version would appear in her next album, Deep River . [34] Utada performed two shows in Japan to promote the album. The first was the Bohemian Summer 2000 show, which was released live on December 9, 2000, several months before Distance. [35] A special Unplugged event began in 2001, followed by a live release in November of the same year. [36] Furthermore, a video collection titled Utada Hikaru Single Clip Collection Vol. 2 was released on September 27, 2001, which included all of the album's music videos as well as behind-the-scenes footage for each video. [37]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Hot Express(favorable) [38]
Rockin'On Japan (favorable) [39]

Ian Wade of AllMusic rated the album four stars. He praised the record's production and songwriting, writing, "Distance stands as one of Hikaru's most consistent and inventive albums, and comes across as a far more convincing example of R&B by a Japanese artist than their later attempts to crack the U.S. market." [13] Music writer Tetsuo Hiraga of Hot Express praised Distance as “a work that expresses the dramatic ‘growth’ from First Love with the whole body,” and also pointed out the expansion of her musicality compared to her previous work. [38] In his review of this album in Rockin'On Japan , Jun Shikano said, “Hikaru Utada's music is soulful and reflects the heart. It is both universal and primal." [39]

From 1999 to 2002, the album and several singles won Japan Gold Disc Awards. Distance won Best Rock & Pop Album in 2002, and each of its four singles was named Song of the Year. [40] [41] The Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC Awards) honoured the album's single "Can You Keep a Secret?" with the Silver Award. [42] The song also won the International Viewer's Award at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2002, as well as the Drama Song Award at the 2001 Television Drama Academy Awards. [43] [44]

Release and commercial performance

Distance was released alongside A Best by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki (pictured), which generated huge significance in Japanese and Western music media. Ayumi Hamasaki 2007.jpg
Distance was released alongside A Best by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki (pictured), which generated huge significance in Japanese and Western music media.

Toshiba EMI released Distance on March 28, 2001, marking her second release with the label. In Japan, it was initially available on CD, double vinyl, and cassette, each with thirteen tracks. [8] EMI Music later released the album in several Asian countries, including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. [lower-alpha 3] Distance was re-released worldwide on January 23, 2019, via digital and streaming services, with a double vinyl edition re-issued in Japan by Universal Music on March 10, 2022. [52] [53]

Toshiba EMI had scheduled the album's release date for March 28. At the same time, Japanese record label Avex Trax planned to release A Best , the greatest hits album by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki. [54] [55] Avex's strategy was to compete with Utada's album, as both Hamasaki and Utada were at the peak of their popularity at the time. The announcement of both album release dates sparked widespread controversy in Japanese and Western media, with claims that the two singers were "rivals" in professional as well as personal circumstances. [56] [57] [58] Both singers claimed it was a label-sponsored campaign, with Hamasaki expressing her displeasure over a lack of material and creative control of A Best. [59]

Both albums received extensive promotion prior to their release on March 28, but both were extremely successful in terms of first-week sales. [60] In Japan, Distance eventually reached number one on the Oricon Albums Chart, while A Best debuted at number two. [61] Distance sold 3,002,720 copies in its first week and became the fastest-selling album in music history, [62] a record it held until 2015, when Adele's third album 25 sold 3.4 million copies in its first week in the United States. [63] It topped the charts for two non-consecutive weeks before being dethroned by A Best in the second week. [64] Distance had sold 4,404,290 units by the end of 2001, making it the best-selling album of the year, with A Best coming in second. [65] Utada also topped the annual singles chart that year with “Can You Keep A Secret?” and dominated the singles and albums charts for the year. [66]

The Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) certified the album quadruple million for selling more than four million copies, and Oricon reports that it sold more than 4.472 million in Japan. [67] [68] Oricon named it the best-selling Japanese album of the 2000s, and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) ranked it as the tenth best-selling record of 2001. [69] [70] The album is currently the fourth best-selling album in Japan, trailing only Glay's greatest hits album Review and B'z's The Best's "Pleasure" and Utada's studio album First Love, the best-selling record in Japanese history. [2]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Hikaru Utada, except where noted

