Bokura no Machi de
Encyclopedia
"Bokura no Machi de" is the third overall single by the Japan
ese boy band
KAT-TUN
, and the second from their second studio album, Cartoon KAT-TUN II You
. The first ballad
to be released as a single, it is also the first commercially released song to not feature Jin Akanishi
who took a sabbatical from the group in October 2006 to study in Los Angeles
. The single was released in three editions; a regular edition with instrumental versions of the title track and a b-side, a first press limited edition with a bonus track and its instrumental version and a limited edition with the single's music video
.
It was released on December 7, 2006 and became KAT-TUN's third consecutive number 1 on the Oricon
singles charts.
singer-songwriter
Kazumasa Oda
for KAT-TUN. He was an active participant in the recording studio attending each member's recording session from start to finish while providing advice for each of them. The song was featured as the ending theme song to Kazuya Kamenashi
and Koki Tanaka's romance drama
, Tatta Hitotsu no Koi
, and as such, the lyrics correspond with the troubled relationship Kamenashi's character and his love interest (portrayed by Haruka Ayase
) once shared.
Masahiro Nakai
's talk show Utaban
on the day the single was released. The group performed on Music Station
the day after and were invited to perform on Music Stations special end-of-year show, Super Live, on December 22 where they also performed their debut hit single, "Real Face". The group rounded off the year by performing with other Johnny's Entertainment
groups on the special end-of-year countdown concert at Tokyo Dome
.
On March 18, 2007, co-lead vocalist Kazuya Kamenashi
was a guest on Shounen Club Premium where he collaborated with Tokio
vocalist and keyboardist Tomoya Nagase
and Kokubun Taichi for a one-off performance of the single. KAT-TUN
also performed with Every Little Thing on their talk show Cartoon KAT-TUN
on February 27, 2008, singing the title track and ELT's single, "Shapes of Love
".
' "Harmony of December" from the top spot on the Oricon singles chart. It reportedly sold 410,103 copies and was certified as the 13th best-selling song of 2006 with those numbers alone. By the end of its chart run in early 2007, the song had reportedly sold over 558,491 copies and was later certified Double Platinum by RIAJ denoting over 500,000 shipments.
The single was honored at the 21st Japan Gold Disc Awards when it placed on the "Best 10 Singles (Domestic)" list along with "Real Face" and "Signal
".
|-
! Country
! Provider
! Sales
! Certification
|-
| Japan
| RIAJ
| 558,491+
| Double Platinum
|-
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
KAT-TUN
KAT-TUN
KAT-TUN is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates in 2001. The group's name is an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name until the departure of Jin Akanishi in 2010. As of 2010, KAT-TUN stands for Kazuya KAmenashi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda,...
, and the second from their second studio album, Cartoon KAT-TUN II You
Cartoon KAT-TUN II You
Cartoon KAT-TUN II You is the second studio album by Japanese boy band KAT-TUN, released in Japan on April 18, 2007 by J-One Records. It is the group's first album to not feature all six members with Jin Akanishi taking a sabbatical to study overseas six months prior...
. The first ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
to be released as a single, it is also the first commercially released song to not feature Jin Akanishi
Jin Akanishi
is a Japanese idol, singer-songwriter, actor, seiyū, and former radio host. Akanishi is a former member of the J-pop group, KAT-TUN, and was one of the two lead vocalists...
who took a sabbatical from the group in October 2006 to study in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The single was released in three editions; a regular edition with instrumental versions of the title track and a b-side, a first press limited edition with a bonus track and its instrumental version and a limited edition with the single's music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
.
It was released on December 7, 2006 and became KAT-TUN's third consecutive number 1 on the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
singles charts.
Single information
"Bokura no Machi de" was written entirely by folkFolk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Kazumasa Oda
Kazumasa Oda
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, composer and is also known as the leader of the folk rock band Off Course.As a vocalist and leader of Off Course, Oda wrote many Japanese standard numbers in the 70s and 80s. He and Yasuhiro Suzuki were important composers in the band...
for KAT-TUN. He was an active participant in the recording studio attending each member's recording session from start to finish while providing advice for each of them. The song was featured as the ending theme song to Kazuya Kamenashi
Kazuya Kamenashi
, often called Kame, is a Japanese idol, singer–songwriter, actor, television personality, producer, radio host and occasional model. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, he joined the Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates, at the age of 12 and was drafted as a member and co-lead vocalist of...
and Koki Tanaka's romance drama
Japanese television drama
, also called , are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including murder romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, and many others...
, Tatta Hitotsu no Koi
Tatta Hitotsu no Koi
Tatta Hitotsu no Koi or also sometimes known as "Just One Love"is a Japanese drama series, produced and aired in 2006 by NTV. It is a 10-episode drama series that was aired from October 14, 2006 through December 16, 2006.-Synopsis:...
