[Utada Hikaru] Volume XLVIII: The Return of the Queen

[Andrenekoi]

Heart Station ***** all over almost everyone in pop music discographies...

[Delicious n Bold]

I agree that Take 5... well, rather, it WOULD be amazing if it had some sort of climax. I like the whole concept so much. But it drags.

[Zahara]

Take 5 was the climax for the whole album, for me, because of the themes and concept behind it.

[ahtka-chan]

I think that If I got to know Hikki from her album First Love, I wouldn't have become a fan :S

I really dislike that album... and I don't care so much about HEART STATION... Her best work to date is DEEP RIVER for sure (even though my favorite album from hers is Distance)

[jean-baptiste]

Is there really a concept to HEART STATION, or a recurring idea or theme or is that jut speculation? Either way, what has been said about it? I'm curious.

[Zahara]

Originally Posted by jean-baptiste

Is there really a concept to HEART STATION, or a recurring idea or theme or is that jut speculation? Either way, what has been said about it? I'm curious.

I'm probably mixing up concept and theme lol, but based on the songs, there are several reoccurring themes. Long post ahead!

Keep in mind my opinion is probably way off from what she intended, but based on the track listing and the order they go in, the songs are based on different stages of life and relationships. I'm not going to go over Flavor of Life since that's a pretty obvious one.

Fight the Blues: The album starts off with Fight the Blues, which is a fairly optimistic song but there are hits of sadness in the lyrics, that track began to create the mood for the album. "The tears I cried became my freedom/the tears I held back became a part of me." That part always stood out to me because of the rest of the lyrics in the song are completely different in song. It also shows how people can have brief moments of weakness, even when trying to show their own strength.

Heart Station: is about longing, the lyrics made me think that this person was filled with regret at a failed relationship, or just thinking about that person and recalling all the times they had together with them, and suddenly missing them. On the other side, maybe that person is only physically away from their spouse and the distance is making them miss them. It reminded me of Distance.

Beautiful World: is probably one of my favorite songs from her, and reminds me of how people become so attached to another person, that everything in the world doesn't matter except that person. You could have Godzilla attacking Cthulhu and you still wouldn't care because you're with the person that you love. It's a song that was done well in showing how two people only need each other and that stage of the relationship, everything is beautiful.

Stay Gold: It's a simple song and that piano latches into your mind, but the lyrics are interesting too. They start off sweet and how she loves her significant other, but there are parts where she sings about finding a real job, how they can't continue to play around, that even the things that hurt them is a good thing, and how she's trying to find optimism in a negative situation to uplift this other person. It made me think she was comforting this other person, to let them know that sometimes things happen, but that she's there for him even if he does have to change.

Kiss & Cry: Confused the hell out of me the first few times I listen to it. To be honest, it's my least favorite song on the album (I prefer Hotel Lobby to it), but there is a slight hectic tone that is present in the lyrics. It's all over the board lyrically (Nissan soup, lol), with references to parents, internet, her boyfriend, etc. I still can't decipher this song lol.

These themes of love and the different aspects of a relationship continue on until you reach Celebrate, which is a much different song from her than I'm used to. The lyrics are about letting go and having a good time, but there's a little intersect about a secret marriage and crying alone. The references to alcohol are there to show that she's having a good time and not letting things get to her, but it makes me think that there are repercussions to her actions.

Prisoner of Love: based on the tracking list, it made me think that was intentional placing it there as a way to show the contrast between Celebrate and Take 5. The beginning of the song has a cynical, blaming tone to the lyrics; yet by the end, it changes completely to where this person is reduced to begging the other person to stay. It shows the dynamics of some relationships are not clear cut, and how love can quickly change. To me, this is also a contrast to Beautiful World, in how that dependency can turn negative.

