is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter

Hikaru Utada , who is also known by the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American pop singer, songwriter and producer. By 2010, Utada had become one of the most influential, and best-selling, musical artists in Japan. Born in the United States to Japanese parent ...

. It was released digitally 15 April 2016, alongside "

Manatsu no Tōriame is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada. It was released digitally on April 15 2016, alongside "Hanataba o Kimi ni" as joint singles for her album ''Fantôme (album), Fantôme''. The song is the theme to NTV's news show :ja:news zer ...

" as joint singles for her album '' Fantôme''. The song was the theme to the dorama Toto Neechan. The single is Utada's first release since 2012's '' Evangelion: 3.0'' theme song "

Sakura Nagashi is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada. It was released by EMI Music Japan digitally on November 17, 2012, with a DVD single released December 26, 2012. The song is the theme to the third film of the ''Rebuild of Evangelion'' mo ...

", and marks her official comeback to the Japanese music scene.

Composition

"Hanataba o Kimi ni" is a soft J-pop ballad featuring prominent

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

, as well as a piano and drums. It is one of her few singles to be completely in Japanese, with no English words in it. Lyrically, it speaks about the appreciation felt for a departed person and symbolically sending them a bouquet to show it. During one verse, she talks about how pain and sorrow were vital for love to exist (''If there weren't any of the daily secret pains and loneliness / And there were only fun things / Then we got away without feeling anything like love'').

Commercial reception

On 30 April 2016, the song entered

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Japan Hot 100 The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and '' Hanshin Contents Link'' since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thur ...

at number 3, based on strong radio airplay and digital sales. The next week, it rose one place to number 2, which became its peak position on the chart. In its third week the song fell to number 7, then to number 9 and continued to slowly drop down on the chart during the following three months. After 16 weeks, it fell off the chart on the issue dated 20 August, but re-entered the next week at number 64. Boosted by the release of the official music video in early September, "Hanataba o kimi ni" shot up 52 positions from 79 to 27 and then stayed in the top 40 nearly uninterrupted until early November, reaching number 23 shortly after the album's release. It again descended down the charts and stayed in lower positions throughout November and December, but re-entered the top 20 after New Year's Day. It has spent 45 non-consecutive weeks on the Hot 100, over a timespan of more than a year and a half. The song has received a double-platinum

certification Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

by the

RIAJ The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include p ...

for digital sales in excess of 500,000 copies or more and became the second-highest-selling download single of the year, behind only "

Zenzenzense is a song by Japanese rock band Radwimps. It was used as one of the four theme songs to the animated film ''Your Name'', and was one of 26 songs the band composed for the film's soundtrack. It reached number-one on the '' Billboard'' Japan Hot ...

" by

Radwimps is a Japanese rock band who debuted independently in 2003 and signed with Toshiba EMI in 2005. The band's name, Radwimps, was formed from two English slang terms, "rad" and " wimp". According to the band, the coined word had several meanings, ...

. In October 2019, it was awarded triple-platinum for exceeding digital sales of 750,000. It thus became her highest-selling download single since 2008's " Prisoner of Love, which was certified Million.

Track listing

Credits

Credits adapted from ''Fantôme'' liner notes.

Release history

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2016 singles Hikaru Utada songs Songs written by Hikaru Utada Songs about flowers 2016 songs Universal Music Japan singles Black-and-white music videos Pop ballads Japanese television drama theme songs 2010s ballads