Kono Yoru o Tomete yo
Encyclopedia
is a song by Japanese pop, R&B and jazz musician Juju
. It was used as the theme song of the Miho Kanno
and Hiroshi Tamaki
starring drama Guilty: Akuma to Keiyaku Shita Onna, and was released on November 17, 2010.
The song was commercially successful, receiving a triple platinum certification for ringtones, a double platinum certification for full-length cellphone downloads, and a gold certification for physical shipping. According to the RIAJ, the song was the 14th most downloaded song of 2010 and Juju's best performing song of the year, narrowly out-competing her previous single, "Hello, Again (Mukashi Kara Aru Basho)."
, with a background string section. Much of the chorus instrumentalization is based around a short motif
, which is repeated in several instruments. The lyrics of the song center around someone reflecting on an ending relationship. The song's protagonist, after she met her lover, started to that being hurt was what love was. The couple shared more secrets together, but she noticed that they had become to go down separate roads. She believes that her lover "saying 'I love you' is sadder than saying 'goodbye'," so asks her lover to stop the night they are spending together, to end their relationship in only five seconds, and after that, for him to forget her. The protagonist admits to wanting to "dream the same colored dreams" as her lover and that she does not regret her past, but she also does not want to cling to a known future. She also believes that she had no say in the moments when she and her lover met, and will part.
According to Juju, the song expresses "lurking strength while in pain," and has a message that "in situations beyond your control, you have to stay strong, no matter what happens," and believes the lyrics are about the feelings of "being confused ans in pain." Juju explained the title of the song as relating to the point in a relationship where "you don't want a happy ending, and there is no future, where you want to stop spending time together, immediately." During recording and performances of the song, Juju felt it easy to imagine the feelings of the song's protagonist. Her favorite section of the song is the bridge
(the section beginning with the lyrics amai kako no kioku nante).
The song was chosen for release during the search for songs that felt suitable for television dramas for Juju's next studio album. When Juju encountered the music for this song, she attempted humming it, and felt it was the most appropriate song for a drama.
On October 10, 2010, Juju held her third annual live to 5,000 people, at which she performed "Kono Yoru o Tomete yo" for the first time, as well as performing her cover of Off Course
's "Kotoba ni Dekinai" in a duet with band member and author of the song, Kazumasa Oda
. Further performances of the song include during her set at the Marunouchi
Bright Christmas 2010 tree
lighting ceremony on November 11 to 2,000 spectators, television performances on Music Japan (October 31),, Wednesday J-Pop (November 17), Music Station
(November 26) and both CDTV
and Music Fair on November 27. "Kono Yoru o Tomete yo" was one of the songs performed for an episode of MTV Japan
's Jammed, in which Juju held a surprise performance at an inter-school cultural exchange club meeting for middle school students in Hida, Gifu
.
A Twitter
-based social networking campaign, called , was set up for the release of the song, in which people were encouraged to tweet about painful love experiences, similar to the lyrics of the song, with the hash tag #itakoi.
One of the B-sides of the single, "Piece of Our Days," was used as the ending theme song for the Fuji Television
program World Business Satellite.
shots of her against a darkened background, as she performs the song in winter clothing. As she does this, the lighting constantly changes and flares
behind her.
The video was first aired during morning news show Mezamashi Terebi, on November 5, 2010.
s and lyrics that account a painful adult passion," that was on par with the world of lyricist Kiyoshi Matsuo's other works. She felt the song "in a single moment vividly paints a sad love story, when the instruments mix with [Juju's] depth-filled, emotional and peaceful voice." Mikio Yanagisawa of What's In? described Juju's singing as "full and real," and described the song as being "the rolling up of a smooth tapestry created from piano and strings."
s physical singles charts, debuting at number 13 for two weeks, and staying in the top 20 for eight weeks; peaking at number 10 for two non-consecutive weeks. It was a massive hit digitally, debuting at number one on RIAJ's Digital Track Chart
, dropping to number two for its second week. It then regained its position at number one for two more weeks. Despite only being released for sale for 28 days, the song became the 14th most downloaded song to cellphones for 2010, narrowly beating Juju's previous single, "Hello, Again (Mukashi Kara Aru Basho)."
The B-side "Kotoba ni Dekinai" saw minor success, charting at number 99 on RIAJ's digital chart for a single week.
Juju (singer)
is a Japanese jazz singer. She is represented by Sony Music Associated Records Inc.-Biography:She currently resides in New York City. She dreamed of being a jazz singer while growing up in Kyoto, and participated in all sorts of music-related activities. At age 18, she left for the US alone...
