"So Long!" (stylized as "So long !" with a space before the exclamation mark) is the 30th

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

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 the Japanese idol

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

AKB48. It is also AKB48's sixth

cherry blossom A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of genus ''Prunus'' or ''Prunus'' subg. ''Cerasus''. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especially in Japan. They generally ...

-themed single, and its first single of 2013. This single was released in Japan on February 20 in four different versions. The 64-minute-long music video for the title track is directed by director Nobuhiko Obayashi. The

Nippon Television JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...

network aired a 3-episode special television drama based on the title track from 11–13 February 2013. This is also the last single to feature long-time members Tomomi Kasai, Moeno Nitō, and Sayaka Nakaya.

Composition

As with many of AKB48's songs, the lyrics were written by Yasushi Akimoto. They begin: :''""'' which is romanized as: ''"So long! …hohoende! So long! ..jā matane, eda ni ikutsu ka no katai tsubomi, sakurazensen mada konainoni" and translated as: ''"So long! ..smiling! So long! ..yeah bye for now, in the branch some hard buds, before the cherry tree still doesn't come"

Music video

The music video for the song "So Long!" is directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi and produced by Yasushi Akimoto. With a duration of 64 minutes, it is AKB48's longest music video to date. Shot on location at Chuetsu High School in Niigata Prefecture, this music video revolves around the students at the school. Mayu Watanabe plays the role of Yume (lit: Dreams), a girl that dreams of becoming an actress. This is Watanabe's first "center" role in an AKB48 music video. SKE48 member Jurina Matsui plays the role of Mirai (lit: Future), a student who transferred to the school from Minamisoma,

Fukushima Prefecture Fukushima Prefecture (; ja, 福島県, Fukushima-ken, ) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,810,286 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miya ...

after the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...

. Other supporting cast includes members Haruka Shimazaki, Yuko Oshima, Minami Takahashi, Tomomi Itano and

Yuki Kashiwagi is a Japanese idol and singer. She is a member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48 and a former member of NMB48 and NGT48. She auditioned for AKB48 on December 3, 2006, and is now a member of AKB48's Team B. She was previously the captain of T ...

. All the students at the school lend their support to Mirai because all of them have had experienced the

2004 Chūetsu earthquake The occurred in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, at 17:56 local time (08:56 UTC) on Saturday, October 23, 2004. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) named it the .

and understand her predicament. Over time, Mirai starts to make friends with the other students in the school and become emotionally stronger. Singer Mickey Curtis makes a special guest appearance in this video.

Release

The title track of this single was first unveiled on Tokyo Broadcasting System's ''Kayo Kyoku'' music programme on 22 January 2013. A six-minute version of the music video was subsequently unveiled on 24 January 2013 during the ''AKB48 Request Hour Set List Best 100 2013'' performance series. "So Long!" was released in Japan on February 20, 2013 in four different versions: Type A, Type K, Type B, and the Theater versions.

Track listing

Type-A

Type-K

Type-B

Theater Edition

Members

"So Long!"

Center: Mayu Watanabe * Team A: Mariko Shinoda, Minami Takahashi, Mayu Watanabe, Yui Yokoyama * Team K: Tomomi Itano, Yūko Ōshima * Team B:

, Haruna Kojima, Haruka Shimazaki * AKB48 Trainees: Minami Minegishi * SKE48 Team S / AKB48 Team K: Jurina Matsui, Rie Kitahara * SKE48 Team S: Rena Matsui * NMB48 Team N / AKB48 Team B: Miyuki Watanabe * NMB48 Team N: Sayaka Yamamoto * HKT48 Team H: Rino Sashihara

"Waiting Room"

The song is performed by Under Girls. Center: Rina Kawaei,

Meru Tashima is a Japanese singer and idol. She is a former member of the idol group HKT48. Biography In 2011, Tashima took part in the 10th generation auditions for the idol group Morning Musume. She passed 3 rounds and advanced to the final, but was not ...

* Team A: Anna Iriyama,

Ryoka Oshima is Japanese actress and former singer. She is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She was a member of AKB48's Team B. Career Oshima passed AKB48's 13th generation auditions on 9 September 2011. Her debut was on 8 December ...

