"Put 'Em Up" is

Namie Amuro Namie Amuro ( ; ja, 安室奈美恵, Amuro Namie, label=none; born September 20, 1977) is a Japanese former recording artist, producer, songwriter, dancer, model, actress and entrepreneur who was active between 1992 and 2018. A leading figure of ...

's 23rd solo single under the Avex Trax label. Produced by

Dallas Austin Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer. Biography Early life During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfirmed events inv ...

, "Put 'Em Up" was meant for release in 2000 but was shelved until 2003. Commercially, the song was Amuro's lowest selling solo single until the release of

Big Boys Cry/Beautiful "Big Boys Cry"/"Beautiful" is the 38th maxi single released by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. It was released on March 6, 2013 and was her last single released under the label Avex Trax. The single peaked at #4 on Oricon, it’s her lead s ...

in 2013, the second single including her sixth studio album ''

Style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

'' (2003).

Overview

In early 2002, Amuro announced the release of her second greatest hits compilation,

Love Enhanced Single Collection ''Love Enhanced Single Collection'' (stylized as ''LOVE ENHANCED ♥ single collection'') is the second greatest hits album by Japanese singer Namie Amuro under the Avex Trax label. The album covers 11 of the 12 singles she released after return ...

. It was to include a previously unreleased track, "Put 'Em Up," but upon release was left off the album. It was not the first time, however, that the song would be shelved. Penned by Dallas Austin, the song was first announced for release in 2000. It was also first recorded as a

duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...

between her and

Chilli Chili or chilli may refer to: Food * Chili pepper, the spicy fruit of plants in the genus ''Capsicum''; sometimes spelled "chilli" in the UK and "chile" in the southwestern US * Chili powder, the dried, pulverized fruit of one or more varieties ...

of the R&B girl group,

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

. When it was first cancelled no explanation was given. The song was finally released on July 16, 2003. Amuro explained in an interview with ''Viewsic'' (now ''M-ON'') that she didn't release the song at first because the lyrics were harsh and may have clashed with the image her fans had of her. Her decision to release the song in 2003 was due to her experiences with the R&B project,

Suite Chic Suite Chic was a collaborative project between some of Japan's top and up-and-coming R&B and hip hop artists, writers, and producers, which debuted on December 18, 2002. Suite Chic served as a vehicle for pop singer Namie Amuro, who at the time ...

. The song was also held back because she was not completely satisfied with the lyrics. Before releasing it, she had

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

Michico rewrite

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

lyrics for the song. She felt that the way Michico wrote the Japanese lyrics allowed her to express a side of herself that her old image prevented. She noted in the interview that had Michico not worked on the song with her that it probably would have been delayed indefinitely.

Accolades

On February 5, 2004, "Put 'Em Up" was nominated for the "Best Your Choice" and "Best R&B Video" award at the

Space Shower Music Video Awards Space Shower Music Awards (old name: SPACE SHOWER Music Video Awards, abbr. to SPACE SHOWER MVA) are an annual set of music awards sponsored by Japanese Space Shower TV is a Japanese music television channel operated by Space Shower Networks, In ...

. On March 16, 2004, she was also nominated for "Best R&B Video" and "Best buzzASIA from Japan" award at the MTV Japan Video Music Awards. Although she lost both

Space Shower is a Japanese music television channel operated by Space Shower Networks, Inc. The company is headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. The channel launched at 6:00 on December 1, 1989. The idea behind establishing Space Shower TV was to create a special ...

awards, she took home both awards for her nominations at the MTV awards.

Music video

The promotional video for "Put 'Em Up" premiered as an

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Exclusive on June 25, 2003. It was filmed in

Kanagawa is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

and directed by UGICHIN. The video takes place in an automechanic garage. Unlike many of Amuro's videos, it played up the theme of the song including using parts of the lyrics within it. The routine Amuro and her dancers performed in the video also featured choreographed fighting.

Track listing

# "Put 'Em Up" (Dallas Austin, Jasper Cameron, michico) – 4:03 # "Exist for You" (Debra Killings, Michiko Ai) – 4:19 # "Put 'Em Up (Instrumental)" (Dallas Austin) – 4:03 # "Exist for You (Instrumental)" (Debra Killings) – 4:17

Personnel

* Namie Amuro –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* Michico – background vocals * Moca – Dancer * Rika – Dancer * Ryo – Dancer * Shige – Dancer * Subaru – Dancer

Production

* Producers – Dallas Austin, Debra Killings * Mixing – Keven "KD" Davis, Alvin Speights * Vocal Direction –

Daisuke Imai is a common masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Daisuke can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *大輔, "big, assist" *大介, "big, mediate" *大祐, "big, bless" *大助, "big, help" *大典, "big, law/rule ...

* Music Video Director – Ugichin * Choreographer – Warner

TV Performances

* July 4, 2003 – CDTV * July 14, 2003 – Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ * July 25, 2003 – Music Station * July 2003 – AX Music Factory * September 22, 2003 – Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ Awards

Charts

Oricon Sales Chart (Japan) {{Namie Amuro singles 2003 singles 2003 songs Namie Amuro songs Songs written by Dallas Austin Songs written by Jasper Cameron Avex Trax singles