. It was used as the theme song of the Miho Kanno
Miho Kanno
is a Japanese actress and J-Pop singer. Her nickname is Kanchan . She was born in Sakado, Saitama, Japan.- Biography :In 1992, Kanno made her debut as a member of a group called Sakurakko Kurabu Sakura Gumi after passing the orientation for the TV variety show Sakurakko Kurabu...
and Hiroshi Tamaki
Hiroshi Tamaki
is a Japanese actor, singer, and model from Nagoya, Japan. When he was still in high school, he was discovered by a talent agent while out shopping with friends. He made his debut in the drama Am I Weird? in 1998...
starring drama Guilty: Akuma to Keiyaku Shita Onna, and was released on November 17, 2010.
The song was commercially successful, receiving a triple platinum certification for ringtones, a double platinum certification for full-length cellphone downloads, and a gold certification for physical shipping. According to the RIAJ, the song was the 14th most downloaded song of 2010 and Juju's best performing song of the year, narrowly out-competing her previous single, "Hello, Again (Mukashi Kara Aru Basho)."
Composition and production
The song is a pop ballad, with an instrument arrangement centering around piano, synthesised percussion sounds, and chime instrumentsBell (instrument)
A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...
, with a background string section. Much of the chorus instrumentalization is based around a short motif
Motif (music)
In music, a motif or motive is a short musical idea, a salient recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition....
, which is repeated in several instruments. The lyrics of the song center around someone reflecting on an ending relationship. The song's protagonist, after she met her lover, started to that being hurt was what love was. The couple shared more secrets together, but she noticed that they had become to go down separate roads. She believes that her lover "saying 'I love you' is sadder than saying 'goodbye'," so asks her lover to stop the night they are spending together, to end their relationship in only five seconds, and after that, for him to forget her. The protagonist admits to wanting to "dream the same colored dreams" as her lover and that she does not regret her past, but she also does not want to cling to a known future. She also believes that she had no say in the moments when she and her lover met, and will part.
According to Juju, the song expresses "lurking strength while in pain," and has a message that "in situations beyond your control, you have to stay strong, no matter what happens," and believes the lyrics are about the feelings of "being confused ans in pain." Juju explained the title of the song as relating to the point in a relationship where "you don't want a happy ending, and there is no future, where you want to stop spending time together, immediately." During recording and performances of the song, Juju felt it easy to imagine the feelings of the song's protagonist. Her favorite section of the song is the bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
(the section beginning with the lyrics amai kako no kioku nante).
The song was chosen for release during the search for songs that felt suitable for television dramas for Juju's next studio album. When Juju encountered the music for this song, she attempted humming it, and felt it was the most appropriate song for a drama.
Promotion
During the initial press release for the song, much of the promotional focus was on the song's status as the theme song for the drama Guilty: Akuma to Keiyaku Shita Onna, as well as the songwriters involved: Kiyoshi "KC" Matsuo, who was famous for writing the lyrics to R&B singer Misia's song "Everything," and Jin Nakamura, for his work with dance/R&B group Exile.On October 10, 2010, Juju held her third annual live to 5,000 people, at which she performed "Kono Yoru o Tomete yo" for the first time, as well as performing her cover of Off Course
Off Course
Off Course was one of Japan's most influential Folk rock bands. It was formed in early 1969 by Kazumasa Oda and Yasuhiro Suzuki（鈴木康博）. They broke up in 1989 after their February 26 farewell performance at Tokyo Dome....
's "Kotoba ni Dekinai" in a duet with band member and author of the song, 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...
. Further performances of the song include during her set at the Marunouchi
Marunouchi
Marunouchi is a commercial district of Tokyo located in Chiyoda between Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace. The name, meaning "inside the circle", derives from its location within the palace's outer moat...
Bright Christmas 2010 tree
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
lighting ceremony on November 11 to 2,000 spectators, television performances on Music Japan (October 31),, Wednesday J-Pop (November 17), 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...
(November 26) and both CDTV
Count Down TV
is a Japanese late night music television show, originally broadcast on TBS from 1993 onwards. The program is shown weekly, and features a Japanese music video hit chart countdown, live performances from musicians and music information...
and Music Fair on November 27. "Kono Yoru o Tomete yo" was one of the songs performed for an episode of MTV Japan
MTV Japan
MTV Japan is the Japanese version of the cable television network based in Japan. It is a subsidiary of MTV Networks, and was launched on December 24, 1992. It can be viewed on cable television, SKY PerfecTV!, SKY PerfecTV! e2 and IPTV.-History:MTV originally was a music block on JORX-TV from 1989...
