UPDATE: JULY 29/06 — Due to YouTube’s removal of several J-Pop PVs, including AUTOMATIC, I had to go to Plan B and use RadioBlog’s flash audio player. Hey, it’s better than nothing.
I have been an avid fan of J-Pop for quite a while now and I think it’s safe to say that I’ve listened to a fair amount of J-Pop songs and watched a fair amount of music videos. Some videos I’ve watched more than others - not only because they’re my favourites - but because they bring back so many fond memories.
This is one of them.
No matter how much I talk about Morning Musume, I am and always will be a Hikki fan first. It may be hard to believe this with all the Momusu eyecandy in the blog but it’s the truth.
Automatic was one of the very first J-Pop songs I’ve ever heard. During the early 90’s, Japanese pop culture was slowly creeping its way to the lives of Filipinos, particularly teenagers. From widely popular sentai series BIOMAN and SHAIDER (big fan of both), to those popular electronic pocket pets Tamagotchi (I owned two), Pinoys just couldn’t get enough Japanese pop culture.
J-Pop wasn’t too far behind. From what I can remember, the first J-Pop song to ever go mainstream in the Philippines was Globe’s cheesy club song FEEL LIKE DANCE. I downloaded the song a few months back just for nostalgic purposes. I still can’t understand why the song became so popular. If anyone remembers this song feel free to share your stories.
Then along comes Hikki’s Automatic. I remember hearing this song being played in Philippine FM stations and became such a hit that it became a playlist staple for a while. It had a catchy R&B vibe the Filipino youth just loved.
Automatic became so popular that it was being used in "dance numbers" during kiddy parties, family gatherings, and school events. I’m sure my Filipino readers know what I’m talking about and have done a "dance number" at least once in their lives.
Back to the video. What I like about this PV so much is that it’s simple yet doesn’t get boring. Hikki’s charm and the way she plays around with the camera was enough reason for you to watch the video.
This particular scene, where Hikki dances in front of that yellow chair, has become so iconic that HALCALI parodied it in their Tandem PV. You can find the PV in the video library.
Let me say this again: I am and always will be a fan of Utada Hikaru first. Nothing will change that.
I can honestly say that Automatic is one the reasons why I like J-Pop so much.
0 Responses to “PERSONAL PV: Utada Hikaru’s Automatic”
Leave a Reply