Take 5: The 'climax' of the album. When I first listened to this song, it had a sort of finale sound to it. It was completely ethereal and dreamlike in sound, similar to Kairo, but much heavier in tone. When I looked up the lyrics and read them, it made me think she was talking about death, or something similar to death. The lyrics are introspective, and I found out that the song is based on a children's novel that I read when I was a child called Night on the Galactic Railroad. That really solidified the idea that it deals with something similar to death, almost kind of spiritual as she's talking about how she wants to "be translucent". The ending to Take 5 was meant to show that at any given moment, death can happen in an instant, it's incredibly jolting to experience that ending at first listen (I thought my CD was broken), but the ending also was positive because it leads into Boku wa Kuma, a children's song. So I thought that was done intentionally as well. You are reborn again, and from there the album progresses into childhood (Boku wa Kuma) into Niji-iro Basu (young child) and right back into Flavor of Life because the cycle continues.

I also want to mention that the idea of taking death to reach the stars is mentioned a few times by Van Gogh in his letters to his brother (and also his painting Starry Night), so does the book Night on the Galactic Railroad.

I'm probably all types of wrong on this, but to me the album was a reflection of all the things going on in her life that were slightly chaotic at the time of making it, but at the same time purposeful. Her divorce occurred during promotion for Flavor of Life, so that played into the theme and concept of the album heavily and made me think of this album in several different ways. Relationships, emotions, distance (physically and emotionally), dependency on significant others, and most important, life and death (be it physical or spiritual).

tl;dr I liked the album . Sorry for the uber long response! I'm also half exhausted, so if you see any spelling errors or if it doesn't make sense, I didn't have my coffee yet.

[CoriKaru]

Originally Posted by NintendoHTF1242

LOL TAKE 5 > UTADA AYUMI KODA NAMIE KOKIA KANA NISHINO JASMINE BENI AI OTSUKA CRYSTAL KAY JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE LADY GAGA'S ENTIRE DISCOGRAPHY

bye.....

Wherever you are going you have my blessing.

[Delicious n Bold]

When I borrowed Heart Station from the library, I played that on repeat for days! My whole family was like 'what's a kuma?'

[jean-baptiste]

Originally Posted by Zahara

Spoiler:

I'm probably mixing up concept and theme lol, but based on the songs, there are several reoccurring themes. Long post ahead!

Keep in mind my opinion is probably way off from what she intended, but based on the track listing and the order they go in, the songs are based on different stages of life and relationships. I'm not going to go over Flavor of Life since that's a pretty obvious one.

Fight the Blues: The album starts off with Fight the Blues, which is a fairly optimistic song but there are hits of sadness in the lyrics, that track began to create the mood for the album. "The tears I cried became my freedom/the tears I held back became a part of me." That part always stood out to me because of the rest of the lyrics in the song are completely different in song. It also shows how people can have brief moments of weakness, even when trying to show their own strength.

Heart Station: is about longing, the lyrics made me think that this person was filled with regret at a failed relationship, or just thinking about that person and recalling all the times they had together with them, and suddenly missing them. On the other side, maybe that person is only physically away from their spouse and the distance is making them miss them. It reminded me of Distance.

Beautiful World: is probably one of my favorite songs from her, and reminds me of how people become so attached to another person, that everything in the world doesn't matter except that person. You could have Godzilla attacking Cthulhu and you still wouldn't care because you're with the person that you love. It's a song that was done well in showing how two people only need each other and that stage of the relationship, everything is beautiful.

Stay Gold: It's a simple song and that piano latches into your mind, but the lyrics are interesting too. They start off sweet and how she loves her significant other, but there are parts where she sings about finding a real job, how they can't continue to play around, that even the things that hurt them is a good thing, and how she's trying to find optimism in a negative situation to uplift this other person. It made me think she was comforting this other person, to let them know that sometimes things happen, but that she's there for him even if he does have to change.

Kiss & Cry: Confused the hell out of me the first few times I listen to it. To be honest, it's my least favorite song on the album (I prefer Hotel Lobby to it), but there is a slight hectic tone that is present in the lyrics. It's all over the board lyrically (Nissan soup, lol), with references to parents, internet, her boyfriend, etc. I still can't decipher this song lol.

