UTADA - Come Back to Me

[Melon]

So while we're on the high of BoA releasing a new album, let's get into the groove with Utada's next english single. It's a ballad, but what struck me the most is how old school R&B it sounded. I like the song (leagues better than her first efforts, but it does sound a bit generic), but she has some POV problems with the lyrics. One moment she's taken the POV of the cheating girl, and the next she's talking in third person about the girl.



I showed it to a couple of people and they commented on how soulful she sounded and how surprising it was coming from a Japanese girl. I asked if they would mind it on the radio and they said they'd like to hear it. Maybe it will catch on like that keep bleeding song did last year.





The PV has a beautiful set. I'd love to live in that house. But her outfits and hair... <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... >/sick.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':nosebleed:' /> NOW FOR THE IMAGES!





This is a very cute hairstyle. The dress is very cute too. If only she spent more time in it.





The microphone shots are great, she looks beautiful.





Ah, a bow that would make Tsuji proud. The dress is lovely, and the few shots we have of her in it are great. Sadly, she spends the most time in the ugly outfits.





WTF is this slicked back nonsense? And that too dark lipstick? BLECH.





I'm sorry, but that dress is flattering on NO ONE. Who the hell thought it'd be great for her to spend a good chunk of the PV in it? Furthermore, she has that same horrible slicked back hair! And that same lipstick! I didn't get a cap of it, but there is a point where she's leaning over the guy she wants back and it's more motherly than anything else. Why? Because of that horrible dress!





The top half is very flattering on her, but the overall shape of the dress made her look fat. The print is ugly too.



jpopsuki torrent page

[story]

I didn't like the song from the first time I heard it and now that I've seen the video it's even worse.



Horrible slicked-back hair and an ugly dress to match.



The POV of the song is what really irks me. Ok, so there are probably a million songs about being broken-hearted and being cheated on - let's have a song from the cheater's perspective! No. Nobody wants to hear your side of the story you cheating-ass ho.



Who is this song targeted at?! People are supposed to relate to this and pay good money for this?



Maybe I just have huge infidelity issues <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... R#>/XD.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':nosebleed:' /> But I also have really high expectations from her and she's falling way short.

[ShinUkyo]

[quote name='Petit Melon' post='61799' date='Mar 8 2009, 12:09 PM']I asked if they would mind it on the radio and they said they'd like to hear it.

Maybe it will catch on like that keep bleeding song did last year.[/quote]

Well keep in mind, "that keep bleeding song" wasn't exactly released by a longshot artist or something. It was from Leona Lewis, who had possibly the strongest marketing campaign of any singer on the planet last year. She was the winner of the British show "The X Factor," which nowadays is the equivalent of American Idol over there (and from the same producers). Long before her album came to America, they had a highly-aggressive marketing campaign going. Appearances on both American Idol and The Oprah Winfrey Show pretty much sealed the deal. And then she appeared on just about every morning/evening network interview show, as well as many respected music shows on cable. Constant playing of her music, on both radio and television, didn't hurt either. And above all else, she has a magnificent voice and well-produced songs. So for her, finding success was easy.



Our dear Utada, no matter how good the word of mouth can get, faces a tough battle. In America, it's gonna be a struggle for her to even reach moderate notoriety. Mostly thanks to a lack of proper promotion. Because the right promotion can sell anyone, especially someone with as much experience and talent as she has. The only people that seem to "rise up slowly," without the need for heavy promotion, are the ones that bring true innovation. Singer/songwriters and DJ's are usually the ones who can do this, by bringing something totally new to their music... and then getting amazing buzz (which eventually catches the eye of mainstream media). But Utada, even though she writes her lyrics, she is still putting out fairly-standard pop/r&b. Nothing innovative enough to go the route I was describing. And then the thing we've mentioned a lot lately, which is the unfair shake that Asian entertainers get in America. The cards, they'ze stacked against her. Though I'm rooting for her, don't get me wrong. She's still one of my favorite artists of the past decade.

[surasshu]

[quote name='Story' post='61805' date='Mar 8 2009, 07:10 PM']The POV of the song is what really irks me. Ok, so there are probably a million songs about being broken-hearted and being cheated on - let's have a song from the cheater's perspective! No. Nobody wants to hear your side of the story you cheating-ass ho.



