HOME

HOME
Single by B'z
Released	July 8, 1998
Promotions	#1 (Kadokawa "Bunko" CM); #2 (Fuyajou Movie Theme)
Length	8:07
Label	Rooms Records
Producer	Tak Matsumoto
B'z singles chronology

HOME is the twenty-fifth single by B'z, released on July 8, 1998. The single came between the releases of B'z The Best "Pleasure" and B'z The Best "Treasure", which each remain in the top five best-selling albums of all time in Japan. Naturally, expectations were high for the band's output as a result, and "HOME" demonstrated their versatility and relevance in the modern music scene in spades. While a non-album song by nature, its first appearance on a compilation album would be as part of The Ballads ~Love & B'z~, B'z The Best "Pleasure II", B'z The Best "ULTRA Pleasure", and later on B'z The Best XXV 1988-1998. In 2006, during the Internet-broadcast B'z LIVE in Namba show, B'z premiered an entirely English version entitled "Home". While musically quite similar, the lyrical theme was changed from the abstract individualism of the original to a more conventional love song. The English version has since arguably become a more popular song amongst fans and was voted onto the band's 2008 fan-selected compilation B'z The Best "ULTRA Treasure" as a result. Lastly, it would also be donated to the charity album Download to Donate For Japan in 2011 as part of the response to the year's earthquake disaster.

The title song was not played live during B'z LIVE-GYM '98 "SURVIVE" unlike its B-side, but would feature heavily on all dates of B'z LIVE-GYM '99 "Brotherhood". Such was its popularity at the time that it returned for all dates of LIVE-GYM 2001 "ELEVEN" as well. In more recent years, the aforementioned English version has taken precedent, but not exclusively, as the original made sixteen appearances during LIVE-GYM 2015 -EPIC NIGHT-. For the 1999 edition of the Japan Gold Disc Awards, "HOME" received the Song of the Year Award, while B'z were named Artist of the Year and Best "Pleasure" and Best "Treasure" were named Rock Albums of the Year.

Interestingly, "The Wild Wind" became one of the select few B'z songs to be premiered live when it was performed on four dates during B'z LIVE-GYM '98 "SURVIVE". In the years since, it has only been performed two dozen times but finally received a home video release as part of the limited edition package for B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2013 -ENDLESS SUMMER-. In a 2003 interview, Tak singled the song out alongside "Mou Ichido Kiss Shitakatta" as two of his favorite songs he had created with B'z. Due to the pedigree of both songs on the single, the release itself has been mistaken as a double A-side. Tak himself even regarded it as such in contemporary interviews, though the official discography considers "The Wild Wind" to be a B-side. This perception was even reflected in the official Oricon rankings, which listed "HOME/The Wild Wind" for its weeks on the chart.

The band appeared on television three times to perform a medley of "HOME" and "The Wild Wind" together over a two week period, with Tak playing electric guitar and Koshi performing the acoustic part. Additionally, it bears noting that B'z appeared in a brief recorded message during the World Music Awards broadcast for the 1998 installment as recipients of the Best-Selling Japanese Artist Award. In the message, Koshi spoke in English to the audience and selection committee regretting they could not accept the award in person but would hoped they would be able to perform live at the ceremony in the future.

Two separate music videos were filmed for both the title song and B-side. The title song was filmed on location in Hong Kong—a country they would return to during their first international concerts during 2001's LIVE-GYM in Taipei & Hong Kong. The B-side's video is brief and was directed by Chi-Ngai Lee, who directed the film Fuyajo for which the song served as the theme.

Released at the height of B'z mania in 1998, the single sold nearly 560,000 copies in its first week alone, where it premiered at number one, and eventually saw the single exceeding one million in sales. In addition to being recognized with a Million certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan, the single ranked in at the 17th spot for the year of 1998 after 20 weeks on the charts. Notably, L'Arc~en~Ciel released three singles simultaneously that coincided with "HOME", which ranked in at 2nd, 3rd, and 4th for the week.

Track listing

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

HOME
File:s25 01.ogg Being a song that balances dejection and unease over a melodious and upbeat backing, "HOME" is a song with few equals in the history of B'z work. Unlike its English counterpart, the titular "HOME" here is not "a place to settle down" but instead was revealed by Koshi himself in Be With! Vol.38 to be "something that exists within oneself, and if you have it, then you'll be fine. Something that is unchanged and unshakeable." The echo in Koshi's voice heard at the beginning of the song was not accomplished with post-production effects. On the contrary, a simple solution was employed instead, with him singing facing a plastered wall that was picked up by a lo-fi microphone to create the effect naturally. The accordion also heard in the opening was implemented after Koshi attended a friend's wedding and heard an accordion being played and thought to have it implemented here shortly thereafter. The talking drum played prior to the first verse and later in the bridge was a suggestion made and performed by friend of the band Nobu Saito. The second verse of the song contains the backing vocal "Tekumakumayakon" (essentially Technical Magic My Compact [Make-up Case]), which is a spell cast by the lead character in the popular anime and manga series Himitsu no Akko-chan that began in the 1960s.
The Wild Wind
File:s25 02.ogg A bluesy song that fuses acoustic and electric guitars, "The Wild Wind" has become a fan favorite due to its perceived sentimentality and emotional vocal delivery. The melancholy lyrics are intended to evoke a sense of loss and reflection, making it a marginally unique entry in Koshi's professional songwriting history. The song was prepared to be included in the Japan-Hong Kong film Fuyajo, which became known as Sleepless Town internationally. Prior to this, however, Tak originally composed the tune on which it is based with the intention of playing it as part of his solo corner during LIVE-GYM concerts. However, he changed his mind once deciding the song was too good for that purpose and also a "perfect" fit for Koshi. It has only once been included on an album—the 2000 remixes and re-recording compilation B'z The "Mixture", on which several B-sides, including this one, were included unchanged amongst the new reversions. Later, in 2017, it would be reprinted as a B-side as part of B'z COMPLETE SINGLE BOX.

Reversion history

Main article: B'z Reversioned Songs

Original Song	Reversion History
HOME SINGLE (1998)	RE-RECORDING: HOME [Short Acoustic Version] (1998) Released untitled on compilation B'z The Best "Treasure" as a hidden track that plays after "RUN -1998 style-". ENGLISH: Home [English Version] (2007) Released first on the band's 2007 self-titled international EP and later the compilation B'z The Best "ULTRA Treasure".