Atsuki Kodou no Hate

Atsuki Kodou no Hate
Single by B'z
from the album GREEN
Released	June 5, 2002
Promotions	#1 (NETWORK SPORTS 2002 Theme); #1 (Panpashi Swimming Yokohama 2002 Theme)
Length	12:06
Label	Vermillion Records
Producer	Tak Matsumoto
B'z singles chronology

B'z in the opening studio segment of the video, playing an acoustic rendition of "Atsuki Kodou no Hate".

The band during the music video's rooftop portion that was filmed with fans watching in the distance from adjacent buildings.

Tak atop a stack of amps in the video during the latter half.

Atsuki Kodou no Hate (熱き鼓動の果て, The Result of this Hot Heartbeat) is the thirty-third single by B'z, released on June 5, 2002. The single was an instant success for the band, becoming their twenty-ninth consecutive single to debut at the top of the Weekly Oricon Singles chart. In addition, it was ranked at the top for the month of June 2002 while spending eleven total weeks on the chart. The Double Platinum single was the fourteenth highest-selling of the year as well as the only B'z single released for the year, which would be collected on their subsequent 2002 album, GREEN, released one month later. Since, it has been collected on several compilation albums, with appearances on B'z The Best "Pleasure II" in 2005, B'z The Best "ULTRA Pleasure" in 2008, and B'z The Best XXV 1999-2012 in 2013.

When the single was originally announced, "DEVIL"—an English version of their song "TOKYO DEVIL" from the 2001 studio album ELEVEN—was listed as the second B-side. The all-English "DEVIL" would be performed numerous times throughout 2002, including being one of the featured songs during both B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "GREEN~GO★FIGHT★WIN~" and B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "Rock n' California Roll". Prior to release, a new song titled "Idome yo Hakanai Kono Toki ni" was given the slot as the second B-side. The English rendition of "DEVIL" would go on to be the title track on the band's Korea-only mini-album, DEVIL, released to promote the band's appearance with Aerosmith at the 2002 FIFA World Cup International Day Concert. The album featured four other English B'z tracks in addition to being the debut of "DEVIL" in studio form. This version of the song would initially go unreleased in Japan, until it was collected by fan demand on B'z The Best "ULTRA Treasure" in 2008 on which it was the fourteenth most-requested song.

A unique promotional video was filmed for the single, as had long become custom for the band. The video begins with B'z in the studio playing the acoustic opening to the song. Midway, they take to the rooftop for the second half of the song, which then captures B'z performing on the roof of the building with fans cheering in the distance from adjacent buildings. An Akela crane with a mounted camera, one of only five in the world at the time, was used to capture the action. At over five minutes in length, it is also one of the longest B'z music videos. A slight variation of the song exists from a commercial filmed for the single, which features Tak and Koshi playing an impromptu acoustic version briefly on a roadside.

B'z made a number of TV appearances around the time of the release in which they performed the song. On June 7, just two days following the single's release, the band appeared on Music Station to promote and perform the single. Later in the month, as part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup International Day Concert with Aerosmith, TV Asahi conducted an interview with B'z and showcased their performance of "Atsuki Kodou no Hate" from the day. Later, in December, B'z were featured as part of Music Station's 2002 SUPER LIVE and performed the song along with "Mou Ichido Kiss Shitakatta". In addition, the title song was involved in two different tie-ups: Not only was it the theme song to TV Asahi's "NETWORK SPORTS 2002" program, it also served as the theme to their coverage of the Panpashi Swimming Yokohama 2002 tournament. Later, in 2005, the song was featured as one of the playable tracks in the Nintendo DS music video game Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan.

Additionally, "Atsuki Kodou no Hate" was used as one of the final songs of the setlist to B'z LIVE-GYM 2002 "GREEN~GO★FIGHT★WIN~", with performances beginning acoustic before progressing into full rock after the first chorus, thus staying true to the original arrangement. The home video performance of the song to date can be viewed on the band's 2002 concert film documentary, a BEAUTIFUL REEL. The song did not reappear on live setlists again until 13 years later in B'z LIVE-GYM 2015 -EPIC NIGHT-, where it was preceded by a keyboard solo by Takanobu Masuda.

Track listing

All music and guitar by Tak Matsumoto. All lyrics and lead vocals by Koshi Inaba.

Atsuki Kodou no Hate — The Result of this Hot Heartbeat, 熱き鼓動の果て
File:s33 01.ogg In a fairly rare instance in the B'z catalogue, "Atsuki Kodou no Hate" is separated into two parts: an acoustic portion that covers roughly the first half of the song and a rock version that constitutes the rest. When played live, a few extra bars were inserted into the transition between the two to allow Tak to change guitars. This duality is also reflected in the song's music video. At the time, B'z were well-known from their previous single "ultra soul" which had served as a theme song to swimming coverage. The perception at the time was "B'z = Sports" according to Koshi's recollection. This ultimately resulted in the heart-racing theme behind the lyrics here, with him thinking of what the similarities were between B'z and sports. He concluded jokingly, "It's hearts racing! Cool!". From there, he sat down and wrote out the full lyrics to the song while thinking, "This theme doesn't only involve the athletes who stand on the field but also people who watch them and are touched by the game. They are all connected by the 'result of this hot heartbeat'." Originally, Tak wanted to use the 8-beat acoustic arrangement teased at the start of the song for the entire arrangement.
Yoru yo Akenaide — Not Open by Night, 夜よ明けないで
File:s33 02.ogg The song features Shane Gaalaas on drums and Billy Sheehan of Mr. Big fame on bass, who had both just recently joined as support members. As a result, this is the first song released on which Shane is credited, while Billy had participated in the sessions for Brotherhood in 1999. The song is a hard rock one, which is of a different style from most of the songs on GREEN. It is another of the B'z B-sides that has never been played live.
Idome yo Hakanai Kono Toki ni — Overlooking Ephemeral Right Now, 挑めよ儚いこの時に
File:s33 03.ogg With its House-style beat, "Idome yo Hakanai Kono Toki ni" is a unique song in the band's catalogue. The song ends with a fade-out, which had become unusual for the band's work at the time. As with the previous B-side, it has never been played live.