Who is this song targeted at?! People are supposed to relate to this and pay good money for this?[/quote]

There was actually another song like this already, Rihanna's Unfaithful. I always resented those lyrics as well because it was just stupid--made me want to slap her. Then again I really hate Rihanna--and I hate Utada pretty much equally, so there's that.



Anyway I really don't like this song, it's drab and (as pointed out) the lyrics are stupid. I'm guessing she wrote the song herself, and since she seems to have all the intellect and musicality of a slightly mushy grapefruit, so it's not like I'm surprised at the result. I don't even know why I bothered checking it out, I guess it's a masochistic side, either that or I want to find something good about her, since so many people love her music apparently.



Actually, the presentation of the video reminds me of Rihanna. I wonder if people who like Utada like her as well?

[tsukinobyouin]

[quote name='///' post='61824' date='Mar 8 2009, 07:39 PM']Anyway I really don't like this song, it's drab and (as pointed out) the lyrics are stupid. I'm guessing she wrote the song herself, and since she seems to have all the intellect and musicality of a slightly mushy grapefruit, so it's not like I'm surprised at the result.[/quote]



I might not put it quite as harshly since I do enjoy a few of her songs (all older ones), but I pretty much agree about her songwriting talent. She's got a good voice, she should really stick to just singing. While I don't care for it, I doubt the whole "woman who cheated" premise would bother too many people. Like Slash mentioned, there was that Rhianna song, and there are tons of pop and hip hop songs that go further and glorify all levels of sleeze that have been hits. More than anything in the song though, I hate the line about photoshopping out memories. The first thing it made me think of was the Mariah Carey song with the "I best not be seein this up on youtube" line. I guess songs have to keep up with the trends and all, but throwing in internet fads and the like seems extra trite and rediculous to me. Especially in Utada's song where she's trying to sound serious. "Please, I'm so sorry, please take me back? I wish I could just photoshop this all away <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... #>/sad.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':dammit:' />"

[Liana]

Utada's English lyrics are absolutely hilarious. I had no clue she was doing English stuff again until, like, two seconds ago so I'm looking forward to more gems like "rediscovering the tomb of Tutakamen." The English language at it's finest. I don't know if she comes off as any more mature in Japanese, but in order to enjoy her English album (and I am one of the 5 who do) I really have to turn off the writer critic in me. That aside, I really adore this song! She sounds gorgeous. I'm glad she's going for a somewhat mainstream sound, but still keeping her own flavor.



EDIT: Hey you know what, the more I listened to this, the more I realize I totally heard her on the radio! The backroom at my work plays the R&B station all the time and I was grooving to this song without knowing what it was. Then it ended and the radio announcer said "That was Utada" and while I exaggerate and I knew she was debuting longer than two seconds ago, I assumed I misheard. But she's actually getting airplay! I don't know if . . . this is a revelation to me and me alone but I'm sharing regardless. I'm oddly excited over it. Leave me be, I need what joy I can get!

[Melon]

LOL damn that was an entertaining read mission accomplished (no really, I just wanted more conversation in music chat sorry for the troll guys, though I thought it would be obvious from my damnation of Kago in the other thread)



Now for my honest response...



Like several have said, there have been several songs out lately that run in the same cheater theme. But really, I don't expect less from the same culture that brought us "Superman that ho". <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... >/sick.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':dammit:' /> Damn what happened to the great lyricists of old? I feel like such a grandma listening to some artists I like. The song did have the benefit of sounding like what I hear on the radio that plays at work. I hope that works out for her, though I also hope that she at least gets some input on her lyrics. I suppose that it might have worked out better in Japanese, since I've seen the POV switch before, but she can't act like that with the english language. There's beauty in both languages that can never be translated properly. But compared to her first efforts, and Passion, those lyrics are a HUGE improvement. Gah, I'm still shuddering from Simple and Clean. I want her to succeed, and she does have a beautiful voice, but it seems like her great writing efforts came aflame and died with Deep River. I haven't loved anything she's put out since then. I like some of her later stuff, but I don't return to it nearly as often as others. She's just so confused. It's like she's trying to be herself but she wants to be what's popular and so she's trying too hard and sounding like shit. Or I could be wrong, Prisoner of Love was in the same vein as this song. Fuck, it's late, I should be going to bed. I'm probably going to wake up and say WTF did I just post?!



