"Dr." | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Namie Amuro | ||||
from the album Past<Future | ||||
A-side | "Wild" | |||
Released | March 18, 2009 | |||
Recorded | 2008 Azabu-O Studios (Minato, Tokyo) | |||
Genre | Dance | |||
Length | 5:39 | |||
Label | Avex Trax | |||
Songwriter(s) | Nao'ymt | |||
Producer(s) | Nao'ymt | |||
Namie Amuro singles chronology | ||||
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"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.
The single premiered on March 18, 2009 with Amuro's recording "Wild". Critical responses of "Dr." were divided; some music critics appreciated it as a single, whilst some criticized the production and composition. Commercially, it was a success in Japan, peaking at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart. Additionally, the track by itself reached number 39 on the Japan Hot 100 chart, provided by Billboard . The song was certified in two different categories by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for equal sales of 100,000 copies.
An accompanying music video for the single was directed by Junpei Mizusaki from Kamikaze Douga, alongside assistant directors Shuichi Sato Yasuhiko Shimizu. Served as an anime-styled visual, it depicts Amuro as a fictional heroine trying to restore vegetation and life back to a post-apocalyptic landscape, straight after a warzone. She has performed "Dr." on her Best Fiction tour (2008–09), the Past<Future Tour (2010), and its most recent appearance on her Livegenic Tour in 2015. Additionally, a re-worked version was created for her final greatest hits album Finally (2017).
After releasing her third greatest hits album Best Fiction (2008), Amuro conducted a concert tour throughout Japan and different parts of Asia to support its material. [1] [2] While on tour, the singer revealed two new tracks: "Wild" and "Dr.", and subsequently added them to the setlist. [2] In early January 2009, Amuro appeared on a Vidal Sassoon commercial that promoted its Japanese products, and a snippet of "Dr." was televised. [3] "Dr." was written, composed, arranged and produced entirely by long-time collaborator Nao'ymt, and recorded at Azabu-O Studios in Minato, Tokyo during the end of 2008. [4] Amuro felt that the release of this new record was a fresh start for her career. [5] Additionally, several publications reported the track to be a mixture of "opera, electro, techno and R&B" music, something influenced throughout the parent album. [6]
The singer's record label, Avex Trax, confirmed that "Wild" and "Dr." would be released as a double A-side single. [7] The single premiered on March 18, 2009 with Amuro's recording "Wild". It was distributed in two physical formats in Japan and Hong Kong; a standard CD that included the singles and their instrumental tracks, and a second bundle that included the same track list on one disc, and the music videos to each recording on a second DVD disc. [4] [8] The recorded versions were published for digital consumption on March 25, 2009. [9] The cover art was photographed by Shoji Uchida, featuring Amuro in a black hooded vest, with chains tangled around her wrists. [4]
Musically, "Dr." is a mid-tempo dance number that is influenced by modern club music, and also samples an orchestral section from the musical piece "Boléro" through its pre-chorus sections, composed by French conductor Maurice Ravel. [4] [10] [11] According to Tetsuo Hiraga from Hot Express, he compared the "dance" sound to many contemporary artists in the Western market. [12] The song opens with a "futuristic" generic robotic vocal stating "Access... please press enter after input your wish," and features the sound of a heartbeat in the background to carry the song's pace. [10] [13] The Ravel sample includes various orchestral arrangements for 11 seconds in each pre-chorus, and leads straight back to the song's original dance sound. [4] Bradley Stern from MuuMuse noted the tracks "mash" of several song styles, and pointed out R&B and opera being some of them. [14] Similarly, online catalogue Selective Hearing described it as "all-over-the-place", and said that the pre-chorus "breaks off into some sort of weird stacatto, marching band type stuff...". [11] Lyrically, it is a love song that talks about "erasing the wounds from the past", and embracing the future as lovers. Additionally, the song uses the titular term to metaphorically describe Amuro's lover. [10]
