"Dirty Desire"
Single by Utada
from the album This Is the One
Released	December 21, 2009 (2009-12-21)
Genre	Dance-pop electropop synth-pop hip hop R&B
Length	3:51
Label	Island Def Jam
Songwriter(s)	Utada, C. "Tricky" Stewart
Producer(s)	Utada, Stewart, Kuk Harrell, Sking U
Utada singles chronology
"Come Back to Me" (2009) "Dirty Desire" (2009) "Hymne à l'amour (Ai no Anthem)" (2010)
Audio sample
Dirty Desire file help

"Dirty Desire" is a song by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Utada. The single was released exclusively in the fourth quarter of 2009 as a promotional single to US dance/club radio. The single later received a digital commercial release in December 2009 and peaked on the Billboard Dance/Club Charts at number 16.

Composition

The song itself is about fantasizing over someone who is already in a relationship (somewhat similar to Tippy Toe from 2004's EXODUS). It features repetition of the title, as though "dirty desire" is the only thing that can be thought of when thinking of said person. It has playful lyrics, with Utada toying with her Japanese heritage with the line "And in my fantasies I love you long time". The song itself features synths and a very prominent drum beat, that lasts throughout the entire song. It finishes with the repeated line "Bring that beat back!" before fading out.

Promotion and reception

In a review of This Is the One, Adam Benjamin Irby of Bleu Magazine called "Dirty Desire" his favourite song from the album, partly due to its "in-your-face sexual departure from her past work", and going on to say the song is "pure pop perfection".^[1] Not all reception was positive, as Daniel Robson of The Japan Times stated that the song is almost x-rated, particularly on the line "During my 9 to 5 / I'm thinking six and nine". He also added "Is this what it takes to find Stateside success? Whoring yourself both musically and lyrically?".^[2]

Charts

Release history

References