Passion
宇多田ヒカル
(Utada Hikaru)
Passion
December 14, 2005
Oricon Peak: #4
Total Sales: 112,345
Year-End Chart: #91
United World Chart Peak: #11
RIAJ: Gold
~~~
Passion ~single version~
Lyrics, Music, and Arrangement: Utada Hikaru
4:44
Gentle, misty synth glide over some ethereal vocalizing and straight into a drum-heavy chorus. As with all Hikki songs, the melody is beautiful and emotive. This song, compared to her last three singles, is happy, though by itself it isn’t. I’m not saying it’s sad, but there’s a deep, passionate sorrow in the lining of it all. I love this experimental pop from Hikaru. The electonic sounds at the end make me think of Evanescence’s ‘My Immortal’.
Passion ~after the battle~
Lyrics, Music, and Arrangement: Utada Hikaru
5:57
After the battle there’s a piano, more synth, and the best drum break in the history of the world. It starts off even more gentle than the original, if that’s possible with a softly pounding piano, nothing else. Then the synth comes back in and those ethereal vocals in the background and then it slows down again, and this time, instead of piano, it uses some high-pitched synthetic bells. It then slows down a third time into a piano, with the synth, and vocals and then cuts out altogether. After a moment an electric guitar shoots through the silence and takes us into a deep, pounding big drum solo. And then it gets muffled and it ever so slowly begins to add in other instruments until the end.
~~~
On the subject of ‘Sanctuary’, I found I liked ‘Passion’ much better. The earlier seemed forced, awkward; while the latter flowed smoothly. There must have been three very good sellers that week to keep Hikki from #1…
A+
100%
Who's Afraid of Music? 