Distance (Hikaru Utada album)

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Distance
Studio album by
Hikaru Utada
ReleasedMarch 28, 2001
Recorded1999–2000
Genre
Length64:26
LabelToshiba-EMI
Producer
Hikaru Utada chronology
First Love
(1999) 		Distance
(2001) 		Deep River
(2002)
Singles from Distance
  1. "Addicted to You"
    Released: November 10, 1999
  2. "Wait & See (Risk)"
    Released: April 19, 2000
  3. "For You / Time Limit"
    Released: June 30, 2000
  4. "Can You Keep a Secret?"
    Released: February 16, 2001

Distance is the third studio album by Japanese singer Hikaru Utada. Toshiba EMI released it on March 28, 2001, making it her second release with the label. Utada wrote and co-produced the majority of the album, alongside previous collaborators Akira Miyake and her father Teruzane Utada, as well as new collaborations with American producers Rodney Jerkins and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Distance, like its predecessor First Love (1999), is influenced by pop music and R&B, with additional hip-hop, rock music, reggae, and techno influences from Western music.

Music critics praised the overall sound and production quality of Distance, earning her numerous awards and recognitions as a result of its critical success. Prior to its release, Distance was scheduled to coincide with the release of Ayumi Hamasaki's greatest hits album A Best (2001), which Avex Trax had organised. This resulted in extensive coverage in both Japanese and Western music media. Despite its marketing and competition, Distance was a huge commercial success, debuting at number one on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart with the highest-ever first-week sales in music history, and eventually becoming one of Japan's best-selling albums.

To promote the album, Utada released four singles. All four songs were successful in the Japanese market, selling over a million copies and becoming best-sellers. The album's lead single, "Addicted to You," remains one of her best-selling releases to date. She then performed two shows in Japan: Bohemian Summer 2000 and a special Unplugged event, both of which resulted in live releases. Furthermore, a video collection titled Utada Hikaru Single Clip Collection Vol. 2 was released, which included all of the album's music videos.

Background and content[edit]

First Love, Utada's debut studio album, was released in 1999 via Toshiba EMI.[1] First Love, which she co-wrote and produced with her father Teruzane and Akira Miyake, was a commercial success throughout the year, becoming the best-selling album in Japanese music history.[2] With a string of successful singles, Utada quickly rose to prominence in Japan, where he was ranked fifth on the Tokyo Hot 100's Top 100 Artists of the 20th Century, as voted on by stations and listeners.[3]

Following the album's release, Utada began working on Distance. She enlisted the help of her father and Miyake in the album's production, in addition to her own songwriting and recording.[4] Utada collaborated with American producers Rodney Jerkins, and duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis on the album, which included the songs "Wait & See (Risk)", "Addicted to You", and "Time Limit".[4] The melody for "Kotoba ni Naranai Kimochi" was first heard on the First Love album's track "Interlude".[4][1]

Musically, Distance expands on her previous studio album's R&B-influenced sound while also incorporating jazz, pop music, hip-hop, and rock elements.[5][6] According to Ian Martin, writing for AllMusic, the tracks produced by Jerkins, Jam, and Lewis had a "rich production" as opposed to the "cheap, tinny" sound of Japanese pop at the time.[5] "Can You Keep a Secret?" was billed as a J-pop song with "sophisticated" songwriting and production standards. Tracks like "Drama" have heavy guitar layers and rock influences, whereas "Kettobase!" combines both of these sounds with techno.[5]

Promotion[edit]

On November 10, 1999, Toshiba EMI released the album's lead single, "Addicted to You". The song was released in two versions: the "Up-In-Heaven" mix served as the single mix, while the "Underwater" mix was included on the CD versions of the single.[7] The song received high marks for its production quality and sound, with praise towards its producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Commercially, it reached number one on the Oricon Singles Chart and was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan for shipments of over 1.6 million.[a] To date, it is Utada's best-selling single.[8][9] The album's second single, "Wait & See (Risk)", was released on April 19, 2000, with a physical edition that included a few B-side tracks and remixes.[10][11] Critics also praised the single's sound and production value. It reached number one on the Oricon Singles Chart and was the album's second single to receive quadruple RIAJ certification.[12][13][a]

