Введение
Concentration 20 — третий студийный альбом японской певицы Нами Амуро. Он был выпущен 24 июля 1997 года лейблом Avex Trax. Жанр альбома — это смешение стилей, включая поп, данс, рок, регги и ска. В отличие от предыдущего альбома Амуро, Sweet 19 Blues, в котором тексты песен в основном писал Тэцуя Комуро, тексты Concentration 20 были написаны преимущественно Марком Пантером. Однако Комуро сочинил и аранжировал большинство песен альбома и написал тексты к трем из них. Это был второй сольный альбом Нами после распада группы Super Monkey's. "A Walk in the Park" был выпущен в качестве лид-сингла альбома 27 ноября 1996 года. Сингл имел большой успех, став четвертым синглом Амуро, возглавившим чарт Oricon Singles Chart, и четвертым миллионником продаж. Второй сингл, "Can You Celebrate?", вышел 19 февраля 1997 года. Он стал беспрецедентным хитом, продав 2 296 200 копий и оставаясь самым продаваемым физическим синглом сольной исполнительницы в истории японской музыки. "Can You Celebrate?" получил двойной платиновый сертификат от RIAJ, став ее первым и последним синглом, удостоенным такой сертификации. Третий сингл, "How to Be a Girl", с элементами рока, достиг первого места в чарте и продался тиражом более 770 000 копий, став шестым синглом Амуро, возглавившим чарт. Альбом получил положительные отзывы и удостоился премии Asia Association Music Prize Awards. Альбом имел огромный коммерческий успех, дебютировав на первом месте в чарте Oricon Albums Chart с продажами 824 980 копий в первую неделю. Он продержался в чартах 28 недель и стал седьмым по продажам альбомом года, продав почти два миллиона копий и являясь 80-м по продажам альбомом за всю историю в Японии. В совокупности с продажами синглов, Concentration 20 продал около 4,5 миллионов копий.
Concentration 20 is the third studio album by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released on July 24, 1997, by Avex Trax. The album's genre is a fusion of styles including pop, dance, rock, reggae and ska. Unlike Amuro's previous effort, Sweet 19 Blues, which primarily had lyrics written by Tetsuya Komuro, Concentration 20'''s lyrics were mostly written by Marc Panther. Komuro did, however, compose and arrange most of the album's songs and wrote the lyrics to three of them. It was Namie's second solo album since splitting up with Super Monkey's. "A Walk in the Park" was released as the album's lead single on November 27, 1996. The single was very successful, becoming Amuro's fourth number one single on the Oricon Singles Chart and fourth million seller. The second single, "Can You Celebrate? ", was released on February 19, 1997. It became an unprecedented smash hit, selling 2,296,200 copies and remains the best selling physical single by a female soloist in Japanese music history. "Can You Celebrate?" was certified double million by the RIAJ, her first and last single to receive such a certification. The rock infused third single, "How to Be a Girl", reached number one and sold over 770,000 copies, becoming Amuro's sixth number one single. The album received positive reviews upon release and won the Asia Association Music Prize Awards. The album was massively successful, premiering at the top of the Oricon Albums Chart with first week sales of 824,980 copies. It resided on the charts for 28 weeks, and was the seventh best selling album of the year, selling nearly two million copies and is the 80th best selling album of all time in Japan. Combined with the sales of its singles, Concentration 20 has sold around 4.5 million copies. Background and recording
After Amuro's 1996 album Sweet 19 Blues sold more than three million copies in Japan and for a brief period was even the best selling Japanese album of all time, recording for a follow up album began immediately. Much of the recording of Concentration 20 was done in the United States, primarily in California and New York. Two weeks were devoted to recording in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. The title of the album was chosen because, according to Amuro: "the studio at that time was on 20th Street in Santa Monica, and that is where we concentrated." She also stated: "the 20th century is almost over, so let's concentrate on the time we have left," along with, "can we keep listening to this album throughout the 20th century?" The album was named so that it could be played with various meanings, such as "people who were 19 years old when Sweet 19 Blues was released are now entering their 20s," and so on, to broaden the imagination. Coincidentally, the title and Amuro's age at the time of release matched even though she was not aware of it. Other well known artists such as Marc Panther, Koji Kubo, and m. c. A. T. (Akio Togashi) also participated in the production of the album. "Storm" features m. c. A. T., as on the previous album. Composition
The album concept was "Fancy & Cool," with the "glamorous and flashy" part emphasized in "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?" and the "cool" part in "Close your eyes, Close to you," "Concentration 20 (make you alright)" and "Whisper." "B w/z you" is a mid tempo number with a rock beat and a powerful hammering sound. She performed the song at the Japan Cable Awards in December 1996 and at the Japan Gold Disc Awards in February 1997. "A Walk in the Park" was the 13th best selling single of the year 1997. The album's second single was "Can You Celebrate?" Amuro began the year 1997 with her defining single and biggest success to date. The song, a gospel influenced ballad, was released as the second single from the album. It opened at the top spot with over 800,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest first week sales for a single at that time and the 8th highest opening sales of all time for a single in Japan. It spent two consecutive weeks at #1,7 weeks in the top 5 and 8 weeks in Top 10 totally. It was charted for 40 weeks. "Can You Celebrate?" was the biggest selling single of 1997 and is the 14th best selling single in Japanese music history with sales of over 2.29 million copies. A remix single of the song was also released to commemorate Amuro's wedding with Masaharu "Sam" Maruyama and was also successful with about 500,000 units sold. In December 1997, the song helped her to win the Best Single Award at the 39th Japan Record Awards. "How to Be a Girl" is the third and last single from the album and was released in May 1997. "How to Be a Girl" is Amuro's first attempt at rock music. The single still managed to be a commercial success, spending two consecutive weeks at No. 1 and selling over 770,000 copies, included over 300,000 copies purchased in its opening week. How to Be a Girl was also the 23rd best selling single of 1997. Tie ups and theme songs
"A Walk in the Park" and "Can You Celebrate?" were both theme songs for Maxell UD commercials and "Whisper" was used as the background music for the Maxell MD74 commercial. "Can You Celebrate?" was also the theme song of the Japanese dorama Virgin Road. "How to Be a Girl" was used as background music in four commercials for Sea Breeze products. The first CM was promoting a sun lotion, the second a shampoo, the third a deodorant and the last a moisturizer. "No Communication" was used as background music in a commercial for the DyDo Mistio drinks. Commercial performance Concentration 20 debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon Albums Chart with 824,980 copies sold in its first week of availability. It again nabbed the top spot on the charts in its 2nd week of availability, with sales of 362,440 copies. On its third week Concentration 20 dropped to No. 4 with 229,550 copies sold. The album stayed in the top 10 for 7 weeks and in the top 20 for 9 weeks. The following month, in August 1997, Amuro became the first teenage popster to surpass the 20 million single and album sales mark on Oricon. In all, Concentration 20 sold about 1.9 million copies during its chart run and more than 2 million copies in total. Concentration 20'' is Amuro's third best selling LP according to Oricon Style, as well as the fifty sixth best selling album in Japan for the 1990s decade.
