"Wake Up" is a pop song by the Japanese duo and idol unit

ClariS Claris International Inc., formerly FileMaker Inc., is a computer software development company formed as a subsidiary company of Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.) in 1987. It was given the source code and copyrights to several programs that were ...

, written by Mayuko Maruyama. It was released as the unit's fifth

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 ...

on August 15, 2012 by

SME Records , 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 Group Corporation and is opera ...

. The song was used as the opening theme to the 2012

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

series '' Moyashimon Returns''. A

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 ...

was produced for "Wake Up", directed by Junya Morita. The single peaked at No. 12 on Japan's weekly

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.

Composition

"Wake Up" is a

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

song with

instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...

from a

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

. It is set in

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

and moves at a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 132 beats per minute in the

G major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable compositi ...

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

throughout the song. The

introduction Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to: General use * Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music * Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and g ...

starts with the synthesized music and moves into the first verse with ClariS' vocals followed by the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

. After a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

, this pattern is repeated for the second verse and chorus featuring the same music with different lyrics. A

break Break or Breaks or The Break may refer to: Time off from duties * Recess (break), time in which a group of people is temporarily dismissed from its duties * Break (work), time off during a shift/recess ** Coffee break, a short mid-morning res ...

is used to transition into the third verse, immediately followed by the chorus as the outro. A

coda Coda or CODA may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * Movie coda, a post-credits scene * ''Coda'' (1987 film), an Australian horror film about a serial killer, made for television *''Coda'', a 2017 American experimental film from Na ...

is used to close the song. According to Clara and Alice, the songwriter Mayuko Maruyama has a strong understanding of ClariS' image and writes music for them that matches their feelings. Lyrically, Alice describes it as a "girly" song about the excitement that accompanies becoming interested in someone but not yet knowing what to do. Clara and Alice related the lyrics referring to a transition to a new lifestyle to their enrollment into high school earlier in 2012. The cover artwork features a pink

macaron A macaron ( , ) or French macaroon ( ) is a sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond meal, and food colouring. The macaron is traditionally held to have been introduced in France by the Ital ...

with blue filling and "ClariS" printed on top of it. The art direction and design was handled by Tatsuo Murai.

Release and reception

"Wake Up" was released in limited and regular editions on August 15, 2012 as a CD by SME Records in Japan. The limited edition was packaged with ''Moyashimon'' artwork and came bundled with a DVD containing the

for "Wake Up" and a non-credit opening video from ''Moyashimon Returns''. The song peaked at No. 12 on Japan's weekly

singles chart and charted for 9 weeks. "Wake Up" debuted and peaked on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Japan Hot 100 The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and '' Hanshin Contents Link'' since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thur ...

at No. 45.

Music video

The

is entirely animated and is directed by Junya Morita, with character design by Satomi Higuchi. It begins with

depictions of Clara and Alice and shows the microbes from ''Moyashimon'' throughout the video. The microbes are initially shown dancing around an alarm clock, and chibi versions of Clara and Alice are also introduced. It moves on to the microbes and the girls on a swing, followed by them all floating in the air. It then moves on to the original depictions of Clara and Alice performing on a stage with a crowd of microbes in the background. The chibi versions of the girls also join the crowd and dance down towards the stage. It concludes with a shot of the girls with the microbes around them.

Track listing

Personnel

;ClariS *Clara – vocals *Alice – vocals ;Additional musicians *Masaomi Shiroishi –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

*Hiroomi Shitara – guitar *Yūto Matsumoto – bass *Atsushi Yuasa – bass *Ryōsuke Shigenaga –

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

;Production *Takashi Koiwa – mixer *Yuji Chinone – mastering *Tatsuo Murai – art direction, design

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2012 singles 2012 songs ClariS songs SME Records singles Anime songs