Passion (Utada Hikaru song)

"Passion"

A portrait of a Japanese woman (Utada Hikaru) standing in a vast corn field.

The CD, CD and DVD, and digital artwork that commercalizes "Passion".
Single by Utada Hikaru
Released December 14, 2005
Format
Recorded 2005; Westlake Audios Studios
(California, United States)
Bunkamura Studios
Tokyo, Japan
Genre Pop music
Length 4:44 (Album version)
4:27 (Opening version)
5:58 (After the Battle)
Label
Writer(s) Utada
Producer(s)
Utada Hikaru singles chronology
"You Make Me Want to Be a Man"
(2005)
"Passion"
(2005)
"Keep Tryin'"
(2006)
Alternative cover
English cover for "Sanctuary"

"Passion" is a song recorded by Japanese musician Utada Hikaru, taken as the fourth single from her fifth studio album Ultra Blue (2006). It was released on December 14, 2005 via EMI Music Japan and Eastworld, and distributed in two physical formats—a standard compact disc, and a CD and DVD bundle—and for digital consumption. "Passion", alongside its English counterpart "Sanctuary", was used as the theme songs to the Square Enix video game Kingdom Hearts II (2006); it serves as the successor to "Hikari", which was used as the theme tune to the first instalment. The track was written, composed, arranged and produced by Utada herself, with additional production credits to Akira Miyake and Utada's father Teruzane.

Tetsuya Nomura, the games creator, sought to collaborate with Utada again as he believed she was part of the franchise family, alongside his prospects for her to break foreign and international markets. The conception of the two tracks were to emphasize a "dusk" atmosphere, in comparison to "Hikari", which she described as the "dawn". Musically, it has been described by commentators as a multi-genred tune that incorporates elements of alternative rock, ambient and ethereal music. Lyrically, it delves into themes of nostalgia and the theory of past, present and future events. The singer also revealed that the Japanese form was much harder compared to the development of "Sanctuary".

Upon its release, both songs garnered critical acclaim from music critics, whom strongly highlighted Utada's musical direction, vocal performance and production. Additionally, several commentators and publications listed the songs on their year-end lists of 2005–06 and soundtrack lists. Commercially, "Passion" experienced success in Japan, peaking inside the top ten on the Oricon Singles Chart and TBS's Count Down TV chart; despite this, the sales were much lower than her former releases. Nevertheless, it was certified Gold in three forms by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).

An accompanying music video was directed by Kazuaki Kiriya in China. Inspired by numerous anime films and aesthetics, along with the themes of atmosphere of the game franchise, it depicts Utada in a large grand hall and cathedral-like architecture with several dancers and animated figures; majority of the video was produced with computer generated imagery. In order to promote the single, Utada performed the tracks on several television shows, such as Music Station and Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ, and one concert tour: Utada: In the Flesh 2010. Since its release, "Passion" and "Sanctuary" have been widely considered some of the best music in video game history and has be recongized as a major factor in Utada's commercial rise within Western culture.

Background and conception

In early 2003, The Walt Disney Company and Square Enix confirmed a potential sequel to their commercially and critically successful 2002 video game Kingdom Hearts.[1] In July that year, the games creator Tetsuya Nomura anticipated an early release for 2004, but noted several obstacles in gaining legal approval over characters and aesthetics from the Disney franchise; for example, although the Disney mascot Mickey Mouse was approved, the Tarzan film was denied due to a change in ownership.[2] Moreover, Nomura only had Utada in mind to record the theme track for the video game as he believed her music could break both foreign and international markets.[3] However, late-2002, Utada had signed to Island Def Jam after the head quarters discovered her commercial success throughout her native Japan, meaning potential scheduling with Nomura was out of the picture.[4] Though her first English-language album, Exodus, was a success in the country, its commercial appeal was lacking in North America;[5] after promoting the record, she moved back to Tokyo to start new material on Ultra Blue (2006).[6]