After Amuro's 1996 album Sweet 19 Blues sold more than three million copies in Japan and for a brief period was even the best selling Japanese album of all time, recording for a follow up album began immediately. Much of the recording of Concentration 20 was done in the United States, primarily in California and New York. Two weeks were devoted to recording in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. The title of the album was chosen because, according to Amuro: "the studio at that time was on 20th Street in Santa Monica, and that is where we concentrated." She also stated: "the 20th century is almost over, so let's concentrate on the time we have left," along with, "can we keep listening to this album throughout the 20th century?" The album was named so that it could be played with various meanings, such as "people who were 19 years old when Sweet 19 Blues was released are now entering their 20s," and so on, to broaden the imagination. Coincidentally, the title and Amuro's age at the time of release matched even though she was not aware of it. Other well known artists such as Marc Panther, Koji Kubo, and m. c. A. T. (Akio Togashi) also participated in the production of the album. "Storm" features m. c. A. T., as on the previous album. Composition
The album concept was "Fancy & Cool," with the "glamorous and flashy" part emphasized in "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?" and the "cool" part in "Close your eyes, Close to you," "Concentration 20 (make you alright)" and "Whisper." "B w/z you" is a mid tempo number with a rock beat and a powerful hammering sound. She performed the song at the Japan Cable Awards in December 1996 and at the Japan Gold Disc Awards in February 1997. "A Walk in the Park" was the 13th best selling single of the year 1997. The album's second single was "Can You Celebrate?" Amuro began the year 1997 with her defining single and biggest success to date. The song, a gospel influenced ballad, was released as the second single from the album. It opened at the top spot with over 800,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest first week sales for a single at that time and the 8th highest opening sales of all time for a single in Japan. It spent two consecutive weeks at #1,7 weeks in the top 5 and 8 weeks in Top 10 totally. It was charted for 40 weeks. "Can You Celebrate?" was the biggest selling single of 1997 and is the 14th best selling single in Japanese music history with sales of over 2.29 million copies. A remix single of the song was also released to commemorate Amuro's wedding with Masaharu "Sam" Maruyama and was also successful with about 500,000 units sold. In December 1997, the song helped her to win the Best Single Award at the 39th Japan Record Awards. "How to Be a Girl" is the third and last single from the album and was released in May 1997. "How to Be a Girl" is Amuro's first attempt at rock music. The single still managed to be a commercial success, spending two consecutive weeks at No. 1 and selling over 770,000 copies, included over 300,000 copies purchased in its opening week. How to Be a Girl was also the 23rd best selling single of 1997. Tie ups and theme songs
"A Walk in the Park" and "Can You Celebrate?" were both theme songs for Maxell UD commercials and "Whisper" was used as the background music for the Maxell MD74 commercial. "Can You Celebrate?" was also the theme song of the Japanese dorama Virgin Road. "How to Be a Girl" was used as background music in four commercials for Sea Breeze products. The first CM was promoting a sun lotion, the second a shampoo, the third a deodorant and the last a moisturizer. "No Communication" was used as background music in a commercial for the DyDo Mistio drinks. Commercial performance Concentration 20 debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon Albums Chart with 824,980 copies sold in its first week of availability. It again nabbed the top spot on the charts in its 2nd week of availability, with sales of 362,440 copies. On its third week Concentration 20 dropped to No. 4 with 229,550 copies sold. The album stayed in the top 10 for 7 weeks and in the top 20 for 9 weeks. The following month, in August 1997, Amuro became the first teenage popster to surpass the 20 million single and album sales mark on Oricon. In all, Concentration 20 sold about 1.9 million copies during its chart run and more than 2 million copies in total. Concentration 20'' is Amuro's third best selling LP according to Oricon Style, as well as the fifty sixth best selling album in Japan for the 1990s decade.
После того, как альбом Амуро 1996 года Sweet 19 Blues продал более трех миллионов копий в Японии и на короткое время стал самым продаваемым японским альбомом всех времен, запись материала для следующего альбома началась незамедлительно. Большая часть записи Concentration 20 проходила в Соединенных Штатах, преимущественно в Калифорнии и Нью-Йорке. Две недели были посвящены записи в Санта-Монике, Лос-Анджелес. Название альбома было выбрано потому, что, по словам Амуро: "студия в то время находилась на 20-й улице в Санта-Монике, и именно там мы сосредоточились". Она также добавила: "20-й век почти закончился, поэтому давайте сосредоточимся на оставшемся времени", а также: "Сможем ли мы продолжать слушать этот альбом на протяжении всего 20-го века?". Альбом был назван так, чтобы допускать различные интерпретации, например, "люди, которым было 19 лет, когда вышел Sweet 19 Blues, теперь вступают в свои 20-е", и так далее, расширяя воображение. Случайно, название и возраст Амуро на момент релиза совпали, хотя она об этом не знала. В создании альбома также приняли участие другие известные артисты, такие как Марк Пантер, Кодзи Кубо и m. c. A. T. (Акио Тогаси). В песне "Storm" участвует m. c. A. T., как и на предыдущем альбоме.
Concentration 20 is the third studio album by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released on July 24, 1997, by Avex Trax. The album's genre is a fusion of styles including pop, dance, rock, reggae and ska. Unlike Amuro's previous effort, Sweet 19 Blues, which primarily had lyrics written by Tetsuya Komuro, Concentration 20'''s lyrics were mostly written by Marc Panther. Komuro did, however, compose and arrange most of the album's songs and wrote the lyrics to three of them. It was Namie's second solo album since splitting up with Super Monkey's. "A Walk in the Park" was released as the album's lead single on November 27, 1996. The single was very successful, becoming Amuro's fourth number one single on the Oricon Singles Chart and fourth million seller. The second single, "Can You Celebrate? ", was released on February 19, 1997. It became an unprecedented smash hit, selling 2,296,200 copies and remains the best selling physical single by a female soloist in Japanese music history. "Can You Celebrate?" was certified double million by the RIAJ, her first and last single to receive such a certification. The rock infused third single, "How to Be a Girl", reached number one and sold over 770,000 copies, becoming Amuro's sixth number one single. The album received positive reviews upon release and won the Asia Association Music Prize Awards. The album was massively successful, premiering at the top of the Oricon Albums Chart with first week sales of 824,980 copies. It resided on the charts for 28 weeks, and was the seventh best selling album of the year, selling nearly two million copies and is the 80th best selling album of all time in Japan. Combined with the sales of its singles, Concentration 20 has sold around 4.5 million copies. Background and recording
After Amuro's 1996 album Sweet 19 Blues sold more than three million copies in Japan and for a brief period was even the best selling Japanese album of all time, recording for a follow up album began immediately. Much of the recording of Concentration 20 was done in the United States, primarily in California and New York. Two weeks were devoted to recording in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. The title of the album was chosen because, according to Amuro: "the studio at that time was on 20th Street in Santa Monica, and that is where we concentrated." She also stated: "the 20th century is almost over, so let's concentrate on the time we have left," along with, "can we keep listening to this album throughout the 20th century?" The album was named so that it could be played with various meanings, such as "people who were 19 years old when Sweet 19 Blues was released are now entering their 20s," and so on, to broaden the imagination. Coincidentally, the title and Amuro's age at the time of release matched even though she was not aware of it. Other well known artists such as Marc Panther, Koji Kubo, and m. c. A. T. (Akio Togashi) also participated in the production of the album. "Storm" features m. c. A. T., as on the previous album. Composition
The album concept was "Fancy & Cool," with the "glamorous and flashy" part emphasized in "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?" and the "cool" part in "Close your eyes, Close to you," "Concentration 20 (make you alright)" and "Whisper." "B w/z you" is a mid tempo number with a rock beat and a powerful hammering sound. She performed the song at the Japan Cable Awards in December 1996 and at the Japan Gold Disc Awards in February 1997. "A Walk in the Park" was the 13th best selling single of the year 1997. The album's second single was "Can You Celebrate?" Amuro began the year 1997 with her defining single and biggest success to date. The song, a gospel influenced ballad, was released as the second single from the album. It opened at the top spot with over 800,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest first week sales for a single at that time and the 8th highest opening sales of all time for a single in Japan. It spent two consecutive weeks at #1,7 weeks in the top 5 and 8 weeks in Top 10 totally. It was charted for 40 weeks. "Can You Celebrate?" was the biggest selling single of 1997 and is the 14th best selling single in Japanese music history with sales of over 2.29 million copies. A remix single of the song was also released to commemorate Amuro's wedding with Masaharu "Sam" Maruyama and was also successful with about 500,000 units sold. In December 1997, the song helped her to win the Best Single Award at the 39th Japan Record Awards. "How to Be a Girl" is the third and last single from the album and was released in May 1997. "How to Be a Girl" is Amuro's first attempt at rock music. The single still managed to be a commercial success, spending two consecutive weeks at No. 1 and selling over 770,000 copies, included over 300,000 copies purchased in its opening week. How to Be a Girl was also the 23rd best selling single of 1997. Tie ups and theme songs
"A Walk in the Park" and "Can You Celebrate?" were both theme songs for Maxell UD commercials and "Whisper" was used as the background music for the Maxell MD74 commercial. "Can You Celebrate?" was also the theme song of the Japanese dorama Virgin Road. "How to Be a Girl" was used as background music in four commercials for Sea Breeze products. The first CM was promoting a sun lotion, the second a shampoo, the third a deodorant and the last a moisturizer. "No Communication" was used as background music in a commercial for the DyDo Mistio drinks. Commercial performance Concentration 20 debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon Albums Chart with 824,980 copies sold in its first week of availability. It again nabbed the top spot on the charts in its 2nd week of availability, with sales of 362,440 copies. On its third week Concentration 20 dropped to No. 4 with 229,550 copies sold. The album stayed in the top 10 for 7 weeks and in the top 20 for 9 weeks. The following month, in August 1997, Amuro became the first teenage popster to surpass the 20 million single and album sales mark on Oricon. In all, Concentration 20 sold about 1.9 million copies during its chart run and more than 2 million copies in total. Concentration 20'' is Amuro's third best selling LP according to Oricon Style, as well as the fifty sixth best selling album in Japan for the 1990s decade.
