U.T.

U.T. is a song by Yellow Magic Orchestra first released on their 1981 album BGM. It was released later that year as the B-side to the album's lead single, Cue.

Recording
The song, like many of the songs on BGM, originated as a sketch by Hosono. The distinctive delay effects were a last-minute addition, achieved by using a Yamaha E1010 Analog Delay. The rest of the band would later come in to contribute to the songwriting and recording process, including Sakamoto, who was absent for many of the BGM sessions. As a result, it is one of the few songs to be credited to all three members of the band.

The song bears similarity to an earlier hit by the band, Technopolis, almost sounding like a twisted, distorted take on the song. Some fans have also noted similarities in the synth lines to Akiko Yano's 1981 single Harusaki Kobeni, which featured involvement from the entire band and was recorded and released around the same time as BGM.

In regards to the song's concept, the band was inspired by extra-terrestrial research, and the title is actually UFO expert terminology for "ultra-terrestrial". The breakdown of the song features a sketch between the three members (whose voices are heavily modified), depicting a roundtable discussion purportedly between UFO hunters.

During recording, the band were reportedly conflicted between naming the song "U.T." or "E.T." In retrospect, Hosono noted, "Considering the movie E.T. came out exactly one year later, I think we made the right decision."

Release
The song was first released as the seventh track on the band's fourth studio album, BGM, on March 21, 1981. Exactly one month later, on April 21, the song was selected as the B-side to the album's lead single, Cue. Despite this, it is one of the few songs from YMO's middle period to have never been performed live.