The announcement for the sequel was announced in July 2005, and Nomura confirmed Utada's involvement with the series once again: "When we were creating the original game, there were a lot of factors that were influenced by Utada-san's theme song. That influence will once again be felt in [our development of] Kingdom Hearts II [...]".[7] The creator's second stance of not choosing another singer was because he noticed that fans from the first Kingdom Hearts associated the singer with the franchise.[2] Regarding the songs concept and connection with the game, Utada derived her inspiration from the worlds and characters in Kingdom Hearts and additionally received written explanations from Nomura.[2] Conversely, Nomura noticed that Utada's theme song "Hikari" influenced several factors in creating the games.[7]

Writing and recording

"Passion" and "Sanctuary" had been written one-and-a-half year prior to its release, but re-wrote certain aspects in order to represent elements of the game into the songwriting.[8][3] During this, Utada felt inspired by the games visual aesthetic and storyline , feeling "these things [...] that the ending theme will build on all this from here onwards. It was a really hard thing to do."[8] In retrospect, she commented that when she recorded "Hikari" for the first Kingdom Hearts, she noticed her contribution towards the "soulless" game was uneasy but felt that the overall look of the game "was so crucial that I got a lot more info on the characters."[8] In an interview with Utada for Ultra Blue and the international release of Kingdom Hearts II, the singer commented:[8]

“[Passion] is like. It has a feeling that connects together the end of the last game [Kingdom Hearts] and the sequel. Like, how it showed the characters and how they met and so forth. It was pretty easy to think up an image. It's like...as if [Hikari] was the dawn, and Passion has a concluding or 'dusk' feeling to it. From here after, I wanted this song to communicate so many various ideas. While you can see some very ordinary imagery in the song, when you listen the imagery can become very dramatic.”

Written solely by herself,[9] Utada first completed the lyrics to "Sanctuary" as she felt this process was easier than blending Japanese songwriting with the composition. Furthermore, she did admit that she found it difficult writing lyrics to "Passion".[8] Knowing that the singles production and physical format would be insufficient for her fans, she decided to create a B-side track that was identical to the first song; this resulted in an "After the Battle" version, which was played during the credits of the video game.[8][9][10] The singer told Oricon Style that both songs were "some of her favorite lyrics to date."[8] The singer travelled to California to record her vocals at Westlake Audio Studios with Pat Woodward, whilst the Japanese version was recorded at Bunkamura Studios with Matsui Atushi; she re-recorded her vocals for the "After the Battle" version in order to blend it with the new arrangement.[8] The tracks were arranged and produced by Utada, with additional production credits to Akira Miyake and Utada's father Teruzane.[9]

Composition

Music Samples:
Passion
A 27-second sample of "Passion", which features Japanese song writing and a variety of genres such as alternative rock, ambient and ethereal music.[11][12][13]

Sanctuary (Opening)
A 27-second sample of "Sanctuary (Opening)". Similar to "Passion", "Sanctuary" omits the use of overlapping vocals for a new bridge section that carries an electric guitar-solo and reversed vocals that say "I need more affection than you know,".[14]

Problems playing these files? See media help.

Composed by Utada,[9] "Passion" has been described by commentators as a multi-genre tune that incorporates elements of alternative rock, ambient and ethereal music.[upper-alpha 1] MuuMuse's Bradley Stern asserted that "Passion" was Utada's "most complex" composition; he followed on saying "The passionate drumming, ambient sounds, and ethereal vocals bring the track to another level, transcending the patterns and limitations of most modern pop."[11] Similarly, an Emertius editor from Sputnikmusic dubbed her it most "varied" track.[15] Sonically, David Jeffries of AllMusic compared it to another Disney composition, "A Whole New World", and the work of band Nine Inch Nails.[13] With instrumentation of drums, keyboards, electric guitars and synthesizers—all arranged by Utada[9]—the track was distinctive for its overuse of echoing throughout the composition.[14] Additionally, critics noticed the overlapping technique of the singers vocals, alongside with the use of reversing certain sections of her voice.[14]

According to the sheet music on Musicnotes.com, which was published by the BMG Rights Management and Walt Disney Music Publishing, the recording is composed in the key note of F♯ major.[16] Alongside this, it is set in time signature of common time with a tempo of 109 beats per minute. Its chord progression develops in the sequence of B♭m7–Dm7–B♭m7–Dm7–Dm7–Dm.[16] Majority of the lyrical content delves into the theory of past, present and future, as aforementioned.[8] However, Miko Amaranthine from Yahoo! Music said "Passion" is "another love song that resembles a missing love but leaving life without him/her [...] This song reminds me that without my past, the present wouldn't be as it is."[17] Furthermore, the tune features lyrics and moments that reveal nostalgic childhood memories that either "fold or, sometimes intertwine" and introduces a new world. Like the parent album, "this really sums up the theme of this album – it is not happy, but filled with hope."[18] Conversely, Vibe's Mio Yamada believed that the lyrics of "Passion" expressed weakness and strength simultaneously, and the material was more mature.[19]

