"Story" is a song written and recorded by Japanese-American singer-songwriter
Ai. It was released on May 18, 2005, by
Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
and
Universal Sigma
Universal is the adjective for universe.
Universal may also refer to:
Companies
* NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company
** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal
** Universal TV, a t ...
. The song served as the second single from Ai's fourth studio album, ''
Mic-a-holic Ai
''Mic-a-holic Ai'' (stylized as MIC-A-HOLIC A.I.) is the fourth studio album by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai, released on July 7, 2005, by Island Records and Universal Sigma. It is the best selling album of Ai's career to date, being ...
''.
Produced by 2Soul, "Story" became one of the biggest singles of the 2000s in Japan, peaking at number 8 on the Japanese
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
singles chart, and was the sixth single in history to receive a triple million digital certification by 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).
Background and release
Ai previously released "365", the lead single for her then-upcoming fourth studio album. The song was used for a commercial tie-up in 2005.
"Story" was announced and released in May 2005.
Composition and lyrics
"Story" is a R&B ballad song. Lyrically, the song is about relationships with a significant other.
Commercial performance
Upon its release, "Story" became 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 ...
, charting for 20 weeks in the top 30 in 2005 and 2006, however went on to sell over three million ringtones, one million cellphone downloads, and 270,000 physical copies.
[ (subscription only)] The single charted for 72 weeks total on the Oricon singles chart.
In 2009, the song debuted at number 24 on the ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 with the reborn version included on Ai's greatest hits album, ''
Best Ai
''Best Ai'' is the first greatest hits album by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai, released on September 16, 2009, by Island Records and Universal Sigma. The album was released in three editions: limited CD+DVD, CD only and "Arienai Price" ( ...
''. It later peaked at number 7 in its third week on the chart.
Live performances
Since the release of "Story" in 2005, Ai has performed the song multiple times live. Ai performed "Story" at the
56th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen music competition on December 31, 2005, her first appearance on the program. In 2008, she performed the song at the
El Rey Theatre
The El Rey Theatre is a live music venue in the Miracle Mile area of the Mid-Wilshire region in Los Angeles, California.
This art deco building was designed by Clifford A. Balch (who designed over twenty classic art deco movie theatres around ...
, which marked her debut live performance in the United States. In 2009, she performed the song at the
3rd Asia Pacific Screen Awards
The 3rd Asia Pacific Screen Awards were held in 2009 in film, 2009.
Winners and nominees
Winners are listed first and in bold.
Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Feature Film, Best Feature Film
*''Samson and Delilah (2009 film), Samson & Delilah ...
.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Cover versions
"Story" has been covered by many Japanese artists on albums and live performances. Most notable covers are
Makato Ozone's, Ms. Ooja's and
May J.
, better known by her stage name May J., is a Japanese pop and R&B singer who made her major label debut under Sony Music Japan on July 12, 2006, with her first mini-album '' All My Girls''. She was born to an Iranian mother and Japanese father ...
's.
Track listing
Story (English Version)
On October 21, 2014, it was revealed that an unreleased English version of "Story" would be used in Disney's 2014 animated film,
''Big Hero 6'' for the Japanese dub. The song was released digitally as a single from the film's soundtrack on October 22, 2014 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 ...
and
Walt Disney Music in Japan. Regarding the song being included in the movie, Ai commented, "I was very happy to have sung 'Story' instead of a new song. Even if we sometimes feel uneasy or lonely, people always connect with someone." The song was used in the closing credits for the Japanese release. For the single cover photo, Ai is pictured with her sister, Sachi Uemura.
Track listing
Digital download and streaming
# "Story (English Version)" — 4:50
Music video
A music video was released on January 27, 2015. Throughout the video, photos of loved ones submitted by fans are shown in the video.
See also
*
List of best-selling singles in Japan
Japan has the second largest music market in the world. In 1962, Tokushin music reports was founded and became the leading provider of music sales in Japan. However their reports and charts are only available to industry insiders and are not avail ...
References
{{Ai (singer)
2005 singles
2014 singles
2005 songs
2014 songs
2000s ballads
2010s ballads
Universal Music Japan singles
Island Records singles
EMI Records singles
Walt Disney Records singles
Universal Music Group singles
Avex Group singles
Japanese-language songs
Ai (singer) songs
Songs written by Ai (singer)
Universal Sigma singles