, Rina Kawaei, Ayaka Kikuchi, Juri Takahashi * Team K:

Mariya Nagao is a Japanese television personality and former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. Nagao is represented by Irving. Career Mariya Nagao joined AKB48 as a 9th generation trainee in late 2009. On December 8, 2010, together with Mina ...

, Haruka Shimada * Team B: Mina Oba, Rena Katō, Reina Fujie * SKE48 Team S: Yuria Kizaki, Nanako Suga, Akari Suda * SKE48 Team E: Kanon Kimoto, Nao Furuhata * NMB48 Team N: Nana Yamada * NMB48 Team M:

Fūko Yagura is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group NMB48. She was a member of NMB48's Team M. Career Yagura passed NMB48's second-generation auditions in May 2011, and debuted on 5 June 2011. Her stage debut was on 13 August 2011. She was fi ...

* NMB48 Team BII: Shu Yabushita * HKT48 Team H: Aika Ota,

Haruka Kodama is a Japanese actress and former member of the idol girl groups HKT48 and AKB48. In HKT48, she was a member of Team H. She has been the lead performer of three HKT48 singles: "Hikaeme I Love You!" (2014), "12 Byō" (2015, with Sakura Miyawaki), ...

, Sakura Miyawaki * HKT48 Trainees:

"Ruby"

* Team A: Karen Iwata, Rina Izuta, Anna Iriyama,

Ryōka Ōshima is Japanese actress and former singer. She is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She was a member of AKB48's Team B. Career Oshima passed AKB48's 13th generation auditions on 9 September 2011. Her debut was on 8 December ...

, Tomomi Kasai (Last Single), Rina Kawaei, Ayaka Kikuchi,

Riho Kotani , also known by her stage name is a Japanese YouTuber who is a former member of the Japanese idol groups Yoshimotozaka46, NMB48 and AKB48. She is a former member of NMB48's Team N, and a former member of AKB48's Teams A and 4. Biography Kotani ...

, Marina Kobayashi,

Sumire Satō is a Japanese freelance creator and former idol who is formerly associated with the girl group AKB48 and later transferred to its sister group SKE48. In 2016, she starred in a live-action film based on Sanami Suzuki's manga adaptation of ''The L ...

, Mariko Shinoda, Juri Takahashi, Minami Takahashi,

Yūka Tano is a Japanese idol singer, and a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She was a member of AKB48's Team K. Career Tano passed the AKB48 12th generation audition for the trainee section in February 2011. On March 24, 2012, at ...

, Tomomi Nakatsuka, Shiori Nakamata, Moeno Nitō (Last Single), Sakiko Matsui, Ayaka Morikawa, Yui Yokoyama, Mayu Watanabe

"Yūhi Marie"

* Team K: Sayaka Akimoto,

Maria Abe AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (''Akiba'' for short) area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48's producer, Yasushi Akimoto, wanted to form a girl group with i ...

, Tomomi Itano, Yūko Ōshima,

Mayumi Uchida The Japanese idol girl group AKB48 has many members who have left the group for various reasons such as focusing on solo careers. Some members have left to help launch AKB48's sister groups. The member lineup often changes as when girls get olde ...

, Rie Kitahara,

Asuka Kuramochi is a singer, actress, and a former member of the idol group AKB48 under Team K. Career 2007 * On May 27, she passed AKB48 first trainee audition (AKB48 第一回研究生（4期生）オーディション). 2008 * On March 4, it was a ...

, Kana Kobayashi, Amina Satō, Haruka Shimada,

Shihori Suzuki Shihori (written: or in hiragana) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese actress *, Japanese field hockey player {{given name Japanese feminine given names ...

Rina Chikano The Japanese idol girl group AKB48 has many members who have left the group for various reasons such as focusing on solo careers. Some members have left to help launch AKB48's sister groups. The member lineup often changes as when girls get old ...

Chisato Nakata is a feminine Japanese given name. Possible writings Chisato can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *千里, "great distance" *知里, "knowledge, hometown" *智里, "wisdom, hometown" *千聖, "thousand, holy" *千郷, "th ...