No.TitleArrangerLength
1."Wait & See (Risk)"
4:48
2."Can You Keep a Secret?"
  • Akira Nishihira
  • Yuichiro Honda
5:08
3."Distance"
  • Kei Kawano
  • Hikaru Utada
5:30
4."Sunglass (サングラス, Sunglasses)"Shin'ichiro Murayama4:46
5."Drama (ドラマ, Drama)" (lyrics written by Utada; music composed by Utada and Takuro Kubo)Yu'ichiro Honda4:36
6."Eternally"
  • Shin'ichiro Murayama
  • Kei Kawano (strings arrangement)
4:45
7."Addicted to You (Up-in-Heaven Mix)"
  • Jam and Lewis
  • Jeff Taylor (mix)
5:19
8."For You"Kei Kawano5:22
9."Kettobase! (蹴っ飛ばせ!, Kick It!)"
  • Akira Nishihira
  • Hikaru Utada
4:31
10."Parody"Kei Kawano5:25
11."Time Limit (タイム・リミット, Taimu Rimitto)" (lyrics written by Utada; music composed by Utada and Takuro) Rodney Jerkins 4:55
12."Kotoba ni Naranai Kimochi (言葉にならない気持ち, Indescribable Feelings)"Shin'ichiro Murayama5:03
13."Hayatochi-Remix (早とちリミックス, Jumping to Conclusions-Remix)" (bonus track)Hikaru Utada4:10
Remaster Bonus track [71]
No.TitleArrangerLength
14."Hayatochi (はやとちり, Jumping to Conclusions)"Hikaru Utada4:17

Personnel

Personnel details were sourced from the Distance liner notes booklet. [8]

Charts

Certification and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ) [67] 4× Million4,472,353 [68]

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)LabelRef.
JapanMarch 28, 2001 Eastworld [8]
China2001CD [45]
Indonesia [46]
Philippines [48]
South Korea [49]
Taiwan [50]
Thailand [51]
VariousJanuary 23, 2019 Digital download EMI Music [52]
JapanMarch 10, 2022Vinyl Universal Music Japan [53]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time Will Tell (Hikaru Utada song)</span> 1998 single by Hikaru Utada

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sakura Drops</span> 2002 single by Hikaru Utada

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References

Notes

  1. 1 2 Initially received a 4× Platinum certification for 1,600,000 copies shipped, however the 4× Platinum threshold was retired in 2003.
  2. 1 2 Initially received a 3× Platinum certification for 1,200,000 copies shipped, however the 3× Platinum threshold was retired in 2003.
  3. ↑ [45] [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] [51]