After Amuro's 1996 album Sweet 19 Blues sold more than three million copies in Japan and for a brief period was even the best selling Japanese album of all time, recording for a follow up album began immediately. Much of the recording of Concentration 20 was done in the United States, primarily in California and New York. Two weeks were devoted to recording in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. The title of the album was chosen because, according to Amuro: "the studio at that time was on 20th Street in Santa Monica, and that is where we concentrated." She also stated: "the 20th century is almost over, so let's concentrate on the time we have left," along with, "can we keep listening to this album throughout the 20th century?" The album was named so that it could be played with various meanings, such as "people who were 19 years old when Sweet 19 Blues was released are now entering their 20s," and so on, to broaden the imagination. Coincidentally, the title and Amuro's age at the time of release matched even though she was not aware of it. Other well known artists such as Marc Panther, Koji Kubo, and m. c. A. T. (Akio Togashi) also participated in the production of the album. "Storm" features m. c. A. T., as on the previous album. Composition
The album concept was "Fancy & Cool," with the "glamorous and flashy" part emphasized in "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?" and the "cool" part in "Close your eyes, Close to you," "Concentration 20 (make you alright)" and "Whisper." "B w/z you" is a mid tempo number with a rock beat and a powerful hammering sound. She performed the song at the Japan Cable Awards in December 1996 and at the Japan Gold Disc Awards in February 1997. "A Walk in the Park" was the 13th best selling single of the year 1997. The album's second single was "Can You Celebrate?" Amuro began the year 1997 with her defining single and biggest success to date. The song, a gospel influenced ballad, was released as the second single from the album. It opened at the top spot with over 800,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest first week sales for a single at that time and the 8th highest opening sales of all time for a single in Japan. It spent two consecutive weeks at #1,7 weeks in the top 5 and 8 weeks in Top 10 totally. It was charted for 40 weeks. "Can You Celebrate?" was the biggest selling single of 1997 and is the 14th best selling single in Japanese music history with sales of over 2.29 million copies. A remix single of the song was also released to commemorate Amuro's wedding with Masaharu "Sam" Maruyama and was also successful with about 500,000 units sold. In December 1997, the song helped her to win the Best Single Award at the 39th Japan Record Awards. "How to Be a Girl" is the third and last single from the album and was released in May 1997. "How to Be a Girl" is Amuro's first attempt at rock music. The single still managed to be a commercial success, spending two consecutive weeks at No. 1 and selling over 770,000 copies, included over 300,000 copies purchased in its opening week. How to Be a Girl was also the 23rd best selling single of 1997. Tie ups and theme songs
"A Walk in the Park" and "Can You Celebrate?" were both theme songs for Maxell UD commercials and "Whisper" was used as the background music for the Maxell MD74 commercial. "Can You Celebrate?" was also the theme song of the Japanese dorama Virgin Road. "How to Be a Girl" was used as background music in four commercials for Sea Breeze products. The first CM was promoting a sun lotion, the second a shampoo, the third a deodorant and the last a moisturizer. "No Communication" was used as background music in a commercial for the DyDo Mistio drinks. Commercial performance Concentration 20 debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon Albums Chart with 824,980 copies sold in its first week of availability. It again nabbed the top spot on the charts in its 2nd week of availability, with sales of 362,440 copies. On its third week Concentration 20 dropped to No. 4 with 229,550 copies sold. The album stayed in the top 10 for 7 weeks and in the top 20 for 9 weeks. The following month, in August 1997, Amuro became the first teenage popster to surpass the 20 million single and album sales mark on Oricon. In all, Concentration 20 sold about 1.9 million copies during its chart run and more than 2 million copies in total. Concentration 20'' is Amuro's third best selling LP according to Oricon Style, as well as the fifty sixth best selling album in Japan for the 1990s decade.
Концепция альбома была "Fancy & Cool", с акцентом на "гламурную и яркую" составляющую в "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?" и на "крутую" в "Close your eyes, Close to you", "Concentration 20 (make you alright)" и "Whisper". "B w/z you" — это песня среднего темпа с роковым битом и мощным, отрывистым звуком. Она исполнила эту песню на Japan Cable Awards в декабре 1996 года и на Japan Gold Disc Awards в феврале 1997 года. "A Walk in the Park" стал 13-м по продажам синглом 1997 года. Вторым синглом с альбома был "Can You Celebrate?". Амуро начала 1997 год со своего определяющего сингла и самого большого успеха на тот момент. Эта песня, баллада с влиянием госпела, была выпущена в качестве второго сингла с альбома. Она дебютировала на первом месте с продажами более 800 000 копий в первую неделю, что стало самым высоким показателем продаж сингла на тот момент и восьмым по величине показателем дебютных продаж сингла в Японии за всю историю. Песня продержалась две недели подряд на первом месте, семь недель в топ-5 и восемь недель в топ-10 в целом. Она оставалась в чартах 40 недель. "Can You Celebrate?" стал самым продаваемым синглом 1997 года и является 14-м по продажам синглом в истории японской музыки с продажами более 2,29 миллиона копий. Ремикс-сингл песни также был выпущен в честь свадьбы Амуро с Масахару "Сэмом" Маруямой и также имел успех, продав около 500 000 копий. В декабре 1997 года эта песня помогла ей выиграть премию Best Single Award на 39-й церемонии вручения Japan Record Awards. "How to Be a Girl" — третий и последний сингл с альбома, выпущенный в мае 1997 года. "How to Be a Girl" — первая попытка Амуро в жанре рок. Сингл все же добился коммерческого успеха, продержавшись две недели подряд на первом месте и продав более 770 000 копий, включая более 300 000 копий, проданных в первую неделю. "How to Be a Girl" также стал 23-м по продажам синглом 1997 года.
Concentration 20 is the third studio album by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released on July 24, 1997, by Avex Trax. The album's genre is a fusion of styles including pop, dance, rock, reggae and ska. Unlike Amuro's previous effort, Sweet 19 Blues, which primarily had lyrics written by Tetsuya Komuro, Concentration 20'''s lyrics were mostly written by Marc Panther. Komuro did, however, compose and arrange most of the album's songs and wrote the lyrics to three of them. It was Namie's second solo album since splitting up with Super Monkey's. "A Walk in the Park" was released as the album's lead single on November 27, 1996. The single was very successful, becoming Amuro's fourth number one single on the Oricon Singles Chart and fourth million seller. The second single, "Can You Celebrate? ", was released on February 19, 1997. It became an unprecedented smash hit, selling 2,296,200 copies and remains the best selling physical single by a female soloist in Japanese music history. "Can You Celebrate?" was certified double million by the RIAJ, her first and last single to receive such a certification. The rock infused third single, "How to Be a Girl", reached number one and sold over 770,000 copies, becoming Amuro's sixth number one single. The album received positive reviews upon release and won the Asia Association Music Prize Awards. The album was massively successful, premiering at the top of the Oricon Albums Chart with first week sales of 824,980 copies. It resided on the charts for 28 weeks, and was the seventh best selling album of the year, selling nearly two million copies and is the 80th best selling album of all time in Japan. Combined with the sales of its singles, Concentration 20 has sold around 4.5 million copies. Background and recording
After Amuro's 1996 album Sweet 19 Blues sold more than three million copies in Japan and for a brief period was even the best selling Japanese album of all time, recording for a follow up album began immediately. Much of the recording of Concentration 20 was done in the United States, primarily in California and New York. Two weeks were devoted to recording in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. The title of the album was chosen because, according to Amuro: "the studio at that time was on 20th Street in Santa Monica, and that is where we concentrated." She also stated: "the 20th century is almost over, so let's concentrate on the time we have left," along with, "can we keep listening to this album throughout the 20th century?" The album was named so that it could be played with various meanings, such as "people who were 19 years old when Sweet 19 Blues was released are now entering their 20s," and so on, to broaden the imagination. Coincidentally, the title and Amuro's age at the time of release matched even though she was not aware of it. Other well known artists such as Marc Panther, Koji Kubo, and m. c. A. T. (Akio Togashi) also participated in the production of the album. "Storm" features m. c. A. T., as on the previous album. Composition
The album concept was "Fancy & Cool," with the "glamorous and flashy" part emphasized in "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?" and the "cool" part in "Close your eyes, Close to you," "Concentration 20 (make you alright)" and "Whisper." "B w/z you" is a mid tempo number with a rock beat and a powerful hammering sound. She performed the song at the Japan Cable Awards in December 1996 and at the Japan Gold Disc Awards in February 1997. "A Walk in the Park" was the 13th best selling single of the year 1997. The album's second single was "Can You Celebrate?" Amuro began the year 1997 with her defining single and biggest success to date. The song, a gospel influenced ballad, was released as the second single from the album. It opened at the top spot with over 800,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest first week sales for a single at that time and the 8th highest opening sales of all time for a single in Japan. It spent two consecutive weeks at #1,7 weeks in the top 5 and 8 weeks in Top 10 totally. It was charted for 40 weeks. "Can You Celebrate?" was the biggest selling single of 1997 and is the 14th best selling single in Japanese music history with sales of over 2.29 million copies. A remix single of the song was also released to commemorate Amuro's wedding with Masaharu "Sam" Maruyama and was also successful with about 500,000 units sold. In December 1997, the song helped her to win the Best Single Award at the 39th Japan Record Awards. "How to Be a Girl" is the third and last single from the album and was released in May 1997. "How to Be a Girl" is Amuro's first attempt at rock music. The single still managed to be a commercial success, spending two consecutive weeks at No. 1 and selling over 770,000 copies, included over 300,000 copies purchased in its opening week. How to Be a Girl was also the 23rd best selling single of 1997. Tie ups and theme songs
"A Walk in the Park" and "Can You Celebrate?" were both theme songs for Maxell UD commercials and "Whisper" was used as the background music for the Maxell MD74 commercial. "Can You Celebrate?" was also the theme song of the Japanese dorama Virgin Road. "How to Be a Girl" was used as background music in four commercials for Sea Breeze products. The first CM was promoting a sun lotion, the second a shampoo, the third a deodorant and the last a moisturizer. "No Communication" was used as background music in a commercial for the DyDo Mistio drinks. Commercial performance Concentration 20 debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon Albums Chart with 824,980 copies sold in its first week of availability. It again nabbed the top spot on the charts in its 2nd week of availability, with sales of 362,440 copies. On its third week Concentration 20 dropped to No. 4 with 229,550 copies sold. The album stayed in the top 10 for 7 weeks and in the top 20 for 9 weeks. The following month, in August 1997, Amuro became the first teenage popster to surpass the 20 million single and album sales mark on Oricon. In all, Concentration 20 sold about 1.9 million copies during its chart run and more than 2 million copies in total. Concentration 20'' is Amuro's third best selling LP according to Oricon Style, as well as the fifty sixth best selling album in Japan for the 1990s decade.
