| "You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Koda Kumi | ||||
| from the album Best: Second Session | ||||
| B-side | "Sweet Kiss" | |||
| Released | December 7, 2005 (JP) | |||
| Genre | J-pop | |||
| Length | 17:52 | |||
| Label | Rhythm Zone RZCD-45301 (Japan, CD) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Koda Kumi, Yoko Kuzuya, Toru Watanabe | |||
| Koda Kumi singles chronology | ||||
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"You" (stylized as you) is Japanese artist Koda Kumi's 19th single and the first to be released in her 12 Singles Collection. [1] It became her first single to take No. 1 on the weekly Oricon charts.
you is Japanese singer-songwriter Kumi Koda's first single in her 12 Singles Collection. It became her second single to debut at No. 1 and first to hold the No. 1 spot for the weekly ranking on the Oricon Singles Charts. [2] Her first the debut at the top spot was "Butterfly," but "Butterfly" had dropped to take the number-two slot for the week. [3] [4]
Each single in the 12 Singles Collection had unique cover art based on certain cultures in various countries. The back cover of each single was a piece to a puzzle, which could only be completed by purchasing all twelve singles. The same was done for the obi strips, which contained a full image when arranged together in order. [5] However, the obi strip image was omitted on the Hong Kong versions.
"you" was composed by music composer Toru Watanabe and performed by arranger and lyricist Yoko Kuzuya, who also worked on the lyrical portion with Kumi. [6] The song carries elements of both pop and R&B, opening strong with a piano instrumental.
The single was also only one of three in the collection to garner a b-side, the others being No Regret and Someday/Boys♥Girls. The b-side for this single was "Sweet Kiss," which is an uptempo pop song. The song was composed by Atsushi Sato (known as ats-) from the Japanese pop band HΛL, who had previously worked with Kumi's label-mate Ayumi Hamasaki. [7]
As of April 2011, "you" is certified platinum for digital cellphone downloads by the RIAJ. [8]
The music video for the title track tied into four other videos released during the 12 Singles Collection: "Candy," "Lies," "feel" and "Someday." Later in her career, Kumi would have the music video reedited with her image superimposed into the video for her Live Tour 2016 ~Best Single Collection~.
While the music video for "you" is the first in the 12 Singles Collection, it is the second in a music video-driven story, its predecessor being "Candy," which featured rapper Mr. Blistah from Clench & Blistah.
"you" opens with three men talking about the heartbreak they had experienced in their lives and the women they were with. Each man had a passion that they followed and found a lover who shared in their interests. Each video in the music video stories focuses on one of the men at the table, with their love interests being different incarnations of Kumi.
The protagonist in "you" is played by Japanese actor Takashi Tsukamoto, whose passion is photography. He finds a lover, played by Kumi, who he believes to have "the perfect image." Throughout the video, it shows the couple starting off happy and enjoying his passion. However, the woman becomes frustrated, believing his photography to mean more to him than she does. The video is in a winter setting where Kumi walks down the street in white clothing while she is in tears over her failed relationship. Kumi sleeps in bed alone while waiting for her call from her boyfriend and when she takes down pictures of the two, he tries calling her, but Kumi hangs up on him before he can catch up with her. The video ends as we see photographs of Kumi and her boyfriend together falling from the sky before the last shot of their picture is shown.
Kumi would later have a reedited version of the music video during her Live Tour 2016 ~Best Single Collection~.
For the collection, each single was given its own unique cover art, each which represented a dress from a different culture.
The cover for you represented the Inuit culture in Alaska.
Along with differing cover art, each obi strip contained a piece of an image, which when put together in order, would reveal a full picture of Kumi. The same was done for the back covers of each single.
