is a song recorded by Japanese band Dreams Come True for their fifth studio album, ''

The Swinging Star ''The Swinging Star'' is the fifth studio album by the Japanese band Dreams Come True, released in 1992. It reached number one on the Oricon Albums Chart, stayed on the chart for 55 weeks, and was also once the biggest-selling Japanese-language a ...

''. It was released as the album's lead single by

Epic/Sony Records Epic Records Japan is a Japanese record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Its founder was Shigeo Maruyama. Between 1978 and 1988 the label operated as a wholly owned subsidiary: Epic/Sony Inc. () was established in August 1978

on September 19, 1992. It served as the opening theme to the CX music show ''Ureshi Tanoshi Daisuki - Friday Night Live'', on which the band were regular cast members. The single's coupling song, "Taiyō ga Miteru" was used in the advertising campaign for

Fujifilm , trading as Fujifilm, or simply Fuji, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, operating in the realms of photography, optics, office and medical electronics, biotechnology, and chemicals. The offerings from the ...

's Fujicolor Super HG 400 film.

Composition

The lyrics to "Kessen wa Kinyōbi" were written by

Miwa Yoshida is a Japanese musician, and the lead singer for the band Dreams Come True. She is also a founding member with bassist Masato Nakamura and keyboardist Takahiro Nishikawa. Yoshida also fronts a Dreams Come True side-project, Funk the Peanuts, ...

and the song was composed and arranged by

Masato Nakamura is a Japanese musician, bass guitarist, and record producer. He is a member of the J-pop band Dreams Come True, which was formed in 1988 and went on to sell over 50million CDs. He also composed the soundtracks for the video games ''Sonic the H ...

, while the track was co-produced by the band and

Mike Pela Mike Pela (13 January 1950 – 23 July 2022) was a British record producer and mixer. He worked with various artists including Sade, Maxwell, Savage Garden and others, spanning a wide array of genres. Career Pela started his career in the 19 ...

. "Kessen wa Kinyōbi" came about when Nakamura and Sing Like Talking frontman Chikuzen Satō decided to challenge themselves to a friendly competition to see who could write the best song using the chord progression to

Cheryl Lynn Cheryl Lynn (born Lynda Cheryl Smith; March 11, 1957) is an American singer. She is best known for her songs during the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, including the 1978 R&B/disco song " Got to Be Real". Lynn's singing career began with her ...

's "

Got to Be Real "Got to Be Real" is a song by American singer Cheryl Lynn from her 1978 self-titled debut studio album. The song, which was Lynn's debut single, was written by Lynn, David Paich and David Foster. Recording For the recording, David Shields play ...

" as base inspiration. "Kessen wa Kinyōbi" and "Rise" by Sing Like Talking, from their album ''Humanity'' (1992), were the resulting tracks. Additionally, Nakamura pulled inspiration from

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million reco ...

's "

Let's Groove "Let's Groove" is a song by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released as the first single from their eleventh studio album, ''Raise!'' (1981). It is written by Maurice White and Wayne Vaughn, and produced by White. The song was a commercial succ ...

" to make the perfect disco anthem. The song is written in the key of

C minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major. The C natural minor scale is: : Cha ...

with a common time tempo of 126 beats per minute. Yoshida's vocals span two octaves, from G₃ to G₅.

Critical reception

CDJournal critics described the song as a "fanfare" that gets your "adrenaline pumping". It was praised for capturing the essence of Lynn's "Got to Be Real", on which the song is based.

Cover versions

In 2003, Key of life and A.mia sampled "Kessen wa Kinyōbi" on their song "Friday Let Me Down" featuring

Soul'd Out Soul'd Out (usually styled as SOUL'd OUT) was a Japanese hip-hop trio, consisting of Diggy-MO' (MC), Bro.Hi (MC/Human Beat Box), and Shinnosuke (DJ). Their name is a portmanteau of "soul" and "sold out", and the group is sometimes referred to by ...

's Diggy-Mo'. In 2012,

Nico Touches the Walls Nico Touches the Walls (stylized as NICO Touches the Walls) was a Japanese rock band formed in 2004. The band members were: Mitsumura Tatsuya, Sakakura Shingo, Furumura Daisuke & Tsushima Shotaro. In the same year, they won the Lotte Prize at th ...

recorded a cover of the song to be included as a B-side to the single " Yume 1 Go". In 2014, HY recorded a cover of the song for the Dreams Come True tribute album, ''Watashi no Dorikamu'', released in celebration of the band's 25th anniversary. In 2017,

Daichi Miura is a Japanese singer, songwriter, dancer, and choreographer. He also directs his own concerts. He belongs to Rising Production and has a record contract with Avex. He is from Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. He has an official fan club called "Daichi ...

recorded his rendition of the song for the Dreams Come True cover album, ''DoriUta Vol. 1''.

Chart performance

"Kessen wa Kinyōbi" debuted at number one on the Oricon Singles Chart, with 211,000 copies sold in its first week. The single stayed at the top of the chart for three consecutive weeks, selling 136,000 copies on its second charting week and 87,000 copies on its third week. It slid to number three the following week, logging sales of 88,000 units. The single spent an additional three weeks in the top ten. It charted in the top 100 for twenty-three weeks, selling a reported total of 1,070,000 copies, making it Dreams Come True's first million-selling single. "Kessen wa Kinyōbi" ranked at number 18 on the year-end Oricon Singles Chart for 1992.

Track listing

Charts

Certification and sales

References

{{authority control 1992 songs 1992 singles Dreams Come True (band) songs Songs written by Miwa Yoshida Songs written by Masato Nakamura Song recordings produced by Mike Pela Oricon Weekly number-one singles Epic Records singles