After Amuro's 1996 album Sweet 19 Blues sold more than three million copies in Japan and for a brief period was even the best selling Japanese album of all time, recording for a follow up album began immediately. Much of the recording of Concentration 20 was done in the United States, primarily in California and New York. Two weeks were devoted to recording in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. The title of the album was chosen because, according to Amuro: "the studio at that time was on 20th Street in Santa Monica, and that is where we concentrated." She also stated: "the 20th century is almost over, so let's concentrate on the time we have left," along with, "can we keep listening to this album throughout the 20th century?" The album was named so that it could be played with various meanings, such as "people who were 19 years old when Sweet 19 Blues was released are now entering their 20s," and so on, to broaden the imagination. Coincidentally, the title and Amuro's age at the time of release matched even though she was not aware of it. Other well known artists such as Marc Panther, Koji Kubo, and m. c. A. T. (Akio Togashi) also participated in the production of the album. "Storm" features m. c. A. T., as on the previous album. Composition
The album concept was "Fancy & Cool," with the "glamorous and flashy" part emphasized in "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?" and the "cool" part in "Close your eyes, Close to you," "Concentration 20 (make you alright)" and "Whisper." "B w/z you" is a mid tempo number with a rock beat and a powerful hammering sound. She performed the song at the Japan Cable Awards in December 1996 and at the Japan Gold Disc Awards in February 1997. "A Walk in the Park" was the 13th best selling single of the year 1997. The album's second single was "Can You Celebrate?" Amuro began the year 1997 with her defining single and biggest success to date. The song, a gospel influenced ballad, was released as the second single from the album. It opened at the top spot with over 800,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest first week sales for a single at that time and the 8th highest opening sales of all time for a single in Japan. It spent two consecutive weeks at #1,7 weeks in the top 5 and 8 weeks in Top 10 totally. It was charted for 40 weeks. "Can You Celebrate?" was the biggest selling single of 1997 and is the 14th best selling single in Japanese music history with sales of over 2.29 million copies. A remix single of the song was also released to commemorate Amuro's wedding with Masaharu "Sam" Maruyama and was also successful with about 500,000 units sold. In December 1997, the song helped her to win the Best Single Award at the 39th Japan Record Awards. "How to Be a Girl" is the third and last single from the album and was released in May 1997. "How to Be a Girl" is Amuro's first attempt at rock music. The single still managed to be a commercial success, spending two consecutive weeks at No. 1 and selling over 770,000 copies, included over 300,000 copies purchased in its opening week. How to Be a Girl was also the 23rd best selling single of 1997. Tie ups and theme songs
"A Walk in the Park" and "Can You Celebrate?" were both theme songs for Maxell UD commercials and "Whisper" was used as the background music for the Maxell MD74 commercial. "Can You Celebrate?" was also the theme song of the Japanese dorama Virgin Road. "How to Be a Girl" was used as background music in four commercials for Sea Breeze products. The first CM was promoting a sun lotion, the second a shampoo, the third a deodorant and the last a moisturizer. "No Communication" was used as background music in a commercial for the DyDo Mistio drinks. Commercial performance Concentration 20 debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon Albums Chart with 824,980 copies sold in its first week of availability. It again nabbed the top spot on the charts in its 2nd week of availability, with sales of 362,440 copies. On its third week Concentration 20 dropped to No. 4 with 229,550 copies sold. The album stayed in the top 10 for 7 weeks and in the top 20 for 9 weeks. The following month, in August 1997, Amuro became the first teenage popster to surpass the 20 million single and album sales mark on Oricon. In all, Concentration 20 sold about 1.9 million copies during its chart run and more than 2 million copies in total. Concentration 20'' is Amuro's third best selling LP according to Oricon Style, as well as the fifty sixth best selling album in Japan for the 1990s decade.
Использование в рекламе и саундтреки:
Concentration 20 is the third studio album by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released on July 24, 1997, by Avex Trax. The album's genre is a fusion of styles including pop, dance, rock, reggae and ska. Unlike Amuro's previous effort, Sweet 19 Blues, which primarily had lyrics written by Tetsuya Komuro, Concentration 20'''s lyrics were mostly written by Marc Panther. Komuro did, however, compose and arrange most of the album's songs and wrote the lyrics to three of them. It was Namie's second solo album since splitting up with Super Monkey's. "A Walk in the Park" was released as the album's lead single on November 27, 1996. The single was very successful, becoming Amuro's fourth number one single on the Oricon Singles Chart and fourth million seller. The second single, "Can You Celebrate? ", was released on February 19, 1997. It became an unprecedented smash hit, selling 2,296,200 copies and remains the best selling physical single by a female soloist in Japanese music history. "Can You Celebrate?" was certified double million by the RIAJ, her first and last single to receive such a certification. The rock infused third single, "How to Be a Girl", reached number one and sold over 770,000 copies, becoming Amuro's sixth number one single. The album received positive reviews upon release and won the Asia Association Music Prize Awards. The album was massively successful, premiering at the top of the Oricon Albums Chart with first week sales of 824,980 copies. It resided on the charts for 28 weeks, and was the seventh best selling album of the year, selling nearly two million copies and is the 80th best selling album of all time in Japan. Combined with the sales of its singles, Concentration 20 has sold around 4.5 million copies. Background and recording
After Amuro's 1996 album Sweet 19 Blues sold more than three million copies in Japan and for a brief period was even the best selling Japanese album of all time, recording for a follow up album began immediately. Much of the recording of Concentration 20 was done in the United States, primarily in California and New York. Two weeks were devoted to recording in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. The title of the album was chosen because, according to Amuro: "the studio at that time was on 20th Street in Santa Monica, and that is where we concentrated." She also stated: "the 20th century is almost over, so let's concentrate on the time we have left," along with, "can we keep listening to this album throughout the 20th century?" The album was named so that it could be played with various meanings, such as "people who were 19 years old when Sweet 19 Blues was released are now entering their 20s," and so on, to broaden the imagination. Coincidentally, the title and Amuro's age at the time of release matched even though she was not aware of it. Other well known artists such as Marc Panther, Koji Kubo, and m. c. A. T. (Akio Togashi) also participated in the production of the album. "Storm" features m. c. A. T., as on the previous album. Composition
The album concept was "Fancy & Cool," with the "glamorous and flashy" part emphasized in "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?" and the "cool" part in "Close your eyes, Close to you," "Concentration 20 (make you alright)" and "Whisper." "B w/z you" is a mid tempo number with a rock beat and a powerful hammering sound. She performed the song at the Japan Cable Awards in December 1996 and at the Japan Gold Disc Awards in February 1997. "A Walk in the Park" was the 13th best selling single of the year 1997. The album's second single was "Can You Celebrate?" Amuro began the year 1997 with her defining single and biggest success to date. The song, a gospel influenced ballad, was released as the second single from the album. It opened at the top spot with over 800,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest first week sales for a single at that time and the 8th highest opening sales of all time for a single in Japan. It spent two consecutive weeks at #1,7 weeks in the top 5 and 8 weeks in Top 10 totally. It was charted for 40 weeks. "Can You Celebrate?" was the biggest selling single of 1997 and is the 14th best selling single in Japanese music history with sales of over 2.29 million copies. A remix single of the song was also released to commemorate Amuro's wedding with Masaharu "Sam" Maruyama and was also successful with about 500,000 units sold. In December 1997, the song helped her to win the Best Single Award at the 39th Japan Record Awards. "How to Be a Girl" is the third and last single from the album and was released in May 1997. "How to Be a Girl" is Amuro's first attempt at rock music. The single still managed to be a commercial success, spending two consecutive weeks at No. 1 and selling over 770,000 copies, included over 300,000 copies purchased in its opening week. How to Be a Girl was also the 23rd best selling single of 1997. Tie ups and theme songs
"A Walk in the Park" and "Can You Celebrate?" were both theme songs for Maxell UD commercials and "Whisper" was used as the background music for the Maxell MD74 commercial. "Can You Celebrate?" was also the theme song of the Japanese dorama Virgin Road. "How to Be a Girl" was used as background music in four commercials for Sea Breeze products. The first CM was promoting a sun lotion, the second a shampoo, the third a deodorant and the last a moisturizer. "No Communication" was used as background music in a commercial for the DyDo Mistio drinks. Commercial performance Concentration 20 debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon Albums Chart with 824,980 copies sold in its first week of availability. It again nabbed the top spot on the charts in its 2nd week of availability, with sales of 362,440 copies. On its third week Concentration 20 dropped to No. 4 with 229,550 copies sold. The album stayed in the top 10 for 7 weeks and in the top 20 for 9 weeks. The following month, in August 1997, Amuro became the first teenage popster to surpass the 20 million single and album sales mark on Oricon. In all, Concentration 20 sold about 1.9 million copies during its chart run and more than 2 million copies in total. Concentration 20'' is Amuro's third best selling LP according to Oricon Style, as well as the fifty sixth best selling album in Japan for the 1990s decade.
