You (Kumi Koda song)

"You"
Single by Koda Kumi
from the album Best: Second Session
B-side	"Sweet Kiss"
Released	December 7, 2005 (JP)
Format	CD
Genre	J-pop
Length	17:52
Label	Rhythm Zone RZCD-45301 (Japan, CD)
Songwriter(s)	Koda Kumi, Yoko Kuzuya, Toru Watanabe
Koda Kumi singles chronology
"Promise/Star" (2005) "You" (2005) "Birthday Eve" (2005)
"Promise/Star" (2005) "You" (2005) "Birthday Eve" (2005)

"You" (stylized as you) is Japanese artist Koda Kumi's 19th single and the first to be released in her 12 Singles Collection.^[1] It became her first single to take #1 on the weekly Oricon charts.

Information

you is Japanese singer-songwriter Kumi Koda's first single in her 12 Singles Collection. It became her second single to debut at #1 and first to hold the #1 spot for the weekly ranking on the Oricon Singles Charts.^[2] Her first the debut at the top spot was "Butterfly," but "Butterfly" had dropped to take the number-two slot for the week.^[3][4]

Each single in the 12 Singles Collection had unique cover art based on certain cultures in various countries. The back cover of each single was a piece to a puzzle, which could only be completed by purchasing all twelve singles. The same was done for the obi strips, which contained a full image when arranged together in order.^[5] However, the obi strip image was omitted on the Hong Kong versions.

"you" was composed by music composer Toru Watanabe and performed by arranger and lyricist Yoko Kuzuya, who also worked on the lyrical portion with Kumi.^[6] The song carries elements of both pop and R&B, opening strong with a piano instrumental.

The single was also only one of three in the collection to garner a b-side, the others being No Regret and Someday/Boys♥Girls. The b-side for this single was "Sweet Kiss," which is an uptempo pop song. The song was composed by Atsushi Sato (known as ats-) from the Japanese pop band HΛL, who had previously worked with Kumi's label-mate Ayumi Hamasaki.^[7]

As of April 2011, "you" is certified platinum for digital cellphone downloads by the RIAJ.^[8]

The music video for the title track tied into four other videos released during the 12 Singles Collection: "Candy," "Lies," "feel" and "Someday." Later in her career, Kumi would have the music video reedited with her image superimposed into the video for her Live Tour 2016 ~Best Single Collection~.

Reception

Upon the single's release, it received favorable reviews from fans both in Japan and Overseas in North America. Many praised Kumi's vocals and the idea of releasing one single a week, each with differing cover art.

In North America, Vanessa went on to say how "Koda Kumi is an amazing artist with strong vocals, and [the] single doesn't hesitate to show that off." Chak commented how, though they did not enjoy ballads, they were "impressed" by the single and the music video "made it better."^[9]

In Japan, Rushin said "if you listen to the song, you will cry," and that "if you like ballads, you will not hate this." Tomopio, however, said that with the song being one of her bests ballads, they felt how its release would be "overshadowed by 12 weeks of continuous releases."^[10]

Music video

While the music video for "you" is the first in the 12 Singles Collection, it is the second in a music video-driven story, its predecessor being "Candy," which featured rapper Mr. Blistah from Clench & Blistah.

"you" opens with three men talking about the heartbreak they had experienced in their lives and the women they were with. Each man had a passion that they followed and found a lover who shared in their interests. Each video in the music video stories focuses on one of the men at the table, with their love interests being different incarnations of Kumi.

The protagonist in "you" is played by Japanese actor Takashi Tsukamoto, whose passion is photography. He finds a lover, played by Kumi, who he believes to have "the perfect image." Throughout the video, it shows the couple starting off happy and enjoying his passion. However, the woman becomes frustrated, believing his photography to mean more to him than she does.

Kumi would later have a reedited version of the music video during her Live Tour 2016 ~Best Single Collection~.

Cover

For the collection, each single was given its own unique cover art, each which represented a dress from a different culture.

The cover for you represented the Inuit culture in Alaska.

Along with differing cover art, each obi strip contained a piece of an image, which when put together in order, would reveal a full picture of Kumi. The same was done for the back covers of each single.

Track listing

(Source^[11])

Charts

Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)

Alternate Version(s)

you

1. you: Found on the single (2005) and its corresponding album BEST ~second session~ (2006)
2. you [Instrumental]: Found on the single (2005)
3. you ~Acoustic Piano Mix~: Found on Koda Kumi Remix Album (2006)
4. you ~Piano Version~: Found on BEST ~BOUNCE & LOVERS~ (2006)
5. you [Floor on the Intelligence Remix]: Found on Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 2 (2010)
6. you [KOZM® Remix]: Found on Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 4 (2012)

References

1. Avex Network (2005), Kumi Koda Official Web Site
2. Oricon Style (2005), Oricon Style