Passion (Hikaru Utada song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Passion" | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||
| Single by Hikaru Utada | |||||
| from the album Ultra Blue | |||||
| Released | December 14, 2005 | ||||
| Format | CD, DVD, Regular Single | ||||
| Recorded | — | ||||
| Genre | Pop | ||||
| Length | 10:17 | ||||
| Label | EMI Music Japan | ||||
| Writer(s) | Hikaru Utada | ||||
| Producer | Hikaru Utada | ||||
| Hikaru Utada singles chronology | |||||
|
|||||
"Passion" is a single by Hikaru Utada. It was released in Japan on December 14, 2005, with a price of ¥1,575 (roughly 13.62 USD) and includes a DVD of the "Passion" music video. This is the sixth single of Utada's to have a DVD Single as well, also the second single to have the DVD included in the single release as a CD+DVD package. A ¥1,050 (roughly 9.08 USD) version was also released, which contains only the audio CD in a paper case. Despite this single reaching #11 on the World Charts for single sales, this single did not even chart on the airplay chart. This single charted for 16 weeks. As this single sold 112,345 copies in 2006, it was the #91 single of the year[1].
This is her 15th Japanese-language single (21st overall) and has also featured in the game Kingdom Hearts II, developed by Square Enix and Buena Vista Games. "Passion"'s music video was filmed in China by her then husband, combined with an animation segment in the beginning of the video created by Koji Morimoto. Utada had also provided the theme song for Kingdom Hearts entitled "Hikari" in Japan and "Simple and Clean" in North America, therefore making "Passion" its successor.
In an interview, Utada said, "It's like... as if 'Hikari' was the dawn, and 'Passion' has a concluding or 'dusk' feeling to it. The lyrics of 'Passion' show how phases of the past, present and future of the character in my song relate to each other." [1]
Contents |
[edit] Music video
The video was partially shot in China. The introduction of the video is an animation by Koji Morimoto with a render of a character that is supposedly a symbol of Utada.
[edit] Lyrics
One interesting feature of the song is the use of reversed lyrics. Three reversed phrases are heard at least once, which are "I need more affection than you know," "I need true emotions," and "So many ups and downs."
[edit] Different versions
It is worth noting that the version of "Passion" found in this single differs slightly from the version used for Kingdom Hearts II, which is missing the last verse, and also has the added lines, "Hito shirezu/My Heart's a Battleground" (Hidden Away/ My Heart's a Battleground.) It has been titled the "Opening Version" on the Kingdom Hearts II soundtrack.
For the International version of Kingdom Hearts II, Utada also recorded an English version of this song, titled "Sanctuary".
"Sanctuary" is the theme song for the video game Kingdom Hearts II's international release. The "Opening Version" of the song is played during the opening movie; the more emotional "After the Battle" version is played after defeating the final boss of the game, much like the theme song of the first Kingdom Hearts, "Simple and Clean". The arrangements of the two songs differ in some aspects, much in the same nature as "Simple and Clean" did in comparison to its "Hikari" counterpart.
"Sanctuary", like "Passion", includes several instances of reversed lyrics throughout the song; these lyrics are the only official backwards lyrics. Played throughout the song are the lyrics "I need more affection than you know" in the "battleground" stanza, as well as the phrases "So many ups and downs" and "I need true emotions".
Unlike "Passion", "Sanctuary" has not received any official release on CD until 2009, where its opening and closing versions have been included as bonus tracks on Utada's album, This Is the One.
Unlike "Passion", "Sanctuary" does not feature Utada's voice in the background, a notable difference throughout the song.
[edit] Track listing
- CD Version
-
- Passion: Single Version - 4:36
- Passion: After the Battle - 5:57
- CD+DVD Version
- CD Tracklist
- Passion: Single Version - 4:36
- Passion: After the Battle - 5:57
- DVD Tracklist
- Passion: Single Version (Music Video)
[edit] Charts
"Passion" - Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)
| Release | Chart | Peak Position | Sales Total | Chart Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 14, 2005 | Oricon Daily Singles Chart | 3 | ||
| Oricon Weekly Singles Chart | 4 | 112,345 | 15 weeks | |
| Oricon Yearly Singles Chart | 91 |
[edit] References
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
