Can We Go Back

Can We Go Back is a song written by Adam Watts, Andy Dodd and Shanna Crooks and recorded by Kelly Clarkson during the sessions for her 2009 album, All I Ever Wanted. It appeared as a iTunes Store pre-order song for the deluxe version of the album,^[1] as well as a bonus track on the Japanese deluxe version of the album.^[2] It was then later recorded in Japanese by singer Kumi Koda in 2009 with differing lyrics.

Kumi Koda version

"Can We Go Back"
Single by Koda Kumi
from the album Best: Third Universe/Universe
B-side	"Good Day"
Released	January 20, 2010 (2010-01-20)
Format	CD Single, digital download
Recorded	2009
Genre	Pop rock
Length	3:25
Label	Rhythm Zone
Songwriter(s)	Koda Kumi, Adam Watts, Andy Creighton Dodd, Shanna Crooks
Koda Kumi singles chronology
"Alive/Physical Thing" (2009) "Can We Go Back" (2010) "Gossip Candy" (2010)
"Alive/Physical Thing" (2009) "Can We Go Back" (2010) "Gossip Candy" (2010)

"Can We Go Back" is the fourth single by Japanese singer Koda Kumi for the album Universe.^[3] "Can We Go Back" became the first single to celebrate Kumi's 10th Anniversary as an artist, with Take Back released in December 2000.^[4] The single charted at #2 on Oricon and, though it was a limited release, charted for four weeks.^[5]

The single was a limited release and Kumi wrote the song about the controversy in 2008, wanting to recognize her mistake and move on, going "back to the way [they] used to be."^[6][7][8]

The single contained a b-side, "Good Day" (stylized as "Good☆day,") which would receive a remix on Kumi's fourth remix album, Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 3.

Composition

After hearing a demo version of the track from the writers Adam Watts, Andy Dodd and Shanna Crooks, Koda Kumi picked the song, feeling that its aggressive tone matched how she felt at the time.^[4] Kumi worked on most of the lyrics for her Japanese edition of the single, making only the instrumentals predominately the same.^[2]

Packaging

"Can We Go Back" was a limited release, but also a CD and a CD+DVD version.

• CD: contains four musical tracks.
• CD+DVD: contains four musical tracks, music video and making video.

Each edition contained different cover art. Both versions, were alternate images of Kumi from the outfit she wore during the bound scene.

Music video

Koda in the music video.

The music video was shot by director Ryūji Seki (known in Japan as セキ★リュウジ).^[9] The video was given a Joan of Arc theme, to reflect "being in a battle with a friend, being injured and supporting each other" image intended to be expressed in the song.^[4]

The music video takes place on a battlefield with Koda Kumi and her back-up dancers dressed in clothes inspired by Hundred Years' War-era uniforms worn by the French military as they try to raise their flag on the field. Koda Kumi is performing the song on a stage set on the battlefield as the video cuts to the story visuals. The dance break in the middle of the video was arranged by Hiro, who created the dance to reflect an overall feel of Michael Jackson, taking inspiration from the "Thriller" music video.^[10] The ending to the music video is shown with Kumi and her compatriots raising their flag in the style of French artist Jules Eugène Lenepveu's famous 1890 artwork Panthéon II.

Track listing

Charts

Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)

Alternate versions

"Can We Go Back"

1. "Can We Go Back": Found on the single and corresponding album Universe (2010)
2. "Can We Go Back [Instrumental]": Found on the single (2010)
3. "Can We Go Back [Prog5 Handz-Up Electro Remix]": Found on Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 3 (2011)

"Good Day"

1. "Good Day": Found on the single (2010)
2. "Good Day [Instrumental]": Found on the single (2010)
3. "Good Day [Jewel Remix]": Found on Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 3 (2011)

References