These themes of love and the different aspects of a relationship continue on until you reach Celebrate, which is a much different song from her than I'm used to. The lyrics are about letting go and having a good time, but there's a little intersect about a secret marriage and crying alone. The references to alcohol are there to show that she's having a good time and not letting things get to her, but it makes me think that there are repercussions to her actions.

Prisoner of Love: based on the tracking list, it made me think that was intentional placing it there as a way to show the contrast between Celebrate and Take 5. The beginning of the song has a cynical, blaming tone to the lyrics; yet by the end, it changes completely to where this person is reduced to begging the other person to stay. It shows the dynamics of some relationships are not clear cut, and how love can quickly change. To me, this is also a contrast to Beautiful World, in how that dependency can turn negative.

Take 5: The 'climax' of the album. When I first listened to this song, it had a sort of finale sound to it. It was completely ethereal and dreamlike in sound, similar to Kairo, but much heavier in tone. When I looked up the lyrics and read them, it made me think she was talking about death, or something similar to death. The lyrics are introspective, and I found out that the song is based on a children's novel that I read when I was a child called Night on the Galactic Railroad. That really solidified the idea that it deals with something similar to death, almost kind of spiritual as she's talking about how she wants to "be translucent". The ending to Take 5 was meant to show that at any given moment, death can happen in an instant, it's incredibly jolting to experience that ending at first listen (I thought my CD was broken), but the ending also was positive because it leads into Boku wa Kuma, a children's song. So I thought that was done intentionally as well. You are reborn again, and from there the album progresses into childhood (Boku wa Kuma) into Niji-iro Basu (young child) and right back into Flavor of Life because the cycle continues.

I also want to mention that the idea of taking death to reach the stars is mentioned a few times by Van Gogh in his letters to his brother (and also his painting Starry Night), so does the book Night on the Galactic Railroad.

I'm probably all types of wrong on this, but to me the album was a reflection of all the things going on in her life that were slightly chaotic at the time of making it, but at the same time purposeful. Her divorce occurred during promotion for Flavor of Life, so that played into the theme and concept of the album heavily and made me think of this album in several different ways. Relationships, emotions, distance (physically and emotionally), dependency on significant others, and most important, life and death (be it physical or spiritual).

tl;dr I liked the album . Sorry for the uber long response! I'm also half exhausted, so if you see any spelling errors or if it doesn't make sense, I didn't have my coffee yet.

Damn! That's was deep. Definitely did not see the message in half those songs till I read this.

Don't know if this flows with your theory of the album's concept, but I always saw Kiss & Cry as a song sung by someone younger falling in love with someone older (first verse and verse before the final chorus). I always thought the song was also speaking of loneliness and how it can lead youto be attached to someone and ultimately hurt. Her husband was exceptionally older than her so maybe it's about her? I don't know, I could be wrong.

Talking about all this is tempting me to buy the album on iTunes... I wanna hear it again. Lol

[RikkuK]

Holy bible of a post^

[jean-baptiste]

I think I read online once that hikki translated Ultra Blue and HEART STATION songs lyrics herself in the CD booklets. If that's true, are they anywhere on the Internet?

[primavera♥]

Originally Posted by Delicious n Bold

I agree that Take 5... well, rather, it WOULD be amazing if it had some sort of climax. I like the whole concept so much. But it drags.

I think it's fine without any sort of obvious climax. It just makes it a more chill song

It still however is inferior to (or no better than) other songs from UB and DR I believe and similarly beautiful songs from my other favorite artists.


I feel like I'm the only person who doesn't care about the themes and flow of HS lol.

[ahtka-chan]

Originally Posted by primavera♥

I feel like I'm the only person who doesn't care about the themes and flow of HS lol.

No, I'm with you. Hikki said in an interview that she ended Take 5 that way because she couldn't think of a good ending for the song, so she just cut it abruptly... luckly it fit the theme of the lyrics.

[CoriKaru]

Originally Posted by ahtka-chan

No, I'm with you. Hikki said in an interview that she ended Take 5 that way because she couldn't think of a good ending for the song, so she just cut it abruptly... luckly it fit the theme of the lyrics.

