| "Letters" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 "Sakura Drops" / "Letters" cover. | ||||
| Single by Hikaru Utada | ||||
| from the album Deep River | ||||
| Released | May 9, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | 2002 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:48 | |||
| Label | Toshiba EMI | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Hikaru Utada | |||
| Producer(s) | Kei Kawano, Akira Miyake, Teruzane Utada | |||
| Hikaru Utada singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Letters" is a song by Japanese American musician Hikaru Utada. It was released as a double A-side single with the song "Sakura Drops" on May 9, 2002. [1]
Since she debuted as a musician in 1998, Utada had worked as the primary or sole songwriter for her music. Beginning with her second album Distance (2001), Utada began to co-arrange songs, such as "Wait & See (Risk)", "Distance" and "Kettobase!" [2] The bonus track on Distance, "Hayatochi-Remix", was arranged entirely by Utada. [2] In March 2002, Hikaru Utada released "Hikari", the theme song for the game Kingdom Hearts . [3]
"Letters" was written and arranged solely by Utada. It featured six different guitarists all performing the acoustic guitar in the backing, including Char, Hisashi from Glay and her own father Teruzane Utada. [2]
The song was used in commercials for NTT DoCoMo's 2002 range of FOMA cellphones. [4] This was the third song of Utada's to be used in collaboration with DoCoMo, after "Final Distance" (2001) and "Traveling" (2002). [5] On May 20, 2002, Utada performed the song live at Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ , a week after she performed the single's other A-side "Sakura Drops". [6] [7]
Utada performed the song during her Hikaru no 5 Budokan residency show in 2004, at her Utada United 2006 Japanese tour and at her two date concert series Wild Life in December 2010. [8]
In 2014, "Letters" was recorded by Ringo Sheena for Utada Hikaru no Uta, a tribute album celebrating 15 years since Utada's debut. [9] It was released as a preceding download from the album on December 3, 2014. [9]
Critical reception to the song was positive. Hayashi of Ongaku DB felt "Letters" was a "Latin-sounding number" with a melody that had a "high level of freedom". [10] CDJournal reviewers described the song as having a "spicy Latin/gypsy" sound, and praised the "passionate melody", and noted how the upbeat rhythm contrasted with the lyrics, which dealt with "melancholic everyday feelings". [11] Kanako Hanakawa of Shinko Music felt that the song had a mature mood, and that it was "sexier" than her other songs due to the guitar backing of so many older male guitarists. [12] Akiyoshi Sekine of CD Data praised the song's "percussive rhythm", and praised the skill and sense that went into Utada's arrangement of the song. [13]
All tracks are written by Hikaru Utada
| No. | Title | Arranger | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sakura Drops" | Utada, Kei Kawano | 5:01 |
| 2. | "Letters" | Kawano, Utada | 4:48 |
| 3. | "Sakura Drops (Original Karaoke)" | Utada, Kei Kawano | 5:01 |
| 4. | "Letters (Original Karaoke)" | Kawano, Utada | 4:48 |
| Total length: | 9:59 | ||
Personnel details were sourced from Deep River's liner notes booklet. [2]
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
Japan Oricon weekly singles [14]
| 1 |
| Chart | Amount |
|---|---|
Oricon physical sales [15]
| 687,000 |
RIAJ physical certification [16]
| 2× Platinum (800,000) |
| Region | Date | Format | Distributing Label | Catalog codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | May 9, 2002 [1] [17] | CD single | Toshiba EMI | TOCT-4381 |
| Taiwan | Gold Typhoon | 55088529 | ||
| Japan | April 1, 2004 [18] | Digital download | Toshiba EMI | |
| South Korea | September 30, 2005 [19] | Digital download | Universal Music Korea |
Hikaru Utada, also known mononymously as Utada, is a Japanese and American singer, songwriter, and producer. She is considered to be one of the most influential and best-selling musical artists in Japan.
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, reggae, and techno influences from Western music.
Deep River is the fourth studio album by Japanese-American singer Hikaru Utada. It was released via Toshiba EMI on June 19, 2002. The title of the album, as well as its title track, was inspired by the novel Deep River by Shusaku Endo. 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 widely noted by fans and critics as the transition state from Utada's earlier style, R&B, to ethereal pop.
"Hikari" is a song recorded by Japanese–American recording artist Hikaru Utada for her fourth studio and third Japanese language album, Deep River (2002). It premiered on March 20, 2002, as the third single from the album in Japan. It was written and composed by Utada, whilst production and arrangement was handled by Utada, her father Teruzane Utada, and long-time collaborator Miyake Akira. The single, and a remix by Russell McNamara, was used as the official Japanese theme song for the 2002 action role-playing video game Kingdom Hearts, and appeared on its original soundtrack respectively. Musically, "Hikari" is a pop folk song. Lyrically, it is about mysteries in life and human activities.
"For You" is a song by Japanese-American musician Hikaru Utada. It was released as a double A-side single with the song "Time Limit" on June 30, 2000.
"Addicted to You" is a song by Japanese-American recording artist Hikaru Utada from her second studio album Distance (2001). It was released as the album's lead single on November 10, 1999, by EMI Music Japan. "Addicted to You" was written by Utada and produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis; this is Utada's first collaboration with American producers and composers. The single artwork was shot by American photographer Richard Avedon and features two black-and-white figures of Utada. Musically, "Addicted to You" is an R&B song.
