Great Songs With Bad Music Videos: AZU’s Naruto Closing Theme, “For You” (Review)

I guess Japanese music videos are pretty notorious for being a tad on the boring side, but this one is particularly uninteresting. I’ve been listening to AZU’s For You single for a few weeks now, and I must say I’m quite impressed with the track. It wasn’t until it came time for me to review the single that I actually searched online for the music video.

Some of you out there may recognize “For You” from Naruto Shippuden, where it acts as the 12th closing theme.

Find out why you should skip the music video and check the single out in our review after the jump.

This one’s pretty bare. There are only two tracks with their accompanying instrumental versions. Both tracks are from AZU’s second full-length album, Two of Us.

We start with the title track, “For You,” which opens with a harp progression and AZU’s gentle voice. Some snappy percussion joins in with a clap-like snare that gives the track a satisfying pop, but my favorite part of the track are the smooth pitch-bending synth lines. String stabs are used to masterfully draw out the chorus section, giving the piece even more oomph. I can’t say I can really picture this as the closing theme Naruto, but it’s a lovely track all the same.

The B-side is an acoustic version of a past single titled “Ima Sugu ni…” (“Right Now…”), which ditches the snappy pop approach of “For You” for a solo piano backing and AZU’s sweet vocals. Her voice sounds great, so I wish it was featured more prominently in the mix as the piano kind of takes center stage. It’s still a beautiful melody.

Given the fact that both of these tracks (that is, “For You” and the original version of “Right Now…”) are on the Two of Us album, it may be worthwhile to just check that out instead. Still, if you’re only interested in checking out “For You” because of its tie-in with Naruto Shippuden, it’s some great stuff, and can be found at both CD Japan and Play-Asia.

Are you watching Naruto Shippuden and have any thoughts about this track in the context of the show? Are you familiar with any of AZU’s past work and perhaps have some recommendations?