On June 30, 2000, the songs "For You" and "Time Limit" were released as double A-side singles.[14] Both tracks had music videos, with Utada performing the song live. It received positive reviews from critics and debuted at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart.[15] The single was certified triple platinum by RIAJ after shipping over 1.2 million units in Japan.[16][b] The fourth and final single from the album, "Can You Keep a Secret?" debuted on February 16, 2001.[17] The song was promoted during the 2001 Japanese television drama series Hero, in which Utada appeared as an actor. It received positive reviews from publications and debuted at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart, earning her final triple platinum certification from RIAJ.[18][19][b] It also received platinum and gold certifications for exceeding 250,000 digital downloads and 50 million streams, respectively.[20][21]

Utada performed two shows in Japan to promote the album. The first was the Bohemian Summer 2000 show, which was released live on December 9, 2000, several months before Distance.[22] A special Unplugged event began in 2001, followed by a live release in November of the same year.[23] Furthermore, a video collection titled Utada Hikaru Single Clip Collection Vol. 2 was released, which included all of the album's music videos as well as behind-the-scenes footage for each video.[24]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]

Ian Wade of AllMusic rated the album four stars. He praised the record's production and songwriting, writing, "Distance stands as one of Hikaru's most consistent and inventive albums, and comes across as a far more convincing example of R&B by a Japanese artist than their later attempts to crack the U.S. market."[5] From 1999 to 2002, the album and several singles won Japan Gold Disc Awards. Distance won Best Rock & Pop Album in 2002, and each of its four singles was named Song of the Year.[25][26] The Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC Awards) honoured the album's single "Can You Keep a Secret?" with the Silver Award.[27] The song also won the International Viewer's Award at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2002, as well as the Drama Song Award at the 2001 Television Drama Academy Awards.[28][29]

Release and commercial performance[edit]

Distance was released alongside A Best by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki (pictured), which generated huge significance in Japanese and Western music media.

Toshiba EMI released Distance on March 28, 2001, marking her second release with the label. In Japan, it was initially available on CD, double vinyl, and cassette, each with thirteen tracks.[4] EMI Music later released the album in several Asian countries, including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.[c] Distance was re-released worldwide on January 23, 2019, via digital and streaming services, with a double vinyl edition re-issued in Japan by Universal Music on March 10, 2022.[37][38]

Toshiba EMI had scheduled the album's release date for March 28. At the same time, Japanese record label Avex Trax planned to release A Best, the greatest hits album by Japanese singer Ayumi Hamasaki.[39][40] Avex's strategy was to compete with Utada's album, as both Hamasaki and Utada were prominent figures in Japanese pop music at the time. The announcement of both album release dates sparked widespread controversy in Japanese and Western media, with claims that the two singers were "rivals" in professional as well as personal circumstances.[41][42][43] Both singers claimed it was a label-sponsored campaign, with Hamasaki expressing her displeasure over a lack of material and creative control of A Best.[44]

Both albums received extensive promotion prior to their release on March 28, but both were extremely successful in terms of first-week sales. In Japan, Distance eventually reached number one on the Oricon Albums Chart, while A Best debuted at number two.[45] Distance sold over three million copies in its first week, becoming the fastest-selling album in music history. It topped the charts for two non-consecutive weeks before being dethroned by A Best in the second week.[46] Distance had sold 4,404,000 units by the end of 2001, making it the best-selling album of the year, with A Best coming in second.[47]

The Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) certified the album quadruple million for selling more than four million copies, and Oricon reports that it sold more than 4.472 million in Japan.[48][49] Oricon named it the best-selling Japanese album of the 2000s, and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) ranked it as the tenth best-selling record of 2001.[50][51] The album is currently the fourth best-selling album in Japan, trailing only Glay's greatest hits album Review and B'z The Best's "Pleasure" and Utada's studio album First Love, the best-selling record in Japanese history. Distance also held the record for the fastest-selling sales in a single week for 14 years, until 25 by British singer Adele broke it in November 2015.[52]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Hikaru Utada, except where noted

