Time Limit (song)

"Time Limit" (Japanese: タイム・リミット, Hepburn: Taimu Rimitto) is a song by Japanese musician Hikaru Utada. It was released as a double A-side single with the song "For You" on June 30, 2000.^[1]

"Time Limit"
Single by Hikaru Utada
from the album Distance
A-side	"For You"
Released	June 30, 2000 (2000-06-30)
Genre	Pop R&B
Length	4:55
Label	Toshiba EMI
Songwriter(s)	Hikaru Utada Takuro Kubo
Producer(s)	Rodney Jerkins
Hikaru Utada singles chronology
"Wait & See (Risk)" (2000) "For You" / "Time Limit" (2000) "Can You Keep a Secret?" (2001))

Background and development

In Spring 1999, Utada released her debut album First Love, which became the most commercially successful album of all time in Japan.^[2] After this success, she released two follow-up singles, "Addicted to You" (1999) and "Wait & See (Risk)" (2000), which were both produced by American production team Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.^[3][4] For "Time Limit", Utada enlisted the help of American producer Rodney Jerkins, and recorded the song at Darkchild Studios in New Jersey.^[1][5]

The song was co-composed with Takuro of the band Glay,^[6] the first time Utada had shared the role of songwriter since her 1998 pre-debut album Precious as Cubic U. For Utada's second album Distance (2001), she worked together with Takuro again on the song "Drama".^[7]

The "For You" / "Time Limit" single was released right before Bohemian Summer 2000, her first wide-scale tour of Japan,^[6] and on the same day as the DVD single release of her previous single, "Wait & See (Risk)".

Promotion and release

The song was first unveiled on June 12, 2000, when a 60-second preview of "Time Limit" was previewed on Japan FM Network radio stations, a week before "For You" was previewed.^[8] To promote the single, Utada appeared in magazines released in June and July, such as Pati Pati, What's In?, Pia, Tokyo Walker and Popteen.^[8]

Utada performed "Time Limit" live on Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ on June 26, 2000. This show was one of the highest-rated episodes of the program, taking in a 22.1% share of viewers for the time slot, however was beaten by Utada's previous appearances on the show in 1999 and later in 2001.^[9][10] On the June 29 episode of Utaban, Utada performed both "For You" and "Time Limit".^[11]

Music video

A music video was created for the song, featuring footage of a live performance by Utada on her Bohemian Summer 2000 tour.^[12] The footage was taken from the July 1, 2000 concert at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium, Tokyo.^{[citation needed]}

Critical reception

Sato of OngakuDB.com noted the song's layered chorus work, and felt that to fully appreciate this, the song was better suited to listening at home on CD, rather than hearing it on television.^[6] CDJournal reviewers felt that Utada's "tightly structured" vocals made it into a "superior pop" song.^[13]

The "For You" / "Time Limit" single was successful enough to win a Song of the Year award at the 15th Japan Gold Disc Awards.^[14]

Track listings

"For You" / "Time Limit" single

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Arranger	Length
1.	"For You"	Hikaru Utada	Kei Kawano	5:22
2.	"Time Limit"	Utada, Takuro Kubo	Rodney Jerkins, Utada	4:55
3.	"For You" (Original Karaoke)	Utada	Kawano	5:22
4.	"Time Limit" (Original Karaoke)	Utada, Kubo	Jerkins, Utada	4:55
Total length:				20:34

Time Limit promo vinyl record^[15]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Time Limit"	4:55
2.	"Time Limit" (instrumental)	4:55
3.	"Time Limit" (a cappella)	4:55
Total length:		14:45

Personnel

Personnel details were sourced from "For You/Time Limit"'s liner notes booklet.^[5]

• Paul Foley – Pro-Tools editing
• Rodney Jerkins – arrangement, production, rap, recording
• Takuro Kubo – writing
• Harvey Mason, Jr. – pro-tools editing, recording
• Dexter Simmons – mixing
• Hikaru Utada – all vocals, arrangement, writing

Charts

Chart (2000)	Peak position
Japan Oricon weekly singles[16] "For You/Time Limit"	1

Sales and certifications

Chart	Amount
Oricon physical sales[17] "For You/Time Limit"	889,000
RIAJ physical certification[18] "For You/Time Limit"	3× Platinum (1,200,000)

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Distributing label	Catalogue codes
Japan	June 30, 2000[1]	CD single	Toshiba EMI	TOCT-4230
	April 1, 2004[19]	Digital download
South Korea	September 30, 2005[20]	Digital download	Universal Music Korea

References

1. "For You/タイム・リミット". Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
2. "『First Love』発売から15年、宇多田ヒカルの色あせない輝き" [15 years since the release of First Love, Hikaru Utada's unfaded radiance]. Oricon. March 7, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
3. "4th Single Addicted To You" (in Japanese). Universal. Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
4. 宇多田ヒカル / Wait&See～リスク～ (in Japanese). CDJournal. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
5. For You/Time Limit (Media notes) (in Japanese). Hikaru Utada. Tokyo, Japan: Toshiba EMI. 2000.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
6. Sato of OngakuDB.com. For You/タイム・リミット (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. Archived from the original on September 21, 2004. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
7. Tomonori Nagasawa of Barks. "Distance" (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. Archived from the original on August 13, 2004. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
8. "News" (in Japanese). Toshiba EMI. June 13, 2000. Archived from the original on June 18, 2000. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
9. #253 00/06/26 放送 [Hey! Hey! Hey! Ratings history (best 17)] (in Japanese). Fuji Television. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
10. "RATING HEY!HEY!HEY!歴代視聴率 BEST 17" [Hey! Hey! Hey! Ratings history (best 17)] (in Japanese). Fuji Television. Archived from the original on December 19, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
11. Utaban (in Japanese). June 29, 2000. Tokyo Broadcasting System.
12. EMI Music Japan. 宇多田ヒカル - タイム・リミット (in Japanese). Youtube. Archived from the original on December 19, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
13. 宇多田ヒカル / Utada Hikaru SINGLE COLLECTION VOL.1 (in Japanese). CDJournal. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
14. 第15回日本ゴールドディスク大賞 / Gold Disc Hall of Fame 15th (in Japanese). RIAJ. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
15. Utada Hikaru – タイム・リミット. Discogs. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
16. 宇多田ヒカルのシングル売り上げランキング [Hikaru Utada single sales ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
17. "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree']. Oricon. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
18. "GOLD ALBUM 他認定作品 2000年7月度" [Gold Albums, and other certified works. September 2000 Edition] (PDF). The Record (Bulletin) (in Japanese). 490. Chūō, Tokyo: Recording Industry Association of Japan: 8. September 10, 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 22, 2014. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
19. "For You/タイム・リミット". Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
20. "タイムㆍリミット/For You" (in Korean). Bugs. Retrieved December 18, 2014.