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Girl Talk (Namie Amuro song)

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"Girl Talk"
CD version (used to commercialize "Girl Talk")
Single by Namie Amuro
from the album Queen of Hip-Pop
A-side"The Speed Star"
ReleasedOctober 14, 2004 (2004-10-14)
Recorded2004
StudioRojam Studio
Genre
Length4:24
LabelAvex Trax
Songwriter(s)
  • T.Kura
  • Michico
Producer(s)T.Kura
Namie Amuro singles chronology
"All for You"
(2004) 		"Girl Talk"
(2004) 		"Want Me, Want Me"
(2005)

"Girl Talk" is a song by Japanese singer Namie Amuro. Avex Trax released it on digital and physical formats on October 14, 2004, and it is the third single from Amuro's seventh studio album, Queen of Hip-Pop (2005). It was also released as a double A-side with "The Speed Star", though the latter did not appear on the parent album. "Girl Talk" was written and produced by T.Kura and Michico, and is a dance song with R&B and pop influences that, like its parent album, transitions from Amuro's original dance sound to a more mature yet transatlantic sound.

Music critics praised "Girl Talk" for its sound and Amuro's vocal performance, describing the track as cute and smooth. Furthermore, some critics praised it as a highlight in Amuro's discography. Commercially, the double A-side format performed well in Japan, peaking at number two on the Oricon Singles Chart and being certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for selling over 100,000 copies. Furthermore, "Girl Talk" was certified gold by the RIAJ after exceeding 100,000 digital downloads in the region.

To promote "Girl Talk," a music video for it was filmed in a Spanish-style mansion. The video won Best R&B Video and was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards Japan. Since its release, the song has appeared on several of Amuro's concert tours and subsequent live releases, as well as her greatest hits album Best Fiction (2008), and was re-recorded for her final compilation album Finally (2017).

Background and composition

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"Girl Talk"
"Girl Talk" is a dance and R&B number that draws inspiration from hip-hop. A female empowerment anthem, the song's lyrics contain themes of love.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

From 2004 to 2005, Amuro worked on her seventh studio album, Queen of Hip-Pop (2005). Amuro collaborated on the album with Japanese producers and songwriters T.Kura, Michico, and Nao'ymt, as well as Tricky Stewart and Sugi-V.[1] Amuro enlisted Michico to assist her with new music because they had previously collaborated; she was inspired by their work together on her album Style (2003), particularly her song "Namie's Style," and both of them wanted to continue working towards Amuro's transition from dance-oriented music to R&B and hip-hop influences.[2][3][4]

T. Kura and Michico wrote and produced "Girl Talk," and T. Kura arranged the entire song's instrumentation.[1] Amuro recorded the song with Toshihiro Wako at Rojam Studio, with T. Kura mixing and Tom Coyne mastering the final version.[1] Musically, it is a dance song with R&B and pop influences that, like its parent album, develops into a more mature but transatlantic sound.[a] Amuro expressed her satisfaction with the song's final completion and acknowledged Michico's contributions to the track.[3] Lyrically, the song is a female empowerment anthem that touches on themes love and being in a relationship with the lyrics featuring words from the female-themed drama Sex and the City and the movie Thelma & Louise; Amuro shared that she hoped other women will relate to it.[3]

Release

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Avex Trax released "Girl Talk" as a double A-side single along with "The Speed Star" in Japan on October 15, 2004.[10] Both songs serve as the third single from Queen of Hip-Pop, and were released in digital and physical formats.[10][11] The CD single and digital formats include both tracks and their instrumental versions, while the DVD versions include the music video for "The Speed Star".[10] Furthermore, the CD and DVD versions have different artwork: the CD version shows Amuro sucking on a lollipop, whereas the DVD format shows Amuro sitting on a motorcycle.[10] Both formats were released in Taiwan one day later, on October 16.[10] Furthermore, Dimension Point made the song available worldwide through digital and streaming services.[11]