Release

"Passion" was released on December 14, 2005 via EMI Music Japan and Eastworld, and distributed in two physical formats—a standard compact disc, and a CD and DVD bundle—and for digital consumption.[9][20] Subsequently, the single, alongside its B-side "Passion" (After the Battle) were included on the Kingdom Hearts II soundtrack; the video game that also included the single as its theme song, was issued on December 22 that same year.[21][21] Global distributions of the CD single were commenced on December 26, whilst South East Asian editions were shipped on December 28.[22][23] The DVD came with the music video, alongside an Obi.[20] The cover art was photographed by Mitsuo Shindo, who was alongside Utada's husband Kazuaki Kiriya when shooting the visual; it depicts the singer in a vast corn field, similar to the scenery from the video.[9] Various versions of "Passion"—such as the opening version, ending edit and orchestral instrumental—have been issued on three of the Kingdom Hearts soundtracks; the second game, the Original Soundtrack Complete, and a special 10th anniversary edition.[24][25] The single was also included on the soundtracks for the "remix" versions of the games, but "Sanctuary" served as its official theme song instead under her Western name Utada.[26]

The English counterpart, "Sanctuary", did not premiere in North America until March 28, 2006 with the video game, along with an end-September date in Australiasia and Europe.[27] Furthermore, EMI Music Japan distributed two versions of "Sanctuary"—the album edit and the "after the battle" version— in Japan as a promotional single on January 1, 2009 via iTunes Store.[28][29] On July 20, the singers American label, Island Def Jam, premiered the track through radio stations in Japan, and subsequently served the album edit as the second single from her English album, This Is The One, two days later;[30] only the North American editions feature the single, whilst both edits of "Sanctuary" were promoted in digital format in Japan.[31] Collectively, "Passion" and "Sanctuary" have appeared on greatest hits albums conducted by Utada, such as the Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 2 (Nov 2010) and Utada the Best (Nov 2010).[32][33]

Critical response

Both songs garnered critical acclaim from most music critics. An editor of CD Journal commended the production, calling it "impressive" and praised the composition. Describing the sound as a "fantastic atmosphere", he went on to compliment her "beautiful vocals" in both "Passion" and the B-side version.[12] A reviewer from Channel-Ai awarded "Passion" four-and-a-half stars out of five, saying "it is without a doubt that [Passion] is superior to [Sanctuary] in every way. This is proof that Utada’s Japanese works are better than its English counterparts, and it would be a long time before Utada transverse into an English career again."[18] Lex from VGMO.com awarded it eight stars, commending the production and sound. However, she did find the Japanese version more satisfying than "Sanctuary".[34] From the same publication, Harry Simons enjoyed "Passion", favoring it over "Hikari", but expressed that the "After the Battle" version should have been served as the single.[34]

Bradley Stern from MuuMuse said her vocals and production "brings the track to another level, transcending the patterns and limitations of most modern pop. To me, [Passion] is the defining point of Utada’s artistic craft." He concluded: "Above all, 'Passion' is a remembrance of times past. It is a symbol of beautiful memories, nostalgia, and looking toward the future."[11] Upon marking her musical return in September 2016, Stern wrote for the website PopCrush and listed it as one of her best tracks: he stated, "[Passion and Sanctuary] is a bolder, more progressive-sounding ode to the past, present and future, full of thunderous drums, overdriven guitars and lines in English hauntingly played backwards."[35] Furthermore, an editor of Square Enix Music rated it nine out of ten points, commending the production and sound; he later believed it to be a "masterpiece".[14]