After Amuro's 1996 album Sweet 19 Blues sold more than three million copies in Japan and for a brief period was even the best selling Japanese album of all time, recording for a follow up album began immediately. Much of the recording of Concentration 20 was done in the United States, primarily in California and New York. Two weeks were devoted to recording in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. The title of the album was chosen because, according to Amuro: "the studio at that time was on 20th Street in Santa Monica, and that is where we concentrated." She also stated: "the 20th century is almost over, so let's concentrate on the time we have left," along with, "can we keep listening to this album throughout the 20th century?" The album was named so that it could be played with various meanings, such as "people who were 19 years old when Sweet 19 Blues was released are now entering their 20s," and so on, to broaden the imagination. Coincidentally, the title and Amuro's age at the time of release matched even though she was not aware of it. Other well known artists such as Marc Panther, Koji Kubo, and m. c. A. T. (Akio Togashi) also participated in the production of the album. "Storm" features m. c. A. T., as on the previous album. Composition
The album concept was "Fancy & Cool," with the "glamorous and flashy" part emphasized in "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?" and the "cool" part in "Close your eyes, Close to you," "Concentration 20 (make you alright)" and "Whisper." "B w/z you" is a mid tempo number with a rock beat and a powerful hammering sound. She performed the song at the Japan Cable Awards in December 1996 and at the Japan Gold Disc Awards in February 1997. "A Walk in the Park" was the 13th best selling single of the year 1997. The album's second single was "Can You Celebrate?" Amuro began the year 1997 with her defining single and biggest success to date. The song, a gospel influenced ballad, was released as the second single from the album. It opened at the top spot with over 800,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest first week sales for a single at that time and the 8th highest opening sales of all time for a single in Japan. It spent two consecutive weeks at #1,7 weeks in the top 5 and 8 weeks in Top 10 totally. It was charted for 40 weeks. "Can You Celebrate?" was the biggest selling single of 1997 and is the 14th best selling single in Japanese music history with sales of over 2.29 million copies. A remix single of the song was also released to commemorate Amuro's wedding with Masaharu "Sam" Maruyama and was also successful with about 500,000 units sold. In December 1997, the song helped her to win the Best Single Award at the 39th Japan Record Awards. "How to Be a Girl" is the third and last single from the album and was released in May 1997. "How to Be a Girl" is Amuro's first attempt at rock music. The single still managed to be a commercial success, spending two consecutive weeks at No. 1 and selling over 770,000 copies, included over 300,000 copies purchased in its opening week. How to Be a Girl was also the 23rd best selling single of 1997. Tie ups and theme songs
"A Walk in the Park" and "Can You Celebrate?" were both theme songs for Maxell UD commercials and "Whisper" was used as the background music for the Maxell MD74 commercial. "Can You Celebrate?" was also the theme song of the Japanese dorama Virgin Road. "How to Be a Girl" was used as background music in four commercials for Sea Breeze products. The first CM was promoting a sun lotion, the second a shampoo, the third a deodorant and the last a moisturizer. "No Communication" was used as background music in a commercial for the DyDo Mistio drinks. Commercial performance Concentration 20 debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon Albums Chart with 824,980 copies sold in its first week of availability. It again nabbed the top spot on the charts in its 2nd week of availability, with sales of 362,440 copies. On its third week Concentration 20 dropped to No. 4 with 229,550 copies sold. The album stayed in the top 10 for 7 weeks and in the top 20 for 9 weeks. The following month, in August 1997, Amuro became the first teenage popster to surpass the 20 million single and album sales mark on Oricon. In all, Concentration 20 sold about 1.9 million copies during its chart run and more than 2 million copies in total. Concentration 20'' is Amuro's third best selling LP according to Oricon Style, as well as the fifty sixth best selling album in Japan for the 1990s decade.
"A Walk in the Park" и "Can You Celebrate?" были использованы в рекламе Maxell UD, а "Whisper" — в качестве фоновой музыки в рекламе Maxell MD74. "Can You Celebrate?" также была темой японской дорамы Virgin Road. "How to Be a Girl" использовалась в качестве фоновой музыки в четырех рекламных роликах продукции Sea Breeze: первом — лосьона от солнца, втором — шампуня, третьем — дезодоранта и четвертом — увлажняющего крема. "No Communication" использовалась в качестве фоновой музыки в рекламе напитков DyDo Mistio.