Reception

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Music critics gave "Girl Talk" positive reviews. AllMusic had previously hailed the song as a standout from Amuro's discography.[12] Daniel Robison of Playlouder praised the song's sound as "straight, smooth R&B".[5] The Japanese magazine CDJournal reviewed the single's standalone release and appearance on Queen of Hip-Pop and Amuro's greatest hits album Best Fiction (2008). The single received praise for its production style and string arrangements, with "Girl Talk" and "The Speed Star" being described as "glossy" and "cool".[6] The magazine described it as a "cute track" that was "fashionable" but "not too sweet" for its appearance on Queen of Hip-Pop, while its inclusion on Best Fiction was praised for its R&B influences and Amuro's vocals.[7][8]

Commercially, the single was a success in Japan. "Girl Talk/The Speed Star" debuted at number one on the Oricon Daily Singles Chart, and eventually opened at number two on the Weekly Chart, selling 41,717 units in its first week.[13][14][15][16] It remained on the chart for a total of 16 weeks, selling 98,047 units by the end of 2004, with Oricon ranking it as the 97th best-selling single of the year.[17] The Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) certified the CD single gold for exceeding 100,000 sales in Japan, while "Girl Talk" received a gold certification for exceeding 100,000 digital downloads.[18][19] "Girl Talk/The Speed Star" ranks as her 29th best-selling single in the country.[20]

Promotion

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Amuro performing "Girl Talk" during MTV Asia Aid in Bangkok in February 2005.

Ugichin directed the music video for "Girl Talk,"[21] which features four major shots of Amuro in a large Spanish-style mansion: Amuro dancing in a room with two backup dancers, Amuro singing the song in front of a grey wall, Amuro sitting in a living room, and Amuro sitting on a bed.[22] According to Amuro, she chose not to wear formal clothes and wanted the overall vibe to be "girly" in order to imitate the song's energy, so she dressed casually for the video.[3] It was included on the DVD version of Best Fiction and her video album Filmography 2001-2005 (2005).[22][23] The video won Best R&B Video and nominated for Video of the Year at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards Japan.[24]

Both "Girl Talk" and "The Speed Star" were used as commercial songs for the cosmetics company Lucido-L, for which Amuro had been the spokesperson for since 2003.[6] Amuro was invited to promote "Girl Talk" and "The Speed Star" at the Kōhaku Uta Gassen event, but declined.[25] This ended her nine year streak of performing at the vital event.[26] The following year, on February 3, 2005, she performed as Japan's representative performing artist at MTV Asia Aid, held in Bangkok, Thailand, for the purpose of supporting the reconstruction from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.[27] Thirteen years after its release, Amuro re-recorded "Girl Talk" for her final greatest hits album, Finally (2017).[28] Since its release, "Girl Talk" has appeared on six of Amuro's concert tours and subsequent live releases, including her final tour in 2018 to celebrate her retirement.[b]

Formats and track listing

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CD / digital / streaming formats[10][11]

  1. "Girl Talk" – 4:24
  2. "The Speed Star" – 4:19
  3. "Girl Talk" (Instrumental) – 4:24
  4. "The Speed Star" (Instrumental) – 4:19

Bonus DVD

  1. "The Speed Star" (Music video)

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of Queen of Hip-Pop.[1]

Locations

  • Recorded at Giant Swing Studios and Studio Greenbird, Tokyo, Japan.

Personnel

  • Namie Amuro – vocals, background vocals
  • Michico – songwriter, background vocals, producer, vocal producer
  • T.Kura – songwriter, composer, producer, instruments, audio mixer
  • Monk – instruments
  • Akira – vocal producer
  • Toshihiro Wako - recording assistant
  • Tom Coyne - audio master

Charts

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Certification

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[18]
CD version. 		Gold 100,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[19]
Girl Talk (digital) 		Gold 100,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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"Girl Talk"/"The Speed Star" release history
Region Date Format Label Ref(s).
Japan October 15, 2004
Avex Trax [10]
Hong Kong October 16, 2004
  • CD single
  • DVD
 [10]
Various N/A
[11]