Citations

  1. ↑ Hikaru Utada (1999). First Love (liner notes). Eastworld. TOCT-24067.
  2. 1 2 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 30, 2024.
  3. ↑ "リスナーとJ-WAVEが選んだ20世紀のビッグ・アーティスト100人を発表". J-Wave (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 14, 2003. Retrieved August 26, 2007.
  4. ↑ "Utada Hikaru's TV appearance decided! Utada Hikaru LUV LIVE REMIX"hello from new york" video concerts to be held throughout Japan!" (in Japanese). Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  5. ↑ "コカ・コーラグループ、爽健美茶コンサート開く". news.nissyoku.co.jp (in Japanese). September 9, 1999. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  6. ↑ "宇多田ヒカル Sony Media&Battery RED HOT キャンペーン'99 TVCF 30秒×3種". YouTube (in Japanese). 6 February 2022. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  7. 1 2 3 Hikaru Utada (1999). Addicted to You (liner notes). Eastworld. TOCT-4180.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Japanese versions listed below:
  9. 1 2 点 -ten-, u3music, 2009, pp. 46–69, ISBN   9784930774224
  10. ↑ "〜「上」「中」「下」でおおくりする感動巨編〜 （ただたんに長いだけ!）" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  11. ↑ "おわったあああああああ！" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  12. ↑ "録音後記" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 4, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Hikaru Utada - Distance". AllMusic . Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  14. ↑ "Hikaru Utada / Distance". CDJournal (in Japanese). Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  15. ↑ CD Journal Staff. "Hikaru Utada – Wait&See~Risk~". CD Journal (in Japanese). Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 CD Journal Staff (March 28, 2001). "Hikaru Utada – Distance [CD]". CD Journal (in Japanese). Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  17. 1 2 3 CD Journal Staff (March 31, 2004). "Hikaru Utada – Utada Hikaru SINGLE COLLECTION VOL.1". CD Journal (in Japanese). Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Addicted to You - Hikaru Utada" (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  19. ↑ "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 1999年11月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. November 1999 Edition](PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 482. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 9. January 10, 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  20. ↑ Hikaru Utada (2000). Wait & See (Risk) (liner notes). Eastworld. TOCT-22070.
  21. ↑ Hikaru Utada (2000). Wait & See (Risk) (liner notes). Toshiba EMI. TOBF-5031.
  22. ↑ "Wait & See (Risk) - Hikaru Utada" (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  23. ↑ "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2000年5月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. May 2000 Edition](PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 488. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 8. July 10, 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 29, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  24. ↑ Hikaru Utada (2000). For You/Time Limit (liner notes). Eastworld. TOCT-4230.
  25. ↑ "For You / Time Limit - Hikaru Utada" (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  26. ↑ "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2000年7月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. September 2000 Edition](PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 490. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 8. September 10, 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 22, 2014. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  27. ↑ Hikaru Utada (2001). Can You Keep a Secret? (liner notes). Eastworld. TOCT-4301.
  28. ↑ "今年最高視聴率を記録した『HERO』第2期、その音楽の背景には…？". Billboard Japan . 15 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
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  30. ↑ "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2001年2月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. February 2001 Edition](PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 497. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 8. April 10, 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  31. ↑ "GOLD DISC 2015年9月度" (PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 672. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 14. November 20, 2015. Archived from the original on November 22, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
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  33. ↑ Essay.
  34. ↑ Japanese versions listed below:
  35. ↑ Hikaru Utada (2000). Bohemian Summer 2000 (liner notes). Eastworld. Toshiba EMI.
  36. ↑ Hikaru Utada (2001). Utada Hikaru Unplugged (liner notes). Toshiba EMI. TOBF-5508.
  37. ↑ Hikaru Utada (2001). Utada Hikaru Single Clip Collection Vol. 2 (liner notes). Toshiba EMI. TOBF-5100.
  38. 1 2 Tetsuo Hiraga. Distance 宇多田ヒカル (in Japanese). Hot Express. Archived from the original on March 12, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  39. 1 2 鹿野淳 (April 2001). "『Distance』ディスクレビュー". Rockin'on Japan. 198 (4). 株式会社ロッキングオン.
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  41. ↑ "第15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 30, 2024.
  42. ↑ "2002年JASRAC賞 「Everything」が金賞を受賞 JASRAC" ["Everything" wins 2002 JASRAC Award Gold Award]. Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (in Japanese). May 22, 2002. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  43. ↑ "VMAJ 2002 Winners". MTV Japan . Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  44. ↑ "第28回ザテレビジョンドラマアカデミー賞" [28th The Television Drama Academy Awards]. The Television JP (in Japanese). January–March 2001. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  45. 1 2 Hikaru Utada (2001). Distance (liner notes). Toshiba EMI. MKCD-1472.
  46. 1 2 Hikaru Utada (2001). Distance (liner notes). Toshiba EMI. 7243532669.
  47. ↑ Hikaru Utada (2001). Distance (liner notes). Toshiba EMI. 7243 532669 29.
  48. 1 2 Hikaru Utada (2001). Distance (liner notes). Toshiba EMI. 7243 532669 29.
  49. 1 2 Hikaru Utada (2001). Distance (liner notes). Toshiba EMI. TKPD-0003.
  50. 1 2 Hikaru Utada (2001). Distance (liner notes). Toshiba EMI. 724353266929.
  51. 1 2 Hikaru Utada (2001). Distance (liner notes). Toshiba EMI. 7243 532669 2 9.
  52. 1 2 "Distance - Album by Hikaru Utada" (in Japanese). Apple Music . Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  53. 1 2 Hikaru Utada (2022). Distance (liner notes). Universal Music Group. UPJY-9204.
  54. ↑ "トレンディドラマとともに訪れた90年代のミリオンセールス時代 ニュース-ORICON STYLE" (in Japanese). Oricon. 14 June 2006. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
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  56. ↑ Chow, Vivienne (April 13, 2001). "Utada Hikaru". South China Morning Post . Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  57. ↑ Villa, Lucas (December 9, 2014). "J-Pop queens collide: Ayumi Hamasaki sings Utada Hikaru's 'Movin On Without You'". Axs.com . Retrieved March 26, 2016.
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  59. ↑ "Ayumi Hamasaki - Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved January 30, 2024.
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