Tuneback Tuesday - Second Week of April

Let’s turn back the hands of time as we look back at the songs that made the Japanese music industry what it was on the Oricon Weekly Chart. This week we look back at the second week of April for both 2010 and 2015, when boy group NEWS and mega idol group SKE48 reigned supreme with “Sakura Girl” and “Coquettish Jūtai Chū”, respectively. But just what exactly made these songs so great?

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“Sakura Girl” - NEWS

“Sakura Girl” was the fourteenth single by NEWS, who in 2003 released their first single, “News Nippon”, which hit number one. NEWS has consistently released number one songs since their debut and it is easy to see why with this track in particular. “Sakura Girl” has a fun, catchy melody sung expertly the guys. It’s got a light and whimsical feel which is enjoyable for the listener. “Sakura Girl” was written by Heroism along with Hacchin 'Maya and was composed by Heroism. The track sold over 195,000 copies in its first week and would go on to hit platinum. 

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“Coquettish Jūtai Chū” - SKE48

“Coquettish Jūtai Chū” was the seventeenth single released by the ever-popular idol group SKE48. Debuting in 2008 as a spin-off to the super popular idol group AKB48, SKE48 has always had a huge fanbase and it is easy to see why with “Coquettish Jūtai Chū”. This is one fun, high energy number that really gets the listener going. You can truly hear the fun energy that the girls give off here. The song was written by Akimoto Yasushi, composition was done by Fujimi Takafumi, and was arranged by Yu Sasaki. “Coquettish Jūtai Chū” would go on to sell over half a million copies in its first week on the chart, easily taking the number spot for this week in 2015.

Tuneback Tuesday - First Week of April

Let’s turn back the hands of time as we look back at the songs that made the Japanese music industry through the Oricon Weekly Chart. This week we look back on the first week of April for both 2010 and 2015, when Korean boy group Tohoshinki and Johnny’s boy group  Kis-My-Ft2 reigned supreme with “時ヲ止メテ” (“Toki o Tomete”) and “Kiss魂” (“Kiss Damashii”), respectively. But just what exactly made these songs so great?

“Toki o Tomete”

This was the thirtieth single the then-dominating Tohoshinki released in the Japanese market. It was released as a re-cut from their greatest hit album Best Selection 2010 which released a month prior. Written by the duo Ichiro Fujiya and  Shinjiroh Inoue and composed by Daisuke Kahara, the track is arranged in a majestic ballad which is raised tenfold by all five band members’ powerful yet soothing vocals capable of bringing fans to tears.

Unfortunately it really did result in some teary-eyed admirers, as this was the last single to feature members Jeajoong, Yoochun, and Junsu due to contract disputes (As this subject is a very extensive issue which could warrant its own write-up, check out a summary of the dispute here.) The single was released with five tracks and its B-side track, “Checkmate”, was member Yunho’s solo track, with its third track being a remix version of “Toki o Tomete”. The single originally sold over 195,000 copies during its first initial week of sales and ended up placing twenty-sixth overall on the yearly single chart.

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“Kiss Damashii”

This one was the thirteenth single by ever-surprising Kis-My-Ft2. While not changing the formula of Johnnys tracks released during this era, the boys’ ever-impressing and evolving choreography along with their vocal prowess were put at the forefront here, making this an unforgettable song. The track was originally written by KOMU, who had worked with the group extensively in the past, and the compositions were done by industry veteran Kazuhiro Hara; this was his first time working with the group. The single dropped with four tracks and three different editions and sold over 350,000 copies. This was the thirteenth consecutive single to take the number 1 spot. 

Tuneback Tuesday For The Fifth Week of March!

Let’s turn back the hands of time as we look back at the songs that made the Japanese music industry what it was on the Oricon Weekly Chart. This week we look back at the fifth week of March* for both 2010 and 2015, where two female idol groups Watarirouka Hashiritai 7 and Nogizaka46 reigned supreme with “AkKanbe Bashi” and “Inochi wa Utsukushii” respectively. But just what exactly made these songs so great?

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“AkKanbe Bashi” was Watarirouka Hashiritai 7’s fourth single and first and only single to hit number one on the Oricon charts despite having the lowest sales. It originally sold 27,441 copies during its initial release week and sold a total of 34,296 that year. The single was original available in six different editions; a CD+DVD Limited Edition in Type A, B, CD+Photobook (Type C), a regular edition, a DVD single edition, and a special low priced edition re-named “Otameshi Ban”. Takanori Fujimoto composed “AkKanbe Bashi” and had also composed their previous single “Kanpeki Gu~no ne”, which made it to number seven on the Oricon. “AkKanbe Bashi” is a school tune with an interesting composition that makes it feel like an Anthem song. The track is easy to follow with its simple lyrics and composition which anyone could dance and sing to. “AkKanbe Bashi” is a music that begins very simplistically such as a School Anthem, then ramps up for the chorus, and goes back down to being a simple easy to follow along tune. Watarirouka Hashiritai 7’s showed how they can make their own way despite being a subgroup of AKB48 and made their mark on the industry even if it was for a short period of time.

