tisdag 5 Dec 2006, 23:21
I'm bored again, so after making an Ayumi top 10, I decided to make one for her "nemesis", Utada Hikaru. Many people only like one of the two, but I love both. There are two jpop queens as far as I'm concerned!
Utada is one of those artists who have shown tremendous growth during their career. She keeps improving at an insane rate, having developed a completely unique style that keeps getting better. Anyway, let's take a look at the top 10!
10. Keep Tryin'
This is a great and catchy feel-good song, from her latest album ULTRA BLUE. I like to watch this video along with Ai Otsuka's "Smily" whenever I need cheering up. :P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcWQqLmGS3I
9. Automatic
Her biggest hit in Japan, it helped make her album First Love the best selling album of all time there. It's from the late 90s, and we all know what an awesome decade that was! Utada's only like 15 in this video, but you can already see the potential she has (and has since realized) even though this is a pretty generic pop song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLMB1-e7OV8
8. Dareka No Negai Ga Kanau Koro
One of her more recent works, this is just a beautiful ballad. She doesn't have a perfect voice, but something about it is just so enchanting. I especially love this live performance of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ChleBQQKRw
7. Traveling
Another classic, it is of course in my top 10. The video is so cool!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYjW7osA-vk
6. You Make Me Want To Be A Man
One of the hidden gems on her English Exodus album, a video was made for it and it was released in Europe, where it of course flopped. The song isn't exactly radio friendly (cause it has that kind of annoying looping sound) and I hated it at first, but it has grown on me so much. Mostly because of the video though, which is simply one of the coolest videos ever made. It's like Björk's "All Is Full Of Love" but even better.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWI1NWIZM5Y
5. Devil Inside
This is the song that probably would've done best if she had released it as a single in the US and Europe. Truth be told, it is the song that made me appreciate her, and through it I discovered all of her amazing music. Here's a live performance of it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH09EFpyYSw
4. Sakura Drops
Ahh, how I love this song. The last minute is just breathtaking. And such a great video too. It's a shame only the Japanese have had the pleasure of enjoying it en masse.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQt2wYo--9I
3. Be My Last
This is not everyone's favorite, but it definitely belongs in my top 3. I've watched the video like a hundred times and I still don't understand what exactly happens, but it's definitely another cool video. It has been criticized because Utada's "death" looks so silly, but I think it was meant to look silly, because she's not really there, the other girl is just seeing things. It probably emphasizes that point.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=029hcMRd1qY
2. Exodus '04
The ultimate "break free and enjoy life" song, sometimes I wish I could find an exodus out of my boring existence. The song was produced by Timbaland, and it's really hypnotic, just like Nelly Furtado's "Say It Right", which is another incredible song. I actually didn't really like "Exodus '04" the first few times I heard it, but there's just something about it that makes you want to hear it over and over. Unfortunately this song was never released as a single and has no proper video, so this mediocre live performance will have to do. :(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1NaqYkxY-s
1. Passion
Of course, at #1 there's "Passion", one of the best songs I have ever heard and Utada's crown achievement. In fact, there are only one or two songs I'd rank above it, if I were ever to make a list of best songs of all time. "Passion" is just a journey through all that's amazing about sound in general. It is one of those pieces of art that make you wonder whether there really are higher powers, that bless people with the inspiration needed to create them. One thing about the song can't really be explained, and that is that it pretty much flopped in Japan (it only reached like #4 or something). If I were the Japanese, I'd have made "Passion" the national anthem and then mocked all other countries in the world for having inferior anthems. Just look at the video, listen to the song. How could anyone deny its brilliance?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l74ZwC0aas
And the horses are awesome! Don't whine about the horses.