Blogcritics' Michael Pascua appreciated Utada's move to add "Sanctuary" as the final track to This Is The One, exclaiming "[Sanctuary] showcases a strong musical style that isn’t necessarily in the R&B flare that This is the One provides. They also help connect any video game player who hasn't necessarily listened to any of her Japanese albums or even knew that she had another English album [...]."[36] Céire Ní Dalaigh from The Arcade also commented that "This track builds from the very beginning making it the perfect tune for any occasion. Whether it just be walking to work, building the pace at the gym or even just chilling out at home."[37] Eli Kleman, a staff member from Sputnikmusic, enjoyed the Japanese version, saying: "Much quicker in pace and just as passionate as the rest of the tracks, it is a truly interesting song." She also valued both tracks as one of the best entries on Ultra Blue (2006) and This Is The One (2009).[15]

Commercial performance

Commercially, "Passion" experienced success in Japan, although sales were much lower than her previous releases. It debuted at number three on the daily Oricon Singles Chart, one of her lowest peaks.[38] Based on a six-day statistic, the single opened at number four on the weekly chart, selling 49,242 copies, making it her lowest first-week sales at the time.[39] The following week—dated January 2, 2006—it slipped to number 10 with 18,868 copies sold.[40] Because Oricon accumulated two weeks worth of sales, due to their New Years policy, the company did not publish an update until January 16, where "Passion" slipped two places with 22,877 copies.[41] The track made its final appearance inside the top 40 at number 16, selling 6,061 copies and dated on January 23.[42] Overall, it spent 16 weeks inside the top 200 chart and sold 112,345 units by the end of its initial chart run, marking this the singers lowest selling single until her 2008 double A-side release "Stay Gold" / "Heart Station".[43][44] At the end of 2006, Oricon ranked the single as the 91st best selling single in Japan.[45] "Passion" debuted at number four on Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) Count Down TV chart, a similar opening to the one on Oricon.[46] The single charted for nine weeks, one of her shortest spans within the Count TV archive.[47][48] Despite this, "Passion" was certified Gold twice by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for digital and cellphone sales of 100,000 units.[49][50]

Music video

Background and direction

An accompanying music video for "Passion" was directed by Utada's then-husband, Kazuaki Kiriya, where it was filmed at the at Gung-Ho Films studios in Beijing, China.[51] At the start of the video, an animation sequence was created and produced by Koji Morimoto, whom helmed a design-based campaign for the singers album Exodus, which was recognized as Fluximation-style animations.[8] The remaining additions of computer generated imagery were made by N-Design.[8] Several production workers had created the scenery including the infrastructure of the grand-hall (seating for the drummers, floor design) and the cathedral (the walls, platform for Utada, floor); Kiriya placed a blue screen behind these structures in order to expand them to higher lengths.[52] Utada revealed that majority of the dancers and drummers had choreographed intensely before commencing the video shoot; she jokingly stated that she apologized several times whilst messing up the routines.[8]

For the final scene, several producers hired horse riders in order to lead a herd of horses to run through the corn field.[20] After this scene was complete, Utada wore the same outfit designed by Hibino Kozue, which is a large coated–dress with a trail of puffy inserts, and sung it in the same location.[20] The ending scene was co-directed by Emmanuel Previnarie, Sze Kwan Chong and Marc Asmode, where they used a flying camera on a small helicopter to retrieve an aerial shot of Utada on the corn field.[20] Regarding the female animation at the start, Utada believed it was a representation of her and further exclaimed her inspiration of the video was from the 1997 film Princess Mononoke; "The people who were doing the on-the-spot filming seemed to have my sort of make. Like, not very adult-like and not very feminine [...], much like as if we were all Princess Mononoke. Uggh, it looks like I'll be getting more female fans now!"[8] Furthermore, the singer said:[8]

"The anime character that [Moromoto Koji] made for the music video is of a girl that he made to really look like me. When I first looked at it, Mr. Morimoto kept drawing girl's faces that I thought looked different from my own, but on the way he must have changed it. I got an explanation out of him, and he said that he only noticed it that moment. I mean, I don't think I'm cute, but I thought he made my image into a really cute one! [...] I was really happy about it though!.

Synopsis and reception

The animated woman (pictured) is a representation of Utada Hikaru, and the creation was inspired by several anime films and shows such as the 1997 entry Princess Mononoke.