(Source [9] )
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arranger(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "you" | Koda Kumi • Yoko Kuzuya | Toru Watanabe | Yoko Kuzuya | 4:48 |
| 2. | "Sweet Kiss" | Koda Kumi • Hirotake Onishi | Atsushi SATO (ats-) | Toru Watanabe | 4:02 |
| 3. | "you" (Instrumental) | Toru Watanabe | Yoko Kuzuya | 4:41 | |
| 4. | "Sweet Kiss" (Instrumental) | Atsushi SATO (ats-) | Toru Watanabe | 4:02 |
Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)
| Release | Chart | Peak Position | First Week Sales | Sales Total | Chart Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 7, 2005 | Oricon Daily Singles Chart | 1 | |||
| Oricon Weekly Charts | 1 | 76,111 | 190,060 | 12 weeks | |
| Oricon Monthly Charts | 7 | ||||
| Oricon Yearly Charts | 50 |
you
Birthday Eve is a limited edition single by Japanese R&B-turned-pop artist Kumi Koda. It was the second release in her 12 Singles Collection and charted No. 6 on Oricon, remaining for four weeks. The single became the first release to be limited to 50,000 units, which would be done for all but three of the singles in the collection.
"Shake It Up" is a single by Kumi Koda and charted No. 6 on Oricon, remaining on the charts for five weeks. It was used as the ending theme to The Sunday, an informational program shown on NTV.
"Lies" is an R&B song by Japanese singer Kumi Koda and is the fifth single in her 12 Singles Collection. The lyrics are written by Kumi and the music is written and arranged by Yanagiman. The song is the ending theme of Asahi TV's show Adore na! Garejji. It was also used in a commercial for music.jp.
"Feel" is a smooth R&B song by Japanese singer and songwriter Kumi Koda. For the song, she worked closely with composer Hitoshi Shimono, who had composed the instrumental. The single is Kumi's sixth single in her 12 Singles Collection and second single to chart at No. 1 on Oricon, selling 39,110 units within the first week. As with some of the other singles released in the collection, feel was limited to 50,000 copies.
"No Regret" is an R&B song by singer-songwriter Koda Kumi. The song debuted on the Oricon charts at No. 4, remaining on the charts for twelve weeks. The single made it the eighth release for her 12 Singles Collection, and, unlike the majority of the singles, was not limited to 50,000 copies. This was one of three that were not limited, the other being the first single in the collection, you, and the final single, Someday/Boys♥Girls.
Ima Sugu Hoshii(今すぐ欲しい / Want You Now) is the ninth single in Japanese singer Kumi Koda's 12 Single Collection. As with the other singles, Ima Sugu Hoshii was limited to 50,000 copies. It debuted at No. 2 on Oricon Daily, taking No. 5 for the week, and charted for seven weeks.
Wind is a Japanese pop song by Kyoto-born singer Koda Kumi and is the 11th single in her 12 Singles Collection. Much like the other singles in the collection, this single is also limited to 50,000 copies. The single managed to chart at No. 3 on Oricon and charted for six weeks.
Candy is the seventh single of the 12 Singles Collection by Japanese artist Kumi Koda. The single featured rapper Mr. Blistah from Clench & Blistah, and became her second to feature an artist – her first being "D.D.D.," which featured Soulhead. As with the majority of the singles in the collection, the single was limited to 50,000 copies. The single peaked at No. 3 on the Oricon charts and charted for seven weeks.
Kamen feat. Tatsuya Ishii(仮面 / Mask) is the tenth single of Koda Kumi's 12 Single Collection and featured Kome Kome Club's frontman Tatsuya Ishii. Like many of the other singles released in the collection, KAMEN was also limited to 50,000 copies. The song debuted at No. 3 on Oricon and charted for six weeks.
Someday/Boys & Girls is the final single of Koda Kumi's 12 Single Collection and overall thirtieth single. Unlike the majority of singles in the collection, this single is not limited to 50,000 copies. The single charted at No. 3 on Oricon and charted for nine weeks.
Best: Second Session is the second Greatest hits album released by Japanese R&B-turned-pop singer Koda Kumi. It was released in March 2006 and contained all of her singles used in her 12 Singles Collection. It charted at #1 on the Oricon charts, making it her second album to reach the spot, and stayed on the charts for seventy-eight weeks.