Notes

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  1. ^ [5][6][7][8][9]
  2. ^ [29][30][31][32][33][34]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Amuro, Namie (2005). Queen of Hip-Pop (liner notes). Japan: Avex Trax. AVCD-17692.
  2. ^ "Namie Amuro "Queen of Hip-Pop" Interview" (in Japanese). Barks. July 11, 2005. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Hiraga, Tetsuo. "Namie Amuro "Queen of Hip-Pop" interview". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Japan. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  4. ^ "安室奈美恵" (in Japanese). Japan: Tower Records. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Review - Queen of Hip-Pop". Playlouder. December 16, 2005. Archived from the original on March 21, 2006. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "Namie Amuro / Girl Talk / The Speed Star [CCCD]". CDJournal (in Japanese). Japan. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Namie Amuro / Queen of Hip-Pop". CDJournal (in Japanese). Japan. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Namie Amuro / Best Fiction". CDJournal (in Japanese). Japan. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  9. ^ "Namie Amuro Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h "Girl Talk"/"The Speed Star" formats listed below:
  11. ^ a b c d "Girl Talk/The Speed Star (EP) by Namie Amuro". Spotify. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  12. ^ "Namie Amuro - Songs". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  13. ^ "安室奈美恵、約6年ぶりの首位なるか?" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "安室奈美恵、約2年ぶりのTOP3!" (in Japanese). Oricon. November 19, 2004. Archived from the original on February 22, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  15. ^ "Girl Talk/The Speed Star - Namie Amuro" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  16. ^ "オリコン 2004.10.25". Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ^ a b "オリコン 2004年TOP100". Oricon (via Geocities). Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  18. ^ a b "Japanese single certifications – 安室 奈美恵 – Girl Talk/The Speed Star" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2004年10月 on the drop-down menu
  19. ^ a b "Japanese digital single certifications – Namie Amuro – Girl Talk" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2014年1月 on the drop-down menu
  20. ^ "Namie Amuro's Top 20 Single Sales" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved March 7, 2024. [Additional ranking information provided by corporate service Oricon Biz]
  21. ^ "Girl Talk: ミュージックビデオサーチ" (in Japanese). Space Shower. Archived from the original on November 21, 2004. Retrieved June 6, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Best Fiction formats listed below:
  23. ^ Amuro, Namie (2005). Filmography 2001-2005 (Liner notes). Japan: Avex Trax. AVBD-91359.
  24. ^ "Orange Range Juice Up MTV Japan Awards". Billboard. May 31, 2005. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  25. ^ 安室奈美恵も辞退！出演交渉前に通知 (in Japanese). Sponichi. November 25, 2004. Archived from the original on November 27, 2004. Retrieved October 31, 2008.
  26. ^ ＳＭＡＰ辞退 紅白出場歌手決まる (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun. November 24, 2004. Archived from the original on December 10, 2004. Retrieved October 30, 2004.
  27. ^ "Global stars play Asia Aid show" (in Japanese). BBC. Archived from the original on January 11, 2009. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  28. ^ Amuro, Namie (2011). Finally (Liner notes). Japan: Avex Trax. AVCN-99055~7.
  29. ^ Amuro, Namie (2006). Space of Hip-Pop: Namie Amuro Tour 2005 (Liner notes). Japan: Avex Trax. AVBD-91403.
  30. ^ Amuro, Namie (2007). Best Tour: Live Style 2006 (Liner notes). Japan: Avex Trax. AVBD-91466.
  31. ^ Amuro, Namie (2008). Play Tour 2007 (Liner notes). Japan: Avex Trax. AVBD-91533.
  32. ^ Amuro, Namie (2009). Best Fiction Tour 2008-2009 (Liner notes). Japan: Avex Trax. AVBD-91736.
  33. ^ Amuro, Namie (2013). 5 Major Domes Tour 2012 (20th Anniversary Best) (Liner notes). Japan: Avex Trax. AVBD-92025/B-C.
  34. ^ Amuro, Namie (2018). Final Tour 2018: Finally (Liner notes). Japan: Avex Trax. AVBD-92025/B-C.
  35. ^ "台灣年度百大歌曲". www.hitoradio.com. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
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