The visual opens with a small microscopic organism-like figures, eventually zooming out on an animated woman. Dancing in the wind, the opening chorus has the woman gliding through a vast field of clouds, often flying in front of the sun. A strong force field follows her as she is about to land onto buildings, but intercuts into Utada walking through digitized clouds.[51] The camera then changes positions, aimed towards the singer, and showcases her walking through a large grand hall with purple colored Kachina's in cloaks, hitting drums to the songs beat. She walks into a large cathedral-like infrastructure and summons numerous pink kachina's dancing to the tune.

By the third chorus, the interior expands and more kachinas are summoned; this sequence also have flowing cherry blossom leaves. The bridge re-plays sections of the animated lady but with Utada singing the song, both overlapping each other. From there, the interior of the cathedral starts to disappear and move, but then focuses on a herd of houses running through a vast corn field. The video ends with Utada stretching her arms against the sunlight, as the camera zooms away from her via birds eye view, all shot by a toy airplane which was controlled by the director off the video.[51]

The music video premiered exclusively to the Japanese website Hot Express on November 21, 2005, and was first broadcast on television networks, such as MTV, in early 2006; "Sanctuary" was dubbed over the video and premiered as well.[53][54][55] The video attracted positive reviews from commentators. An editorial review at Amazon.com praised the visuals, saying that it "represented a world that we have never seen."[22] Simon Smith from VGMO.com noticed that the visual "involve[d] anime Utada, lots of drum banging, even more horses, and even more dancing kachinas!." He concluded that the video was a "visual spectacular", but believed fans would be disappointed with the lack of visuals from Kingdom Hearts II.[14][56] The visual was added to the singers video compilation, Singles Collection Vol.4 (2006); a special live version was placed as the final track.[57]

Promotion and other usage

Apart from its inclusion on various Kingdom Heart video games, Utada had performed the track on several television and concert shows. The singer first sung the track on Japan's Music Station, where it premiered on December 2, 2005; the backdrop featured architecture from the songs music video.[58] Three days later, she made an appearance on the Fuji TV show Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ, performing the track.[59] Subsequently, she performed the track again on music shows Utaban, Music Fighter and CDTV between December 8–10; the latter performance was a repeat of her at Utaban but showcasing different camera angles.[60] To celebrate 2005 Christmas season, Utada hosted a live special where she sung an piano-driven version of the track in a studio.[61] "Passion" was performed on Utada's United 2006 concert tour as the opening track, and furthermore on her her Utada: In the Flesh 2010; the singer had combined both "Passion" and "Sanctuary", performing both Japanese and English throughout the performance. A live version was published on her Vevo account, and again on iTunes Store with the rest of the show.[62][63][64][65] The most recent performance was on her 2011 Wild Life concert, which was then distributed on Blu-ray in May 2011.[66]

Moveover, "Passion" and "Sanctuary" have been sampled several times by different musicians. "Passion" was sampled for Stevey Jay's track "Kingdom of Hearts", which appeared on his extended play The Streets and Watching (2008); the title is loosely derived from the video game title.[67] American rapper XV sampled the ending version of "Sanctuary" for his song "When We're Done", which was included on his mixtape Zero Heroes (2010).[68] Lil B., an American rapper, released a remix version of his single "Pretty Boy", which sampled the remedy of "Sanctuary".[69] Within that time frame, British rapper and grime artist Devlin sampled the track in his single "London City", which appeared on his album Bud, Sweat and Beers (2010); the rapper credited Utada as a featuring artist.[70] The following year, American rapper French Montana sampled the composition for a song with the same title, which then ended up on his mixtape Mac & Cheese 3 (2012).[71] Electronic musician Groundislava remixed "Sanctuary" in 2013, and was noted for its chillout musical elements.[72] In 2014, rapper Tony Moxberg released his single "Still Ridin'", which sampled the intro of "Sanctuary".[73] That same year, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, whom worked with Utada nearly 13 years prior on her album Distance, and Peabo Bryson covered "Sanctuary" for Utada Hikaru no Uta, a tribute album celebrating 15 years since Utada's debut.[74] Jam and Lewis had discussed their interpretations of the track and commented;[74]

