is the 22nd

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

by Japanese idol Momoe Yamaguchi. Written by Yoko Aki and Ryudo Uzaki, the single was released on May 1, 1978, by

CBS Sony , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation and is ...

Background

The title "Playback" was suggested by Yamaguchi's management, who requested Aki and Uzaki to compose the song and

Kōji Makaino is a Japanese pop music composer, arranger, and musician. He is the elder brother of composer Shunichi Makaino. Biography Makaino was born in the city of Toyohashi, in Aichi Prefecture. His father Noboru was a music-lover and amateur composer, ...

to arrange it. When the first version was rejected, Aki and Uzaki worked overnight to revise the song and gave the new version to arranger Mitsuo Hagita; hence the song being titled "Playback Part 2". The original version with Makaino's arrangement was released as "Playback Part 1" in the compilation album ''The Best Playback''. "Playback" in the lyrics refers to a keyword of a current event that triggers a memory from the previous night. The first verse mentions the keyword, followed by the line, . Then the song stops, implying a rewind before proceeding to the second verse. The keyword in the second verse is , which is a line from Kenji Sawada's 1977 single . The temporary silence in the middle of the song initially led to confusion from radio DJs who thought the song ended quickly. When Yamaguchi first performed the song live on NHK, the line was replaced with due to broadcasting laws prohibiting the promotion of brands in song lyrics. By the time she performed the song on the 29th ''

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 netw ...

'' that year, the "crimson Porsche" line was restored in the lyrics. "Playback Part 2" earned Yamaguchi the Gold Award at the

20th Japan Record Awards The 20th Annual Japan Record Awards took place at the Imperial Garden Theater in Chiyoda, Tokyo, on December 31, 1978, starting at 7:00PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS. Winners Japan Record Award * Pink Lady – "UFO ...

and the Broadcast Music Award at the 9th Japan Music Awards.

Commercial performance

The single peaked at No. 2 on Oricon's singles chart and landed at No. 15 on Oricon's 1978 year-ending chart, selling over 508,000 copies.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Yoko Aki; all music is composed by Ryudo Uzaki; all music is arranged by Mitsuo Hagita.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

* Yūko Nitō covered the song on her 1990 cover album ''Easter''. * The Nolans covered the song in English on their 1991 Momoe Yamaguchi cover album, also titled ''

Playback Part 2 is the 22nd single by Japanese idol Momoe Yamaguchi. Written by Yoko Aki and Ryudo Uzaki, the single was released on May 1, 1978, by CBS Sony. Background The title "Playback" was suggested by Yamaguchi's management, who requested Aki and Uzaki ...

''. They re-recorded the song on their 2005 cover album '' The Nolans Sing Momoe 2005'' to commemorate Yamaguchi's 25th retirement anniversary. * Midori Karashima covered the song on the 2004 album ''Momoe Yamaguchi Tribute: Thank You For...'' * Misono covered the song on her 2009 ''

Cover Album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

''. * Megumi Mori covered the song on her 2013 cover album ''Grace of the Guitar''. *

Penicillin Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' moulds, principally '' P. chrysogenum'' and '' P. rubens''. Most penicillins in clinical use are synthesised by P. chrysogenum using ...

covered the song on their 2014 single "Sol". * Ai Nishida covered the song on her 2015 cover album ''Ai no Uta ~Love Songs~''. * Pushim covered the song on their 2016 cover album ''The Nostalgics''. * Yamaguchi's son

Yutaro Miura is a Japanese singer-songwriter and actor. He is the vocalist of the rock band Peaky Salt (now inactive) in the name . He is represented with Dream Zero-One Inc. Miura's father is actor Tomokazu Miura. His mother is former singer and actress M ...

covered the song on his 2017 cover album ''I'm Home''. * Keisuke Kuwata covered the song on his 2019 live video ''Act Against AIDS 2018: Heisei 30! Daisankai Hitori Benishiro Uta Gassen''. * ANNA (Ayumi Nakamura and

Nanase Aikawa is a Japanese singer. She publishes her music under the Motorod label, a division of Avex Group. Biography Early life Nanase Aikawa was born on February 16, 1975, in Osaka, Japan. Throughout her school years, Nanase had sung and participate ...

) covered the song on their 2019 EP ''W''. * Suzuka from

Atarashii Gakko! Atarashii Gakko! (stylized in all caps), known in Japan as Atarashii Gakkou no Leaders (Japanese: 新しい学校のリーダーズ; lit.: New School Leaders), is a Japanese girl group formed in 2015. The group is affiliated with ASOBISYSTEM. At ...

sang for the channel 88rising a part of the song in
video

References

External links

* * {{authority control 1978 singles 1978 songs Songs in Japanese Songs with lyrics by Yoko Aki Songs with music by Ryudo Uzaki Sony Music Entertainment Japan singles