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 ...

, featuring guest vocals by

Sheena Ringo , known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer, songwriter and musician. She is also the founder and lead vocalist of the band Tokyo Jihen. She describes herself as "". She was ranked number 36 in a list of Japan's top 100 musicians compiled ...

. A corresponding music video was released on September 16, 2016, and the song was sent to radio stations as well, to promote the release of the album '' Fantôme''.

Background and composition

The two singers had previously collaborated on Ringo's 2003 album '' Utaite Myōri: Sono Ichi'', singing

The Carpenters The Carpenters (officially known as Carpenters) were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen Carpenter, Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (musician), Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinct ...

' classic "

I Won't Last a Day Without You "I Won't Last a Day Without You" is a song by the Carpenters with lyrics written by Paul Williams and music composed by Roger Nichols. It was released in the U.K. in September 1972, paired with " Goodbye to Love" as a double-A side. The sing ...

". Written and composed by Utada, it is a

J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1 ...

song with influences from 1970's

Italian pop music The expression Italian popular music refers to the musical output which is not usually considered academic or Classical music but rather has its roots in the popular traditions, and it may be defined in two ways: it can either be defined in terms o ...

. "A Two Hour Vacation", as it translates, talks about the singers' need to escape every once in a while from daily life ("I love the sweet, everyday life / But the thrills are looking for me"). They admit that it is even best to escape just for a short time ("It's fine if it isn't enough / Fun is best a little at a time"), meet more regularly ("Greed will ruin you / Tell me, when is next time?") and how it is healthy to even "skip class" sometimes to "walk together in the park" instead.

Credits

*Lyrics by Hikaru Utada; music by Hikaru Utada *Guest vocals by Sheena Ringo *Produced by Hikaru Utada *Arranged by Hikaru Utada

Release history

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nijikan Dake no Vacance 2016 singles Hikaru Utada songs Songs written by Hikaru Utada 2016 songs Universal Music Japan singles