Utada: English vs Japanese

Discussion in 'Music' started by oblivion19929, Mar 2, 2007.

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  1. oblivion19929 Traverse Town Homebody

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    I was comparing Utada in english and japanese and to me she sounds better in japanese than english. Her voice sounds better.

    Is it just me or what?
     
  2. AlexleHoshi Dude called Alex

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    Well she is Japanese so maybe that's why
     
  3. ZakuraRabbit Gummi Ship Junkie

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    Everything sounds better in the original language. But Utada is surely better than many other japanese singers I've heard.
    I have heard music from dragonball Z (the japanese songs) being sung in english by the original singer (who is japanese) and it sounds awful! The guy can't sing in english at all!

    But back on topic; Utadai sings well in english but it is japanese that is her original language, so she is probably more confident singing in japanese.
     
  4. Soushirei 運命の欠片

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    Utada Hikaru was raised in America; she knows both English and Japanese to somewhat an equally fluent level.

    I know lots of people say she's better in Japanese, but I believe part of her 'sounding better' is probably because the English lyrics in her song seem rather awkward and don't 'flow' well in comparison to their Japanese counterparts. Ignoring the fact that she wrote "Sanctuary" before she wrote "Passion", it's a lot easier for us native English speakers to criticize the 'flow' of the English lyrics because we know the conventions of certain words really well. We have predispositions and schemas about how a lot of words are supposed to be used and said in prose, but we may not have the same understanding about other languages less familiar to us.

    In my opinion, I think Utada Hikaru is pretty bad in general at distributing syllables in her songs, whether it's English or Japanese--i.e. lyrically, Sanctuary was just as bad as Passion to me. The way she elongated "kirei", for example, was rather ******ed and somewhat superfluous to me.

    It's easier to find mistakes or 'awkward discrepancies' in languages we're not all that familiar with when we see it used in melody.

    My opinion? Utada Hikaru is good at composition, but her lyrics need a little work--whether that's Japanese or English.
     
  5. EvilMan_89 Code Master

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    i thot it was fine both ways
     
  6. hrabbit Destiny Islands Resident

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    >.> *glares at ロクサス"


    I am one of the biggest hikki fans <3 she is my idol

    I understand her Japanese lyrics as well as her English ones (...duh) and I would have to say they are both equally great ^^. She really sings different in English than she does in Japanese. If I had to choose I would say her singing in Japanese is better only because I like they style more.... and her English lyrics (excluding simple and clean) are a little.... well.... weird O.o
     
  7. Soushirei 運命の欠片

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    From a vocalist stand-point, since I was a Vocal major for the last 6 years before I went off to college (my high school was a performing arts academy), and we experimented with many different styles of singing--Japanese was in fact one of them--Utada Hikaru's main criticism from me would be that she needs to work on her 'phrasing'.

    Of course, this deficiency is mostly due to her somewhat surreal arrangement of lyrics--and while many would like to argue that it's a uniqueness that differentiates her from other artists, it's an endless ordeal to question what is good art and what is not. *However*, from a technical perspective, this lyrical awkwardness constitutes the little-below-par phrasing that I find in her singing (albeit not horrible overall).

    I absolutely love most of Utada Hikaru's music: First Love, Underwater, Automatic, and of course Simple & Clean/Hikari & Passion/Sanctuary are just a few; nothing can be absolutely perfect, but I was just trying to put it out there that many people unawaringly judge the aptitude of music sung in other languages without really taking into account the linguistic bias that accompanies their method of discernment.

    Phrasing is my only issue with her music; it could be better.

    EDIT: Also just wanted to clarify--just in case you misunderstood what I meant by 'not familiar with another language'--I wasn't so much referring to whether or not you're able to translate the lyrics for yourself. I was referring to understanding cultural conventions that surround a particular language. The social undertones that define how many words are used in context rather than simple definition. A very loose example would be how 'kimi' and 'omae' definitively describe the same pronoun (you)', but their social contexts are different. This is what I meant with Utada Hikaru's use of words in her lyrics. In most cases, the way she decides to sing and elongate certain words is rather awkward when placed in context of where and how these words are typically used. This only pertains to songs sung in one language. I really don't care much about the songs where she goes back and forth between English and Japanese, since that's a completely different thing.
     
  8. Misty gimme kiss

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    I agree with ロクサス. One of the only reasons that Utada sounds better in Japanese is because some of the notes will come out awkwardly.

    (Ex. "My fears, my lies, melt awa-ha-hayyyyyyyy")

    I personally enjoy her Japanese music over the English, although it seems she ties both languages into her music. (Ex. Keep Tryin')
     
  9. ♥ M e w I c h i g o ♥ Twilight Town Denizen

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    i'm not really a utada person >.> i only own two of her songs (simple and clean and the remix) but i've heard passion. i guess she sounds better in japanese cause it's her native language, so she's less focussed on getting the words right.
    oh and almost forgot, i guess this part isn't about utada, but it's another example: shakira sounds way better in spanish.
     
  10. Inasuma "pumpkin"

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    This belongs in the music section, bro. ;]

    And I personally think the Japanese vocals are much better than English vocals. They sound a lot wavier--which I think is a better sound.
     
  11. Alex C: Kingdom Keeper

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    I like her songs in english only because I understand what she says xp but I think she sounds better in Japenesse.
     
  12. oblivion19929 Traverse Town Homebody

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    ロクサス you sure do write alot.
    I wish a wrote as much and as good as you. i would be getting all a's in my english class :)
     
  13. DarknessKingdom The Kingpin of the TV

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    I understand only a little bit of Japanese, but generally in terms of clarity and understand, I think Japanese is better. It sounds more natural to me than in English.

    Don't get me wrong. I think some of her English music is quite good but I think she sounds at her best in Japanese.
     
  14. hikki_kairi Gummi Ship Junkie

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    well, I am a certified Hikki fan *points at user name* and to me, her japanese songs are much better!
     
  15. Mari Hollow Bastion Committee

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    Japanese. It sounds more natural and her lyrics make more sense. :3
     
  16. Sara Tea Drinker

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    This should e moved to music. :D

    -MOVED-

    I liked Simple and Clean in English, but Passion in Japanese, so I guess I'm in the middle.
     
  17. Sanya Orussia’s 586th Fighter Regiment

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    I like simple and clean in English, and Passion in both launguages... I don't really care, she has a beautiful voice either way.
     
  18. Peyton Goddess Of Love ♥

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    ^^

    I think she sings beautiful in both languages ,but it sounds a little "cleaner" in japanese ^^
    But She is an amazing singer so it don't matter that much which language it is in ^^
     
  19. Mish smiley day!

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    Same here, although I still like Hikari and Sanctuary too. ^_^
     
  20. DarknessKingdom The Kingpin of the TV

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    Simple and Clean was good even though Hikari sounds more natural.

    Sanctuary, eh, I thought it was alright.
     
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