Take Back

For the Green Day song, see Nimrod (album).
"Take Back"
Single by Kumi Koda
from the album Affection
Released 6 December 2000
Format
Genre
Length 4:56
Label Orpheus, Rhythm Zone, Sounday
Writer(s) Kumi Koda
Producer(s) Max Matsuura
Kumi Koda singles chronology
"Take Back"
(2000)		 "Trust Your Love"
(2001)

"Take Back" (stylized in Japan as TAKE BACK) is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Kumi Koda for her debut studio album, Affection (2002). It was written by Kumi herself, while production was handled by Max Matsuura. The track was released following Koda's participation in an open audition where she placed second, whereby she signed to Matsuura's label to release this song. "Take Back" premiered on December 6, 2000 as her debut recording. Musically, the track has been described as a pop and R&B song.

Upon its release, "Take Back" garnered positive reviews from music critics and was praised for its composition and commercial appeal. It also achieved limited success in her native Japan, with it peaking at number 59 on the Japanese Oricon Singles Chart and number 63 on the TBS Count Down TV chart; this marks her lowest entry to date and her only single to miss the top fifteen on that chart. Remixed by American producer and DJ Jonathan Peters for its North American release, "Take Back" reached number 18 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart, number 10 on the US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales and number 20 on the US Hot Singles Sales chart, making her the first Japanese act to chart on any US Billboard chart since the 1980s.

An accompanying music video for "Take Back" was shot in both Tokyo and New York City by Toku; it features Kumi singing while sitting on a white chair and her lying down nude clutching a microphone in her hand. For promotion, the song was included on the track list of several concert tours, including Best: First Things Live Tour, Black Cherry Tour and her 10th Anniversary Tour. "Take Back" has only appeared once on any of Kumi's compilation albums, Best: First Things (2005).

Background

"My debut day had already been decided but I didn't know, so I felt insecure and thought 'will that song I recorded be put on sale?' (laughs). When I saw my CD lined up the stores I felt 'I really debuted!' for the first time. I still remember how excited I was."

—Koda on the release of "Take Back".[1]

In 2000, Kumi auditioned for the Avex Trax open "Dream Audition" and came second out of a total of 120,000 participants. Following this, Avex employed Japanese producer Max Matsuura, known for his collaborations with fellow female Japanese artists Ayumi Hamasaki and Namie Amuro,[2][3] to start the Avex Trax-sub label, Rhythm Zone, in 1999 and eventually signed her to the label later that year.[4] Her label had hired composer and arranger Kazuhito Kikuchi to compose "Take Back", but Avex instructed Kumi to take singing lessons every weekend in Tokyo before recording it.[1] At that time, she stated that she didn't feel "anxious" about the situation, having already spent 500,000 yen (approximately $4056 USD) she won from the open audition towards food.[1]

In mid 2000, Kumi was asked by Avex to make her promotional debut through a photo shoot with photographer Toku, which led to the shooting of the cover sleeve for "Take Back". The artwork features her sporting a red and gold outfit, standing outside of a lit-up tunnel. Particularly, Kumi said that "during the shooting of the cover for [her] single, 'Take Back', no one had told [her] what the shoot was for, so [she] just stood in front of the camera clueless".[1]

Composition

"Take Back" was written by Kumi and produced by Max Matsuura.[5] It was released as Koda's debut recording and the first single from her debut studio album, Affection (2002), on 6 December 2000.[5] "Take Back" has been described as a soft pop and R&B song.[6][7][8] During an interview, it was revealed that "Take Back" and her earlier works were strictly oriented to R&B music, as "Koda didn't get into R&B until Avex signed her to its Rhythm Zone label [...]".[4] At the earlier stages of creating "Take Back" and Affection, she only listened to Japanese music and stated that "[she's] the sort who likes reading the lyrics, and Western music is in English, which [she] wasn't very good at. If [she] wouldn't understand it, [she] couldn't sing it, even at karaoke, so [she] didn't listen to it much."[4] After discovering fellow label mate, m-flo, Kumi was inspired by his R&B work and wanted to emulate his style into her work, whereby Rhythm Zone asked her to listen to Western music to widen her musical influences.[4] For the North American release, American DJ and producer Jonathan Peters remixed the single; it was chosen by Rhythm Zone as the final remix for that country. According to Kumi, "[they] hadn't really intended to release [the remix], but remixes were all the rage then".[4] Particularly, Avex's New York office confessed that they thought the remix would do well thought the club scene.[4]

