is a song released by

Japanese idol An is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in acting, dancing, and modeling. Idols are commercialized through merchandise and endorsements b ...

group

Nogizaka46 is a Japanese female idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto, created as the of the group AKB48. They are the first group from the Sakamichi Series, which also includes sister groups Sakurazaka46 (formerly Keyakizaka46), Yoshimotozaka46, and ...

. The song was written in response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and was released digitally only as a

charity single A charity record or charity single is a song released by musicians with most or all proceeds raised going to a dedicated foundation or charity. George Harrison's " Bangla Desh" single in 1971 is commonly acknowledged as the first ever purpose-mad ...

Background and composition

"Sekaijū no Rinjin yo" was written as a tribute to the efforts of hospital workers during the pandemic as well as citizens practicing

social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious disea ...

by staying at home. The lyrics call for unity in order to curb the spread of the virus. The song's music video was revealed on 25 May 2020. In the video, footage of Nogizaka46's members singing at home was played on the jumbotron of an empty

Meiji Jingu Stadium The is a baseball stadium in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. It opened in 1926 and holds 37,933 spectators. Property of the Meiji Shrine, it is the home field of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows professional baseball team. It also hosts college baseball, incl ...

, a venue that Nogizaka46 has performed annually as part of the "Midsummer National Tour" from 2014 until 2019. Every member in the group participated in the song, including

Mai Shiraishi is a Japanese singer, model, YouTuber and actress who is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group Nogizaka46. Career After graduating from high school, Shiraishi attended music college as she desired to be a singer. Later on, one of he ...

, who intended on leaving the group after the release of "

Shiawase no Hogoshoku is the 25th single by Japanese idol group Nogizaka46. The single was released on 25 March 2020. The center position of the title track was held by Mai Shiraishi. This single was intended to be the last one that Shiraishi performs in before she ...

" but delayed her departure due to the pandemic. Additionally, eleven former members also performed the song:

Rina Ikoma Rina or RINA may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Rina (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Kento Rina, Indian politician * Mahfuza Rahman Rina, Bangladeshi politician * Tongam Rina (born 1979), Indian journ ...

, Rena Ichiki, Karin Itō,

Misa Etō is a Japanese gravure idol, singer, actress, ''tarento'' and former member of the idol groups Nogizaka46 and Chimo. On February 14, 2019, Etō announced that she would be graduating from Nogizaka46, that her graduation concert would be held at ...

, Chiharu Saitō, Yūri Saitō, Iori Sagara,

Reika Sakurai is a Japanese idol singer, actress and a former member of the Japanese idol girl group Nogizaka46. She was also the captain of the group before her departure. Career In 2011, Sakurai auditioned for Nogizaka46 and was chosen as one of the first ...

, Nishino Nanase, Ami Nōjō, and Yumi Wakatsuki.

Reception

Initially, the song was not intended to be released commercially. However, immediately after the music video was posted on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

, the song went viral and reached a million views on

within 20 hours. Therefore, Nogizaka46 decided to release the song as a digital download, where all proceeds would be donated to medical personnel combatting the virus. The song was released on 17 June within Japan and 24 June internationally. According to ''

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 ...

'', the song was the most downloaded song within the week of its release. The song was one of nine recipients of the Excellent Work Award at the

62nd Japan Record Awards The was held on 30 December 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Best Album Award, Songwriting Award, Composition Award, Merit Award, and Planning Award were not presented. Presenters * Riho Yoshioka * Shinichiro Azumi (TBS Announcer) W ...

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sekaiju no Rinjin yo 2020 songs Japanese-language songs Nogizaka46 songs Songs written by Yasushi Akimoto Songs about the COVID-19 pandemic

Background and composition

Reception

Charts

See also

References