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Sakura (Ikimonogakari song)

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"Sakura"
Single by Ikimonogakari
from the album Sakura Saku Machi Monogatari
B-side"Hot Milk"
ReleasedMarch 15, 2006 (2006-03-15)
Recorded2005
Genre
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)Yoshiki Mizuno
Producer(s)Y. Mizuno
Ikimonogakari singles chronology
"Sakura"
(2006) 		"Hanabi"
(2006)

"Sakura" (stylized in all caps) is the debut single by Japanese pop music trio Ikimonogakari. It was released by Epic Records Japan on March 15, 2006, as a CD single and digital download. It also serves as the lead single for Ikimonogakari's debut studio album, Sakura Saku Machi Monogatari (2007). It was written and composed by Yoshiki Mizuno, and arranged by Masanori Shimada. "Sakura" is an introspective pop ballad which draws influences from folk rock through its instrumentation of which includes acoustic guitars, drums and strings. The song's lyrics depict two people parting ways after a graduation, also depicting a sad love and nostalgic memories.

"Sakura" was well-received by music critics, who complimented Kiyoe Yoshioka's tormented and emotive vocal performance and the song's overall production value. The single was a commercial success as it became a long-selling hit, staying on the Oricon Singles Chart for 31 weeks, and reached a peak of number 17. It was certified three times by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in different categories, including triple platinum for digital sales, double platinum in chaku-uta (ringtone), and gold in physical shipments. Ten years after its release, the track attained a new peak on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 of number 41.

An accompanying music video was directed by Tetsuro Takeuchi, and was shot at the east exit of Tomizu Station on the Odakyu Odawara Line. In order to promote the single, it appeared on greatest hits albums, and live concert tours conducted by Ikimonogakari. It was also used as NTT's "DENPO115" East Japan Area 2006 commercial song. To date, the recording remains one of the group's highest-selling singles according to Oricon Style.

Background and composition

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"Sakura"
"Sakura" is an acoustic guitar-driven midtempo pop ballad with folk rock influences, featuring Yoshioka deliver a tormented vocal performance.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Sakura" was written and composed by the group's guitarist Yoshiki Mizuno himself, while arrangement was handled by music producer Masanori Shimada. This song was written when they were having difficulty writing songs for their major debut, with the intention of "keeping everything neutral and writing songs however they wanted."[1] At the time, there were already many songs with sakura in the title, so there were voices against the release, but it was decided to release it as it was, with the reasons being "we love Japanese music, so it would be uncool to not go head-on with the standard of sakura," and "the lyrics of the chorus mean that the title can only be 'SAKURA'."[1] Mizuno and the director had a lot of trouble writing the lyrics, and about 30 versions were rejected before the current lyrics were completed.[1]

"Sakura" is a midtempo [pop ballad]], with folk rock and soft rock influences.[2][3] Instrumentation is provided by a piano, acoustic guitars, live drums, and strings.[2][3][4][5][6] The song is written in the key of F minor with a common time tempo of 150 beats per minute.[7] The lyrics of "Sakura" are about coming-of-age image of accepting memories of the past and moving strongly into the future through the pop and classic Japanese topic of `sakura`.[8][9] The song's narrator sings about the painful state of being unable to forget his feelings for the other person after their graduation.[10] The "Ohashi" bridge in the song's lyrics represents the Sagami-ohashi Bridge that spans the Sagami River; indicating that the narrator and her partner attended school there.[10]

Release and formats

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"Sakura" was selected as the band's debut single and released on March 15, 2006, by Epic Records Japan in digital and physical formats.[11][12] The maxi CD of the single contains the original composition and its instrumental version, plus the B-sides "Hot Milk" and "Sotsugyou Shashin," the latter being a cover of the 1975 song by Yumi Matsutoya.[11] The single's artwork was photographed by Muga Miyahara, while Keiichiro Oshima took charge of its art direction; the cover depicts paper cutouts of the band members under a paper cutout of a tree.[11]

Reception

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Music critics gave "Sakura very positive reviews. Japanese magazine CDJournal reviewed the single, as well as its appearances on Sakura Saku Machi Monogatari and Ikimonogakari's greatest hits albums Ikimonobakari: Members Best Selection (2010), Barādon (2012), and Chō Ikimonobakari: Ten-nen Kinen Members BEST Selection (2016). CDJournal called it a "heart-warming" pop song and noted that the song's effective use of strings was impressive.[2][4] In their Ikimonobakari: Members Best Selection review, the magazine stated that the song had "charming" lyrical lyrics full of seasonal feeling.[5] The magazine lauded Yoshioka's "ephemeral" and "dignified" singing voice in their review of the song on Barādon; they also called the a cappella at the end a "masterpiece."[6]

Commercially, "Sakura" experienced success in Japan. It debuted at number 40 on the Oricon Singles Chart, selling 3,090 copies in its first week of availability.[13] The recording then went to number twenty, selling 5,187 copies on its fourth week.[14] It reached a peak of number 17 on its seventh week with 6,333 copies sold.[15] Overall, it charted for 31 weeks and sold 59,758 copies.[16] Because it sold 49,506 copies in 2006, it was the 182nd best-single of that year. The CD single for "Sakura" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for shipments of 100,000 units.[17] The single was certified double platinum in May 2011 by the RIAJ for ringtone sales of 500,000 units in Japan.[18] By October 2016, it was certified triple platinum by the RIAJ for full-length downloads of 750,000 units.[19] As of December 2024, "Sakura" marks the band's ninth highest-selling song based on Oricon Style's database.[20]

