Letters (Hikaru Utada song) explained

Letters
Cover:Sakura Drops Letters.jpg
Alt:The head of a woman surrounded by frills, flowers and leaves
Caption:"Sakura Drops" / "Letters" cover.
Type:single
Artist:Hikaru Utada
Album:Deep River
Recorded:2002
Length:4:48
Label:Toshiba EMI
Producer:Kei Kawano, Akira Miyake, Teruzane Utada
Prev Title:Sakura Drops
Prev Year:2002
Next Title:Colors
Next Year:2003

"Letters" is a song by Japanese American musician Hikaru Utada. It was released as a double A-side single with the song "Sakura Drops" on May 9, 2002.[1]

Background and development

Since she debuted as a musician in 1998, Utada had worked as the primary or sole songwriter for her music. Beginning with her second album Distance (2001), Utada began to co-arrange songs, such as "Wait & See (Risk)", "Distance" and "Kettobase!"[2] The bonus track on Distance, "Hayatochi-Remix", was arranged entirely by Utada.[2] In March 2002, Hikaru Utada released "Hikari", the theme song for the game Kingdom Hearts.[3]

"Letters" was written and arranged solely by Utada. It featured six different guitarists all performing the acoustic guitar in the backing, including Char, Hisashi from Glay and her own father Teruzane Utada.[2]

Promotion and release

The song was used in commercials for NTT DoCoMo's 2002 range of FOMA cellphones.[4] This was the third song of Utada's to be used in collaboration with DoCoMo, after "Final Distance" (2001) and "Traveling" (2002).[5] On May 20, 2002, Utada performed the song live at Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ, a week after she performed the single's other A-side "Sakura Drops".[6] [7]

Utada performed the song during her Hikaru no 5 Budokan residency show in 2004, at her Utada United 2006 Japanese tour and at her two date concert series Wild Life in December 2010.[8]

Covers

In 2014, "Letters" was recorded by Ringo Sheena for Utada Hikaru no Uta, a tribute album celebrating 15 years since Utada's debut.[9] It was released as a preceding download from the album on December 3, 2014.[9]

Critical reception

Critical reception to the song was positive. Hayashi of Ongaku DB felt "Letters" was a "Latin-sounding number" with a melody that had a "high level of freedom".[10] CDJournal reviewers described the song as having a "spicy Latin/gypsy" sound, and praised the "passionate melody", and noted how the upbeat rhythm contrasted with the lyrics, which dealt with "melancholic everyday feelings".[11] Kanako Hanakawa of Shinko Music felt that the song had a mature mood, and that it was "sexier" than her other songs due to the guitar backing of so many older male guitarists.[12] Akiyoshi Sekine of CD Data praised the song's "percussive rhythm", and praised the skill and sense that went into Utada's arrangement of the song.[13]

Personnel

Personnel details were sourced from Deep Rivers liner notes booklet.

Charts

Sales and certifications

Chart Amount
Oricon physical sales[15]
  • "Sakura Drops" / "Letters"
687,000<--686,720-->
RIAJ physical certification[16]
  • "Sakura Drops" / "Letters"
2× Platinum (800,000)

Release history

RegionDateFormatDistributing LabelCatalog codes
Japan[17] CD singleToshiba EMITOCT-4381
TaiwanGold Typhoon55088529
Japan[18] Digital downloadToshiba EMI
South Korea[19] Digital downloadUniversal Music Korea