"Dr." received mixed reviews from most music critics. On a positive note, Japanese magazine CD Journal commended the tracks arrangement, Amuro's vocal deliveries, and its status as being a single. [15] As part of the album, the magazine complimented the tracks lyrical content and Nao'ymt's "futuristic" production. [10] An editorial review from Billboard Japan describe the song as "gorgeous", where as Takuro Ueno from Rolling Stone Japan called it "fantastic" and highlighted it as one of the album highlights. [13] [16] Tetsuo Hiraga from Hot Express heavily lauded the track, describing it as her own "Bohemian Rhapsody". He also complimented the tracks sense of prosperous, in terms of genre development with her future music. [12] Western website Selective Hearing gave it an average remark, labelling it "alright". The blog complimented the tracks "nice start", until they criticized the "strange" orchestral sample and felt it "wrecked the flow of the song". Additionally, they concluded, "If that part were taken out or revised I would have thought better of it." [11] MuuMuse editor Bradley Stern was critical towards the tracks leaked demo, saying "it appears to be one, massive hot mess of song." [14] However, as part of Past<Future, he felt it was a highlight to the album. [17]
Commercially, "Dr." was a success in Japan. Charting with "Wild", the single debuted at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart, selling 75,456 copies in its first week. [18] This resulted in being her eleventh overall number-one single, her second consecutive number-one, and essentially her first single to debut atop of the Oricon charts since her 1998 single "I Have Never Seen". [19] Additionally, "Wild" and "Dr." are her last singles to reach number one in Japan. [19] The following week, the single fell to number eight, selling 17,996 units. [20] Overall, the singles ranked in the charts for 17 weeks, and sold a total of 119,352 copies in the region. [21] [22] It was ranked at number 45 on Oricon's yearly chart. [23] As a stand-alone track, "Dr." debuted at number 64 on the Japan Hot 100 chart, provided by Billboard , and peaked at 39. [24] The song was certified in two different categories—physical sales and ringtone purchases—by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for separate sales of 100,000 copies. [25] [26]
"Dr." has been performed on three concert tours in Asia. Its first appearance was on her 2008-2009 Best Fiction Tour, which was placed during the concert's fourth segment. A television-aired performance was recorded at Yokohama Arena on March 8, 2009, and an essential live recording was recorded at Yoyogi National Gymnasium between April 28 and April 29. [27] A year later, Amuro added the song onto her Past<Future Tour, placed as the 11th track. A live release was published throughout Asia on December 15, 2010. [28] The song's most recent appearance was on her Livegenic Tour, which featured the singer tour throughout Asia between 2015 and 2016. It was placed during the third segment, and was added onto the live releases for 2016. [29]
Furthermore, the track was used as the commercial track for the Vidal Sassoon commercial that promoted its Japanese products, as mentioned above. The commercial, which featured Amuro, featured her in an "elegant" bath inside a medieval European palace. The song has been re-recorded once for one of her compilation albums. This was for her last greatest hits album Finally (2014), which featured new arrangement by Nao'ymt once again. [30]
Credits adapted from the singles's liner notes. [4]
|
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Japan (RIAJ) [25] WILD/Dr. (Physical) | Gold | 100,000^ |
Japan (RIAJ) [26] Full-length Ringtone | Gold | 100,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Japan [4] [8] | March 18, 2009 |
| Avex Trax |
Hong Kong [31] | |||
Japan [9] | March 25, 2009 | Digital download | |
Australia [32] | |||
New Zealand [33] | |||
United Kingdom [34] | |||
Germany [35] | |||
Ireland [36] | |||
France [37] | |||
Spain [38] | |||
Taiwan [39] | |||
United States [40] | |||
Canada [41] | |||
Namie Amuro is a Japanese former recording artist, producer, songwriter, dancer, model, actress and entrepreneur who was active between 1992 and 2018. A leading figure of the Japanese entertainment industry since the early 1990s, Amuro is known for breaking the youthful idol stereotype of J-Pop, changing the fashion trends and lifestyle of women in Japan, her experimentation across music styles, and for her visual imagery in music videos and live performances. Due to her career longevity, resilience, professionalism, efforts behind-the-scenes in the music industry, and her way of life, she is considered a pop culture icon in Japan and Asia. She has been referred to as "Diva of Heisei Era" and the "Queen of Japanese Pop", and has been recognized as having the influence and career impact domestically equivalent to artists such as Janet Jackson and Madonna in Western music and pop culture.
