Say what you like about Hikaru Utada; the girl knows how to write catchy music. Each of her last three singles has been stuck in my head for quite some time.
I don’t even like the songs when I first listen to them. And, naturally, I have the faintest idea what they’re about unless I listen closely. They’re not even that sing-a-long-able! And yet, they have the catchiest hooks ever.
So, in an attempt at catharsis, I break down each of these songs to try and alleviate myself of this … earworm.
“Be My Last” is a plaintive ballad (replete with “aaaAAAAaaaAAAAhhh”s), plain and simple. I don’t even know what else to say about it! It seems like a very plain song. The title? “Be My Last”? Be my last what? I like Utada’s ballads. Most of the time. But I’m at a loss to explain why I’ve got this one stuck in my head. I don’t feel it’s amazing vocally or lyrically.
“Passion” is the theme for the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts 2. This can’t be classified as anything other than experimental. Between the reversed backing vocals and the cricket-like sounds in the background… bizarre. Not very mainstream. It’s relaxing and energizing at the same time. I know some people proclaimed this as “her best song yet!” I didn’t feel that way about it. I still don’t.
“Keep Tryin'” is her latest single, and it’s an upbeat number, although the intro’s a bit like “Passion”‘s. (The cover for the single is insane, though. Not like anything I’ve seen from Utada before, since her single covers are usually just a close-up of her face.) And no, I don’t particularly like the song, either. But I suppose it’s interesting in a way that not a lot of J-pop is these days.
And you know what, this didn’t help XP
Oh, and I have an mp3 of her covering Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” Yeah. Interesting.