, and as such, the lyrics correspond with the troubled relationship Kamenashi's character and his love interest (portrayed by Haruka Ayase
Haruka Ayase
, born in Hiroshima Prefecture, on March 24, 1985, is a Japanese actress.-Career:In 1999, she successfully passed a Horipro audition. She first achieved widespread recognition for her starring roles in the short film Justice; in 2004 she rose to stardom as Aki in the TV series Crying Out Love, In...
) once shared.
Promotion
KAT-TUN debuted the song on television on Utawara on December 3, 2006 and were guests on their senpaiSenpai
and are an essential element of Japanese seniority-based status relationships, similar to the way that family and other relationships are decided based on age, with even twins being divided into elder and younger sibling...
Masahiro Nakai
Masahiro Nakai
is a singer, actor and host for music events and variety shows such as the long-running music show Utaban. He is the leader of the Japanese idol group SMAP.-Early life:...
's talk show Utaban
Utaban
was a long running Japanese music variety show, broadcast weekly from October 15, 1996 until March 23, 2010 on TBS. The name of the show is an abbreviation of , meaning "music program"...
on the day the single was released. The group performed on Music Station
Music Station
is a Japanese music television program. It began broadcasting on October 24, 1986 and continues to be broadcast weekly in High-definition from 8PM-9PM on tv asahi...
the day after and were invited to perform on Music Stations special end-of-year show, Super Live, on December 22 where they also performed their debut hit single, "Real Face". The group rounded off the year by performing with other Johnny's Entertainment
Johnny & Associates
is a talent agency formed by Johnny Kitagawa in 1962. Johnny & Associates trains and promotes groups of male idols, collectively known as , in Japan.-1962–1989:...
groups on the special end-of-year countdown concert at Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...
.
On March 18, 2007, co-lead vocalist Kazuya Kamenashi
Kazuya Kamenashi
, often called Kame, is a Japanese idol, singer–songwriter, actor, television personality, producer, radio host and occasional model. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, he joined the Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates, at the age of 12 and was drafted as a member and co-lead vocalist of...
was a guest on Shounen Club Premium where he collaborated with Tokio
Tokio (band)
Tokio is a Japanese rock/pop band formed by Johnny & Associates that debuted in 1994. It is made up of five men who were signed with Sony Music Entertainment from 1994 to 2001, with Universal Music Japan from 2001 to 2008, and are now signed under J Storm, a label owned by Johnny & Associates...
vocalist and keyboardist Tomoya Nagase
Tomoya Nagase
is a Japanese singer and actor. He is a member of Tokio, a Johnny & Associates musical group. He is the primary vocalist, in addition to playing the guitar alongside Tokio's leader, Shigeru Joshima.- As an artist :...
and Kokubun Taichi for a one-off performance of the single. KAT-TUN
KAT-TUN
KAT-TUN is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates in 2001. The group's name is an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name until the departure of Jin Akanishi in 2010. As of 2010, KAT-TUN stands for Kazuya KAmenashi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda,...
also performed with Every Little Thing on their talk show Cartoon KAT-TUN
Cartoon KAT-TUN
was a Japanese variety show hosted by KAT-TUN, a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates. The show began airing on April 4, 2007, and ended on March 24, 2010. It aired every Wednesday from 11:55 pm to 12:26 am on NTV for 3 years...
on February 27, 2008, singing the title track and ELT's single, "Shapes of Love
Shapes Of Love / Never stop!
"Shapes of Love / Never Stop!" is a single by Japanese j-pop group Every Little Thing, released as their sixth single on October 22, 1997. It was used as the drama Kenshūi Nanako's theme song.-Track listing:# Shapes of Love# Never Stop!...
".
Chart performance
In its first week of its release, the single knocked off KinKi KidsKinKi Kids
is a Japanese duo consisting of Koichi Domoto and Tsuyoshi Domoto under the talent agency Johnny & Associates. Although the members share the same surname, the only relation they have to each other is that they both hail from the Kinki region, hence the duo's name....
' "Harmony of December" from the top spot on the Oricon singles chart. It reportedly sold 410,103 copies and was certified as the 13th best-selling song of 2006 with those numbers alone. By the end of its chart run in early 2007, the song had reportedly sold over 558,491 copies and was later certified Double Platinum by RIAJ denoting over 500,000 shipments.
The single was honored at the 21st Japan Gold Disc Awards when it placed on the "Best 10 Singles (Domestic)" list along with "Real Face" and "Signal
Signal (KAT-TUN song)
"SIGNAL" is a song written by Ma-saya, Joker, Joey Carbone, Lisa Huang and Akira for the second single and second studio album of the Japanese boy band, KAT-TUN...
".
Track listings
- Normal Edition
- First Press Edition
- Limited Edition
Sales and certifications
{| class="wikitable" border="1"|-
! Country
! Provider
! Sales
! Certification
|-
| Japan
| RIAJ
Recording Industry Association of Japan
The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry...
| 558,491+
| Double Platinum
|-