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First Love

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

First Love is Hikaru Utada's first Japanese-language album and was released on 10 March 1999. The artist, born and raised in Manhattan, had earlier sung with their parents in the group U3 and recorded the English-language Precious in 1998. At the record company's request, the newcomer now wrote Japanese lyrics, with occasional English phrases in between. The year of recording took place mostly at weekends, because school came first. Their father Teruzane Utada and Akira Miyake co-produced, and Ted Jensen mixed the tracks in New York.

The album is R&B and dance-pop about love and relationships. Automatic opens the record, and Movin' on Without You is inspired by early 1990s dance. In My Room contains rap and scratches. Aaliyah's debut was an important source of inspiration. The record went straight to the top of the Oricon chart and is regarded as a milestone in the history of Japanese pop: one critic believed it changed the DNA of Japanese pop.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to In My Room and notice the rap and the scratching: how do they give this R&B track a different character from an ordinary love song?

Track list

  1. 1Automatic (Remastered 2014)5:28Apple Music ↗
  2. 2Movin' On Without You (Remastered 2014)4:38Apple Music ↗
  3. 3In My Room (Remastered 2014)4:19Apple Music ↗
  4. 4First Love (Remastered 2014)4:18Apple Music ↗
  5. 5Amai Wana - Paint It, Black (Remastered 2014)5:02Apple Music ↗
  6. 6Time Will Tell (Remastered 2014)5:27Apple Music ↗
  7. 7Never Let Go (Remastered 2014)3:58Apple Music ↗
  8. 8B & C (Remastered 2014)4:21Apple Music ↗
  9. 9Another Chance (Remastered 2014)5:23Apple Music ↗
  10. 10Interlude (Remastered 2014)0:18Apple Music ↗
  11. 11Give Me A Reason (Remastered 2014)6:25Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗

Categories: Albums and songs