"Girl Talk/The Speed Star" is a double a-side by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro from her seventh studio album Queen of Hip-Pop (2005). The a-side, which consists of the tracks "Girl Talk" and "The Speed Star", was released as the album's third single on October 14, 2004. "Girl Talk" was written and produced by T.Kura and Michico while "The Speed Star" was written and produced by Akira and Monk. The songs are R&B-dance tracks, which features instrumentation from synthesizers, violins, keyboards and bass guitars. Both "Girl Talk" and "The Speed Star" were used as the commercial songs for cosmetic company Lucido-L.
"Sweet 19 Blues" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. The song was composed, written and arranged by Tetsuya Komuro for her same titled debut album. A month after its release, her label Avex Trax released the song as a recut single due to popular demand. The song's subject and the album was about the melancholic passing of another sweet year of youth, which is a particularly Japanese obsession.
"Baby Don't Cry" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro for her eighth studio album, Play (2007). It was written, composed, arranged, and produced by Japanese musician Naoaki Yamato, under the alias Nao'ymt. The single also included the B-side track "Nobody", a re-recorded version of her single "White Light". It premiered on January 24, 2007 as the third single from the album in Japan. It was also released worldwide on February 21, 2007 through Avex Entertainment Inc. Musically, "Baby Don't Cry" is a pop ballad, influenced by R&B music.
Best Fiction is the third greatest hits album by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro, and the final greatest hits release from Avex Trax, her record company since 1995. The release follows her two previous greatest hits albums, 181920 (1998) and Love Enhanced Single Collection (2002). The compilation was released as a stand-alone CD and a deluxe CD/DVD package including music videos. The album includes two new tracks; "Sexy Girl" and "Do Me More", and spawned an extended play 60s 70s 80s.
"Wild" is a song by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro from her ninth studio album Past<Future (2009). The song was released as the album's lead single on March 18, 2009, featuring the b-side "Dr." "Wild" was written and produced by Michio and T. Kura, while the latter track was written and produced by long-time collaborator Nao'ymt. The songs are electropop tracks, which features instrumentation from synthesizers and keyboards. "Wild" and "Dr." appeared as the advertising theme songs for Coca-Cola Zero and a Vidal Sassoon commercial.
Past<Future is the ninth studio album by Japanese pop singer Namie Amuro, released on December 16, 2009. Amuro stated that she saw Past<Future as a "fresh start" following the highly successful Best Fiction (2008).
Checkmate! is a collaboration album by Japanese popsinger Namie Amuro, featuring a collection of her collaborations with other musicians released between 2003 and 2011, as well as four new collaborations. The album was released on April 27, 2011, about one month after its original release date, due to 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
"Wonder Woman" is a song by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro, featuring R&B singer and rapper Ai as well as rock musician Anna Tsuchiya. The song was the lead promotional single for Amuro's collaboration-compilation album, Checkmate!, released in April 2011.
Uncontrolled is the 10th studio album by Japanese pop and R&B musician Namie Amuro, released on June 27, 2012. The album was released before her 20th anniversary concerts — one in Okinawa in September, and seven across Japan in November and December 2012. The album consists mostly of songs sung in Japanese, however this was the first album of Amuro's to feature several songs sung entirely in English. The album met favorable reception by music critics, and was nominated the Album of the Year by the Asia Association Music Awards.
