is a song recorded by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai. It was originally released on January 5, 2016, by

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...

, as a

promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

. Upon its release, the original 100-second version of the song was a

sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit is a film, television series, music release, video game, or some other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release but became a success later on. A sleeper hit may have little promo ...

, peaking at number 4 on the ''

Billboard Japan ''Billboard Japan'' is a sister organization of the U.S.-based music magazine ''Billboard''. It is operated by the Japanese Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link (a subsidiary of Hanshin Electric Railway), holding an exclusive licence from ''Bi ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

, receiving a Platinum certification from the

Recording Industry Association of Japan 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 pr ...

(RIAJ). A full version was later released, which received a Gold certification from the RIAJ. The song was later included in a deluxe reissue of Ai's second greatest hits album, ''

The Best Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

''.

Background and release

Written by Makoto Shinohara, "Minna ga Minna Eiyū" was originally planned to only be used in a promotional campaign for au, a Japanese mobile phone operator. A 100-second version of the song was exclusively released on au's music services in January 2016, and a few weeks later was released to other digital stores due to demand. In February 2016, Universal Japan announced the full version of the song was to be released to digital stores.

Composition and lyrics

A J-pop song, "Minna ga Minna Eiyū" samples the melody of " Do Your Ears Hang Low?", a children's song often sung in schools and camps. Lyrically, the song is about being a hero. Real Sound Japan described the song as an "uplifting J-pop song" with "soulful singing" from Ai.

Live performances

Ai performed "Minna ga Minna Eiyū" at the ''

67th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen The was the 67th edition of NHK's Kōhaku Uta Gassen, held on December 31, 2016, live from NHK Hall from 19:15 (JST) to 23:45 (JST), with a 5-minute break for the latest news. This is the 28th Heisei Era edition. The broadcast schedule was announ ...

''.

Track listing

All tracks written by Makoto Shinohara and produced by Uta. * Digital download and streaming (100-second version) *# "Minna ga Minna Eiyū" — 1:40 * Digital download and streaming *# Minna ga Minna Eiyū" — 3:02

Charts

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

. * Ai Carina Uemura – vocals * Uta – producer, arrangement * Makota Shinohara – songwriter

Certifications

Release history

"Minna ga Minna Eiyū 2024"

On January 1, 2024, au aired a new commercial in Japan to celebrate ten years of their Santaro series. A new version of Ai's "Minna ga Minna Eiyū" with new lyrics was used in the commercial. Artificial intelligence art based on works by Bokkuri Matsumoto are entirely used to illustrate the commercial. Similar to the original song, Shinohara provided lyrics while the melody samples the children's dong "Do Your Ears Hang Low?". In an interview, Shinohara discussed that he originally planned to use the original 2016 version of the song, however he went on to modify the lyrics to fit the theme of the commercial. A 100-second version lyric video for "Minna ga Minna Eiyū 2024" was released on Ai's

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channel. Alongside original producer Uta, Ai also co-produced the song.

Charts

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. * Ai Carina Uemura – vocals, producer * Uta – producer, arrangement * Makota Shinohara – songwriter

References

{{Authority control 2016 songs 2016 singles Ai (singer) songs EMI Records singles Universal Music Japan singles Universal Music Group singles Songs based on children's songs