"I Have Never Seen" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Namie Amuro | ||||
from the album Genius 2000 | ||||
Released | December 23, 1998 | |||
Recorded | 1998 | |||
Studio | TRUE Kiss Disc The Hit Factory Audio Resource | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:46 | |||
Label | Avex Trax | |||
Songwriter(s) | Tetsuya Komuro | |||
Producer(s) | Tetsuya Komuro | |||
Namie Amuro singles chronology | ||||
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"I Have Never Seen" is the 12th single by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released by Avex Trax on December 23, 1998, as the lead single to her fourth studio album Genius 2000 (2000). The song was written and composed solely by Tetsuya Komuro. It was the first single released after Amuro's return from her yearlong maternity leave, and was released approximately one week before her well-publicized official comeback at the 49th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen. [1]
"I Have Never Seen" was a commercial success, becoming her ninth number one single on the Oricon Singles Chart, 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. [2] Maki Goto sang this song for an audition before becoming a part of Morning Musume.
On October 22, 1997, Amuro announced that she had married Masaharu "Sam" Maruyama, a member of the group TRF, and was three months pregnant. She also said she planned to take a one-year hiatus in order to focus on starting a family. [3] [4] In the meantime, two releases were made: a re-issue of her "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?" single, [5] and her first greatest hits album, entitled 181920 . [6] On May 19, 1998, her son was born at Maruyama Memorial General Hospital in Saitama. [7]
In September 1998, Komuro received an order to produce a song, and at first he had in mind a flashy and glamorous song, but he took into account both Amuro's positions as "a private wife and mother" and "Amuro as a singer." Because she was expected to express "huge love as a mother," she was the first to express sad themes such as "broken heart," and as Komuro said, the production was as difficult as "putting her through the eye of a needle." He spent the next three months struggling with the concept, and at one point thought about running away, [8] but he spent two weeks in Hawaii working on it so that the sound would not lean toward the Japanese market. The song's lyrics were written on the plane to Narita. Komuro said, "The title includes the meaning of 'experiencing things that ordinary people have never experienced'" and "it has the feeling of a journey." [9]
"I Have Never Seen" was used as the ending theme to the Nippon TV dorama, Yonige-ya Honpo (KIKU translation given as Flight By Night when it aired in Hawaii.) [10]
"I Have Never Seen" debuted at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart, with 333,210 copies sold in its first week, [11] making it Amuro's ninth chart-topper. The single slid to number two the following week, selling 77,930 copies. [12] On its third week it dropped to number four on the chart, selling 85,570 copies. [13] "I Have Never Seen" ranked in the top ten for five weeks and ranked in the top 100 of the chart for thirteen weeks, [14] selling a reported total of 772,130 copies. "I Have Never Seen" ranked at number 29 on the year-end Oricon Singles Chart for 1999, with 657,250 copies sold throughout the fiscal year. [15]
Chart (1999) | Peak position |
---|---|
Japan Weekly Singles (Oricon) [14] | 1 |
Japan Monthly Singles (Oricon) [16] | 2 |
Japan Yearly Singles (Oricon) [15] | 29 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Japan (RIAJ) [17] | 2× Platinum | 772,130 [18] |
Namie Amuro is a retired Japanese singer. She rose to prominence as a teen idol, and transitioned into a leading pop artist due to her versatility across music styles and visual presentation. Due to her career reinventions and longevity, she is known as an icon across Japan and Asia. She has been referred to as the "Queen of Japanese Pop", and her influence domestically has drawn equivalent comparisons to artists such as Janet Jackson and Madonna in Western pop culture.
Style is the sixth studio album by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released on December 10, 2003, through Avex Trax. Her first studio album in nearly three years, Style follows her crossover into R&B and hip hop that began with the collaborative project Suite Chic in 2002. Although Amuro had dabbled with R&B beats in the past, this is her first original studio album to predominantly feature the actual genre. Style was her first album after the termination of her working relationship with longtime producer, Tetsuya Komuro, as well as her last collaboration with American record producer Dallas Austin to date.
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.
Genius 2000 is the fourth studio album by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro, released on January 26, 2000, through Avex Trax. The album was released three years after her last album, Concentration 20 (1997), and was produced by Tetsuya Komuro and Dallas Austin, marking her first collaboration with an American producer, the album spawned four singles: "I Have Never Seen", "Respect the Power of Love", "Something 'bout the Kiss" and "Love 2000".
Concentration 20 is the third studio album by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released July 24, 1997, by Avex Trax. The album's genre is a fusion of styles including pop, dance, rock, reggae and ska. 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 splitting up with Super Monkey's.