"Movin' On Without You" is the second single by Japanese–American singer and producer Hikaru Utada. It serves as the second single from her debut studio album First Love (1999). The song was the first song that Utada had written and composed by herself. "Movin' On Without You" was incepted while Utada was attending high school in Tokyo, Japan, during 1997. Utada, who received a recording contract by Toshiba-EMI, had written an English-language version of the song, which remains unreleased to this day.
"Keep Tryin'" is a song recorded by Japanese American recording artist Hikaru Utada for her sixth studio and fourth Japanese album, Ultra Blue (2006). It premiered on February 22, 2006 as the fifth single from the album in Japan. It was written and composed by Utada, whilst production was handled by Utada, her father Teruzane Utada, and Miyake Akira. It included the B-side track "Wings", which also appeared on the parent album. Musically, "Keep Tryin'" is a pop song with lyrics that contain self-empowerment themes. Upon its release, the track received generally mixed reviews from music critics.
Ultra Blue is the sixth album by Japanese–American singer Hikaru Utada, released on June 14, 2006, by Eastworld. It is the first original Japanese language album under Hikaru Utada's name in four years since her third album Deep River (2002). Ultra Blue contains thirteen songs, including six singles released between 2003 and 2006. While the arrangements for her album Deep River were done collaboratively, all but one of the songs on Ultra Blue were written, composed, and arranged solely by Utada, who also did the programming herself. In this album, the R&B elements that have been present since her debut are further diminished, and the majority of the songs have an electronic flavor with an emphasis on synth sounds.
The discography of Japanese-American R&B and pop singer Hikaru Utada consists of eleven studio albums, four compilation albums, eleven video albums and numerous singles and promotional singles. Utada began as a musician in the early 1990s as a member of U3, a family unit made up of her, her mother Junko Utada, also known as 1970s enka singer Keiko Fuji, and her father, musical producer Teruzane Utada. U3 released their debut album Star in 1993, with the hope to debut in America. In 1996, the group was rebranded as Cubic U, an R&B project focusing on Hikaru Utada, resulting in the English language album Precious in 1998 with record label Toshiba EMI.
"Final Distance" is a song by Japanese recording artist Hikaru Utada for her third studio album Deep River (2002). Written by Utada herself, the song was produced and composed by long-time collaborators Akira Miyake, Utada's father Teruzane Utada and herself. "Final Distance" was originally recorded as "Distance" which was taken from the album with the same name, despite not being a single. The song was re-recorded, re-arranged, and dedicated to Rena Yamashita, a six-year-old victim of the Ikeda school massacre who had written an essay about being inspired by Utada. Utada had stated that the meaning of the word "final" for the song "Final Distance" is "most important" rather than "last."
"Beautiful World" is a song by Japanese American musician Hikaru Utada. It served as the theme song for Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, the 2007 film reboot of the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. It was released as a double A-side single on August 29, 2007 along with her song "Kiss & Cry", which had been released digitally three months earlier. The song was written and co-produced by Utada, while Akira Miyake and the singer's father Teruzane Utada served as producers. In 2009, a remix of the song, "Beautiful World " served as the theme song of the second film in the series, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance.
"Heart Station" is a song by Japanese musician Hikaru Utada, which was released as a double A-side single alongside her song "Stay Gold" on February 20, 2008. It served as the fifth single from her fifth Japanese-language album Heart Station. "Heart Station" was fully written, composed and produced by Utada herself. The song was created with the image of a song that would come on if you were to turn on your car radio on a late-night highway on your way home from work or play, with the title meaning a place that transmits radio waves from the heart. Musically, it is a midtempo pop ballad. Lyrically, it speaks about bidding someone adieu and still trying to reach them and maintain their presence in your life.
"Time Limit" is a song by Japanese musician Hikaru Utada. It was released as a double A-side single with the song "For You" on June 30, 2000.
"Can't Wait 'Til Christmas" is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada. It was released on Utada's second Japanese compilation album, Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 2, on November 24, 2010.
"Sakura Drops" is a song by Japanese-American musician Hikaru Utada. It was released as a double A-side single with the song "Letters" on May 9, 2002.
"Stay Gold" is a pop song by Japanese American musician Hikaru Utada. Used in a high-profile campaign for Kao Corporation's Asience shampoo commercials in 2007, the song was released as a double A-side single with Utada's song "Heart Station" on February 20, 2008.
Fantôme is the sixth Japanese studio album by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada. Although Utada announced an indefinite hiatus from the public eye in August 2010, she continued writing and composing material with her father, Teruzane Utada, and long-term collaborator, Akira Miyake. Musically, Fantôme contains a collection of tracks that utilizes acoustic and stripped-down instrumentations, alongside influences of pop, electronic, and R&B music. The lyrical content delves into themes of grief, sadness, love, and death—mostly influenced by the death of her mother, her second marriage, and the birth of her son in 2015.
Hatsukoi is the seventh Japanese-language studio album by Japanese–American recording artist Hikaru Utada. It was released on June 27, 2018, as her first album under Sony Music Japan sublabel Epic Records Japan. The release coincided with the commemoration of her 20th Anniversary as an artist in Japan. A national tour was announced to support the album in November 2018. The five previously released songs were confirmed in the album track list, for a total of twelve songs, including the title track "Hatsukoi" and the Kingdom Hearts III theme song "Chikai".
One Last Kiss is an extended play by Japanese musician Hikaru Utada, which was released in the US on March 9, 2021. It was released for promotion of the Japanese animated film Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time around the time of the film's release. It contains all the previously released theme songs that were made for the Rebuild of Evangelion film series. It also contains the theme song "One Last Kiss", which was co-produced by A. G. Cook and released in conjunction with the film on March 10, 2021.
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