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“Inochi wa Utsukushii” was Nogizaka46’s eleventh single and their tenth consecutive number one single on the Oricon chart. It originally sold 500,297 copies the first week and had a total sales of 622,248. The single was originally availabe in four editions; three CD+DVD limited edtion versions Type A, B, C and a regular edition. Each version of the single had different track listings and it also came with a ticket to vote in the Senbatsu. “Inochi wa Utsukushii” was written by Akimoto and composed by Hiroki Sagawa. Akimoto has written most of the 48 and 46 groups songs and is also the creator of Nogizaka46. This was the first song for Nogizaka46 that Hiroki Sagawa composed and would go on to produce the B-side track “Sorezore no Ise” later on. “Inochi wa Utsukushii” is a heavy vocal track with beautiful piano composition throughout. Nishino Nanase is the center of this track both vocally and in the video. The song shows off the vocal capabilities of the group and the center Nishino Nanase with moving lyrics and a beautifully memorable composition. Nogizaka46 continues to make an impact in the music industry today as they have continued to release more number one tracks, with their latest being “Shiawase no Hogoshoku”.

*Note that we are following the sales listing for the Japanese Oricon chart for 2010 and 2015 which has five sales week.

Tuneback Tuesday For The Fourth Week Of March

Let’s turn back the hands of time as we look back at the songs that made the Japanese music industry what it was on the Oricon Weekly Chart. This week we look back at the fourth week of March for both 2010 and 2015, where an actor turned singer Yusuke Kamiji and  Japanese boy group KAT-TUN reigned supreme with “Lion” and “Kiss Kiss Kiss” respectively. But just what exactly made these songs so great?

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Yusuke Kamiji [ ライオン]

Yusuke Kamiji is an actor who started working in the music industry in 2009 and went by the name Yusuke. “Lion” is the fourth single that Kamaiji released and was the second and his last single to hit number one. “Lion” was used as part of the marketing campaign for Marukome which is a miso soup company. “Lion” is a fun upbeat number that is full of energy that was composed by CUBE JUICE, which helped it leap towards the number one spot and sell just under 100,000 copies.

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KAT-TUN [Kiss Kiss Kiss]

KAT-TUN had been on the scene for almost ten years having gotten started in 2006. “Kiss Kiss Kiss” is KAT-TUN’s twenty-fourth single overall and features only four members instead of the original six as they had already lost two members. “Kiss Kiss Kiss” was used as the main theme for the TV Asahi drama Second Love which stared Kazuya Kamenashi who is a member of the group. The track is a fun upbeat number that is very easy to listen to, composed by Ocean94, and the lyrics were written by 25→graffiti. “Kiss Kiss Kiss” dominated the charts that week managing to sell just over 150,000 copies. 

Tuneback Tuesday for the Third Week of March

Let’s turn back the hands of time as we look back at the songs that impacted the Japanese music industry on the Oricon Weekly Chart. This week we dive into the third week of March for both 2010 and 2015 where Johnny’s boy group ARASHI and dominating mega-idol group AKB48 reigned supreme with “Troublemaker” and “Green Flash” respectively. But what made these songs just so great?

Starting off the decade, Johnny’s boy group ARASHI released their twenty-ninth single “Troublemaker”. Set to be the theme song of member Sho Sakurai’s then upcoming comical-lawyer-drama 特上カバチ!! (Tokujou Kabachi!!), the single kicked off what was then to be known as the peak of their popularity. The single was written by H. Suzuki, composed by Masashi Ohtsuki, and played to the group’s uplifting style with a high energy composition that had fans jumping out of their seats and dancing. “Troublemaker” debuted at number-one on the daily charts selling close to 232,000 copies and debuted on the weekly charts selling over 540,000 copies. Reaching that sales mark made Arashi the second group to have single sales exceed over 500,000 for two consecutive years and had ended to become the third best-selling single of 2010. 

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“Green Flash” was mega-idol group AKB48’s thirty-ninth single and was written by like all song by the 48 system at this time by Yasushi Akimoto, composed by Carlos K. Yuki Kashiwagi, as well as Haruna Kojima were the center performers for this song and was Kashiwagi’s first time being center albeit being in a double center format. “Green Flash” had stood apart from other 48 system’s style of songs by holding a medium-tempo composition, with member Minami Takahashi and Sayaka Yamamoto rapping throughout the song. While on paper this gamble might of failed, but against all odds initially sold over 860,000 copies on it’s first day and sold over 1 million copies in the first week. The single became the 20th consecutive million-selling single, making AKB48 the first group to achieve such a feat. It is also the twenty-sixth consecutive Oricon chart topping single breaking Ayumi Hamasaki’s record of twenty-five.