"Blue Rose" is a song recorded by Japanese singer
Shizuka Kudo
, known by her maiden name , is a Japanese singer, actress and former idol, born in Hamura, Tokyo, Japan. She was a member of Onyanko Club between May 1986 and September 1987 and went on to have a successful solo career with 11 number-one hits.
...
, from her ninth studio album, ''
Expose
Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to:
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* Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism
* '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website
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* ''Exposé'' (film), a 1976 thriller film
* ''Exposed'' (1932 ...
''. It was released through
Pony Canyon
, also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese mass media publishing company founded on October 1, 1966. The company publishes mainly physical home media on compact discs, including music, films and TV shows and video games. It is affiliate ...
as the album's lead single on March 18, 1994. The song marks a significant change in artistic direction for Kudo, as it is her first single to be self-produced,
as well as her first release since parting ways with long-time collaborator
Tsugutoshi Gotō
is a Japanese songwriter, bassist and music producer. Gotō broke into the Japanese music industry playing bass on tour for artists like Sadistic Mika Band, Bread & Butter and Shiro Kishibe. He went on to write and produce songs for other artist ...
, who has helmed Kudo's songwriting team since her solo debut.
It was featured on TV commercials for
Seagaia Ocean Dome
The , was one of the world's largest indoor waterparks, located in Miyazaki, Japan. The Polynesia-themed Ocean Dome, which was part of the Sheraton Seagaia Resort, with the world's biggest retractable roof, which was opened and closed according ...
.
The single's
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
, "Door", is the ending theme to the
TX television series ''Tsumiki Kuzushi: Hōkai, Soshite...''.
Kudo performed "Blue Rose" on the 45th
Kōhaku Uta Gassen
, more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...
, marking her seventh consecutive appearance on the show.
It is the first in a trilogy of singles with the word "blue" in the title: "Blue Rose" was later followed by "
Blue Velvet" and "
Blue Zone".
Background
"Blue Rose" was written by Kudo, under the pseudonym Aeri, and Takashi Tsushimi.
It is the first single since "
Senryū no Shizuku" to have Kudo credited as a lyricist. The song is written in the key of
C# minor and set to a tempo of 112
beats per minute
Beat, beats or beating may refer to:
Common uses
* Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area
** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols
** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men
* Battery ( ...
.
Kudo's vocals span from E
3 to C
5. Lyrically, Kudo incarnates a woman putting it all on the line to seduce a man. She likens her actions to that of a "sweet devil" when setting up a "diamond trap" for her lover, and declares herself a "blue angel" promising to find endless love. The song is noted for having a strong rock aesthetic.
It was praised for its copious hard guitar riffs, something out of the ordinary coming from Kudo, who received acclaim for unleashing her wild side on the record and amping up the style and glamour, both musically and visually.
Live performances
Kudo's performances of "Blue Rose" are characterized by the accompanying intricate and sensual dance routine, performed alongside multiple backup dancers. The choreography was created by
TRF's Sam and Chiharu. Kudo wore a different color variation of the same outfit when performing: a turtleneck crop top, high-slit maxi dress, over-the-knee stockings and platform heels. She wore an all-white version of the ensemble for her Kōhaku Uta Gassen performance. In a retrospective interview, Kudo named
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...
as one of her inspirations for the performance style.
Japanese TV personality Mitz Mangrove has praised Kudo for the bold performances and cited her as one of the pioneers of Japanese dancing singers.
Chart performance
The single debuted at number eight on the
Oricon Singles Chart
The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track download sales. In J ...
, selling 45,000 copies in its first week.
It spent a total of 16 weeks in the top 100; it fell off the charts in June, but charted for a week in January 1994, following Kudo's performance on Kōhaku, when it came back at number 97 before dropping off completely the next week. With over 299,000 copies sold in 1993, it came in at number 89 on the year-end Oricon Singles Chart.
Track listing
Charts
Certification
References
{{authority control
1994 songs
1994 singles
Songs with lyrics by Shizuka Kudo
Songs used as jingles
Shizuka Kudo songs
Pony Canyon singles