No.TitleArrangerLength
1."Wait & See (Risk)"
4:48
2."Can You Keep a Secret?"
  • Akira Nishihira
  • Yuichiro Honda
5:08
3."Distance"
  • Kei Kawano
  • Hikaru Utada
5:30
4."Sunglass (サングラス, Sunglasses)"Shin'ichiro Murayama4:46
5."Drama (ドラマ, Drama)" (lyrics written by Utada; music composed by Utada and Takuro Kubo)Yu'ichiro Honda4:36
6."Eternally"
  • Shin'ichiro Murayama
  • Kei Kawano (strings arrangement)
4:45
7."Addicted to You (Up-in-Heaven Mix)"
  • Jam and Lewis
  • Jeff Taylor (mix)
5:19
8."For You"Kei Kawano5:22
9."Kettobase! (蹴っ飛ばせ!, Kick It!)"
  • Akira Nishihira
  • Hikaru Utada
4:31
10."Parody"Kei Kawano5:25
11."Time Limit (タイム・リミット, Taimu Rimitto)" (lyrics written by Utada; music composed by Utada and Takuro)Rodney Jerkins4:55
12."Kotoba ni Naranai Kimochi (言葉にならない気持ち, Indescribable Feelings)"Shin'ichiro Murayama5:03
13."Hayatochi-Remix (早とちリミックス, Jumping to Conclusions-Remix)" (bonus track)Hikaru Utada4:10

Personnel[edit]

Personnel details were sourced from the Distance liner notes booklet.[4]

  • Miyake Akira – producer
  • Nishihira Akira – arranger, keyboards, programming
  • David Barry – guitar
  • John Blackwell – drums
  • Darnell Davis – keyboards
  • Paul Foley – editing
  • Steve Hodge – engineer, mixing
  • Goh Hotoda – engineer, shaker, mixing
  • Jimmy Jam – arranger, producer, musician
  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • Rodney Jerkins – arranger, programming, producer, engineer, rap
  • Terry Lewis – arranger, producer, musician
  • Harvey Mason, Jr. – engineer, editing
  • Michael McCoy – assistant engineer
  • Alexander Richbourg – producer, drum programming
  • Philippe Saisse – keyboards
  • Dexter Simmons – mixing
  • Xavier Smith – drum programming, assistant engineer
  • Mike Tocci – assistant engineer
  • Sanada Yoshiaki – executive producer
  • Honda Yuichiro – guitar, arranger, keyboards, programming, pre-production arranger
  • Toriyama Yuji – guitar

Charts[edit]

Certification and sales[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[48] 4× Million 4,472,353[49]