, Sayaka Nakaya (Last Single),

, Nana Fujita, Ami Maeda, Jurina Matsui, Natsumi Matsubara,

Miho Miyazaki is a Japanese singer, actress and former member of the idol girl group AKB48 where she was active in Team A. She also participated in the Korean-Japanese show Produce 48. Biography In 2007, Miyazaki passed an audition for AKB48 and became a ken ...

Tomu Muto is a Japanese idol and singer, and a member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She is a member of AKB48's Team K. She is an alumna of Seijo University, where she studied economics and also earned her postgraduate degree, as well as a certif ...

"Sokode Inu no Unchi Funjau kane?"

* Team B: Anna Ishida,

Haruka Ishida is a Japanese actress, voice actress and a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She has been a co-host on the variety show ''Dream Creator'' on TV Tokyo. and has voiced on a handful of anime shows, including ''Nobunaga the Fool'' ...

Miori Ichikawa is Japanese actress and former member of Japanese idol groups AKB48 and NMB48. She is known for her "Fresh Lemon" character and is the Hiroshima Lemon Ambassador since 2014. Biography Ichikawa debuted in the entertainment industry under Star ...

Misaki Iwasa is a Japanese idol. She is a former member of the Japanese idol group AKB48 and enka singer. Her nickname is Wasamin. Her talent agency is Nagara Productions. She was also a member of the sub-unit Watarirouka Hashiritai 7. Career 2008 * Decem ...

Ayaka Umeda is a former Japanese idol and singer from the girl group NMB48, in which she is the co-captain of Team BII. She was also a member of the AKB48 and its subunit DiVA. Biography 2004–2007: Early career, debut, injury In 2004–2005, Umeda too ...

Mina Ōba is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group SKE48 of which she was captain of Team KII. Before, she was a member of Team B in AKB48. On October 9, 2021, Ōba announced that she will graduate from SKE48 and leave the idol industry in April ...

, Shizuka Ōya,

, Haruka Katayama, Rena Katō, Natsuki Kojima, Haruna Kojima,

Mika Komori Mika is a given name, a nickname and a surname. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People known just as Mika * Mika (singer) (born 1983), Lebanese-born British singer-songwriter Michael Penniman, Jr. * Mika (footbal ...

, Haruka Shimazaki,

Miyu Takeuchi is a Japanese people, Japanese singer and YouTuber based in South Korea. She is a former member of AKB48. Career 2004-2008: Pre-debut Prior to joining AKB48, Takeuchi signed a contract with Stardust Production in 2004 and appeared in Little b ...

Miku Tanabe is a Japanese idol who is a former member of AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol girl group named after the Akihabara (''Akiba'' for short) area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48's produce ...

, Mariko Nakamura,

Wakana Natori Wakana (written: 若菜, 若奈, 和可菜, 和可那, 和佳奈 or わかな in hiragana) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese idol singer and a member of Japanese girl group Angerme *, Japanese act ...

, Misato Nonaka, Reina Fujie, Minami Minegishi,

Suzuran Yamauchi is a Japanese tarento who is represented by the talent agency Horipro. She is a former member of Team S of the female idol group SKE48, and is a former member of its senior group AKB48. Aside from being an idol, Yamauchi is an avid golfer and ha ...

, Miyuki Watanabe

"Tsuyoi Hana"

* Trainees: Miyu Omori, Yukari Sasaki, Rina Hirata, Moe Aigasa, Saho Iwatate, Ayano Umeta, Ayaka Okada, Saki Kitazawa, Ayana Shinozaki, Yurina Takashima, Yuiri Murayama, Shinobu Mogi, Hikari Hashimoto, Mako Kojima, Mitsuki Maeda, Miki Nishino, Nana Okada,

Natsuki Uchiyama is a Japanese copywriter and former idol. She is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48, where she was part of Team B. Biography Uchiyama passed AKB48's 14th generation auditions on 13 May 2012. She debuted on 9 July 2012. In A ...

Charts

Billboard charts

Oricon charts

G-music (Taiwan)

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control AKB48 songs MNL48 songs 2013 singles Oricon Weekly number-one singles Songs about cherry blossom Japanese television drama theme songs