BUT / Aishou(愛証 / Love Proof) is singer-songwriter Koda Kumi's 35th single and was released on March 14, 2007. It was her first single of 2007 and first to bring her new era, Kingdom. The single was a limited purchase, only being sold from March 2007 to May 2007. It charted No. 2 on Oricon and stayed on the charts for fourteen weeks. The single was released the same day as her third compilation album, Best ~Bounce & Lovers~, which was also of limited release.
"Freaky" is the 36th single by Japanese singer Koda Kumi, released on June 27, 2007. The single took the #1 spot on the Oricon charts, making it her fourth #1 single, and charted for fifteen weeks.
Ai no Uta(愛のうた / Song of Love) is the 37th single released by Japanese pop singer-songwriter Kumi Koda. The single was released in CD and CD+DVD, with limited editions carrying the "Urban Kiss Version" of Ai no Uta. The single was released on September 12, 2007, and followed the theme of Yume no Uta/Futari de... as an autumn/winter-time love ballad. It charted at No. 2 on Oricon and stayed on the charts for twenty-two weeks.
"Stay with Me" is the forty-second single by Japanese R&B/pop artist Kumi Koda. It charted at No. 1 on the Oricon Weekly charts and remained on the charts for nine weeks. This became the first time Kumi released two consecutive No. 1 singles, whereas her previous single, "Taboo," also charted at number one.
3 Splash is an EP by Japanese recording artist and songwriter Kumi Koda. It was released on 8 July 2009, by Kumi's record label, Rhythm Zone. Her fourth extended play consists of three recordings; "Lick Me", "Ecstasy" and "Hashire!", with three additional interludes. It was released in two different formats: stand-alone CD, and a CD+DVD bundle - the latter bundle was re-released with a pink-transparent CD holder. The three artworks for the EP depicts Kumi posing with the title of the work superimposed over her. The CD+DVD bundle artwork features her holding a basketball, this artwork was also used for the digital release of the EP.
Gossip Candy is an extended play by Japanese recording artist and songwriter Kumi Koda. It was released on July 7, 2010, by Koda's record label, Rhythm Zone. Koda's fifth extended play, Gossip Candy consists of five recordings; Lollipop, Inside Fishbowl, Outside Fishbowl, For You, and a cover of Got to Be Real, originally performed by Cheryl Lynn. It was released in three different formats: Digital EP, CD and CD+DVD. The CD only version was re-released as the "Dream Music Park" edition with a bonus baseball cap. The Dream Music Park concert was later released on the CD+2DVD edition of Dejavu.
"Ai o Tomenaide" (愛を止めないで / Don't Stop the Love) is the 51st single by pop/R&B singer/songwriter Koda Kumi. It was released on September 21, 2011 in three separate editions: CD only, CD only [Second Virgin Edition] and CD+DVD. The single peaked at #6 on the Oricon Singles Charts. The "Second Virgin Edition" remained on the charts for fourteen weeks, while the standard edition remained on the charts for eight weeks.
Japonesque is the tenth studio album by Japanese recording artist Kumi Koda. It was released on January 25, 2012 by Rhythm Zone. It was also released just a little under a year after her 2011 album, Dejavu. Japonesque marks Koda's tenth consecutive studio album to be produced by Japanese producer and manager Max Matsuura, amongst many other producers, while she contributes to the album as the lead vocalist, background vocalist, and songwriter to majority of the songs. Recorded in Japanese with minor phrases in English language, Japonesque is a Japanese pop album with numerous musical elements such as dance music, R&B, electronica, and rock music.
Koishikute(恋しくて / Yearn for You) is the fifty-fourth single by Japanese singer-songwriter Koda Kumi, released on December 26, 2012, pushed back from the original release date of December 5, 2012. The single debuted No. 4 on the Oricon Daily Charts, took No. 7 for the week and remained on the charted for six weeks.
