Go to the Top (album)

Last updated
Go to the Top
Hitomi - Go to the Top album cover.png
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 27, 1995
Recorded1993-1995
Genre
Length51:45(CD)
Label Avex Trax
Producer
Hitomi chronology
Go to the Top
(1995)
By Myself
(1996)
Singles from Go to the Top
  1. "Let's Play Winter"
    Released: November 21, 1994
  2. "We Are "Lonely Girl""
    Released: February 22, 1995
  3. "Candy Girl"
    Released: April 21, 1995
  4. "Go to the Top"
    Released: July 26, 1995

Go to the Top is the debut album by Japanese singer-songwriter Hitomi, released on September 27, 1995, by Avex Trax. [1] The first press edition of the album came with the CD case housed inside a hardback case, similar to a book. The inside of the back of the case contains a mini-photobook. [2] The RIAJ has certified it 2× platinum, recognizing over 500,000+ shipments throughout Japan. [3] On the Oricon charts, the album's peak position was #3, and it stayed on the charts for eight weeks. [4]

Contents

History

Hitomi had previously released two singles without much success. Her debut single, "Let's Play Winter" failed to chart on Japan's Oricon chart, [5] and her follow-up single, "We Are "Lonely Girl"", while charting much better at #61 on the charts, [6] failed to make a big impression with sales.

It was not until the quiet release of her third single "Candy Girl" that suddenly Hitomi found success. "Candy Girl" charted much higher than her previous attempts, becoming her first single to chart in the Oricon top 20. This was most likely because "Candy Girl" had been aggressively marketed and appeared in a famous Japanese Kodak commercial. [7] The single established the then 19-year-old Hitomi Furuya into a household name, showcasing her provocative image.

Following the sudden success of her third single, Hitomi and her label (fledgling at the time) Avex Trax quickly released another single, "Go to the Top" which also charted in the top 20, [8] ensuring Hitomi's success for the time being. Go to the Top, Hitomi's debut studio album of the same name, was released two months later and rose in the charts, peaking at #3.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Hitomi

No.TitleMusicArranger(s)Length
1."Go to the Top" Tetsuya Komuro Komuro, Cozy Kubo4:34
2."Pleasure"KomuroKomuro, Kubo6:47
3."You Dirty Bastard"Get OffGet Off3:55
4."Tokyo nodo Man'naka Bus no Naka de (Tokyoのど真んなかBUSの中で)"Komuro, KuboNo! Galers5:09
5."We Are "Lonely Girl""KomuroKubo5:09
6."Never Forget the Days"KuboKubo5:26
7."Candy Girl"KomuroKomuro, Kubo6:04
8."Fact"KuboKubo4:42
9."Let's Play Winter"KomuroKomuro, Kubo5:06
10."Maybe Failing Now..."KuboKubo4:45

Personnel

Production

Charts

Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)
ReleaseChartPeak positionSales totalChart run
September 27, 1995Oricon Daily Albums Chart1
Oricon Weekly Albums Chart3406,0008 weeks
Oricon Monthly Albums Chart4
Oricon Yearly Albums Chart-

Related Research Articles

Hitomi Furuya, known professionally as Hitomi, is a Japanese singer-songwriter. She began her career as teen model before making her singing debuting under the helm of Tetsuya Komuro in 1994, who produced Hitomi's earliest work in pop music. Hitomi has striven for artistry over the course of her career, penning "forward-looking" lyrics and becoming known for her "unusual" fashion sense that accompanied a "supermodel allure". Her signature songs include "Candy Girl", "Love 2000" and "Samurai Drive".

<i>Break the Rules</i> (album) 2000 studio album by Namie Amuro

Break the Rules is the fifth studio album by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro, released on December 20, 2000, through Avex Trax. It was released only 11 months after her previous album Genius 2000 (2000), and was her final album to date with her long-time producer Tetsuya Komuro, the album generally receive positive reviews by the critics, it was the shortlisted the Asia Association Music Prize Award.

<i>Concentration 20</i> 1997 studio album by Namie Amuro

Concentration 20 is the third studio album by Japanese singer Namie Amuro, released July 24, 1997, by Avex Trax. The album's genre is a fusion of styles including pop, dance and rock. Unlike Amuro's previous effort, Sweet 19 Blues, which primarily had lyrics written by Tetsuya Komuro, Concentration 20's lyrics were mostly written by Marc Panther. Komuro did, however, compose and arrange most of the album's songs and wrote the lyrics to three of them, it was Namie's second solo album since the beginning in 1997.

<i>Sweet 19 Blues</i> 1996 studio album by Namie Amuro

Sweet 19 Blues is the second studio album by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. The album was released in four different slipcases, with the first three cases limited to 1,000,000 copies each—were put on sale on July 20, 1996, throughout Japan, and were distributed two days later to the rest of Asia by Avex Trax. The album was primarily handled by Japanese producer Tetsuya Komuro, with the assistance of Cozy Kubo, Akio Togashi, Takahiro Maeda, M.C.A.T. and Randy Waldman, it is her debut solo album to date since the spilt of Super Monkey's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Meaning of Peace</span> 2001 single by Koda Kumi & BoA

"The Meaning of Peace" is a single by Japanese R&B singer-songwriter Koda Kumi and South Korean pop singer-songwriter BoA. The single debuted on Oricon and No. 12 and remained on the charts for twelve weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Walk in the Park</span> 1996 single by Namie Amuro