No no. She clearly explained that "Teiku 5" ended that way to symbolize how sudden and unexpected death can come.

[Zahara]

"Utada: First of all, just as a bit of trivia, the orchestra we used in this song is actually the same orchestra that we used for ULTRA BLUE. On ULTRA BLUE, there was this song called Kairo that was completed near the end. The night before we were going to do the actual recording, I thought “I wonder if it’s ok to release this strange song” and I thought “Oh, I’ll just compose an alternative just in case” and that track was this one. I then brought it to the studio and let everyone listen but they all said “Yeah, this is really good too but don’t you think that Kairo is more suitable for this album?” so this one was out. I forgot it for awhile but just as I ran out of ideas for HEART STATION, I remembered I still had this one so I thought “Oh I’ll just use that!” When I finished with the melody and the lyrics, I thought “Wow, this song is way weirder than what I first imagined!” Miyazawa Kenji wanted to make it like the line to the Milky Way like that moment where after you die, you separate from your body and become a star. I had the image of Giovanni and Campanella (an opera image) in my mind when I wrote it. The song was called Take 5 since HEART STATION is my 5th studio album."

This interview is pretty interesting if anyone wants the link to it.

@jean-baptiste---I didn't even think of that! I'll have to listen to the song again.

[Delicious n Bold]

The song DEFINITELY sounds good with nice headphones
So does time limit! My fav filler song.

[jean-baptiste]

Originally Posted by Zahara

"Utada: First of all, just as a bit of trivia, the orchestra we used in this song is actually the same orchestra that we used for ULTRA BLUE. On ULTRA BLUE, there was this song called Kairo that was completed near the end. The night before we were going to do the actual recording, I thought “I wonder if it’s ok to release this strange song” and I thought “Oh, I’ll just compose an alternative just in case” and that track was this one. I then brought it to the studio and let everyone listen but they all said “Yeah, this is really good too but don’t you think that Kairo is more suitable for this album?” so this one was out. I forgot it for awhile but just as I ran out of ideas for HEART STATION, I remembered I still had this one so I thought “Oh I’ll just use that!” When I finished with the melody and the lyrics, I thought “Wow, this song is way weirder than what I first imagined!” Miyazawa Kenji wanted to make it like the line to the Milky Way like that moment where after you die, you separate from your body and become a star. I had the image of Giovanni and Campanella (an opera image) in my mind when I wrote it. The song was called Take 5 since HEART STATION is my 5th studio album."

This interview is pretty interesting if anyone wants the link to it.

@jean-baptiste---I didn't even think of that! I'll have to listen to the song again.

Link please!

While looking for Utada's own translations of her songs (which I still haven't found, probably because they don't exist...) I saw this:

http://annchirisu.tumblr.com/post/45...he-underground

Don't know if it's already been spoken about here but that shi-cray! If I was sitting across from Utada on a train I'd be like "yo, you got too much talent to be taking a train girl!" lol. I'm obviously joking but I find that so crazy. I also found another account that happened last year.

[Zeke.]

Take 5 does have a climax, it's called the chorus... Lol. But seriously, I've never had the problem or even a thought/dilemma on it not having a "climax". There is a clear distinction between verse and chorus and I don't feel it drags at all. I don't really know how much more climactic it can get or what everyone is expecting...?? Wanna talk about something with a rather lackluster "climax" then let's talk about Heart Station and/or Stay Gold. Or even Beautiful World - that chorus is so dreary compared to the verses... I wouldn't know how beautiful the world is while listening to the song since I fell asleep during the first 60 seconds while waiting for the train to arrive at the Heart Station.

[emi♡]

The entire Take 5 song is one huge rolling climax imo. That song is so far ahead of like every song ever.

I did not know about the Kairo thing though. That is fascinating.



But wait, stop everything cause This is Love is on.

[ahtka-chan]

Originally Posted by CoriKaru

No no. She clearly explained that "Teiku 5" ended that way to symbolize how sudden and unexpected death can come.

Oh really? Never read this interview where she is so clear.