Critical reception

"Take Back" received favorable reviews from music critics. Krzysztof Figlerowicz from Jame World was positive towards the track in his review, labelling it as "a very pleasant soft pop and R&B song".[6] Furthermore, he noted that the composition was more suitable with the American audience than the Japanese scene hence the lack of success and "commercial appeal" in the latter region.[6] A writer for CD Journal praised "Take Back", commending its R&B composition as "impressive" and praised the songs longevity.[9] A reviewer from Yahoo! Music Japan overviewed Koda's biography profile and commented that the mixture of R&B and pop music was a "perfect balance of contemporary charm and vocals".[7] Despite not commenting over the original or Jonathan Peter's remix, Adam Greenberg from Allmusic reviewed the Sunset in Ibiza remix from her compilation album, Koda Kumi Driving Hit's (2006), and stated: "When the DJs complement her voice just right, Koda can sound like any number of other singers. [...] "Real Emotion" and "Take Back" come out as something very similar to Ayumi Hamasaki's works,"[10]

Commercial reception

Upon its release, Kumi felt that she "feared the success of the single in Japan".[1] She also stated that she "was insecure" of the singles' first week and debut sales.[1] "Take Back" debuted at number 62 on the Japanese Oricon Singles Chart with over 4,000 units sold in its first week; it later reached number 59 in its third week on the top 100.[11][12][upper-alpha 1] It remains Koda's lowest charting singles on the Oricon Singles Chart and her only single to miss the top fifty.[11] The track opened the Japanese Count Down TV Chart at number 66, with it reaching number 63 in its third week on that chart; it spent six weeks in the top 100 until re-entering for a final week at number 97.[13] In total, "Take Back" has sold over 22,680 units in Japan.[12] As of December 2015, Oricon's database has ranked "Take Back" as Kumi's 51 best-selling single overall.[14]

In the United States, Koda Kumi debuted as "Koda" and the Jonathan Peter's remix entered at number 33 on the US Dance Club Songs chart, making her the first Japanese act to chart on any US Billboard chart since the 1980s.[15] The remix peaked at number 18 and was recognized by Billboard as the "greatest gainer" on the weekend issue of 5 May 2011. It spent 13 weeks in the top fifty.[16] "Take Back" reached number 10 on the US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, making her the first Japanese artist to achieve a top ten rank on that chart.[17] "Take Back" spent a sole week at number 20 on the US Hot Singles Sales chart.[7]

Music video

Still from the music video of "Take Back", showing Koda seated in front of a multi-coloured LED wall.

The accompanying music video for "Take Back" was directed by Toku.[5] It took one day to shoot and two days to edit.[5] According to Figlerowicz in his extended review of her DVD release, 7 Spirits, the video opens with a "young Koda Kumi that has long and black hair. She presents herself in this video in two different ways. In the first one, though wearing a leather dress, she looks natural, gentle and pretty. In the latter one, she is presented with disheveled hair and strange things plaited in it, but despite that, she still attracts the viewer's attention with her enthusiasm flowing out from the screen."[6] In the video, Kumi is accompanied by her three fellow background dancers; they're dancing in a white photo shoot room, while she is sitting in a white chair.[6][18] Figlerowicz stated that the dancers complimented the early 2000s music video era: "there are only three dancers near the singer, so it probably wouldn't distinguish from other PVs of the same era."[6] Scenes interspersed through the main video show Koda lying nude on a crimson red Ferrari and clutching a microphone in her hand.[18] Figlerowicz commented that the video, in conjunction with her other videos on 7 Spirits, "didn't appeal to the Japanese audience's tastes [...]. With some time, people's opinions of them might change, but they are worth taking a look at.[6]