"A Walk in the Park" is the eighth single by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro from her third studio album Concentration 20 (1997). The song was released as the album's lead single on November 27, 1996. It was written, composed and produced by Tetsuya Komuro. The song is a dance track, which features instrumentation from guitars, synthesizers, organs, keyboards and drums. "A Walk in the Park" and "Can You Celebrate?" were both theme songs for Maxell UD commercials and Whisper was used as the background music for the Maxell MD74 commercial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweet 19 Blues (song)</span> 1996 single by Namie Amuro

"Sweet 19 Blues" is the seventh single by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was composed, written and arranged by Tetsuya Komuro for her debut album of the same name. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You're My Sunshine</span> 1996 single by Namie Amuro

"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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Body Feels Exit</span> 1995 single by Namie Amuro

"Body Feels Exit" is Namie Amuro's debut solo single on the Avex Trax label. Released nine days after her only album with former label, Toshiba-EMI, "Body Feels Exit" debuted in the top three on the Oricon chart and would be her first of 24 consecutive top ten solo singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chase the Chance</span> 1995 single by Namie Amuro

"Chase the Chance" is a song by Japanese singer Namie Amuro from her second studio album, Sweet 19 Blues (1996). It was released as the album's second single on December 4, 1995, through Avex Trax.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Wanna Cry (Namie Amuro song)</span> 1996 single by Namie Amuro

"Don't Wanna Cry" is a song by Japanese singer and record producer Namie Amuro released on the Avex Trax label, as her third single for her debut solo album Sweet 19 Blues (1996), It is her second consecutive million-selling single as well as her second consecutive number-one single. In December, the single took home the "Grand Prix Award" from the 38th Annual Japan Record Awards. 19 years old at the time, she is the youngest artist to have been awarded the grand prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dreaming I Was Dreaming</span> 1997 single by Namie Amuro

"Dreaming I was Dreaming" is Namie Amuro's eleventh single on the Avex Trax label. Released after the announcement of her pregnancy and marriage to SAM of the group, TRF, it debuted at #1 on December 8, 1997. The single does not appear on any of Amuro's original albums but does appear on her first compilation album, 181920 (1998). The song samples the T. Rex song "Liquid Generation". It was her last original single before taking a year leave in 1998. The single was certified double platinum by the RIAJ for 800,000 copies shipped to stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Have Never Seen</span> 1998 single by Namie Amuro

"I Have Never Seen" is Namie Amuro's 11th single on the Avex Trax label. Released after a year hiatus, it serves their lead single for her fourth studio album Genius 2000, it debuted at #1 on January 11, 1999. It is her ninth number one single, and was her last until 2008's 60s 70s 80s. The single was certified double platinum by the RIAJ for 800,000 copies shipped to stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love 2000</span> 2000 single by Namie Amuro

"Love 2000" is Namie Amuro's 15th single on the Avex Trax label. First pressing privileges came with a bonus remix of the title track. The same remix was later included on a vinyl single released two months after the CD version, as their fourth and final single Genius 2000, Released in Japan on New Year's Day, the single debuted at #4 becoming her 15th consecutive top 10 solo single. The single was certified platinum for 400,000 copies shipped.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Night Long (Ami Suzuki song)</span> 1998 single by Ami Suzuki

"All Night Long" is a song recorded by Japanese singer Ami Suzuki for her debut studio album, SA (1999). It was written and produced by Japanese producer and songwriter Tetsuya Komuro. The track was released following Suzuki's two collaborative efforts with Komuro. "All Night Long" premiered on November 5, 1998, as the third single from the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let's Play Winter</span> 1994 single by Hitomi

"Let's Play Winter" is the debut single by Japanese singer-songwriter Hitomi and was released on November 28, 1994 by Avex Trax. It appears as a remixed version on her 1995 debut studio album Go to the Top and was later included in its original form on the 1999 best-of compilation H and the 2007 three disc set Peace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We Are "Lonely Girl"</span> 1995 single by Hitomi

"We Are "Lonely Girl"" is the second single by Japanese singer-songwriter Hitomi and was released on February 22, 1995 by Avex Trax. It appears remixed on her debut studio album Go to the Top and in its original form on the 1999 best-of H and on the 2007 three disc set Peace.

<i>Love Life</i> (Hitomi album) 2000 studio album by Hitomi

Love Life is the fifth studio album by Japanese singer hitomi, released on December 13, 2000, by avex trax.

<i>Self Portrait</i> (Hitomi album) Compilation album by Hitomi

Self Portrait is the second greatest hits album by Japanese singer and songwriter Hitomi. It was released through Avex Trax on September 4, 2002, coinciding with the video album Hitomi Live Tour 2002 Huma-Rhythm. The two-disc compilation spanned Hitomi's eight-year career at that point; viewing it as the beginning of a fresh start, she devised a release "atypical" of the traditional greatest hits format.

Tetsuya Komuro Archives refers to two separate box set releases featuring songs from various artists that were produced by the retired Japanese musician Komuro Tetsuya. They were released on June 27, 2018, by the Japanese record label Avex Trax. The box sets were released as Tetsuya Komuro Archives "T" and Tetsuya Komuro Archives "K", with each box set containing fifty songs divided into four separate discs.

References

  1. Go To The Top detail page @ Oricon
  2. Go To The Top detail @ Last.fm
  3. RIAJ Official Site
  4. Oricon Detail Page for Go To The Top
  5. Let's Play Winter @ Oricon
  6. We Are "Lonely Girl" @ Oricon
  7. Candy Girl @ Oricon
  8. Go to the Top single @ Oricon