First Love (album)

Infobox Album
Name = First Love
Type = Studio album
Artist = Hikaru Utada


Released = March 10 1999
Recorded = August-November 1998
Genre = J-Pop, R&B
Length = 54:37
Label = EMI Music Japan
Producer = Akira Miyake, Teruzane Sking, Hikaru Utada
Reviews =
Last album = "Precious"
(1998)
This album = "First Love"
(1999)
Next album = "Distance"
(2001)
Misc = Singles
Name = First Love
Type = studio
single 1 = Automatic / time will tell
single 1 date = December 9 1998
single 2 = Movin' on Without You
single 2 date = February 17 1999
single 3 = First Love
single 3 date = April 28 1999

"First Love" is the official debut album by Hikaru Utada, released on March 10, 1999.

"First Love" is the best-selling CD album in Japanese music history. It sold over 7.65 million (estimated by Oricon), [ [http://www.oricon.co.jp/artists/193854/ 宇多田ヒカル-ORICON STYLE] ] [http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/confidence/24700/] [ [http://www.musictvprogram.com/corner-ranking-album.html List of million-selling CD albums in Japan] ] or 8.53 million (estimated by RIAJ) [ [http://www.riaj.or.jp/issue/60th/pdf/60th_3.pdf RIAJ: Turbulent and challenging 10 years of software industry - Rapidly changing recording industry] ] copies in Japan alone.

It is also the only CD certified 8x Million (32x Platinum) by RIAJ. [ [http://www.riaj.or.jp/chronicle/1900/1990.html RIAJ: The History of Recording industry] ]

It sold over 2 million in its debut week [ [http://www.oricon.co.jp/search/result.php?kbn=ja&types=rnk&year=1999&month=3&week=4&submit5.x=30&submit5.y=7 ORICON STYLE - Weekly album chart : 4th week of March 1999] ] , and topped the Oricon Weekly Album chart 6 times.

Track listing

All songs are written by Hikaru Utada, except for a line "I see a red door and I want to paint it black" from "Amai Wana ~Paint It, Black~".("Paint It, Black" is written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones).

tracklist
headline =

all_writing =

title1 = Automatic -Album Edit–
length1 = 5:28

title2 = Movin' on Without You
length2 = 4:38

title3 = In My Room
length3 = 4:19

title4 = First Love
length4 = 4:17

title5 = nihongo|Amai Wana ~Paint It, Black|甘いワナ ～Paint It, Black; Sweet Trap ~Paint It, Black
length5 = 5:02

title6 = Time will Tell
length6 = 5:27

title7 = Never Let Go
length7 = 3:57

title8 = B&C -Album Version–
length8 = 4:20

title9 = Another Chance
length9 = 5:22

title10 = Interlude
length10 = 0:17

title11 = Give Me A Reason
length11 = 6:28

title12 = Automatic -Johnny Vicious Remix-
length12 = 4:54

ingles

The single "First Love" is released after the album's release, considered a recut single.

Charts

"First Love" - Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)

Personnel

All Japanese names are in Western order (given name before family name).
*Hikaru Utada (vocals)
*Akira Nishihira (arrangement, keyboards & programming)
*Kei Kawano (arrangement, additional keyboards)
*Shinichiro Murayama (arrangement, keyboards & programming)
*Toshiyuki Mori (arrangement, keyboards & programming)
*Jun Isomura (arrangement)
*Tsuyoshi Kon (guitar)
*Yoshiaki Kusaka (guitar)
*Hironori Akiyama (guitar)
*Yuji Toriyama (guitar)
*Masayoshi Furukawa (guitar)
*Yuichiro Honda (guitar)
*Yuichiro Goto (strings)
*Jullian Hernandez (additional chorus)
*Nobuhiko Nakayama (synthesizer programming)
*Takahiro Iida (synthesizer programming)
*Masayuki Momo (synthesizer programming)
*Taka & Speedy (rhythm arrangement, rhythm programming)
*Akira Miyake (producer)
*Teruzane Sking Utada (producer)
*Hidenobu Okita (director)
*Masaaki Ugajin (all vocals' recording)
*Masaaki Ugajin, Masashi Kudo, Seiji Motoyama, Takehiko Kamata, Bob Allecca, Mike Brown (back track recording)
*Hotoda Goh (mixing)
*Ted Jensen (mastering)

Miscellanea

* "Interlude" was made into a song called "Kotoba ni Naranai Kimochi" on her "Distance" album.
* The song "Never Let Go" features the same beat used in "Take Him Back" by Monica, and was originally used in Sting's "Shape of My Heart". Hikaru said that Monica so inspired her with her R&B that she decided to use that beat.
* "First Love" was featured in a popular Japanese drama, "Majo no Jōken" (Forbidden Love).

*Utada wrote a message in English at the back of the booklet. The message is: quote|To everybody who's a part of the Virgin Division, especially the Miyake room; the engineers and assistant-engineers who spent late nights and mornings for me in the studio; the arrangers, programmers and musicians who laid down these great tracks;all the FM and AM stations who gave me support(and airplay!), and Global Rights;I know I don't get to say this often,so.... THANK YOU!!!! Goh-san! keep your mixes hot! and thanks for the surprise e-mails (＊^^＊)♪ Mom,Dad,I guess I'm followin' your footsteps and carryin' on the family business after all. I know few families are lucky enough to have what we have. And to my friends(you should know who you are!),I hope I tell you often enough, how much I love you; thanks for the love and support. Keep it real.

Everyone who's reading this, thanks for picking up my album!! Ma-i-do-a-rii～～
Luv,
Hikaru+

References