Go to the Top is the debut album by Japanese singer-songwriter Hitomi, released on September 27, 1995, by Avex Trax.Go To The Top detail page @ Oricon The first press edition of the album came with the CD case housed inside a hardback case, similar to a book. The inside of the back of the case contains a mini-photobook.Go To The Top detail @ Last.fm The RIAJ has certified it 2× platinum, recognizing over 500,000+ shipments throughout Japan.RIAJ Official Site On the Oricon charts, the album's peak position was #3, and it stayed on the charts for eight weeks.Oricon Detail Page for Go To The Top
History Hitomi had previously released two singles without much success. Her debut single, "Let's Play Winter" failed to chart on Japan's Oricon chart,Let's Play Winter @ Oricon and her follow-up single, "We Are "Lonely Girl"", while charting much better at #61 on the charts,We Are "Lonely Girl" @ Oricon failed to make a big impression with sales.
It was not until the quiet release of her third single "Candy Girl" that suddenly Hitomi found success. "Candy Girl" charted much higher than her previous attempts, becoming her first single to chart in the Oricon top 20. This was most likely because "Candy Girl" had been aggressively marketed and appeared in a famous Japanese Kodak commercial.Candy Girl @ Oricon The single established the then 19-year-old Hitomi Furuya into a household name, showcasing her provocative image.
Following the sudden success of her third single, Hitomi and her label (fledgling at the time) Avex Trax quickly released another single, "Go to the Top" which also charted in the top 20,Go to the Top single @ Oricon ensuring Hitomi's success for the time being. Go to the Top, Hitomi's debut studio album of the same name, was released two months later and rose in the charts, peaking at #3.
Track listing
Personnel Hitomi - lead vocals, lyrics Satoshi Miyashita - bass, chorus Mami Ishizuka - chorus Akihiko Shimizu - vocal direction Shuichi Nakano - drums, percussion, chorus Kazuhiro Matsuo, Ken Kimura - guitar, chorus Akio Kondo - keyboards Doug Sax - mastering Kevin Moloney - mixing Akihisa Murakami - programming Cozy Kubo, Tetsuya Komuro - electronic programming
Production Produced by hitomi, Tetsuya Komuro for Avex Trax Co-produced by Cozy Kubo Executive Production by Max Matsuura Engineered by Eiji Ohta, Katsuhiro Odashima, Masataka Ito, Shinpachiro Kawabe, Yoshinori Mizuide, Yuki Mitome Recorded by Naoki Nemoto, Shigeru Matsumura, Toshiaki Sabase, Toshihiro Wako
Charts Oricon Sales Chart (Japan) ReleaseChartPeak positionSales totalChart runSeptember 27, 1995Oricon Daily Albums Chart1Oricon Weekly Albums Chart3406,000 8 weeksOricon Monthly Albums Chart4Oricon Yearly Albums Chart-
References