Music video and promotion

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An accompanying music video for the single was directed by Tetsuro Takeuchi.[21] The music video was shot at the east exit of Tomizu Station on the Odakyu Odawara Line, and features Rie Kato, who debuted at the same time as the band and is in the same agency. The video also shows a section of the Odakyu 9000 series train, which was retired around the same time as the release (March 17, 2006).[22] A new music video, "SAKURA -2007version-," was made for the release of their first major album, Sakura Saku Machi Monogatari.[23] The song "Sakura" was used as NTT's "DENPO115" East Japan Area 2006 commercial song.[24] In February 2021, the song was used as the commercial song for McDonald's Japan's Teritama Burger "Sakura Spirit."[25] Since the release of their greatest hits album, Ikimonobakari: Members Best Selection on November 3, 2010, it has been used as the approach melody at Ebina Station on the Odakyu Odawara Line.[26]

"Sakura" has been heavily promoted on compilation albums conducted by Ikimonogakari. It has been included on Ikimonobakari: Members Best Selection,[27] Barādon (2012),[28] and Chō Ikimonobakari: Ten-nen Kinen Members BEST Selection (2016).[29] The single has also been featured on most of the group's concert tours and their supsequent home media releases since their debut in 2006.[30]

Track listing

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No.TitleLyricsMusicArranger(s)Length
1."Sakura"Yoshiki MizunoY. MizunoMasanori Shimada5:54
2."Hot Milk" (ホットミルク Hotto Miruku)Hotaka Yamashita, Y. MizunoH. YamashitaSeiji Kameda4:57
3."Sotsugyō Shashin" (卒業写真 "Graduation Photo")Yumi AraiY. AraiRyo Eguchi4:01
4."Sakura" (Instrumental)Y. MizunoY. MizunoM. Shimada5:54

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[33]
Physical 		Gold 59,758[16]
Japan (RIAJ)[19]
Digital 		3× Platinum 750,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[34]
Ringtone 		2× Platinum 500,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[35]
PC Downloads 		Gold 100,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "よっちゃんのつぶやき73". いきものがかり「よっちゃんのつぶやき」. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Ikimonogakari - Sakura Saku Machi Monogatari" (in Japanese). CDJournal. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "桜咲く街物語 いきものがかり". Apple Music. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Ikimonogakari - SAKURA" (in Japanese). CDJournal. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Ikimonogakari - Ikimono Bakari ~ Members BEST Selection ~ [2CD]" (in Japanese). CDJournal. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Ikimonogakari - Barādon" (in Japanese). CDJournal. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  7. ^ Amazon Japan Staff. "Key & BPM for SAKURA by Ikimonogakari". Tunebat. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  8. ^ Amazon Japan Staff (March 15, 2006). "Ikimonogakari – SAKURA". Amazon.com. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  9. ^ "Ikimonogakari – SAKURA". HMV. March 15, 2006. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "いきものがかり「SAKURA」歌詞の意味を解説！さくらと共に舞い散る切ない心情". UtaTen. June 24, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c SAKURA (CD Single). いきものがかり. 2006. ESCL-2803.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ "SAKURA - EP by Ikimonogakari". Spotify. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  13. ^ "2006年03月13日～2006年03月19日のCDシングル週間ランキング(2006年03月27日付)" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  14. ^ "オリコン 2006.4.17". Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  15. ^ "オリコン 2006.5.8". Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree']. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  17. ^ ゴールド等認定作品一覧 2011年5月 [Works Receiving Certifications List (Gold, etc) (May 2011)] (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  18. ^ "レコード協会調べ　5月度有料音楽配信認定＜略称：5月度認定＞". RIAJ. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  19. ^ a b "Japanese digital single certifications – いきものがかり – SAKURA" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2016年10月 on the drop-down menu
  20. ^ いきものがかりのシングル売上TOP20作品 [Ikimonogakari's Top 20 Best-Selling Singles]. Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  21. ^ "SAKURA: ミュージックビデオサーチ" (in Japanese). Space Shower. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  22. ^ "Ikimonogakari – SAKURA" (in Japanese). YouTube. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  23. ^ いきものがかり 『SAKURA』のニューミュージックビデオ完成！！ (in Japanese). Hot Express. Archived from the original on April 27, 2007. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  24. ^ "「桜ひらひら」という詞が印象的なNTT「DENPO 115」のCM曲は？" (in Japanese). CDJournal. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  25. ^ "いきものがかりの名曲「SAKURA」、マックCMで甘く切ない春の出会いを演出" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  26. ^ "「海老名駅」「本厚木駅」のホームに列車が接近する際に「いきものがかり」の楽曲が流れます！！" (PDF) (in Japanese). Odakyu. October 26, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 22, 2010. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  27. ^ Citations regarding the reissued formats of Ikimonobakari ~Members Best Selection~:
  28. ^ Citations regarding the reissued formats of Barādon:
  29. ^ Citations regarding the reissued formats of Chou Ikimonobakari ~Ten-nen Kinen Members BEST Selection~:
  30. ^ "DISCOGRAPHY｜いきものがかり" (in Japanese). Sony Music Japan. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  31. ^ "SAKURA - Ikimonogakari" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  32. ^ "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard (in Japanese). March 23, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  33. ^ "Japanese single certifications – いきものがかり – SAKURA" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2011年5月 on the drop-down menu
  34. ^ "Japanese ringtone certifications – いきものがかり – SAKURA" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2011年5月 on the drop-down menu
  35. ^ "Japanese digital single certifications – いきものがかり – SAKURA" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2011年2月 on the drop-down menu
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