Upon studying [‘Sanctuary’] we were struck by the haunting aspect of the original recording and knew we wanted to keep that element on the new version while adding different dynamic instrumentation. Because of the importance of space and silence crafted in [‘Sanctuary’] we felt the trademark vocals of the legendary [Peabo Bryson] would be a perfect fit to add a soaring vocal component to complete the musical journey. Always keeping in mind that pleasing [Hikaru] was our main objective, we along with our creative team of production partner ‘the great’ [John Jackson] and [Peabo Bryson] set about crafting the perfect balance.”[75]

Cultural impact

Likewise to her success with "Hikari" and "Simple and Clean", both "Passion" and "Sanctuary" sparked worldwide attention yet again for Utada, due to its success with the second Kingdom Hearts video game; by March 2007, the English adaption of the game sold over four million units worldwide.[76] According to Bradley Stern, reporting from MuuMuse, he believed the recordings were her only entries that gained a global fanbase because of its influence through the video game phenomenon, which was rare of Asian markets to capture outside of their native countries.[77] Similarly, Emily Goodman from Axs.com published an article on January 4, 2015, with the headline exclaiming that Utada was "best known for her work on Kingdom Hearts. In the article, Goodman discussed that whilst known for "Passion" and "Sanctuary", Utada’s musical success goes far beyond a single video game line. In addition to her work on the video game series, Utada has seen an incredible amount of success both in America and in Japan."[78] Similarly, Alicia Joy from The Culture Trip said the songs brought prominence to the rise of Utada's sales worldwide.[79]

"'Passion' is perhaps Utada’s most complex: The lyrics are nothing short of poetry, while the song itself fluctuates between various degrees of intensity and serene vulnerability... To me, 'Passion' is the defining point of Utada’s artistic craft."[11]

MuuMuse writer Bradley Stern discussing his opinion about "Passion", and explaining its effect on Utada's musical career.

Commentators from retail organizations, such as staff editors on Amazon.com and HMV Japan, have noted that the tracks (particularly "Passion" due to its single release) were introductions to a "new pop era", and cemented Utada's musical direction by calling the quality of the sound as "magnificent".[80][81] Additionally, both tracks have been recognized by publications as some of her best work, and even entered several top lists as the best video game theme song; Pete Schiecke from AOL Radio put the songs atop of his "10 Best Video Game Music Soundtracks".[82] A large fan poll on Enix Origin hosted a list that ranked their top 10 Final Fantasy/Kingdom Hearts songs, and "Passion" / "Sanctuary" were placed a number four respectively.[83] Miko Amaranthine from Yahoo! Music listed "Passion" as his sixth best Utada song.[17] "Sanctuary" was listed on the All Womans Talk website by Cassandra Rose for being her sixth inclusion on the "7 Ingenious Songs Based on Video Games".[84] A member at Buzznet listed "Passion" and "Sanctuary" on their top playlist, whilst Joy mentioned the tracks in their "An Intro to Japanese Music in 5 Artists".[79][85] Jenni Lada from Technology Tell recommended "Passion" over "Sanctuary", and also listed it as a "Recommended track" from the singers discography.[86] IGN echoed the sentiment and listed it as number four in their top ten list of RPG title tracks, commenting that the tune "lifted the doubts they had about the game's potential."[87]

Despite the success of both singles, they were not able to match the sales of the singers predecessor "Hikari"; "Passion" sold over 112,000 physical units (with an additional 200,000 digital and cellphone units), coming to a total of over 350,000 units.[44] However, the latter track sold over 860,000 units in Japan, making it one of her best selling singles.[44][88][89] "Passion" also became her lowest selling single until her 2008 double A-side release "Stay Gold" / "Heart Station".[44] In early 2013, an announcement confirmed the development of the third instalment of the Kingdom Hearts console game.[90] In October that year, Utada's father, Teruzane Utada, was asked on Twitter about their contribution towards the third installment, to which Teruzane replied "Yes."[91] The response caused a large impact through social media in Japan and America.[92] However, the following day Teruzane took to Twitter again to clarify that he and Hikaru are "undecided" on contributing towards the song, stating that he was "confused" by the question when he was asked.[93]

Track listing and formats

CD single[9]
  1. "Passion" – 4:44
  2. "Passion" (After the Battle) – 5:58
CD and DVD[20]
  1. "Passion" – 4:44
  2. "Passion" (After the Battle) – 5:58
    1. "Passion" (music video) – 4:50