Concentration 20 is the third studio album by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released on July 24, 1997, by Avex Trax. The album's genre is a fusion of styles including pop, dance, rock, reggae and ska. Unlike Amuro's previous effort, Sweet 19 Blues, which primarily had lyrics written by Tetsuya Komuro, Concentration 20'''s lyrics were mostly written by Marc Panther. Komuro did, however, compose and arrange most of the album's songs and wrote the lyrics to three of them. It was Namie's second solo album since splitting up with Super Monkey's. "A Walk in the Park" was released as the album's lead single on November 27, 1996. The single was very successful, becoming Amuro's fourth number one single on the Oricon Singles Chart and fourth million seller. The second single, "Can You Celebrate? ", was released on February 19, 1997. It became an unprecedented smash hit, selling 2,296,200 copies and remains the best selling physical single by a female soloist in Japanese music history. "Can You Celebrate?" was certified double million by the RIAJ, her first and last single to receive such a certification. The rock infused third single, "How to Be a Girl", reached number one and sold over 770,000 copies, becoming Amuro's sixth number one single. The album received positive reviews upon release and won the Asia Association Music Prize Awards. The album was massively successful, premiering at the top of the Oricon Albums Chart with first week sales of 824,980 copies. It resided on the charts for 28 weeks, and was the seventh best selling album of the year, selling nearly two million copies and is the 80th best selling album of all time in Japan. Combined with the sales of its singles, Concentration 20 has sold around 4.5 million copies. Background and recording
After Amuro's 1996 album Sweet 19 Blues sold more than three million copies in Japan and for a brief period was even the best selling Japanese album of all time, recording for a follow up album began immediately. Much of the recording of Concentration 20 was done in the United States, primarily in California and New York. Two weeks were devoted to recording in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. The title of the album was chosen because, according to Amuro: "the studio at that time was on 20th Street in Santa Monica, and that is where we concentrated." She also stated: "the 20th century is almost over, so let's concentrate on the time we have left," along with, "can we keep listening to this album throughout the 20th century?" The album was named so that it could be played with various meanings, such as "people who were 19 years old when Sweet 19 Blues was released are now entering their 20s," and so on, to broaden the imagination. Coincidentally, the title and Amuro's age at the time of release matched even though she was not aware of it. Other well known artists such as Marc Panther, Koji Kubo, and m. c. A. T. (Akio Togashi) also participated in the production of the album. "Storm" features m. c. A. T., as on the previous album. Composition
The album concept was "Fancy & Cool," with the "glamorous and flashy" part emphasized in "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?" and the "cool" part in "Close your eyes, Close to you," "Concentration 20 (make you alright)" and "Whisper." "B w/z you" is a mid tempo number with a rock beat and a powerful hammering sound. She performed the song at the Japan Cable Awards in December 1996 and at the Japan Gold Disc Awards in February 1997. "A Walk in the Park" was the 13th best selling single of the year 1997. The album's second single was "Can You Celebrate?" Amuro began the year 1997 with her defining single and biggest success to date. The song, a gospel influenced ballad, was released as the second single from the album. It opened at the top spot with over 800,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest first week sales for a single at that time and the 8th highest opening sales of all time for a single in Japan. It spent two consecutive weeks at #1,7 weeks in the top 5 and 8 weeks in Top 10 totally. It was charted for 40 weeks. "Can You Celebrate?" was the biggest selling single of 1997 and is the 14th best selling single in Japanese music history with sales of over 2.29 million copies. A remix single of the song was also released to commemorate Amuro's wedding with Masaharu "Sam" Maruyama and was also successful with about 500,000 units sold. In December 1997, the song helped her to win the Best Single Award at the 39th Japan Record Awards. "How to Be a Girl" is the third and last single from the album and was released in May 1997. "How to Be a Girl" is Amuro's first attempt at rock music. The single still managed to be a commercial success, spending two consecutive weeks at No. 1 and selling over 770,000 copies, included over 300,000 copies purchased in its opening week. How to Be a Girl was also the 23rd best selling single of 1997. Tie ups and theme songs
"A Walk in the Park" and "Can You Celebrate?" were both theme songs for Maxell UD commercials and "Whisper" was used as the background music for the Maxell MD74 commercial. "Can You Celebrate?" was also the theme song of the Japanese dorama Virgin Road. "How to Be a Girl" was used as background music in four commercials for Sea Breeze products. The first CM was promoting a sun lotion, the second a shampoo, the third a deodorant and the last a moisturizer. "No Communication" was used as background music in a commercial for the DyDo Mistio drinks. Commercial performance Concentration 20 debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon Albums Chart with 824,980 copies sold in its first week of availability. It again nabbed the top spot on the charts in its 2nd week of availability, with sales of 362,440 copies. On its third week Concentration 20 dropped to No. 4 with 229,550 copies sold. The album stayed in the top 10 for 7 weeks and in the top 20 for 9 weeks. The following month, in August 1997, Amuro became the first teenage popster to surpass the 20 million single and album sales mark on Oricon. In all, Concentration 20 sold about 1.9 million copies during its chart run and more than 2 million copies in total. Concentration 20'' is Amuro's third best selling LP according to Oricon Style, as well as the fifty sixth best selling album in Japan for the 1990s decade.
After Amuro's 1996 album Sweet 19 Blues sold more than three million copies in Japan and for a brief period was even the best selling Japanese album of all time, recording for a follow up album began immediately. Much of the recording of Concentration 20 was done in the United States, primarily in California and New York. Two weeks were devoted to recording in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. The title of the album was chosen because, according to Amuro: "the studio at that time was on 20th Street in Santa Monica, and that is where we concentrated." She also stated: "the 20th century is almost over, so let's concentrate on the time we have left," along with, "can we keep listening to this album throughout the 20th century?" The album was named so that it could be played with various meanings, such as "people who were 19 years old when Sweet 19 Blues was released are now entering their 20s," and so on, to broaden the imagination. Coincidentally, the title and Amuro's age at the time of release matched even though she was not aware of it. Other well known artists such as Marc Panther, Koji Kubo, and m. c. A. T. (Akio Togashi) also participated in the production of the album. "Storm" features m. c. A. T., as on the previous album. Composition
The album concept was "Fancy & Cool," with the "glamorous and flashy" part emphasized in "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?" and the "cool" part in "Close your eyes, Close to you," "Concentration 20 (make you alright)" and "Whisper." "B w/z you" is a mid tempo number with a rock beat and a powerful hammering sound. She performed the song at the Japan Cable Awards in December 1996 and at the Japan Gold Disc Awards in February 1997. "A Walk in the Park" was the 13th best selling single of the year 1997. The album's second single was "Can You Celebrate?" Amuro began the year 1997 with her defining single and biggest success to date. The song, a gospel influenced ballad, was released as the second single from the album. It opened at the top spot with over 800,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest first week sales for a single at that time and the 8th highest opening sales of all time for a single in Japan. It spent two consecutive weeks at #1,7 weeks in the top 5 and 8 weeks in Top 10 totally. It was charted for 40 weeks. "Can You Celebrate?" was the biggest selling single of 1997 and is the 14th best selling single in Japanese music history with sales of over 2.29 million copies. A remix single of the song was also released to commemorate Amuro's wedding with Masaharu "Sam" Maruyama and was also successful with about 500,000 units sold. In December 1997, the song helped her to win the Best Single Award at the 39th Japan Record Awards. "How to Be a Girl" is the third and last single from the album and was released in May 1997. "How to Be a Girl" is Amuro's first attempt at rock music. The single still managed to be a commercial success, spending two consecutive weeks at No. 1 and selling over 770,000 copies, included over 300,000 copies purchased in its opening week. How to Be a Girl was also the 23rd best selling single of 1997. Tie ups and theme songs
"A Walk in the Park" and "Can You Celebrate?" were both theme songs for Maxell UD commercials and "Whisper" was used as the background music for the Maxell MD74 commercial. "Can You Celebrate?" was also the theme song of the Japanese dorama Virgin Road. "How to Be a Girl" was used as background music in four commercials for Sea Breeze products. The first CM was promoting a sun lotion, the second a shampoo, the third a deodorant and the last a moisturizer. "No Communication" was used as background music in a commercial for the DyDo Mistio drinks. Commercial performance Concentration 20 debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon Albums Chart with 824,980 copies sold in its first week of availability. It again nabbed the top spot on the charts in its 2nd week of availability, with sales of 362,440 copies. On its third week Concentration 20 dropped to No. 4 with 229,550 copies sold. The album stayed in the top 10 for 7 weeks and in the top 20 for 9 weeks. The following month, in August 1997, Amuro became the first teenage popster to surpass the 20 million single and album sales mark on Oricon. In all, Concentration 20 sold about 1.9 million copies during its chart run and more than 2 million copies in total. Concentration 20'' is Amuro's third best selling LP according to Oricon Style, as well as the fifty sixth best selling album in Japan for the 1990s decade.
