To Be (song)

"To Be" is the English title of a Japanese-language song by Ayumi Hamasaki. It was released as the singer's eighth single on May 12, 1999. The song begins "Dare mo ga toorisugite...", and does not contain the phrase "to be" or any other English lyrics.

Information

"To Be" was released less than a month after her first number one single, "Love (Destiny)." Hamasaki's first song to be composed by Do as Infinity composer DAI, "To Be" was unable to reach the top position on the Oricon, unlike its predecessor. Hamasaki re-recorded "To Be" in celebrating her 10th anniversary in the music business in 2008 and it appeared as a B-Side on her Days/Green single.

PV

The music video for "TO BE" was directed by longtime collaborator Takeishi Wataru. It shows Hamasaki singing as seen by a little boy through a kaleidoscope. It makes use of various backgrounds, outfits, makeup, and wigs to bring as much color as possible into the world the little boy sees. At the end, the kaleidoscope lens breaks, and Hamasaki is seen in black and white.

To Be (album)

To Be (做自己 Zuò zìjǐ, "be yourself") is a 1997 Mandarin-language pop album by Karen Mok. It was Mok's first album for the Taiwan and PRC markets. The album sold over 800,000 copies, and included a hit single, Ta Bu Ai Wo ("He does not love me").

Track listing

References

Beach House

Beach House is an American dream pop band from Baltimore, Maryland, formed in 2004. The band consists of French-born Victoria Legrand (vocals, keyboards) and Baltimore native Alex Scally (guitar, keyboards).

Their self-titled debut album was released in 2006 to critical acclaim and has been followed by Devotion in 2008, Teen Dream in 2010, Bloom in 2012, and Depression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars in 2015.

History

Formation and Beach House

Vocalist and organist Victoria Legrand, who graduated from Vassar College in 2003, and guitarist Alex Scally, who graduated from Oberlin College in 2004, formed the band in 2004 after meeting in Baltimore's indie rock scene, producing music composed largely of organ, programmed drums, and slide guitar. Of the origins of the band name, Scally said: "We’d been writing music, and we had all these songs, and then there was that moment where you say ‘what do we call ourselves?’ We tried to intellectualize it, and it didn’t work. There were different plant-names, Wisteria, that kind of thing. Stupid stuff. But, once we stopped trying, it just came out, it just happened. And it just seemed perfect." In an interview with Pitchfork Media, Legrand addressed their two member status; "[I]t's a way to challenge ourselves: What do you do when it's just the two of you... [O]ne of the reasons this has been such a fulfilling experience for me is that with two people, it's so much easier to achieve things that feel exciting and new."

Teen Dream

Teen Dream is the third studio album by American dream pop duo Beach House, released in January 2010. Produced by Chris Coady, Teen Dream is Beach House's Sub Pop debut. The album was well received by the music press, who hailed it as one of the best albums of 2010.

NME Magazine included it in their 2013 edition of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album was also included in the 2011 edition of the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

In August 2014, Pitchfork Media ranked the album the 5th best album of the 2010s so far.

Recording

The recording of Teen Dream took place after extensive touring of the Beach House's previous album, Devotion (2008). According to Legrand, while on tour "we definitely stored up a lot of energy and ideas that we had. By the end of the touring cycle we couldn’t wait to get back home to start working on the next record. In some ways, touring is a restraint on the creative side, because it’s hard to write on the road. So you just have to wait, and sit on this anticipation until the time you’re able to spend days, weeks, months working on something." The duo strove to create a more "sophisticated" album and, according to the group, the demos of this record were comparable to the final tracks that made up their previous record. Also, their use of extensive reverb was held back significantly. According to Alex Scally "There's very little reverb on the record".

Used

Used may refer to:

See also

Scream, Dracula, Scream!

Scream, Dracula, Scream! is an album by the San Diego, California rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released in 1995 by Interscope Records. It was the band's first major-label release. Music videos were filmed for the singles "On a Rope," "Born in '69" and "Young Livers," and the band embarked on extensive tours of the US, UK and Europe. They experienced a surge of popularity in the UK, where "On a Rope" entered music charts at #12 and was a hit on MTV Europe, earning them rave reviews in New Musical Express and allowing them to play Top of the Pops.

The album also made the band an alternative rock hit in the US, where their videos were featured on MTV and the album received many positive reviews in both mainstream and underground music presses. A large headlining tour in support of the album ensued in 1996, as well as supporting tours with Rancid and Soundgarden. During these tours the band gained a reputation for a series of interesting and, at times, seemingly ludicrous gimmicks and stage antics which included holding raffles during live performances, spinning a large game show wheel to determine set lists, onstage fire breathing, annual Halloween and New Year's shows, and the wearing of coordinated and progressively more ornate stage costumes. In Europe the band also hosted a German variety show, played children's shows and morning shows, and did interviews with fashion magazines. While unorthodox, these antics increased the band's reputation as an energetic live act and helped to increased album sales.

Used 2

"Used 2" is a song by American rapper 2 Chainz from his second studio album B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time (2013). Produced and co-written by Mannie Fresh, it was released as the second single from the album on September 18, 2013.

Background

The song was produced by former Cash Money Records in-house producer Mannie Fresh and features 2 Chainz paying homage to Juvenile's flow on his 1998 song "Back That Azz Up".

Music video

The music video for "Used 2" was directed by Marc Klasfeld and filmed on September 26, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Released on October 13, 2013, the video features appearances from Mannie Fresh and, notably, three reunited members of New Orleans hip hop group Hot Boys—Juvenile, Turk and Lil Wayne. Hot Boys member B.G. is not featured in the video due to his 14-year federal prison sentence for illegal gun possession and witness tampering. In place, 2 Chainz holds up a red T-shirt reading "Free B.G." in the video.

Release and live performances

2 Chainz announced the release of "Used 2" as the second single from B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time on September 17, 2013. The following day, the single impacted mainstream urban radio in the United States. "Used 2" was serviced to urban contemporary radio in the United Kingdom on September 26, and it was subsequently added to the playlist of British urban radio station BBC Radio 1Xtra. 2 Chainz later performed "Used 2" with the track's producer Mannie Fresh at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards. Following its single release, "Used 2" debuted at numbers 11 and 44 respectively on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.