Feel is the eleventh studio and second bilingual (English–Japanese) album by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It serves as the singer's first record with Dimension Point—a sub-label through Avex Trax—on July 10, 2013 in three physical formats, and for digital consumption. The album was primarily handled by Western producers, such as Zedd, Dsign Music, Anthony Maniscalco, Steven Lee, amongst others. Stylistically, Feel encompasses a wide range of mid-to-uptempo electronic dance styles including electropop, house, and contemporary dance music, and focuses on themes of love, having fun, and empowerment.
Ballada is the sixth compilation by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released by Dimension Point on June 4, 2014 in three physical formats, and for digital consumption. It works as a concept album that compiles ballads released during her time with Avex Trax, including three re-worked tracks. Additionally, the album features its only single "Tsuki". Upon its release, Ballada received positive reviews from music critics, most whom praised Amuro's maturity and vocals, alongside the re-worked tracks.
"Contrail" is a song by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro, taken from her eleventh studio and second Japanese–English bilingual album Feel (2013). The singer was approached by the Tokyo Broadcasting System team to record the official theme song for their television series Flying Public Relations Office, which resulted into the process of "Contrail". The track was written, composed, arranged and produced entirely by long-time collaborator Nao'ymt, and recorded at Daimonion Studios in Shibuya, Tokyo. Musically, "Contrail" is a dance number that includes instrumentation of synthesizers, keyboards and a drum machine. A self-empowerment anthem, the title derives from the literal term, and is delivered as a metaphor for confidence and hope.
Genic is the twelfth and final studio album and final bilingual (English–Japanese) album by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released on June 10, 2015 in three physical formats, and for digital consumption; additionally, it serves as the singer's final studio record since her retirement announcement for September 2018. The album was handled by Western producers, including David Guetta, Bardur Haberg, Joacim "Twin" Persson, Sophie, amongst others. Stylistically, Genic divides its sound between electronic dance music and R&B, and focuses on themes of self-empowerment, having fun, glamour and fashion.
"Brighter Day" is a song by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. Released as a single on November 12, 2014 by Amuro's label Dimension Point through Avex Trax, the release contained the B-sides "Sweet Kisses", and "Still Lovin' You". It received mixed reviews from music critics; many commended Amuro's vocal abilities while some criticized the song's composition and production. Charted as a single on the Japanese Oricon Singles Chart, it reached number eight, becoming her lowest chart single since "Alarm" which peaked at eleven. The title track was certified platinum by Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for digital sales of 250,000 and all three tracks charted on the Japan Hot 100.
"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".
"Dear Diary" is a song by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro, released as a double A-side single with her track "Fighter". It was released on October 26, 2016 via Dimension Point and Avex Trax as Amuro's seventh consecutive non-album single, and is the theme song to the Japanese drama–horror film, Death Note: Light Up the New World (2016). It was distributed with "Dear Diary" in two physical formats—standard CD and CD/DVD bundle. "Dear Diary" was written, composed and produced by Matthew Tishler, Felicia Barton, Aaron Benward, and frequent collaborator Tiger. Musically, the recording is a pop ballad that lyrically focuses on the films title and recurring theme; furthermore, it delves into themes of empowerment and rising from pain and sorrow.
"Fighter" is a song recorded by Japanese singer Namie Amuro, released as a double A-side single with "Dear Diary". It was released on October 26, 2016 via Dimension Point and Avex Trax in two CD formats, and a DVD package; a digital release was made available for consumption on November 16. The single serves as the insert song to the Japanese drama–horror film Death Note: Light Up the New World, and the theme song to its accompanying spin-off series Death Note: New Generation (2016). "Fighter" was written, composed and produced by Japanese vocalist Emyli, with additional production credits to Reason.
Finally is the seventh compilation album by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released on November 8, 2017 by Dimension Point in three physical formats, alongside limited edition goods. Additionally, Finally is also Amuro's final musical release before she retired from the music industry on September 16, 2018.
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