Prisoner of Love (Hikaru Utada song)
| "Prisoner of Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Hikaru Utada | ||||
| from the album Heart Station | ||||
| Released | March 26, 2008 (Download) May 21, 2008 (CD) | |||
| Recorded | 2007–February 2008 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Pop, R&B | |||
| Length | 4:46 | |||
| Label | EMI Music Japan | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Hikaru Utada | |||
| Producer(s) | Hikaru Utada | |||
| Hikaru Utada singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Prisoner of Love" on YouTube | ||||
"Prisoner of Love" is a song by Japanese–American recording artist Hikaru Utada. It was cut from her fifth Japanese album, Heart Station (2008), making it her first Japanese recut single in nine years since "First Love" in 1999. "Prisoner of Love" is the theme song for the Fuji TV dorama Last Friends, making it her first song since "Sakura Drops" in 2002 to be used as a main theme song. It was released as a digital download on March 26, 2008, and as a CD single on May 21.
Musically, "Prisoner of Love" is a pop ballad heavily influenced by R&B music. The song lyrically depicts a sense of being trapped and unable to escape the intense emotions of love, highlighting the complex nature of relationships. "Prisoner of Love" received positive reception from most music critics, who praised Utada's vocal performance and production and noted the song as a standout from her vast discography.
Commercially, the song gained massive success. The physical single peaked at number two on the Oricon Singles Chart and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). The song fared much better digitally, selling one million full-length downloads and ringtones each. An accompanying music video was shot by Wataru Takeishi, which is a recreation of the song's production. The song was performed during Utada's two date concert series Wild Life in December 2010 and has since appeared in several greatest hits albums by Utada.