"Love Me Back" is the fifty-second single by Japanese singer Koda Kumi, released on November 29, 2011. It charted at No. 6 and stayed on the Oricon charts for seven weeks. Both "Love Me Back" and the

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 ...

, "Say Her Name," were written by Koda Kumi. It was released in CD, CD+DVD and CD+Goods. The limited editions of all editions came with a special sticker designed by Nakamura Yusuke.

Background information

''Love Me Back'' is singer-songwriter Koda Kumi's fifty-second single under the

Avex is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other busi ...

sub-label Rhythm Zone. The single charted at No. 6 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 ...

s and remained on the charts for seven consecutive weeks. The single was released in three editions: CD, CD+DVD and CD+Goods. The latter edition came with a large carrying pouch in two varying colors, red and purple. "Love Me Back" was created as the theme for the Japanese television drama '' Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de'' on Fuji-TV. The drama is based on the novel of the same name, written by Tokuya Higashikawa. The series features Keiko Kitagawa as Hosho Reiko and

Sho Sakurai (born January 25, 1982) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, rapper, actor, news anchor, host and former radio host. He is a member of the boy band Arashi. Sakurai began his career in the entertainment industry when he joined the Japanese talent a ...

as Kageyama. The single's

, "Say Her Name," was an R&B track with the lyrics written by Kumi and the music written by Norwegian songwriters

Ina Wroldsen Ina Christine Wroldsen (born 29 May 1984), previously known simply as Ina, is a Norwegian singer and songwriter. She was a part of the electropop duo Ask Embla with Icelandic producer and songwriter Arnthor Birgisson. Career Wroldsen's caree ...

, Andre Lindal and Geir Hvidsten. There was also a remix for "Love Me Back," in lieu of an instrumental track. The remix was done by Andy Price of Prix Fixe Productions and coordinated by Yuko Yasumoto, who is most popular for working with Japanese artist Namie Amuro and South Korean group TVXQ. On the CD+DVD editions, Kumi's performance for ''A-nation 10th Anniversary for Life Charge&Go!'' was included. During the performance, she performed " Be My Baby," " Bling Bling Bling" and " Poppin' love cocktail," the latter of which featured, not only TEEDA, but all of the members of Back-On. The live of "Poppin' love cocktail" was also when Kumi and her soon-to-be husband Kenji03 performed on stage together and came out publicly as a couple.

Promotional Advertisements

"Love Me Back" was used as the opening theme song to the Japanese drama '' Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de'' (謎解きはディナーのあとで / The After-Dinner Mysteries), which aired on Fuji Television. The drama is an adaptation of the novel, which was written by Tokuya Higashikawa in 2010. The television series features actress/model Keiko Kitagawa as the young detective Hosho Reiko and

as the butler Kageyama. Keiko Kitagawa is well known for her portrayal of Sailor Mars in the live action of ''Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon'' and as Yumi Honma in the 2006 comedy '' The Mamiya Brothers.'' Sho Sakurai is the rapper in the group Arashi and is also known for his role as Bambi in ''

Kisarazu Cat's Eye is a Japanese comedy television show and movie series. To date, there have been two Kisarazu Cat's Eye movies: ''Kisarazu Cat's Eye Nihon Series'' (2003) and ''Kisarazu Cat's Eye World Series'' (2006). Synopsis The story follows a 21-year-old y ...

.''

Certifications

"Love Me Back" was certified gold for 100,000 downloads in January 2014.

Music video

The video for "Love Me Back" was released the first week of November on MTV; however, the video did not leak onto the internet until November 27. The music video carried a theme of three women attempting to free their mob boss from jail. They take on the personas of police officers to break into the jail, then cover as nurses to remain inside. While the single's video only carried snippets of the story, the "album version," which was placed on the corresponding album '' Japonesque,'' contained the full story, with a complete introduction. The overall theme and feel of the video was very reminiscent of her 2007 video " Cherry Girl," which had carried a

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by Aa ...

theme.

Track list

Charts

Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)

Alternate Versions

#Love Me Back: Found on the single (2011) and corresponding album Japonesque (2012) #Love Me Back ndy Price Remix'': Found on the single (2011) #Love Me Back unset in Ibiza Dubstep Remix'': Found on Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 4 (2012) #Love Me Back

he Young Punx! Remix He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...

'': Found on Koda Kumi Driving Hit's 4 (2012)

References

External links

Official Website
{{authority control 2011 singles 2011 songs Japanese-language songs Japanese television drama theme songs Koda Kumi songs Rhythm Zone singles Songs written by Koda Kumi Songs written by Matthew Tishler