Коммерческий успех:
Concentration 20 is the third studio album by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released on July 24, 1997, by Avex Trax. The album's genre is a fusion of styles including pop, dance, rock, reggae and ska. Unlike Amuro's previous effort, Sweet 19 Blues, which primarily had lyrics written by Tetsuya Komuro, Concentration 20'''s lyrics were mostly written by Marc Panther. Komuro did, however, compose and arrange most of the album's songs and wrote the lyrics to three of them. It was Namie's second solo album since splitting up with Super Monkey's. "A Walk in the Park" was released as the album's lead single on November 27, 1996. The single was very successful, becoming Amuro's fourth number one single on the Oricon Singles Chart and fourth million seller. The second single, "Can You Celebrate? ", was released on February 19, 1997. It became an unprecedented smash hit, selling 2,296,200 copies and remains the best selling physical single by a female soloist in Japanese music history. "Can You Celebrate?" was certified double million by the RIAJ, her first and last single to receive such a certification. The rock infused third single, "How to Be a Girl", reached number one and sold over 770,000 copies, becoming Amuro's sixth number one single. The album received positive reviews upon release and won the Asia Association Music Prize Awards. The album was massively successful, premiering at the top of the Oricon Albums Chart with first week sales of 824,980 copies. It resided on the charts for 28 weeks, and was the seventh best selling album of the year, selling nearly two million copies and is the 80th best selling album of all time in Japan. Combined with the sales of its singles, Concentration 20 has sold around 4.5 million copies. Background and recording
After Amuro's 1996 album Sweet 19 Blues sold more than three million copies in Japan and for a brief period was even the best selling Japanese album of all time, recording for a follow up album began immediately. Much of the recording of Concentration 20 was done in the United States, primarily in California and New York. Two weeks were devoted to recording in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. The title of the album was chosen because, according to Amuro: "the studio at that time was on 20th Street in Santa Monica, and that is where we concentrated." She also stated: "the 20th century is almost over, so let's concentrate on the time we have left," along with, "can we keep listening to this album throughout the 20th century?" The album was named so that it could be played with various meanings, such as "people who were 19 years old when Sweet 19 Blues was released are now entering their 20s," and so on, to broaden the imagination. Coincidentally, the title and Amuro's age at the time of release matched even though she was not aware of it. Other well known artists such as Marc Panther, Koji Kubo, and m. c. A. T. (Akio Togashi) also participated in the production of the album. "Storm" features m. c. A. T., as on the previous album. Composition
The album concept was "Fancy & Cool," with the "glamorous and flashy" part emphasized in "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?" and the "cool" part in "Close your eyes, Close to you," "Concentration 20 (make you alright)" and "Whisper." "B w/z you" is a mid tempo number with a rock beat and a powerful hammering sound. She performed the song at the Japan Cable Awards in December 1996 and at the Japan Gold Disc Awards in February 1997. "A Walk in the Park" was the 13th best selling single of the year 1997. The album's second single was "Can You Celebrate?" Amuro began the year 1997 with her defining single and biggest success to date. The song, a gospel influenced ballad, was released as the second single from the album. It opened at the top spot with over 800,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest first week sales for a single at that time and the 8th highest opening sales of all time for a single in Japan. It spent two consecutive weeks at #1,7 weeks in the top 5 and 8 weeks in Top 10 totally. It was charted for 40 weeks. "Can You Celebrate?" was the biggest selling single of 1997 and is the 14th best selling single in Japanese music history with sales of over 2.29 million copies. A remix single of the song was also released to commemorate Amuro's wedding with Masaharu "Sam" Maruyama and was also successful with about 500,000 units sold. In December 1997, the song helped her to win the Best Single Award at the 39th Japan Record Awards. "How to Be a Girl" is the third and last single from the album and was released in May 1997. "How to Be a Girl" is Amuro's first attempt at rock music. The single still managed to be a commercial success, spending two consecutive weeks at No. 1 and selling over 770,000 copies, included over 300,000 copies purchased in its opening week. How to Be a Girl was also the 23rd best selling single of 1997. Tie ups and theme songs
"A Walk in the Park" and "Can You Celebrate?" were both theme songs for Maxell UD commercials and "Whisper" was used as the background music for the Maxell MD74 commercial. "Can You Celebrate?" was also the theme song of the Japanese dorama Virgin Road. "How to Be a Girl" was used as background music in four commercials for Sea Breeze products. The first CM was promoting a sun lotion, the second a shampoo, the third a deodorant and the last a moisturizer. "No Communication" was used as background music in a commercial for the DyDo Mistio drinks. Commercial performance Concentration 20 debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon Albums Chart with 824,980 copies sold in its first week of availability. It again nabbed the top spot on the charts in its 2nd week of availability, with sales of 362,440 copies. On its third week Concentration 20 dropped to No. 4 with 229,550 copies sold. The album stayed in the top 10 for 7 weeks and in the top 20 for 9 weeks. The following month, in August 1997, Amuro became the first teenage popster to surpass the 20 million single and album sales mark on Oricon. In all, Concentration 20 sold about 1.9 million copies during its chart run and more than 2 million copies in total. Concentration 20'' is Amuro's third best selling LP according to Oricon Style, as well as the fifty sixth best selling album in Japan for the 1990s decade.
After Amuro's 1996 album Sweet 19 Blues sold more than three million copies in Japan and for a brief period was even the best selling Japanese album of all time, recording for a follow up album began immediately. Much of the recording of Concentration 20 was done in the United States, primarily in California and New York. Two weeks were devoted to recording in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. The title of the album was chosen because, according to Amuro: "the studio at that time was on 20th Street in Santa Monica, and that is where we concentrated." She also stated: "the 20th century is almost over, so let's concentrate on the time we have left," along with, "can we keep listening to this album throughout the 20th century?" The album was named so that it could be played with various meanings, such as "people who were 19 years old when Sweet 19 Blues was released are now entering their 20s," and so on, to broaden the imagination. Coincidentally, the title and Amuro's age at the time of release matched even though she was not aware of it. Other well known artists such as Marc Panther, Koji Kubo, and m. c. A. T. (Akio Togashi) also participated in the production of the album. "Storm" features m. c. A. T., as on the previous album. Composition
The album concept was "Fancy & Cool," with the "glamorous and flashy" part emphasized in "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?" and the "cool" part in "Close your eyes, Close to you," "Concentration 20 (make you alright)" and "Whisper." "B w/z you" is a mid tempo number with a rock beat and a powerful hammering sound. She performed the song at the Japan Cable Awards in December 1996 and at the Japan Gold Disc Awards in February 1997. "A Walk in the Park" was the 13th best selling single of the year 1997. The album's second single was "Can You Celebrate?" Amuro began the year 1997 with her defining single and biggest success to date. The song, a gospel influenced ballad, was released as the second single from the album. It opened at the top spot with over 800,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest first week sales for a single at that time and the 8th highest opening sales of all time for a single in Japan. It spent two consecutive weeks at #1,7 weeks in the top 5 and 8 weeks in Top 10 totally. It was charted for 40 weeks. "Can You Celebrate?" was the biggest selling single of 1997 and is the 14th best selling single in Japanese music history with sales of over 2.29 million copies. A remix single of the song was also released to commemorate Amuro's wedding with Masaharu "Sam" Maruyama and was also successful with about 500,000 units sold. In December 1997, the song helped her to win the Best Single Award at the 39th Japan Record Awards. "How to Be a Girl" is the third and last single from the album and was released in May 1997. "How to Be a Girl" is Amuro's first attempt at rock music. The single still managed to be a commercial success, spending two consecutive weeks at No. 1 and selling over 770,000 copies, included over 300,000 copies purchased in its opening week. How to Be a Girl was also the 23rd best selling single of 1997. Tie ups and theme songs
"A Walk in the Park" and "Can You Celebrate?" were both theme songs for Maxell UD commercials and "Whisper" was used as the background music for the Maxell MD74 commercial. "Can You Celebrate?" was also the theme song of the Japanese dorama Virgin Road. "How to Be a Girl" was used as background music in four commercials for Sea Breeze products. The first CM was promoting a sun lotion, the second a shampoo, the third a deodorant and the last a moisturizer. "No Communication" was used as background music in a commercial for the DyDo Mistio drinks. Commercial performance Concentration 20 debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon Albums Chart with 824,980 copies sold in its first week of availability. It again nabbed the top spot on the charts in its 2nd week of availability, with sales of 362,440 copies. On its third week Concentration 20 dropped to No. 4 with 229,550 copies sold. The album stayed in the top 10 for 7 weeks and in the top 20 for 9 weeks. The following month, in August 1997, Amuro became the first teenage popster to surpass the 20 million single and album sales mark on Oricon. In all, Concentration 20 sold about 1.9 million copies during its chart run and more than 2 million copies in total. Concentration 20'' is Amuro's third best selling LP according to Oricon Style, as well as the fifty sixth best selling album in Japan for the 1990s decade.
Concentration 20 дебютировал на первом месте в чарте Oricon Albums Chart с продажами 824 980 копий в первую неделю. На второй неделе он снова занял первое место с продажами 362 440 копий. На третьей неделе Concentration 20 опустился на четвертое место с продажами 229 550 копий. Альбом продержался в топ-10 в течение семи недель и в топ-20 в течение девяти недель. В августе 1997 года Амуро стала первой поп-исполнительницей-подростком, преодолевшей отметку в 20 миллионов проданных синглов и альбомов в Oricon. В общей сложности Concentration 20 продал около 1,9 миллиона копий в период нахождения в чартах и более 2 миллионов копий в целом. Concentration 20 — третий по продажам LP Амуро по данным Oricon Style, а также 56-й по продажам альбом в Японии за 1990-е годы.