Live performances and other appearances

"Take Back" has been included on numerous track lists of tours conducted by Koda Kumi. She included the single on her Secret First Class Limited Live tour,[19] Koda Kumi Live Tour 2005: First Things tour,[20] Live Tour 2007: Black Cherry,[21] 10th Anniversary tour,[22] her 2009 Taiwan concert tour,[23] and the Premium Show: Love and Songs tour.[24] The track was featured on Koda's 2005 greatest hits album, Best: First Things.[25][26] "Take Back" was featured in the televised advertisement for Kracie's Hada-bisei facials.[9]

Track listing

  • Japanese 12 inch Vinyl[27]
  1. "Take Back" (Main Club Mix) – 4:46
  2. "Your Song" (Original Mix) – 5:20
  • US 12 inch Vinyl[28]
  1. "Take Back" (Junior's Pop Club Anthem) – 7:07
  2. "Take Back" (Junior's Dub Anthem) – 7:07
  3. "Take Back" (Jonathan Peters' Club Mix) – 6:29
  4. "Take Back" (Jonathan Peters' Sound Factory Dub) – 10:26
  1. "Take Back" (Jonathan Peters' Radio Mix) – 3:31
  2. "Take Back" (Hex Hector Main Radio Remix)
  3. "Take Back" (Junior's Radio Mix) – 3:47
  4. "Take Back" (C. "Tricky" Stewart Remix) – 4:38
  5. "Take Back" (Hex Hector Main Club Remix)
  6. "Take Back" (Jonathan Peters' Club Mix) – 6:29
  7. "Take Back" (Junior's Pop Club Anthem) – 7:07
  8. "Take Back" (Junior's Pop Dub Anthem) – 7:07
  9. "Take Back" (Jonathan Peters' Sound Factory Dub) – 10:26
  10. "Take Back" (Hex Hector Dub Remix) – 7:43
  • Japanese CD single[5]
  1. "Take Back" (Original Mix) – 4:57
  2. "Your Song" (Original Mix) – 5:20
  3. "Take Back" (C. "Tricky" Stewart Remix) – 4:38
  4. "Take Back" (Daylight Remix) – 4:28
  5. "Take Back" (Instrumental) – 4:57
  6. "Your Song" (Instrumental) – 5:20
  1. "Take Back" (Jonathan Peters' Radio Mix) – 3:31
  2. "Take Back" (Junior's Radio Mix) – 3:47
  3. "Take Back" (C. "Tricky" Stewart Remix) – 4:38
  4. "Take Back" (Jonathan Peters' Club Mix) – 6:29
  5. "Take Back" (Junior's Pop Club Anthem) – 7:07
  6. "Take Back" (Jonathan Peters' Sound Factory Dub) – 10:26
  • Take Back/Trust Your Love Blackwatch Remix 12" Vinyl[31]
  1. "Trust Your Love" (Blackwatch Remix) – 7:49
  2. "Take Back" (Blackwatch Remix) – 7:29

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Affection.[5]

Charts and sales

Weekly charts

Chart (2000–2002) Peak
position
Japan Weekly (Oricon)[11] 59
Japan Count Down TV Chart (TBS)[13] 63
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[16] 18
US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard)[17] 10
US Hot Singles Sales (Billboard)[7] 20

Sales

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Japan (RIAJ) None 22,680[12]

Alternate Versions

Outside of the original song and the remixes included on the singles, there are three renditions of Take Back on various singles and albums:

  1. Take Back [Blackwatch Remix]: Found on single So Into You (2002)
  2. Take Back [Sunset In Ibiza Remix]: Found on Koda Kumi Driving Hit's (2008)
  3. Take Back [E-Man "106" Remix］: Found on Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 5 (2013)