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Japan March 28, 2001
Toshiba EMI [4]
China 2001 CD [30]
Indonesia [31]
Philippines [33]
South Korea [34]
Taiwan [35]
Thailand [36]
Various January 23, 2019 Digital download EMI Music [37]
Japan March 10, 2022 Vinyl Universal Music Japan [38]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b Initially received a 4× Platinum certification for 1,600,000 copies shipped, however the 4× Platinum threshold was retired in 2003.
  2. ^ a b Initially received a 3× Platinum certification for 1,200,000 copies shipped, however the 3× Platinum threshold was retired in 2003.
  3. ^ [30][31][32][33][34][35][36]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ a b Hikaru Utada (1999). First Love (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. TOCT-24067.
  2. ^ "歴代アルバムランキング TOP280" (in Japanese). Music TV Program. Archived from the original on January 3, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  3. ^ "リスナーとJ-WAVEが選んだ20世紀のビッグ・アーティスト100人を発表". J-Wave (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 14, 2003. Retrieved August 26, 2007.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Japanese versions listed below:
  5. ^ a b c d e "Hikaru Utada - Distance". AllMusic. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  6. ^ "Hikaru Utada / Distance". CDJournal (in Japanese). Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  7. ^ Hikaru Utada (1999). Addicted to You (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. TOCT-4180.
  8. ^ "Addicted to You - Hikaru Utada" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  9. ^ "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 1999年11月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. November 1999 Edition] (PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 482. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 9. January 10, 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  10. ^ Hikaru Utada (2000). Wait & See (Risk) (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. TOCT-22070.
  11. ^ Hikaru Utada (2000). Wait & See (Risk) (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. TOBF-5031.
  12. ^ "Wait & See (Risk) - Hikaru Utada" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  13. ^ "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2000年5月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. May 2000 Edition] (PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 488. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 8. July 10, 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 29, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  14. ^ Hikaru Utada (2000). For You/Time Limit (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. TOCT-4230.
  15. ^ "For You / Time Limit - Hikaru Utada" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  16. ^ "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2000年7月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. September 2000 Edition] (PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 490. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 8. September 10, 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 22, 2014. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  17. ^ Hikaru Utada (2001). Can You Keep a Secret? (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. TOCT-4301.
  18. ^ "Can You Keep a Secret? - Hikaru Utada" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  19. ^ "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2001年2月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. February 2001 Edition] (PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 497. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 8. April 10, 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2014. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  20. ^ "GOLD DISC 2015年9月度" (PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 672. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 14. November 20, 2015. Archived from the original on November 22, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  21. ^ "Japanese single streaming certifications – Hikaru Utada – Can You Keep A Secret?" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved December 30, 2023. Select 2023年11月 on the drop-down menu
  22. ^ Hikaru Utada (2000). Bohemian Summer 2000 (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. TOBF-5060.
  23. ^ Hikaru Utada (2001). Utada Hikaru Unplugged (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. TOBF-5508.
  24. ^ Hikaru Utada (2001). Utada Hikaru Single Clip Collection Vol. 2 (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. TOBF-5100.
  25. ^ "第15回日本ゴールドディスク大賞" [The 15th Japan Gold Disc Awards]. Japan Gold Disc Awards (in Japanese). Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  26. ^ "第15回日本ゴールドディスク大賞" [The 16th Japan Gold Disc Awards]. Japan Gold Disc Awards (in Japanese). Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  27. ^ "2002年JASRAC賞 「Everything」が金賞を受賞 JASRAC" ["Everything" wins 2002 JASRAC Award Gold Award]. Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (in Japanese). May 22, 2002. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  28. ^ "VMAJ 2002 Winners". MTV Japan. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  29. ^ "第28回ザテレビジョンドラマアカデミー賞" [28th The Television Drama Academy Awards]. The Television JP (in Japanese). January–March 2001. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  30. ^ a b Hikaru Utada (2001). Distance (liner notes). Toshiba EMI. MKCD-1472.
  31. ^ a b Hikaru Utada (2001). Distance (liner notes). Toshiba EMI. 7243532669.
  32. ^ Hikaru Utada (2001). Distance (liner notes). Toshiba EMI. 7243 532669 29.
  33. ^ a b Hikaru Utada (2001). Distance (liner notes). Toshiba EMI. 7243 532669 29.
  34. ^ a b Hikaru Utada (2001). Distance (liner notes). Toshiba EMI. TKPD-0003.
  35. ^ a b Hikaru Utada (2001). Distance (liner notes). Toshiba EMI]. 724353266929.
  36. ^ a b Hikaru Utada (2001). Distance (liner notes). Toshiba EMI. 7243 532669 2 9.
  37. ^ a b "Distance - Album by Hikaru Utada" (in Japanese). Apple Music. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  38. ^ a b Hikaru Utada (2022). Distance (liner notes). Universal Music Group. UPJY-9204.
  39. ^ "トレンディドラマとともに訪れた90年代のミリオンセールス時代 ニュース-ORICON STYLE" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  40. ^ "亚洲地区专辑销量最高的是多少张_百度知道". Zhidao. 24 March 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  41. ^ Chow, Vivienne (April 13, 2001). "Utada Hikaru". South China Morning Post. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  42. ^ Villa, Lucas (December 9, 2014). "J-Pop queens collide: Ayumi Hamasaki sings Utada Hikaru's 'Movin On Without You'". Axs.com. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  43. ^ McClure, Steve (December 29, 2001). "Pop Queen Utada reigns in Japan". Billboard (via Google Books). Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  44. ^ "Ayumi Hamasaki - Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  45. ^ "Hits of the World – Japan Entries". Billboard (via Google Books). April 14, 2001. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  46. ^ 歴代アルバム初動ランキング (in Japanese). Music TV Program. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  47. ^ a b "Oricon Flashback: 2001 Year End Chart". Arama! Japan. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  48. ^ a b "Japanese album certifications – Hikaru Utada – Distance" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved January 30, 2024. Select 2001年6月 on the drop-down menu
  49. ^ a b "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  50. ^ Brasor, Philip (18 December 2009). "The noughties played it nice". The Japan Times. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  51. ^ "Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2001" (PDF). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 19, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  52. ^ "Adele, the Queen of the New British Invasion". Medium. December 7, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  53. ^ "Distance - Hikaru Utada" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
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