Digital download 1[28]
  1. "Sanctuary" (Opening) – 4:15
Digital download 2[29]
  1. "Sanctuary" (Ending) – 5:58

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the single's CD and DVD release.[20]

Recording and pro-tools
Music credits
  • Utada Hikaru – songwriting, composing, arrangement, production, vocals, vocal production, keyboards, programming
  • Matt Rohde – keyboards, programming, piano
  • Alexis Smith – additional programming
  • Ben Mauro – guitar
  • Glenn Erwin – pro-tools
  • Akira Miyake – production
  • Teruzane Utada – production
Visual credits
  • Kazuaki Kiriya – art direction, photographer, video director
  • Shindo Mitsuo – art direction, design
  • Aoya Takayuki – design
  • Hibino Kozue – stylist, costume designer
  • Inagaki Ryoji – hair and make-up
  • Okita Hidenobu – direction
  • William Cheng – co-director
  • Emmanuel Previnarie – flying camera
  • Sze Kwan Chong – flying camera
  • Marc Asmode – flying camera
  • Ma Qingyuan – Gaffer
  • Kang Yabiao – key grip
  • Hayashida Yuji – production design
  • Akatsuka Yoshi – art department
  • Aiko Etsuko – art direction
  • Huang Xinming – art direction, choreographer
  • Motegi Yutaka – set decorator
  • Wang Pu – set decorator
Animation credits
  • N-Design Productions – GCI production
  • Nozaki Koji – CGI director
  • Fujita Takuya – CGI producer
  • Osanai Shusuke – CGI chief designer
  • Nakamura Akihiro – CGI designer
  • Kosaka Taketu – CGI designer
  • Ishibashi Naoko – CGI designer
  • Tajima Hideaki – CGI designer
  • Studio 4°C – animation production
  • Morimoto Koji – director
  • Kusaki Takayuki – CG director
  • Nihayashi Marefumi – art director
  • Kajigaya Mutsuko – in-between supervisor
  • Washida Tomoko – color stylist
  • Hatakeda Rika – animation producer
  • Hirukawa Kotaro – animation producer
Management credits
  • Gung-Ho Films – production
  • Michael McDermott – line producer
  • Gao Jingxin – production manager
  • Amanda Bi – production supervisor
  • Miyagawa Eriko – production co-ordinator
  • Wang Bin – key production assistant
  • Jasper Thomlinson – producer
  • Teruzane Utada – executive producer

Charts

Chart (2005–06) Peak
position
Japan Daily Chart (Oricon)[38] 3
Japan Weekly Chart (Oricon)[39] 4
Japan Yearly Chart (Oricon)[45] 91
Japan Digital Track Chart (RIAJ)[94] 75

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Japan (RIAJ) N/A 112,345[44]
Japan (RIAJ) Gold (digital)[50] 100,000
Japan (RIAJ) Gold (cellphone)[49] 100,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Japan December 14, 2005
  • CD
  • DVD
  • digital download
  • EMI Music Japan
  • Eastworld
[9][20][95]
Worldwide December 26, 2005
  • CD
  • DVD
[22]
South East Asia December 28, 2005 [23]
Japan June 13, 2006 Digital download[upper-alpha 2] EMI Music Japan [96]
Australia [97]
New Zealand [98]
United Kingdom [99]
Ireland [100]
Germany [101]
France [102]
Spain [103]
Taiwan [104]
United States [105]
Canada [106]
Japan January 1, 2009 Digital download (Sanctuary; Opening)[upper-alpha 3] Island Def Jam [28]
digital download (Sanctuary; Ending)[upper-alpha 4] [29]
July 20, 2009 Airplay [30]
July 22, 2009 Digital EP [30]

See also

Notes

  1. Critics such as MuuMuse,[11] CD Journal,[12] AllMusic,[13] and Square Enix Music[14] have identified the record as a pop song with several influences to it.
  2. Because the single was not made available on iTunes Store worldwide, "Passion" was distributed with the parent album Ultra Blue.[95]
  3. Single was distributed separately on iTunes Store in Japan only.[28]
  4. Single was distributed separately on iTunes Store in Japan only.[29]

References

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