Final Distance

About Final Distance

"Final Distance" is a song by Japanese recording artist Hikaru Utada for her third studio album Deep River (2002). Written by Utada herself, the song was produced and composed by long-time collaborators Akira Miyake, Utada's father Teruzane Utada and herself. "Final Distance" was originally recorded as "Distance" which was taken from the album with the same name, despite not being a single. The song was re-recorded and re-arranged after Utada learned that a young girl, who was inspired by Utada, had been murdered during the Osaka school massacre. Musically, "Final Distance" incorporates more instrumentation than the previous, including violins, an acoustic piano and synthesizers. The song strips the original pop music from "Distance" and is a pop ballad song. Despite being written in 2000 from the original version, Utada reflected on emotions of sorrow, pain, anger and celebration upon hearing the Osaka massacre. Utada personally dedicated the track to six-year-old student Rena Yamashita who, being a fan of Utada and written an essay about her, was murdered during the event. more »