"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 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 ...

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 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 it ...

. 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 was a Japanese director, screenwriter and editor of films and television advertisements. He began his filmmaking career as a pioneer of Japanese experimental films before transitioning to directing more mainstream media, and his resulting film ...

. 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 is a Japanese singer, actress and a former member of the idol group AKB48, belonging to Team A. She had a recurring role on ''Kamen Rider W'' as Elizabeth, alongside group member Tomomi Itano. Together, they make up the sub-unit Queen & Elizab ...

, Moeno Nitō, and

Sayaka Nakaya is a Japanese voice actress and former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She is from Iwate. While with AKB48 she was a member of the subunit No Name. Her biggest role as a voice actress was as the title character Chitose Sakuraba in ...

Composition

As with many of AKB48's songs, the lyrics were written by

Yasushi Akimoto is a Japanese record producer, lyricist, and television writer, best known for creating and producing some of Japan's top idol groups, Onyanko Club and the AKB48 franchise. Total sales of the singles he has written exceed 100 million copies, maki ...

. 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 A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

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 is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,227,496 (1 July 2019) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

, this music video revolves around the students at the school.

Mayu Watanabe is a Japanese former idol, singer, actress, and former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48 under Team B. In the annual AKB48 General Elections event, she had consistently been voted by fans to rank among the group's top members. She has ...

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 SKE48 (S.K.E. Forty-eight) is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. SKE48 is named after the Sakae district in Nagoya of Aichi Prefecture, where the group is based. The group performs at SKE48 Theater on 2F of Sunshine Sakae, a s ...

member

Jurina Matsui is a Japanese Television personalities in Japan, TV personality, singer, actress, and YouTuber. She is a former member of Japanese idol girl group SKE48 and former concurrent member of AKB48 (in 2012–2015). She is recognized as SKE48's absolut ...

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 is a Japanese actress, singer, and former member of the Japanese idol group AKB48. Her supposed apathetic attitude toward idol fans led to the popularity of the buzzword in Japanese media. Since graduating from AKB48 in 2016, Shimazaki has work ...

Yuko Oshima is a Japanese actress and former member of Japanese idol girl group AKB48, of which she was the captain of Team K. She was also a member of the AKB48 subunit Not Yet. In addition to the singles that involved the rock-paper-scissors tournaments ...

Minami Takahashi is a Japanese idol, singer, tarento and a former member of the Japanese girl idol group AKB48. She is in Team A of AKB48. She became the first of AKB48 and its sister groups. In an interview with Nippon Television in June 2010, AKB48 produc ...

Tomomi Itano is a Japanese recording artist, songwriter, dancer, model, and actress. She is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. In 2011 she debuted solo with a single titled " Dear J", which wa ...

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 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 is a Japanese actor, singer and Media Personality. He was born to English-Japanese parents. A pivotal figure in Japanese popular music, Mickey is considered one of the three big Japanese names in rock music, helping to popularize the genre in ...

makes a special guest appearance in this video.

Release

The title track of this single was first unveiled on

Tokyo Broadcasting System formerly is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network and radio network . It has a 28-affiliate television network called JNN (Japan News Network), as well as a 34-affili ...

'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:

* Team A:

Mariko Shinoda is a Japanese singer, actress, fashion model, and former member of the Japanese idol group AKB48, in which she was the captain of Team A. Career In October 2005, she auditioned for AKB48's first generation roster but failed the audition. Short ...

Yui Yokoyama Yui may refer to: People * Yui (name), a Japanese name *Yui (singer) (born 1987), Japanese singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actress * Yui people or Ibi, a Timucuan-speaking people in what now is Georgia, United States Places * Yui, Sh ...

* Team K:

Yūko Ōshima is a Japanese actress and former member of Japanese idol girl group AKB48, of which she was the captain of Team K. She was also a member of the AKB48 subunit Not Yet. In addition to the singles that involved the rock-paper-scissors tournaments ...

* Team B:

Haruna Kojima is a Japanese actress, model, and former singer. From 2005 to 2017, she was a member of idol group AKB48 under Team A. Career Kojima was born in Urawa-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, and started her career as a member of Angel Eyes, an idol ...

* AKB48 Trainees:

Minami Minegishi is a Japanese singer and actress, represented by Production Ogi. She was a member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48, and its subunit no3b. She is noted for having the longest tenure among the group's original members from 2005 to 2021. Ca ...

Team S / AKB48 Team K:

Rie Kitahara is a Japanese singer and actress formerly associated with the Japanese idol girl group NGT48 and former member of AKB48 and SKE48. She debuted in 2008 in Team A and was later co-captain of Team K (2014). In March 2015, it was announced Kitahara wo ...

