is a song recorded by Japanese actress and singer Erika Sawajiri for the TBS television adaptation of the film of the same name. It was released under the name "Kaoru Amane", the lead character of the series portrayed by Sawajiri, through

Sony Music 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 ...

on August 30, 2006. The single broke several records, scoring the best first-week sales of a debut single by a female solo artist, and becoming the first debut single by an actress in twelve years to top the

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard Single (music), singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track down ...

, since

Yuki Uchida (born November 16, 1975) is a Japanese actress and former idol singer. Following her debut in the drama '' Sono Toki, Heart wa Nusumareta'' (1992), she received her first lead role in the 1994 drama adaption of '' The Girl Who Leapt Through Tim ...

's debut with "Tenca o Torō! (Uchida no Yabō)" (1994).

Background

"Taiyō no Uta" was written by Japanese singer-songwriter and daughter of Emiko Shiratori, Maika Shiratori. The song was arranged by Junji Yayoshi and produced by Yoshio Konno. It is composed in the key of

G major G major is a major scale based on G (musical note), G, with the pitches G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, C (musical note), C, D (musical note), D, E (musical note), E, and F♯ (musical note), F. Its key signature has one sharp (music ...

and set to a tempo of 84

beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...

. Sawajiri's vocals span from G₃ to C₅. Lyrically, the song describes a woman who gains hope for the future through falling in love. Shiratori used the plot of the series as inspiration for the lyrics. In 2007, she self-covered the song for her fourth studio album ''Hikousen''.

Chart performance

"Taiyō no Uta" debuted at number 2 on the

with 150,000 copies sold, held out of the top spot by

GYM A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...

's "Fever to Future". The song broke and updated several records upon its release. It recorded the best first-week sales of a debut single by a female solo artist ever, breaking Yuki Uchida's record of 131,000 copies, and became the first debut single by an actress to reach the top three in over nine years, since

Ryōko Hirosue is a Japanese actress and singer, best known to international audiences for her roles in the Luc Besson-produced ''Wasabi'' (2001) and the Academy Award-winning Japanese film '' Departures'' (2008). She also starred in the 2008 comedy series '' ...

with the double A-side single "Maji de Koisuru Gobyō Mae" / "Tomadoi" (1997), which also debuted at number 2. It also marked the first top three entry by a female solo artist credited under the name of a fictional character in just shy of six years, since

Miho Kanno is a Japanese actress and J-Pop singer. Her nickname is ''Kanchan'' (菅ちゃん). She was born in Sakado, Saitama, Japan. Career In 1992, Kanno made her debut as a member of a group called '' Sakurakko Club'' after passing the orientation ...

debuted at number 3 as Shuka Hasui (蓮井朱夏) with the song "Zoo (Ai o Kudasai)". "Taiyō no Uta" reached the top of the Oricon Singles Chart on its second week, becoming the first debut single by an actress in over eleven years, since Uchida's "Tenca o Torō! (Uchida no Yabō)", to reach the number-one position. It also became the first debut single by an actress to chart in the top three for two consecutive weeks in over sixteen years, since

Rie Miyazawa is a Japanese actress and former idol singer. She is regarded as one of Japan's top actresses, and her accolades include six Japan Academy Film Prizes and three Kinema Junpo Awards. Miyazawa began her career as a child model, seeing wide ex ...

's "Dream Rush" (1989). Finally, it became the first single released under the pseudonym of a fictional character, since

Yui Asaka is a Japanese singer, idol and actress. She debuted with the single "Natsu Shojo" in 1985 under Warner Music Japan, and made her acting debut with main role in the third series of '' Sukeban Deka'' in 1987. Biography Yui was born in Miyazaki, ...

, Yuka Onishi and Yuma Nakamura's joint release as the Kazama Sisters from the ''

Sukeban Deka is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shinji Wada. It was serialized in ''Hana to Yume'' from 1975 to 1982 and collected into 22 volumes. has been adapted into three live-action television series, an original video ...

III'' series, "Remember" (1987), to top the Oricon Singles Chart in close to nineteen years, as well as the second single overall to achieve the feat. On its third week, "Taiyō no Uta" slid back down to number 2, dethroned by

Glay Glay (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese Rock music, rock band formed in Hakodate in 1988. The core four members, vocalist Teru (singer), Teru, guitarists Takuro (musician), Takuro and Hisashi (musician), Hisashi, and bassist Jiro (musician), ...

's "Natsuoto" / "Hen na Yume (Thousand Dreams)", and became the first debut single by a female solo artist to chart in the top three for three consecutive weeks. The following week, the single regained the top spot, marking the first time a single had topped the Oricon Singles Chart for a second time after its first peak in over sixteen years, since the Japanese band Tama's single "Sayonara Jinrui" / "Ranchiu" and becoming only the second debut single by a female solo artist to do so, other than Akiko Kobayashi's "Koi ni Ochite (Fall in Love)" (1985). The single went on to spend three more weeks in the top ten, before falling out of the top twenty two weeks later. "Taiyō no Uta" charted for twenty-four weeks on the Oricon Singles Chart, selling a reported total of 489,000 copies during its run. The single ranked at number 10 on the year-end chart and was the best-selling single by a female artist of 2006.

Track listing

Charts

Certifications

References