First Love (Utada Hikaru) - Definition

First Love
CD by Utada Hikaru
Released	March 10, 1999
Recorded	N/A
Genre	Pop
Length	54:17
Record Label	Toshiba-EMI
Manufacturer	Toshiba-EMI
Utada Hikaru Chronology
Precious (1998)	First Love (1999)	Distance (2001)	DEEP RIVER (2002)	Utada Hikaru SINGLE COLLECTION VOL.1 (2004)	EXODUS (2004)

First Love is an album by Utada Hikaru, released in 1999 (see 1999 in music). It has sold well over 10 million copies to date, making it the best-selling album ever in Japanese history. All songs are written by Utada Hikaru except "Amai Wana ~Paint It, Black" ("Paint It, Black" is written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards).

Track listing

1. "Automatic" [Album Edit] - 5:28
2. "Movin' on without you" - 4:37
3. "In My Room" - 4:19
4. "First Love" - 4:17
5. "甘いワナ~Paint It, Black" - 5:02 (Amai Wana -> Sweet Trap)
6. "time will tell" - 5:26
7. "Never Let Go" - 3:57
8. "B&C" [Album Version] - 4:20
9. "Another Chance" - 5:21
10. "Interlude" - 0:16
11. "Give Me A Reason" - 6:22
12. "Automatic" [Johnny Vicious Remix] (Bonus Track) - 4:37

Singles

• "Automatic/time will tell" (1998)
• "Movin' on without you" (1999)
• "First Love" (1999)

Personnel

All Japanese names are in Western order (given name before family name) except for Utada Hikaru's name (family name before given name)

• Utada Hikaru (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)

First Love Facts

• Utada Hikaru wrote all the lyrics on the CD.
• She was only 15 when she recorded them.
• The "Interlude" track was made into a song called "Kotoba ni Naranai Kimochi" on her Distance album.
• The line "I see a red door and I want to paint it black" from "Amai Wana ~Paint it Black~" was originally sung by The Rolling Stones.
• The song "Never Let Go" sounds familiar because Monica had the same beat in one of her songs and because the orignal beat was from the song "Shape of My Heart" by Sting.
• Utada Hikaru said that Monica so inspired her with her R&B that she decided to use that beat.
• "Time Will Tell" was made into English and released on one of her singles. This version is known as "Time Will Tell - Dub Mix."
• "First Love" was featured in a popular Japanese soap opera, "Majo no Jouken".