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Keep Tryin'
- Artist
- Utada Hikaru
- Single
- Keep Tryin'
- Released
- 2006.02.22
- Catalog Number
- TOCT-5005
- Price
- ¥1,100
- Tracklist
- Keep Tryin'
- WINGS
- Keep Tryin' [Original Karaoke]
- Information
Keep Tryin' is Utada Hikaru's 16th single. Keep Tryin' was used as the au LISMO! au LISTEN MOBILE SERVICE CM song. Keep Tryin' breaks the trend shown in Be My Last and Passion, where the single is released in both CD+DVD and CD only formats. This is is Utada's first single since COLORS in 2003 to have a b-side, and the first since Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro in 2004 to have a karaoke backing track.
Keep Tryin' reached #2 on Oricon charts, being beaten by HYDE's SEASON'S CALL. The single has so far charted for six weeks. Despite such low physical sales, according to the June 2006 issue of Japan's Nikkei Entertainment magazine, Utada's newest Japanese single, "Keep Tryin'," is closing in on the 2 million mark for digital downloads. Additionally, "Keep Tryin'" ranks in at number one again this week on OnGen's Weekly Download Chart, making this the 7th week with Utada at the top. This gives "Keep Tryin'" the most weeks at the #1 spot so far in 2006 on OnGen's chart. As this single sold 125,077 copies in 2006, it was the #82 single of the year.
On December 20th, 2006 iTunes Japan released a list of top downloaded singles and albums; Keep Tryin' ranked at #1 making it the most downloaded song for 2006.
Song Information
- Lyrics
- Utada Hikaru
- Music
- Utada Hikaru
- Other Information
- Arrangement: Utada Hikaru
- Keyboards and Programming: Utada Hikaru, Matt Rohde
- Additional Programming: Alexis Smith
- Bass: David Carpenter
- All Vocals: Utada Hikaru
- Mixing: Goetz B. for 365 Artists at Bunkamura Studio, Tokyo
- Recording: Daniel Burns and Matsui Atsushi at Conway Recording Studios, L.A., and Bunkamura Studio, Tokyo
Music Video
The PV for Keep Tryin' was directed by Kiriya Kazuaki, and is currently the last work that he has contributed as Utada Hikaru's PV director. There was a Japanese blog entry done by Utada during the release of Be My Last (posted 2005.09.09), in which it showed her playing a toy piano. This toy piano was used for a bridge in Keep Tryin', which tells us that Keep Tryin' was originally recorded around about late August 2005. The PV makes several references to Utada's past PVs, including FINAL DISTANCE and traveling.
Utada Quotes
- "Though my message of 'keeping at it' also appeared in my 12th single, COLORS, I think Keep Tryin' clarifies these ideas better. It's a feeling like "I'm trying my best so everybody, let's all do our best too!" and I've finally been able to write it clearly in Keep Tryin'" --Utada Hikaru
- "Do you know the song Keep Tryin' by Groove Theory? It was a big hit, like, 8-9 years ago I think. It was one of my favourite songs ever, and I always wanted to make a song with the same title. I mean of course, you know, I haven't copied it so it doesn't sound alike at all, but it's an uplifting song I think. It's for myself and it's for everyone. It's something I say to myself all the time, like I have to keep trying. You know, I wanna give up a lot of times and I just wanna stay in bed all day. Do nothing, watch TV, eat cookies and cuddle up with my big teddy-bear. But, you know, I have to keep going, and so the next day I bounce back, or even if I'm late for my job sometimes I pick it up from there. That's what the song's about. It's kinda hard to say 'Keep Trying! Keep Trying!', and in the song at the end I say, 'dodedodedo keep trying trying!'. It's actually a bit hard, like a tongue-twister, but it's fun to sing so please try singing along with it." --Utada Hikaru
- "Oh yeah, yeah! The red toy piano I'm playing in the blog photo. I was doing the recording in Tokyo at that time. And there was this part where I definitely wanted to add the sound of a broken toy piano, so all the staff and I went to the toy section of the department store nearby. The store had various kinds of pianos and by trying them out... I found that the one that had been on display, battered and missing a few sounds, had the greatest flavor. We asked, "Can we have this one?" and the clerk women in the section just panicked. Though we didn't ask them for things like a discount, they had a little meeting about if it would be okay to sell that shabby thing. They replied, "Would it really be okay with you...?" and the deal was done~" --Utada Hikaru
Disambiguation
There are three known versions of Keep Tryin' to be included in Utada's discography. These include:
- Keep Tryin'
- Found on Keep Tryin' single as track #1 and on ULTRA BLUE album as track #2. This is the version set to the PV.
- Keep Tryin' [Original Karaoke]
- Found on Keep Tryin' single as track three. This version is the standard version, except without the main vocals.
- Keep Tryin' (Utada United Live)
- Found on Utada United 2006 DVD as track #19. This was one of the three songs used from the DVD to promote it on music video channels.
Oricon Chart Positions
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Week Rank | Sales | Total Sales | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 70,147 | 70,147 | 2006.03.06 |
1 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 24,096 | 94,243 | 2006.03.13 |
6 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13,373 | 107,616 | 2006.03.20 |
11 | - | - | - | 20 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 7,013 | 114,629 | 2006.03.27 |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | 34 | 4,016 | 118,645 | 2006.04.03 |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | 45 | 2,431 | 121,076 | 2006.04.10 |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | 57 | 1,592 | 122,668 | 2006.04.17 |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | 77 | 936 | 123,604 | 2006.04.24 |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | 129 | 619 | 124,223 | 2006.05.01 |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | 180 | 454 | 124,677 | 2006.05.08 |
- | - | - | - | - | - | - | 176 | 400 | 125,077 | 2006.05.15 |
Total Reported Sales: 135,077
External Links
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