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 ...
, released on December 28, 1988, by
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 affi ...
as the lead single from her third studio album ''
Joy
The word joy refers to the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, and is typically associated with feelings of intense, long lasting happiness.
Dictionary definitions
Dictionary definitions of joy typically include a sense of ...
'' (1989). Almost a year later to the day, Kudo marked her second appearance on
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 ...
by performing "Koi Hitoyo".
Background
"Koi Hitoyo" is a mid-tempo song written by
Gorō Matsui
is a Japanese lyricist born 11 December 1957 in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, though he considers Tokyo to be his hometown. Beginning with participation in the Yamaha Popular Song Contests, he made his debut writing the lyrics for the 1981 Chage and ...
and composed and produced by
Tsugutoshi Gotō.
The song was used in televised commercials for the
Hakone Open-Air Museum.
The lyrics of the song describe the thoughts racing through the protagonist's head as she spends the night with her lover for the first time. At the time of the recording, Kudo complained to her then-executive producer, Yūzō Watanabe, that she was having a hard time singing the song because the
tessitura
In music, tessitura (, pl. ''tessiture'', "texture"; ) is the most acceptable and comfortable vocal range for a given singer or less frequently, musical instrument, the range in which a given type of voice presents its best-sounding (or characte ...
was too high.
Watanabe assured her that "he liked the pain in her voice" and Kudo proceeded with recording "Koi Hitoyo" without changing the key of the song.
She has since stated that Watanabe's encouragement helped her gain trust in his vision and that after that she always sang the songs they worked on together in the key he would suggest.
Cover versions
In 2008,
Acid Black Cherry
Acid Black Cherry (abbreviated as ABC) is the solo project of the former lead vocalist of Janne Da Arc, Yasu. The group was formed after Janne Da Arc announced their indefinite hiatus.
Information
Acid Black Cherry is the solo project of Yasunor ...
recorded a cover of the song that was initially released as a
B-side on his single "Fuyu no Maboroshi" and later included on his album, ''Recreation'' (2008).
Maki Goto
is a Japanese singer, lyricist, and former actress. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, Goto began her musical career in 1999 when she joined Morning Musume as the only third generation member. Her first single with the group, " Love Machine", t ...
recorded a cover of "Koi Hitoyo" for her mini album ''Gloria'' (2011).
Goto's version was released as a
digital download on November 10, 2010 as a promotional single for the album.
Chart performance
"Koi Hitoyo" entered the
Oricon Singles Chart at number two, with 225,000 copies sold.
The following week, it reached the top of the chart, where it stayed for two consecutive weeks.
The song charted for a total of 21 weeks. It is Kudo's second best-selling single, behind "
Dōkoku" (1993), with sales surpassing half a million copies. "Koi Hitoyo" ranked at number six on the year-end Oricon Singles Chart for 1989, and was one of three singles released by Kudo that year to rank in the yearly top ten.
Track listing
Charts
See also
*
List of Oricon number-one singles
This is a list of songs that have peaked at number-one on the Oricon Singles Chart, the preeminent singles chart in Japan, which was created in 1967, and monitors the number of physical single purchases of the most popular singles.
1960s and 1 ...
References
{{authority control
1988 songs
1988 singles
Songs with lyrics by Gorō Matsui
Songs written by Tsugutoshi Gotō
Oricon Weekly number-one singles
Songs used as jingles
Shizuka Kudo songs
Maki Goto songs
Pony Canyon singles