Notes and References

  1. Web site: SAKURAドロップス/Letters . Amazon.co.jp . December 19, 2014.
  2. Distance . . 2001 . Japanese . Toshiba EMI . Tokyo, Japan.
  3. Web site: Artist Search 宇多田ヒカル . https://web.archive.org/web/20050320124342/http://www.musicnet.co.jp/cgi-bin/artist/list.cgi?artist=0056 . Sony Magazines . March 20, 2005 . Japanese . December 29, 2014.
  4. Web site: News . https://web.archive.org/web/20020401233007/http://www.toshiba-emi.co.jp/hikki/news/main.htm . Toshiba EMI . April 1, 2002 . Japanese . December 18, 2014.
  5. Web site: http://artist.cdjournal.com/d/utada-hikaru-single-collection-vol1/3204020152 . ja:宇多田ヒカル / Utada Hikaru SINGLE COLLECTION VOL.1 . CDJournal . Japanese . December 19, 2014.
  6. Web site: GUEST 宇多田ヒカル . https://web.archive.org/web/20091009171425/http://www.fujitv.co.jp/HEY/guestprofile/utada.html . Fuji Television . October 9, 2009 . Japanese . December 20, 2014.
  7. Web site: GUEST 宇多田ヒカル . https://web.archive.org/web/20091009062335/http://www.fujitv.co.jp/HEY/guestprofile/utada2.html . Fuji Television . October 9, 2009 . Japanese . December 20, 2014.
  8. Web site: 宇多田ヒカル一時休止前ラスト公演で感涙＆Ust新記録樹立 . Natalie . Japanese . December 13, 2010 . December 17, 2010.
  9. Web site: http://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000110305 . ja:『宇多田ヒカルのうた』全貌明らかに。井上陽水、椎名林檎、浜崎あゆみ、吉井和哉ら参加アーティストコメント . All details revealed for Utada Hikaru no Uta, comments from contributing artists such as Yosui Inoue, Ringo Sheena, Ayumi Hamasaki and Kazuya Yoshii. . Barks . Japanese . December 3, 2014 . December 3, 2014.
  10. Web site: http://music.yahoo.co.jp/jpop/cd_reviews/ongakudb/20020604/odbrvw002.html . ja:ＳＡＫＵＲＡドロップス . https://web.archive.org/web/20040816225446/http://music.yahoo.co.jp/jpop/cd_reviews/ongakudb/20020604/odbrvw002.html . Hayashi of OngakuDB.com . Yahoo! Japan . May 9, 2002 . August 16, 2004 . Japanese . December 19, 2014.
  11. Web site: http://artist.cdjournal.com/d/-/3202030548 . ja:宇多田ヒカル / 1.SAKURAドロップス 2.Letters . CDJournal . Japanese . December 20, 2014.
  12. Web site: http://music.yahoo.co.jp/jpop/cd_reviews/shinkomusic/20020515/snkrvw016.html . ja:ＳＡＫＵＲＡドロップス . https://web.archive.org/web/20040816225800/http://music.yahoo.co.jp/jpop/cd_reviews/shinkomusic/20020515/snkrvw016.html . Kanako Hanakawa of Shinko Music . Yahoo! Japan . May 15, 2002 . August 16, 2004 . Japanese . December 19, 2014.
  13. Web site: http://www.cddata-mag.com/pastdisc/?ID=4648 . ja:宇多田ヒカル PAST RELEASE . CD Data . https://web.archive.org/web/20040110070613/http://www.cddata-mag.com/pastdisc/?ID=4648 . January 10, 2004 . Japanese . December 20, 2014.
  14. Web site: http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/193854/ranking/cd_single/ . ja:宇多田ヒカルのシングル売り上げランキング . Hikaru Utada single sales ranking . https://web.archive.org/web/20131111143257/http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/193854/ranking/cd_single/ . Oricon . November 11, 2013 . Japanese . December 18, 2014.
  15. Web site: オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」 . Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree' . . subscription . December 18, 2014.
  16. GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2002年5月度 . Gold Albums, and other certified works. May 2002 Edition . The Record . Bulletin . Japanese . . . July 10, 2002 . 512 . 12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140117133823/http://www.riaj.or.jp/issue/record/2002/200207.pdf . January 17, 2014 . January 17, 2014.
  17. Web site: 櫻花翩翩 . G-Music . December 19, 2014.
  18. Web site: SAKURAドロップス . Amazon.co.jp . December 18, 2014.
  19. Web site: Sakuraドロップス/Letters . Bugs . Korean. December 19, 2014.

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