Utada Hikaru, Exodus - 11. You make me want to be a man

Notes for the track with the really long title follow. YMMWTBAM, even the acronym is unwieldy. The golden touch that was Utada United didn't really help, even with a pounding - and I mean pounding - bass drum. It just goes to show that some songs are beyond salvation.

* * *

Because guys can't communicate well with women, but guys can communicate among each other. That about sums up the lyrics.

The erhu kind of chinese stringed instrument riff at the opening is beginning to get on my nerves. Ok, so quarter tones are fine even though they may sound out of tune, but after being beaten over the head with it for the umpteenth time, it begins to sound old, and flat [har har].

As a matter of fact, it's something I can't get out of my head, and it absolutely dominates the chorus, which drives me insane. In the end, this is about on par with the Workout in terms of dislike-ability. It's like the Exotic Asian card was extended, rolled into a cardboard tube, and used to beat the listener over the head. The wailing section and erhu-like instrument are just over the top, with everything else being generic and mediocre.

Hikaru doesn't do a bad job singing the verses, but they're short and undeveloped one or two-liners.

Everything is so contrasting, there's no blend. There's the annoying stringed instrument, or the annoying melody. That's all there's to say.