's Jammed, in which Juju held a surprise performance at an inter-school cultural exchange club meeting for middle school students in Hida, Gifu
Hida, Gifu
is the northernmost city in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It received its name from the historical province of Hida Province, which was centered around the same area.The official kanji for the city is actually 飛驒, which uses the old rendering of the 騨 character...
.
A Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
-based social networking campaign, called , was set up for the release of the song, in which people were encouraged to tweet about painful love experiences, similar to the lyrics of the song, with the hash tag #itakoi.
One of the B-sides of the single, "Piece of Our Days," was used as the ending theme song for the Fuji Television
Fuji Television
is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....
program World Business Satellite.
Music video
The music video was directed by Shinji Niwa, and features dramatic scenes with model and actor Terunosuke Takezai, which are interspersed with scenes of Juju performing the song. The drama scenes begin with Kana's character receiving a phone call outside at night time from Takezai's character, telling her he is sorry. Kana's character walks through an underground train station, and sees many posters of her and her former boyfriend on one of the walls. She slowly walks past the photos that depict happier times in their relationship. Kana's character begins to run until she gets outside, where a screen is showing home videos of her together with her former lover. She sits down, and begins to cry. The scenes of Juju feature constant close-upClose-up
In filmmaking, television production, still photography and the comic strip medium a close-up tightly frames a person or an object. Close-ups are one of the standard shots used regularly with medium shots and long shots . Close-ups display the most detail, but they do not include the broader scene...
shots of her against a darkened background, as she performs the song in winter clothing. As she does this, the lighting constantly changes and flares
Lens flare
Lens flare is the light scattered in lens systems through generally unwanted image formation mechanisms, such as internal reflection and scattering from material inhomogeneities in the lens. These mechanisms differ from the intended image formation mechanism that depends on refraction of the image...
behind her.
The video was first aired during morning news show Mezamashi Terebi, on November 5, 2010.
Critical reception
The reviewer at CDJournal described the song as "a ballad of gratitude that strikes pain into your heart, filled with emotion to the point of pain." Haruna Takekawa of Hot Express called the song a mellow ballad with "dazzling introduction from piano, with magnificent strings, heart-filled bass drumBass drum
Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
s and lyrics that account a painful adult passion," that was on par with the world of lyricist Kiyoshi Matsuo's other works. She felt the song "in a single moment vividly paints a sad love story, when the instruments mix with [Juju's] depth-filled, emotional and peaceful voice." Mikio Yanagisawa of What's In? described Juju's singing as "full and real," and described the song as being "the rolling up of a smooth tapestry created from piano and strings."
Chart reception
The single was a very long charting release on OriconOricon
, 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...
s physical singles charts, debuting at number 13 for two weeks, and staying in the top 20 for eight weeks; peaking at number 10 for two non-consecutive weeks. It was a massive hit digitally, debuting at number one on RIAJ's Digital Track Chart
RIAJ Digital Track Chart
The is chart ranks the best selling digital singles in Japan, provided by the Recording Industry Association of Japan since April 2009. The chart measures cellphone downloads ....
, dropping to number two for its second week. It then regained its position at number one for two more weeks. Despite only being released for sale for 28 days, the song became the 14th most downloaded song to cellphones for 2010, narrowly beating Juju's previous single, "Hello, Again (Mukashi Kara Aru Basho)."
The B-side "Kotoba ni Dekinai" saw minor success, charting at number 99 on RIAJ's digital chart for a single week.
Track listing
Chart rankings
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Adult Contemporary Airplay |
14 |
| Billboard Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... |
12 |
| 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... daily singles |
6 |
| Oricon weekly singles | 10 |
| RIAJ Digital Track Chart RIAJ Digital Track Chart The is chart ranks the best selling digital singles in Japan, provided by the Recording Industry Association of Japan since April 2009. The chart measures cellphone downloads .... weekly top 100 |
1 |
| RIAJ Digital Track Chart yearly top 100 | 14 |
Sales and certifications
| Chart | Amount |
|---|---|
| Oricon physical sales | 80,000 |
| RIAJ physical shipping certification | Gold (100,000+) |
| RIAJ ringtone download certification | Triple platinum (750,000+) |
| RIAJ full-length cellphone download certification | Double platinum (500,000+) |
Personnel
- Gen Ittetsu Strings - string section
- Juju - vocals
- Toshiaki Matsumoto - music
- Kiyoshi "KC" Matsuo - lyrics, production
- Jin Nakamura - all instruments, arrangement, programming
- Shinsaku Takane - vocal recording, at Orchelabo Tokyo
- Hiromichi "Tucky" Takiguchi - mastering, at Parasight Mastering
- Shojiro Watanabe - string section recording, mixing, at Onkio Haus
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | Ringtone | |
| CD single, cellphone download | ||
| Rental CD |