is Japanese singer

Ringo Sheena , known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer, songwriter and musician. She is also the founder and lead vocalist of the band Tokyo Jihen. She describes herself as "". She was ranked number 36 in a list of Japan's top 100 musicians compiled ...

's 2nd single and it was released on September 9, 1998 by

Toshiba EMI , formerly , was one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. on June 30, 2007, after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. Its CEO and president was Kazuhiko Koike. When ...

, East World. It was certified gold for 100,000 downloads to cellphones by the

RIAJ 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 prom ...

in 2011.

Background

M1 is the song which Ringo Sheena wrote imagining Kabuki-cho before she actually visited there. M2 is a cover of

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...

's song. However, she referred to

Susanna Hoffs Susanna Lee Hoffs (born January 17, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actress. With Debbi Peterson and Vicki Peterson, she founded the Bangles in 1981. Their debut album, ''All Over the Place (The Bangles album), All Over ...

version. The Japanese translation appeared in the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

is the lyrics which Sheena translated freely. M3 is the songs in which she recorded "Kabukichō no Joō" and " Marunouchi Sadistic" in the style of singing to her own guitar accompaniment. She actually sang in outdoor at first. Since it didn’t sound like reality, she re-recorded it in

studio A studio is a space set aside for creative work of any kind, including art, dance, music and theater. The word ''studio'' is derived from the , from , from ''studere'', meaning to study or zeal. Types Art The studio of any artist, esp ...

and added sound effects, such as footsteps and noises of bustle. The song was used as the theme song for the

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

music show ''Pop Jam'' in 1998 and in a

Suntory (commonly referred to as simply Suntory) is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational brewing and distilling company group. Established in 1899, it is one of the oldest companies in the distribution of alcoholic beverages in Japan, and ...

commercial for ''The Cocktail Bar Mimosa''. The song was covered as a part of a medley by

Rie Tomosaka is a Japanese actress and pop star from Mitaka-shi, Tokyo. She works for Itoh Company. From 1996 to 1997, she has released music under the name . Profile Tomosaka's father is a beautician. In 1998, she majored in International Culture at Tei ...

on the television show ''The Yoru mo Hippare'' on September 9, 2000. It was covered again by Yoshihiro Kai on his album ''10 Stories'' (2007), in English by

Allister Allister is an American pop-punk band from Chicago, Illinois. The four-piece formed in 1994 as Phineas Gage when the original band members were still in high school. In 1998, Allister became one of the first bands to sign to Drive-Thru Records ...

member

Scott Murphy Matthew Scott Murphy (born January 26, 1970) is an American entrepreneur and politician. He represented parts of New York state's Capital District (excluding the city of Albany) in the United States House of Representatives for a portion of on ...

from his album ''Guilty Pleasures 3'' (2008), on Fragrance's album ''Colorful'' (2009) and by the Gypsy Vagabonz on ''G-Jazz Swing Cover'' (2011).

Track listing

Charts and sales

Sales and certifications

Credits and personnel

Kabukichō no Joō * **

Vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

whistle A whistle is a musical instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It is a type of Fipple, fipple flute, and may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a s ...

: Ringo Sheena **

Electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...

acoustic Guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked, its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

Susumu Nishikawa ''Diamond Head'' was a Japanese band formed of session musicians and producers. They first gained notability as the backing and touring band for Hitomi Yaida. History Working as a band in their own right they wrote and performed the song "l ...

Electric Bass The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an electric but with a longer neck and scale leng ...

, handclap:

Seiji Kameda is a Japanese music producer, arranger and bass guitarist. He has worked extensively with Ringo Shiina, serving as her producer and touring bassist for many years, including his tenure with their band Tokyo Jihen. Biography He was born in ...

Unconditional Love * Vocals: Ringo Sheena * The

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

: Chieko Kinbara Group * Bell & loops: Seiji Kameda * Synthesizer programming: Hiroshi Kitashiro

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kabukicho no Joo Ringo Sheena songs 1998 songs 1998 singles Songs written by Ringo Sheena Song recordings produced by Seiji Kameda Songs written by Billy Steinberg Songs written by Tom Kelly (musician) Songs written by Cyndi Lauper