Concentration 20 is the third studio album by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. It was released on July 24, 1997, by Avex Trax. The album's genre is a fusion of styles including pop, dance, rock, reggae and ska. Unlike Amuro's previous effort, Sweet 19 Blues, which primarily had lyrics written by Tetsuya Komuro, Concentration 20'''s lyrics were mostly written by Marc Panther. Komuro did, however, compose and arrange most of the album's songs and wrote the lyrics to three of them. It was Namie's second solo album since splitting up with Super Monkey's. "A Walk in the Park" was released as the album's lead single on November 27, 1996. The single was very successful, becoming Amuro's fourth number one single on the Oricon Singles Chart and fourth million seller. The second single, "Can You Celebrate? ", was released on February 19, 1997. It became an unprecedented smash hit, selling 2,296,200 copies and remains the best selling physical single by a female soloist in Japanese music history. "Can You Celebrate?" was certified double million by the RIAJ, her first and last single to receive such a certification. The rock infused third single, "How to Be a Girl", reached number one and sold over 770,000 copies, becoming Amuro's sixth number one single. The album received positive reviews upon release and won the Asia Association Music Prize Awards. The album was massively successful, premiering at the top of the Oricon Albums Chart with first week sales of 824,980 copies. It resided on the charts for 28 weeks, and was the seventh best selling album of the year, selling nearly two million copies and is the 80th best selling album of all time in Japan. Combined with the sales of its singles, Concentration 20 has sold around 4.5 million copies. Background and recording
After Amuro's 1996 album Sweet 19 Blues sold more than three million copies in Japan and for a brief period was even the best selling Japanese album of all time, recording for a follow up album began immediately. Much of the recording of Concentration 20 was done in the United States, primarily in California and New York. Two weeks were devoted to recording in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. The title of the album was chosen because, according to Amuro: "the studio at that time was on 20th Street in Santa Monica, and that is where we concentrated." She also stated: "the 20th century is almost over, so let's concentrate on the time we have left," along with, "can we keep listening to this album throughout the 20th century?" The album was named so that it could be played with various meanings, such as "people who were 19 years old when Sweet 19 Blues was released are now entering their 20s," and so on, to broaden the imagination. Coincidentally, the title and Amuro's age at the time of release matched even though she was not aware of it. Other well known artists such as Marc Panther, Koji Kubo, and m. c. A. T. (Akio Togashi) also participated in the production of the album. "Storm" features m. c. A. T., as on the previous album. Composition
The album concept was "Fancy & Cool," with the "glamorous and flashy" part emphasized in "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?" and the "cool" part in "Close your eyes, Close to you," "Concentration 20 (make you alright)" and "Whisper." "B w/z you" is a mid tempo number with a rock beat and a powerful hammering sound. She performed the song at the Japan Cable Awards in December 1996 and at the Japan Gold Disc Awards in February 1997. "A Walk in the Park" was the 13th best selling single of the year 1997. The album's second single was "Can You Celebrate?" Amuro began the year 1997 with her defining single and biggest success to date. The song, a gospel influenced ballad, was released as the second single from the album. It opened at the top spot with over 800,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest first week sales for a single at that time and the 8th highest opening sales of all time for a single in Japan. It spent two consecutive weeks at #1,7 weeks in the top 5 and 8 weeks in Top 10 totally. It was charted for 40 weeks. "Can You Celebrate?" was the biggest selling single of 1997 and is the 14th best selling single in Japanese music history with sales of over 2.29 million copies. A remix single of the song was also released to commemorate Amuro's wedding with Masaharu "Sam" Maruyama and was also successful with about 500,000 units sold. In December 1997, the song helped her to win the Best Single Award at the 39th Japan Record Awards. "How to Be a Girl" is the third and last single from the album and was released in May 1997. "How to Be a Girl" is Amuro's first attempt at rock music. The single still managed to be a commercial success, spending two consecutive weeks at No. 1 and selling over 770,000 copies, included over 300,000 copies purchased in its opening week. How to Be a Girl was also the 23rd best selling single of 1997. Tie ups and theme songs
"A Walk in the Park" and "Can You Celebrate?" were both theme songs for Maxell UD commercials and "Whisper" was used as the background music for the Maxell MD74 commercial. "Can You Celebrate?" was also the theme song of the Japanese dorama Virgin Road. "How to Be a Girl" was used as background music in four commercials for Sea Breeze products. The first CM was promoting a sun lotion, the second a shampoo, the third a deodorant and the last a moisturizer. "No Communication" was used as background music in a commercial for the DyDo Mistio drinks. Commercial performance Concentration 20 debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon Albums Chart with 824,980 copies sold in its first week of availability. It again nabbed the top spot on the charts in its 2nd week of availability, with sales of 362,440 copies. On its third week Concentration 20 dropped to No. 4 with 229,550 copies sold. The album stayed in the top 10 for 7 weeks and in the top 20 for 9 weeks. The following month, in August 1997, Amuro became the first teenage popster to surpass the 20 million single and album sales mark on Oricon. In all, Concentration 20 sold about 1.9 million copies during its chart run and more than 2 million copies in total. Concentration 20'' is Amuro's third best selling LP according to Oricon Style, as well as the fifty sixth best selling album in Japan for the 1990s decade.
After Amuro's 1996 album Sweet 19 Blues sold more than three million copies in Japan and for a brief period was even the best selling Japanese album of all time, recording for a follow up album began immediately. Much of the recording of Concentration 20 was done in the United States, primarily in California and New York. Two weeks were devoted to recording in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. The title of the album was chosen because, according to Amuro: "the studio at that time was on 20th Street in Santa Monica, and that is where we concentrated." She also stated: "the 20th century is almost over, so let's concentrate on the time we have left," along with, "can we keep listening to this album throughout the 20th century?" The album was named so that it could be played with various meanings, such as "people who were 19 years old when Sweet 19 Blues was released are now entering their 20s," and so on, to broaden the imagination. Coincidentally, the title and Amuro's age at the time of release matched even though she was not aware of it. Other well known artists such as Marc Panther, Koji Kubo, and m. c. A. T. (Akio Togashi) also participated in the production of the album. "Storm" features m. c. A. T., as on the previous album. Composition
The album concept was "Fancy & Cool," with the "glamorous and flashy" part emphasized in "CAN YOU CELEBRATE?" and the "cool" part in "Close your eyes, Close to you," "Concentration 20 (make you alright)" and "Whisper." "B w/z you" is a mid tempo number with a rock beat and a powerful hammering sound. She performed the song at the Japan Cable Awards in December 1996 and at the Japan Gold Disc Awards in February 1997. "A Walk in the Park" was the 13th best selling single of the year 1997. The album's second single was "Can You Celebrate?" Amuro began the year 1997 with her defining single and biggest success to date. The song, a gospel influenced ballad, was released as the second single from the album. It opened at the top spot with over 800,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest first week sales for a single at that time and the 8th highest opening sales of all time for a single in Japan. It spent two consecutive weeks at #1,7 weeks in the top 5 and 8 weeks in Top 10 totally. It was charted for 40 weeks. "Can You Celebrate?" was the biggest selling single of 1997 and is the 14th best selling single in Japanese music history with sales of over 2.29 million copies. A remix single of the song was also released to commemorate Amuro's wedding with Masaharu "Sam" Maruyama and was also successful with about 500,000 units sold. In December 1997, the song helped her to win the Best Single Award at the 39th Japan Record Awards. "How to Be a Girl" is the third and last single from the album and was released in May 1997. "How to Be a Girl" is Amuro's first attempt at rock music. The single still managed to be a commercial success, spending two consecutive weeks at No. 1 and selling over 770,000 copies, included over 300,000 copies purchased in its opening week. How to Be a Girl was also the 23rd best selling single of 1997. Tie ups and theme songs
"A Walk in the Park" and "Can You Celebrate?" were both theme songs for Maxell UD commercials and "Whisper" was used as the background music for the Maxell MD74 commercial. "Can You Celebrate?" was also the theme song of the Japanese dorama Virgin Road. "How to Be a Girl" was used as background music in four commercials for Sea Breeze products. The first CM was promoting a sun lotion, the second a shampoo, the third a deodorant and the last a moisturizer. "No Communication" was used as background music in a commercial for the DyDo Mistio drinks. Commercial performance Concentration 20 debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon Albums Chart with 824,980 copies sold in its first week of availability. It again nabbed the top spot on the charts in its 2nd week of availability, with sales of 362,440 copies. On its third week Concentration 20 dropped to No. 4 with 229,550 copies sold. The album stayed in the top 10 for 7 weeks and in the top 20 for 9 weeks. The following month, in August 1997, Amuro became the first teenage popster to surpass the 20 million single and album sales mark on Oricon. In all, Concentration 20 sold about 1.9 million copies during its chart run and more than 2 million copies in total. Concentration 20'' is Amuro's third best selling LP according to Oricon Style, as well as the fifty sixth best selling album in Japan for the 1990s decade.
Продвижение и живые выступления
Через два дня после выхода альбома она начала свой первый купольный тур "mistio presents namie amuro SUMMER STAGE 1997 Concentration 20" в поддержку альбома, собрав 300 000 зрителей на четырех крупных аренах-куполах: Osaka Dome, Tokyo Dome, Fukuoka Dome и Nagoya Dome. Видеозапись концерта "Namie Amuro Concentration 20 Live in Tokyo Dome" вышла 3 декабря 1997 года.
Two days after the release of the album, she started her first dome tour "mistio presents namie amuro SUMMER STAGE 1997 Concentration 20" supporting the album, which drew 300,000 people at four major domes: Osaka Dome, Tokyo Dome, Fukuoka Dome, and Nagoya Dome. The live video "Namie Amuro Concentration 20 Live in Tokyo Dome" was released on December 3, 1997.