Winter Love

BoA
Winter Love
November 1, 2006
Oricon
Daily Singles Chart: #1
Weekly Singles Chart: #2
Monthly Singles Chart: #7
Yearly Singles Chart: #114
Sales Total: 99,078 (14 weeks)
Lee Soo Man
Avex Trax

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Winter Love
Lyrics: 渡辺なつみ [Natsumi Watanabe] / Music & Arrangement: ats-

Again working with acclaimed lyricist, Natsumi Watanabe, BoA releases her most successful single since Do the Motion. It sold more than 七色の明日 ~brand new beat~ and double of KEY OF HEART / DOTCH. The title track is a standard ballad. Airy, whispy synth float like an evanscence around BoA’s voice, which sounds its best since Everlasting. The verses are soft and feminine and the chorus has a resonance only an electric guitar can bring. In fact, in my humble opinion, ‘Winter Love’ acts like a rock ballad. It definitely isn’t but it has the feeling of one. The rousing guitar parts pair nicely with the harpsichord-like synth melody. Lyrically, the song is so powerful. I almost want to cry when she askes if she can still love him if he forgets her at the end of the chorus.

Candle Lights
Lyrics: EMI K. Lynn / Music & Arrangement: 原田拓也 [Takuya Harada], JUNKOO

The next track is interesting and sounds like something off ofVALENTI. It uses BoA’s signature Spanish flair, including an acoustic guitar. Also, the melody is very pretty and memorable; even more so than the title track. With a slight R&B edge, BoA’s sounds good with this track and it is a great disc-mate for ‘Winter Love’.

Last Christmas
Lyrics & Music: George Michael

If her English pronounciation here is any indication, America will need subtitles to understand her. I would too, if I didn’t know the song myself. The song sounds very similar to the original and her vocals are top-notch, but words like ‘next’ and ’special’ find BoA struggling to conquer her accent. Somehow, the background singers are able to say these words correctly. Nice rendition and perfectly fine for the Japanese audience who will barely understand it anyway.

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TOKIO HOT 100 Analysis
‘Winter Love’ debuted at #27 the week after its release. It then jumped eight places to its highest charting place at #19. Over the next five weeks it fell ten to twenty spots a week finally bowing at #94 the week before Christmas.

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The PV for ‘Winter Love’ was breathtaking although the white balloons seem quite out of place, it conveys the winter setting very well. I mean, it is in an igloo with snow falling inside. Overall, a good single from BoA and a Top 20 Hit on the radio. I wouldn’t say it was much better than her previous singles, it’s just as good in a different genre, which is a blessing because I needed a break from BoA’s sugar pop, which she still hasn’t gone back to. Amen to that.

A
95%

~ by vinyabarion on May 12, 2008.