is Japanese singer

Ringo Sheena , known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer, songwriter and musician. She is also the founder and lead vocalist of the band Tokyo Jihen. She describes herself as "". She was ranked number 36 in a list of Japan's top 100 musicians compiled ...

's 2nd single and it was released on September 9, 1998 by

Toshiba EMI , formerly , was one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. on June 30, 2007, after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. Its CEO and president was Kazuhiko Koike. Whe ...

, East World. It was certified gold for 100,000 downloads to cellphones by the

RIAJ The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include p ...

in 2011.

Background

M1 is the song which Ringo Sheena wrote imagining Kabuki-cho before she actually visited there. M2 is a cover of

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

's song. However, she referred to

Susanna Hoffs Susanna Lee Hoffs (born January 17, 1959) is an American singer and guitarist, best known as a co-founder of the pop-rock band The Bangles. Hoffs founded The Bangles (originally called the Bangs) in 1981 with Debbi and Vicki Peterson. They re ...

version. The Japanese translation appeared in the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

is the lyrics which Sheena translated freely. M3 is the songs in which she recorded "Kabukichō no Joō" and "

Marunouchi Sadistic is a song composed and Lyricist, written by Japanese rock singer-songwriter multi-instrumentalist Ringo Sheena. It was recorded for her debut album ''Muzai Moratorium'' in 1999. Background Ringo Sheena released her debut single "Kōfukuron" i ...

" in the style of singing to her own guitar accompaniment. She actually sang in outdoor at first. Since it didn’t sound like reality, she re-recorded it in

studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...

and added sound effects, such as footsteps and noises of bustle. The song was used as the theme song for the

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestri ...

music show ''Pop Jam'' in 1998 and in a

Suntory (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and makes Japanese whisky. Its ...

commercial for ''The Cocktail Bar Mimosa''. The song was covered as a part of a medley by

Rie Tomosaka is a Japanese actress and pop star from Mitaka-shi, Tokyo. She works for Itoh Company. From 1996 to 1997, she has also released music under the name . Profile Tomosaka's father is a beautician. In 1998, she majored in International Culture a ...

on the television show ''The Yoru mo Hippare'' on September 9, 2000. It was covered again by Yoshihiro Kai on his album ''10 Stories'' (2007), in English by

Allister Allister is an American pop punk band from Chicago, Illinois. The four-piece formed in 1994 when the original band members were still in high school, and was originally named Phineas Gage. In 1998 Allister became one of the first bands to sign ...

member

Scott Murphy Matthew Scott Murphy (born January 26, 1970) is an American entrepreneur and politician. He represented parts of New York state's Capital District (excluding the city of Albany) in the United States House of Representatives for a portion of one ...

from his album ''Guilty Pleasures 3'' (2008), on Fragrance's album ''Colorful'' (2009) and by the Gypsy Vagabonz on ''G-Jazz Swing Cover'' (2011).

Track listing

Chart rankings

Sales and certifications

Credits and personnel

Kabukichō no Joō * **

Vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

whistle A whistle is an instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a small slide whistle or nose flute type to a larg ...

: Ringo Sheena **

Electric Guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

acoustic Guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

Susumu Nishikawa ''Diamond Head'' was a Japanese band formed of session musicians and producers. They first gained notability as the backing and touring band for Hitomi Yaida. History Working as a band in their own right they wrote and performed the song "le ...

Electric Bass The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck The ...

, handclap:

Seiji Kameda is a Japanese music producer, arranger and bass guitarist. He has worked extensively with Ringo Shiina, serving as her producer and touring bassist for many years, including his tenure with their band Tokyo Jihen from 2005 to 2012. Biography ...

Unconditional Love * Vocals: Ringo Sheena * The

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

: Chieko Kinbara Group * Bell & loops: Seiji Kameda * Synthesizer programming: Hiroshi Kitashiro

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kabukicho no Joo Ringo Sheena songs 1998 songs 1998 singles Songs written by Ringo Sheena Song recordings produced by Seiji Kameda