* SKE48 Team S:

Rena Matsui is a Japanese actress, singer, and novelist. Matsui is a former member of the Japanese idol girl groups SKE48 and Nogizaka46. As a member of the former, she also participated in the main lineup of AKB48's singles. As an actress, she has played r ...

NMB48 NMB48 (read "N.M.B. Forty-eight") is a Japanese idol group that debuted in 2011 as the second sister group to AKB48, produced by Yasushi Akimoto. NMB48 is named after the Namba district in Osaka city of Osaka Prefecture, where the group is base ...

Team N / AKB48 Team B:

Miyuki Watanabe is a former member of multiple Japanese idol girl groups. She is a former member of NMB48's Team BII, and a former member of SKE48's Team S. She was also on AKB48 Team B. Career Watanabe passed NMB48's first-generation auditions on 20 Septem ...

* NMB48 Team N:

Sayaka Yamamoto is a Japanese singer and songwriter signed to Universal Sigma. She is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group NMB48, where she served as captain of both the whole group as well as Team N, and a former member of AKB48's Team K. She mad ...

HKT48 HKT48 (read "H.K.T. Forty-eight") is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. HKT48 is named after the Hakata-ku, Fukuoka city of Fukuoka Prefecture, where Akimoto originally intended to base the group. The group currently performs at ...

Team H:

Rino Sashihara is a Japanese tarento, singer, producer and actress. She is best known as a former member of idol groups HKT48, AKB48 and STU48, and was the theater manager for HKT48 and STU48. She was also a member of AKB48's unit Not Yet (band), Not Yet and i ...

"Waiting Room"

The song is performed by Under Girls. Center:

Rina Kawaei 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 ...

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 is a Japanese actress and YouTuber who has bases of operations in Japan and Mexico. She is a former member of the Japanese idol group AKB48, in which she was a member of Team A. She is represented by the talent agency Ohta Production. She was p ...

, Ryoka Oshima,

, Ayaka Kikuchi,

Juri Takahashi , also known mononymously as Juri ( ko, 쥬리; ja, ジュリ), is a Japanese singer based in South Korea. She is a member of South Korean girl group Rocket Punch and former member of the Japanese girl group AKB48. Career 2011-2018: AKB4 ...

* 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 is a Japanese businessperson and former singer and actress. She is a former member of AKB48, and has founded two companies aiming to provide second career options for aspiring and active entertainers. Biography Shimada joined AKB48 in 2009. D ...

* Team B:

Mina Oba Mina may refer to: Places Iran * Minaq, East Azerbaijan * Mina, Fars * Mineh, Lorestan Province * Mina, Razavi Khorasan * Mehneh, Razavi Khorasan Province United States * Mina, California * Mina, Nevada * Mina, New York * Mina, Ohio * M ...

Rena Katō is a Japanese tarento, model, and actress. She is a former member of the Japanese female idol group AKB48, and was in Team A. She was also a member, along with her good friends Anna Iriyama and Rina Kawaei, of a one-shot AKB48 subunit named AnRi ...

Reina Fujie , is a Japanese idol who is a former member NMB48's Team BII and former member of AKB48. She is a cousin of Berryz Kobo was a Japanese girl group formed by Up-Front Promotion in 2004 and associated with Hello! Project. The group's members cons ...

* SKE48 Team S:

Yuria Kizaki is a Japanese actress and former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48, where she was the captain of Team B. Biography On November 13, 2009, Kizaki passed SKE48's third-generation auditions. On June 23, 2010, she got promoted to an o ...

, Nanako Suga,

Akari Suda is a Japanese ''tarento'' and a former member of the Japanese idol girl group SKE48 represented by Twin Planet. She was a member of SKE48's Team E. Career Suda passed SKE48's 3rd generation auditions on 11 November 2009, and debuted on 8 Dec ...

* SKE48 Team E:

Kanon Kimoto is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group SKE48. She was a member of SKE48's Team E, and a former member of HKT48. Career Kimoto passed SKE48's 4th generation auditions in September 2010. Her debut was on October 5, 2010. Her first se ...

Nao Furuhata is a member of the Japanese idol girl group SKE48. She is a member of SKE48's Team KII, and a former member of AKB48. Career Furuhata was born in Aichi Prefecture, and passed SKE48's 5th generation auditions in October 2011. Her audition song ...

* NMB48 Team N:

Nana Yamada Nana, Nanna, Na Na or NANA may refer to: People and fictional characters * Nana (given name), including a list of people and characters with the given name * Nana (surname), including a list of people and characters with the surname * Nana ...