Notes

  1. ↑ Sales provided by Oricon database are rounded to the nearest thousand copies.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Koda Reki – The History of Koda Kumi". Avex Trax. 31 January 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  2. ↑ Kazuki, Okabe. "Loveppears". Beat Freak Online. Avex. Archived from the original on August 20, 2004. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
  3. ↑ 第37回日本レコード大賞 (in Japanese). Japan Record Award. Retrieved 30 November 2008.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Telling Secrets – A Konversation with Kumi Koda". Nippop. 2 April 2005. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Koda, Kumi (2000). Take Back (Liner notes). Kumi Koda. Japan: Rhythm Zone. RZCD-45018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Greenberg, Adam (27 May 2009). "Koda Kumi – 7 Spirits". Jame World. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Yahoo Music Japan Staff. "Yahoo! Music – Koda Kumi Profile". Yahoo! Music Japan. Archived from the original on 6 April 2006. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  8. ↑ "Take Back – Koda Kumi" (in Japanese). Koda's official website; powered by Rhythm Zone. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  9. 1 2 CD Journal Staff. "Koda Kumi – Affection". CD Journal. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  10. ↑ Greenberg, Adam. "Koda Kumi Driving Hit's". Allmusic. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 倖田來未のリリース一覧 [A Look at Kumi Koda's Releases]. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree']. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 May 2014. (subscription required (help)).
  13. 1 2 "CDTV PowerWeb:! Koda Kumi – Take Back". Count Down TV. TBS. Archived from the original on 21 June 2006. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  14. ↑ 倖田來未のランキング [A Look at Kumi Koda's Rankings]. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  15. ↑ "Billboard Weekly". Oricon. 6 March 2001. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  16. 1 2 "Billboard's Hot Dance Music Chart". Billboard; Published by Google Books. May 5, 2001. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  17. 1 2 "Billboard's Independent Spotlight – Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales". Billboard; Published by Google Books. May 18, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  18. 1 2 Avex (30 June 2015). "Take Back / 倖田來未". Avex Trax; published through YouTube. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  19. ↑ Koda, Kumi (2004). Secret First Class Limited Live (DVD). Kumi Koda. Japan: Rhythm Zone. RZBD-45256.
  20. ↑ Koda, Kumi (2005). Koda Kumi Live Tour 2005: First Things (DVD). Kumi Koda. Japan: Rhythm Zone. RZBD-45256.
  21. ↑ Koda, Kumi (2007). Live Tour 2007: Black Cherry (DVD). Kumi Koda. Japan: Rhythm Zone.
  22. ↑ Koda, Kumi (2010). Koda Kumi Live Tour 2010 Anniversary Tour (DVD). Kumi Koda. Japan: Rhythm Zone.
  23. ↑ Koda, Kumi (2010). 2009 Taiwan Tour (DVD). Kumi Koda. Japan: Rhythm Zone. RZB1-46528.
  24. ↑ Koda, Kumi (2013). Koda Kumi Premium Night: Love & Songs (DVD). Kumi Koda. Japan: Rhythm Zone. RZC6-59376~7.
  25. ↑ Koda, Kumi (2005). Best: First Things (CD). Kumi Koda. Japan: Rhythm Zone. RZCD-45254/5.
  26. ↑ ゴールド等認定作品一覧　2006年4月 [Works Receiving Certifications List (Gold, etc) (April 2006)] (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. 10 May 2006. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  27. ↑ Koda, Kumi (2000). Take Back (Japanese 12" Vinyl). Kumi Koda. Japan: Rhythm Zone. AVJT-2483.
  28. ↑ Koda, Kumi (2000). Take Back (US 12" Vinyl). Kumi Koda. Japan: Sounday, Orpheus Records, Orpheus Music. 75766 70505 1 9.
  29. ↑ Koda, Kumi (2000). Take Back (US Maxi-Single). Kumi Koda. Japan: Sounday, Orpheus Records, Orpheus Music. 75566-70565-2.
  30. ↑ Koda, Kumi (2000). Take Back (US Single). Kumi Koda. Japan: Sounday, Orpheus Records, Orpheus Music. 7 5566-70486-2 2.
  31. ↑ Koda, Kumi (2002). Take Back/Trust Your Love (US Single). Kumi Koda. North America: Sounday, Orpheus Records, Orpheus Music. 7 5766-70523-1 5.
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