Deep Dives: Utada Hikaru Part One (First Love)

    Utada Hikaru is one of the many reasons I live and breathe. No exaggeration. Her discography is one of my very favorites. I own all of her albums on vinyl, even the cool blue-colored one for the One Last Kiss EP. I wanted to do a Deep Dive for her since this year marks 25 years with her since her first single, "Automatic/Time Will Tell" that sold over 2 million copies in her native market of Japan. I think I judge my favorite artists by how many times I am willing to buy an album of theirs. I have bought multiple copies of Utada Hikaru's albums. I think the recent vinyl repress of 2008's Heart Station was my third time purchasing that record. It's one of my very favorites. Let's fall in love again for the first time with First Love, shall we? Let's dive!

    It took almost until the 90s came back into trend for me to truly appreciate all of the songs on First Love. My first listen of this record I was a kid in the mid-2000s and the 90s weren't cool anymore. But there's enough Utada spin here to cherish this debut. She really laid the groundwork here for what she would expand on and become her most artistic self. If you have not heard it, First Love is a forward-thinking R&B and dance-pop album. It's often credited for bringing R&B into the mainstream in Japan as Utada, herself, is Japanese-American. Oh and she was raised in Manhattan. So she had the street cred to go along with this sound. Utada's father, Utada Teruzane, was heavily involved in this project as an executive producer as both of her parents were popular figures in the music industry. Her mother, Fuji Keiko, was a popular enka singer during the 1960s and 1970s. The family had several musical endeavors they pursued together until their child debuted as a soloist in 1998. And the rest is history. 

    Utada's process has always been so interesting to me. She is a fascinating figure in general. She has a stuffed bear named Kuma-chang that she takes everywhere with her and has become a part of her brand. She made a "Pillow Club" because she loves cuddling her pillow. She finds the best random things on the street and posts them on Instagram. She also wrote the demos for her debut in English and then translate them into Japanese. And if you listen to the 2014 reissue of First Love you can see this process at times through the included demos. 

    Let's get into the nitty gritty here. The album opens with one of her debut songs, "Automatic." "Automatic" is arguably one of the best debut songs of all time. An upbeat, dance polished R&B song with lyrics about how falling in love with someone is automatic. R&B is known for usually being gritty and real, right? Utada did it, made it real, and it is polished to perfection. Outside of an off-key ad-lib. "Automatic" is instantly likeable from the first listen and has a killer hook with soulful verses. It serves its purpose as a debut song. It establishes identity, it shows off the talent of its creator, and it's memorable. Also, it's a great album opener and sets the tone for what's to follow.

    "Movin' On Without You" was the album's second single and is 90's-dance oriented pop song with elements of R&B sprinkled in for good measure. Also, pop perfection. It's a classic. The arrangement here is phenomenal. It's a good one, two, step with "Automatic." It's singability is high. "In My Room" is an R&B number that is a good bridge into the album's bread and butter, "First Love." This album is the reason why First Love is the best-selling of Japan and Asia. "First Love" features wise lyrics. Considering they came from a teenager. This song single-handedly established Utada as a prodigy. And if that wasn't enough for you, watch her play Tetris. This song is still celebrated almost 25 years later. It had a drama produced for Netflix recently as a testament of its enduring popularity. 

    We move on from "First Love" into "Amai Wana -Paint It, Black-." And yes, this song interpolates lyrics from The Rolling Stones' song. Which is cool as hell. Utada is no stranger to spicing things up with some English phrases, but it's best displayed on this album here. "Amai Wana" is perhaps the best song on this album. It has a cool intro. It has an even cooler outro. 

    We move onto the other debut song, "Time Will Tell." A breezy R&B, light pop ballad. If "Automatic" showed that Utada could be cool, it was this song that proved she could be sentimental. A well-rounded artist indeed. 

    "Never Let Go" has a lot going on in the background with vocals and little surprise sounds that really work. "B&C" is an album version that is featured here. It was originally featured on her second single as a B-side. It stand for Bonnie & Clyde. It also has a little bit of auto-tuned towards the end and is straight candy. "Another Chance" is pure 90s R&B. It's very 90s. Which isn't a bad thing. Utada's vocals are comfortable and amazing on this track. 

    The "Interlude" track is an incomplete song that eventually features in full on her second studio album, Distance. Which I find symbolic because it is also an R&B record but through a early 2000s lens. The final track, "Give Me A Reason," is a perfect mid-tempo ender that features a beautiful acoustic guitar that turns into R&B bliss. It further encapsulates the album's theme of love. It's a very memorable song. With First Love being just 11 tracks, it doesn't overstay its welcome. Each track is crucial to it as a solid debut. Each track stands on its own that you could easily want to repeat it again from start to finish after the last song. 

Rating: A Rank! Loving First Love is automatic!

Recommendation: If you like the 90s, or are Gen Z and are chasing the 90s, you'll like this. 

Standouts:

    Automatic🔥

    Movin' On Without You ⭐

    Amai Wana -Paint It, Black- 💣

    Time Will Tell

    B&C

    Give Me A Reason

    I didn't really want to overlap with Deep Dives, but I really want to get ones out for Utada Hikaru and Ayumi Hamasaki due to this being their 25th anniversaries. Ayumi Hamasaki's is coming soon!