* NMB48 Team M: Fūko Yagura * NMB48 Team BII:

Shu Yabushita is a former Team BII member of the Japanese idol girl group NMB48. She was born in Osaka Prefecture and is currently based in New York. Biography Yabushita passed NMB48's 3rd generation auditions in December 2011. Her debut was on February 29 ...

* HKT48 Team H:

Aika Ota , is a former member of the Japanese idol group HKT48, the captain of its Team KIV. She has also been a member of AKB48 and Watarirouka Hashiritai, and portrayed Kazue Kae in ''Tomie Unlimited is a 2011 Japanese psychological-body horror film ...

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 is a Japanese singer and actress based in South Korea. She is a member of the South Korean girl group Le Sserafim. Miyawaki began her music career with the girl group HKT48 in 2011, and was a concurrent member of their sister group AKB48 from ...

* HKT48 Trainees:

"Ruby"

* Team A:

Karen Iwata is an actress and former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48 under Team A. Biography Iwata was born on May 13, 1998 in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. Her mother is Miwa Sugawara, who works as a TV personality in Sendai. As a child, Iwata ...

Rina Izuta is a Japanese singer and a member of the Thai idol girl group CGM48. She is also the first and current general manager of the group. She is a former member of AKB48 and BNK48. Career Izuta was born in Saitama Prefecture, and joined AKB48's ...

, Ryōka Ōshima,

(Last Single),

, Ayaka Kikuchi, Riho Kotani, Marina Kobayashi, Sumire Satō,

, Yūka Tano, Tomomi Nakatsuka, Shiori Nakamata, Moeno Nitō (Last Single),

Sakiko Matsui is a Japanese singer and pianist. She was a member of AKB48. Concurrently as a student specializing in piano at Tokyo College of Music, she has released a piano instrumental album ''Kokyū Suru Piano'' on October 3, 2012, which reached number 1 ...

, Ayaka Morikawa,

"Yūhi Marie"

* Team K:

Sayaka Akimoto is a Filipino-Japanese actress and singer. She was a member of Japanese idol girl group AKB48 and its spin-off unit Diva (Japanese band), Diva. As an actress, Akimoto has appeared in both Japanese and American productions, and made her Hollywoo ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 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 producer ...

Amina Satō is a Japanese voice actress and a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. In AKB48, she was originally a fourth generation trainee, then in Team A, in Team B, and finally in Team K. Amina Sato was also a member of a pop group named N ...

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 ...

(Last Single),

, Nana Fujita,

Ami Maeda AMI or Ami may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media *AMI-tv, a Canadian TV channel **AMI-télé, the French-language version *AMI-audio, a Canadian audio broadcast TV service *''Ami Magazine'', an Orthodox Jewish news magazine Businesses ...

, 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 to ...

, Mina Ōba,

Shizuka Ōya is a Japanese idol and talent who is a former member of AKB48's Team B. Ōya is represented with Watanabe Entertainment is a major Japanese entertainment conglomerate and a member of the Watanabe Production Group. Its head office is in Shibuy ...

Haruka Katayama , is a Japanese actress and ''tarento'' who is a former member of the idol group AKB48's team A produced by Yasushi Akimoto is a Japanese record producer, lyricist, and television writer, best known for creating and producing some of Japan's ...

Natsuki Kojima is a common Japanese given name. While it is a unisex name, it is more commonly used by women. It can also be used as a surname. Possible writings Natsuki can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: ;as a given name *夏稀, " ...

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 ...

Miyu Takeuchi is a 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 By Little's music ...

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 Mariko may refer to: Places * Mariko-juku (鞠子宿), a post station along the Tōkaidō * Mariko, Mali * Mariko (crater), an impact crater on Venus People * MC Mariko (Mari Pajalahti, born 1979), Finnish music group Kwan * Bourama Mariko (born ...

, Wakana Natori, Misato Nonaka,

, Suzuran Yamauchi,

"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 is a Japanese fashion producer and '' tarento'', represented by Sun Music Production. She is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48 and the founder of the fashion label Haluhiroine, which is distributed through Earth Music & Ec ...

, Mitsuki Maeda,

Miki Nishino is a Japanese ''tarento'' and idol. She is a former member of the girl group AKB48 under Team 4 and of AKB48's subgroup Tentoumu Chu!. She is now a solo ''tarento'' and idol represented by Twin Planet, and formerly worked part-time at a yaki ...

Nana Okada is a Japanese singer and actress, represented by Avex Asunaro. She is a member of the girl group AKB48 and a former member of STU48. She has been a fixture in AKB48's major single lineups since 2016 and is considered one of the best singers in ...

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