Speaking on english viral music front, I can't really think of the last song to really come up from nothing, maybe Crazy by Gnarls Barkley? I don't think they had any real big hits after that, even though their albums have been solid. Quick humor about the Leona Lewis song, a doctor and some nurses were arguing about the meaning of the music video and in their search for the video discovered the British version, which features some gay relations. I learned that day who was really an "open" person from their hateful comments. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... iggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' /> Some were so angry they said they never wanted to listen to her again! <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... >/ohmy.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':o' /> (Though I didn't know her entire history, thanks Ukyo, I always learn something new from all your posts)



And don't knock Rihanna. Her staying with Chris Brown will provide me with many laughs on her dumbass behalf.

[surasshu]

[quote name='Petit Melon' post='61863' date='Mar 9 2009, 07:57 AM']And don't knock Rihanna. Her staying with Chris Brown will provide me with many laughs on her dumbass behalf.[/quote]

At least she hates herself as much as I do. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... umbsup.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':wub:' />

[neshcom]

I like Utada's singing in the song, but I really don't care for the backing. The promo CD that was released that has a bunch of remixes are more fun to listen to.



I'm glad Utada's taking another whack at the US market, but is she (or BoA) getting good advertising? I don't listen to the radio, but are they getting radioplay? iTunes availability alone does not a hit make.

[ishiyoshi]

Apparently she's getting a lot of airplay - my cousin just texted me that this song is on the radio all the time and is pretty popular.

[vanillacat]

Hm.



You know, someone (Rolling Stone, I think) was reviewing the recent Kelly Clarkson album, and what they said made me think of Utada. It was something along the lines of: She put out a great album, lots of help from some great producers and songwriters. Then she tried to write her own album and there was hardly a hook on the entire thing, basically it sucked. Then for this album, producer Max Martin (I think that was his name?) wrote a bunch of the songs and they're awesome. Just because she's a fantastic singer doesn't mean she's a fantastic songwriter.



I think that would apply to Utada, too. I've liked her for years upon years now, she was one of my first j-pop artists, but... the album as a whole was just really... ... ... ... ... bland. It all blended together, and when it didn't blend it was because I was too busy laughing my ass off at the awkward English.

I mean, at least Exodus played around with different genres. This song, and this album, is just so boring!

[AEUGNewtype]

[quote name='Petit Melon' post='61799' date='Mar 8 2009, 12:09 PM']The top half is very flattering on her, but the overall shape of the dress made her look fat.[/quote]

Well, she is pretty fat since about late 2005-ish. She just seems to keep getting bigger and more ugly-looking as time goes on. I haven't listened to this yet, but I want to do some research pertaining to the promotion of this, etc. and will post some more later.

[neshcom]

So, I don't know a lot of Spanish anymore, but I don't think Bitches Aloud enjoyed TITO. Neither did Tyra....?

[Pi Mako]

[quote name='neshcom' post='62475' date='Mar 18 2009, 10:14 AM']So, I don't know a lot of Spanish anymore, but I don't think Bitches Aloud enjoyed TITO. Neither did Tyra....?[/quote]



LOL @ the name PUtada they gave her. Ahahahahahahaha. Ugh not to bash her or anything, but I'm on the second song of BoA's English album and it already blows away Hikaru's second attempt at an English album.

[Madara]

Someone just told me a J-pop singer was on CBS' early morning show on Saturday and I asked him to look up who it was on their website. And it was Utada. (What happened to Hikaru? Did she misplace her given name somewhere along the way?)



Did anyone see her appearance? Did anyone know about it?

[neshcom]

[quote name='Madara' post='63179' date='Apr 1 2009, 03:46 PM'](What happened to Hikaru? Did she misplace her given name somewhere along the way?)[/quote]

Her American releases have always been released under Utada, probably to make it seem more like a stage name.