"White Light" is a song by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released by Avex Trax in Japan on November 16, 2005, as a double A-single with "Violet Sauce". "White Light" was supposed to promote Amuro's eighth studio album Play (2007), but it was scrapped from the final track list. Instead, an alternative version of "Violet Sauce" appeared. A demo version of the song was sent to Amuro, who decided it needed a warmer tone and reworked it as a Christmas song. It was modified by Nao'ymt, the song's sole composer, producer, and writer. Musically, it's a midtempo Christmas song with lyrics about love and holiday festivities.
"Girl Talk" is a song by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. Avex Trax released it on digital and physical formats on October 14, 2004, and it is the third single from Amuro's seventh studio album, Queen of Hip-Pop (2005). It was also released as a double A-side with "The Speed Star", though the latter did not appear on the parent album. "Girl Talk" was written and produced by T.Kura and Michico, and is a dance song with R&B and pop influences that, like its parent album, transitions from Amuro's original dance sound to a more mature yet transatlantic sound.
"How to Be a Girl" is the tenth single by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released on May 21, 1997, through Avex Trax. It was used as the Bristol-Myers Sea Breeze commercial song, which was used for four commercials. The style of the song is similar to that of her single "a walk in the park," which has an evident electronic sound in the vein of her producer Tetsuya Komuro's group globe. Lyrics were even written by Marc Panther, who is another member of the group. This was the final single from her third studio album Concentration 20 (1997), which was released two months later. The single is a follow-up to "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?", which became her biggest hit.
"Say the word" is the 18th single by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro, and her 7th vinyl record. The CD single was released on August 8, 2001, by Avex Trax. The vinyl edition was released on September 12, 2001, by Rhythm Republic. "Say the word" was used as the commercial song for KOSÉ Cosmetics Luminous line of lipstick. This is Amuro's first single since severing ties with her former long-time producer Tetsuya Komuro. The song is not found on any of her studio records, but was later placed on her second best album LOVE ENHANCED♥ single collection, which was released five months later. It was produced by Swedish producers Ronald Malmberg and Thomas Johansson who are best known for their work with Swedish pop group A-Teens.
"Can You Celebrate?" is the ninth single by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. Serving as the second single from her third studio album Concentration 20, it was released on February 19, 1997, by Avex Trax. Its lyrics and composition was handled solely by Tetsuya Komuro. "Can You Celebrate?" is the best-selling single by a female Japanese solo artist, with sales of 2,296,200 copies. Additionally, it is ranked as the 14th best selling single of all time in the history of the Oricon Singles Chart.
"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.
"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".
"Chase the Chance" is the fourth single 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.
Never End is the 17th single by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro, released on July 12, 2000, as the lead single from her 5th studio album Break the Rules. The track was made specifically for the G8 Summit that took place in Amuro's home prefecture Okinawa during July of that year. The single reached #2 on the Oricon Singles Chart and charted for 14 weeks, becoming Amuro's 16th consecutive top 10 solo single. "Never End" was Amuro's last CD single to premiere with over 100,000 copies in sales until "60s 70s 80s" in 2008.
"Respect the Power of Love" is the 13th single from Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. The song was released on March 17, 1999, by Avex Trax. It was used as the KOSÉ Cosmetics' VISÉE commercial song and also the Asahi Drink "niceOne" commercial song. The album cover was also taken at the location where the music video was filmed. The music video was shot at Coyote Dry Lake, California, just like Madonna’s “Frozen” one year before.
60s 70s 80s is a triple A-side single by Japanese singer Namie Amuro from her third greatest hits album, Best Fiction (2008). It was released on March 12, 2008, through Avex Trax and consists of the songs "New Look", "Rock Steady", and "What a Feeling", each sampling from a specific decade in music, hence the title.
Best Fiction is the greatest hits album by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. Avex Trax released it in a variety of formats on July 30, 2008, and it has since been distributed in several Asian countries. It is Amuro's third compilation album, and features seventeen singles released in the 2000s. The compilation also included five new songs, three of which were released as a triple A-side single called "60s 70s 80s". Furthermore, the album tracks "Do Me More" and "Sexy Girl" experienced success in the Japanese market.
Past<Future is the ninth studio album by Japanese pop singer Namie Amuro. It was released on December 16, 2009, through Avex Trax. This was her first original album in two and a half years since Play (2007). It was released in two versions: a CD+DVD edition and a CD only edition. The first press of both versions came housed in a digipak, and pre-orders came with an original poster. The record came after the release of her third best-of album Best Fiction, which sold over a million copies.
Finally is the seventh and final 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.
"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.
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