Samayoeru Aoi Dangan

Samayoeru Aoi Dangan
Single by B'z
Released	April 4, 1998
Promotions	#1 ("Pocari Sweat" CM Theme) #1 ("J-Rock Artist Count Down 50" ED Theme) #2 ("Formula Nippon" Fuji TV Theme)
Length	8:01
Label	Rooms Records
Producer	Tak Matsumoto
B'z singles chronology
"Liar! Liar! (1997) "Samayoeru Aoi Dangan" (1998) "HOME" (1998)

Samayoeru Aoi Dangan (さまよえる蒼い弾丸, Wandering Sapphire Bullet) is the twenty-fourth single by B'z, released on April 4, 1998. Although a non-album single by definition, it was shortly thereafter collected on the band's first best-of collection, B'z The Best "Pleasure", as the final track. The collection, released to coincide with the band's tenth anniversary year, became the highest selling album in Japanese history, with sales in excess of 5,000,000 copies. The song would again be included for the band's twentieth anniversary collection in 2008 when B'z The Best "ULTRA Pleasure" was released for the occasion. Ultimately, the song proved extremely popular with fans and the band alike—enough so that it has become tied for fifth place in the band's most performed songs.

The single was recorded between stops on the tour for B'z LIVE-GYM '98 "SURVIVE", which was underway in conjunction with the band's tenth anniversary. The tour kicked off in January, and it was between then and the end of March that "Samayoeru Aoi Dangan" came together. Originally, the band did not intend to record a new single whilst preparing their first compilation album that would be released in May. Upon hearing the result, they decided it was suitable for a single and began preparing it for a release during the tour. Prior to its official release, "Samayoeru Aoi Dangan" was played live as part of the encore for the tour beginning with the March 25 show in Niigata and continued to include the song for the remainder of the tour. Just days after its debut, it was released as an official single.

Two additional versions of the title song exist. The first is a re-recorded version found on the 2007 international EP and the latest came in the form of an English version from the band's debut English album in 2012. The former was an entirely re-recorded version of the original with no lyrics changes that was also rearranged to resemble their most recent live rendition of the song. Given that the EP was only released in Western territories, it remains one of the few B'z songs unreleased in Japan. The latest edition of the song is a fully reimagined English version, retitled to "Into Free -Dangan-" and released worldwide on iTunes as a digital single on April 4, 2012. The English version was premiered the previous summer during B'z LIVE-GYM 2011 -long time no see- and served as the theme song to the Capcom video game Dragon's Dogma in the spring of 2012. On July 24, 2012, "Into Free -Dangan-" was included as the final track on the band's self-titled debut English album and also served as the namesake for the ensuing tour, B'z LIVE-GYM 2012 -Into Free-.

A short promotional video was prepared for the song that was mostly populated by archive footage, given that the band was in the midst of their tour and the single's quick turnaround left little preparation time. Tie-in promotions were secured for both the A-side and B-side, with "Samayoeru Aoi Dangan" serving as a commercial theme for Otsuka Phrmaceutical's Pocari Sweat soft drink as well as the theme to "J-Rock Artist Count Down 50", while "Hi" served as the theme to Fuji TV's "Formula Nippon" program.

Upon release, "Samayoeru Aoi Dangan" sold over 400,000 copies in its first week on shelves, which was enough to earn it the top spot on the Weekly Oricon Singles chart and become their twentieth consecutive to do so. It remained on the charts for eight weeks prior to being certified a Million seller by the Recording Industry Association of Japan.

Track listing

1. Samayoeru Aoi Dangan — Wandering Sapphire Bullet, さまよえる蒼い弾丸

   A hard rock number driven by guitar, the arrangement in this original version is complimented by a stirring sitar and multiple guitars. Although it was included one month after release on B'z The Best "Pleasure", the song was born out of chance and was not planned for the album. "Wandering Sapphire Bullet"—as opposed to the more common translation for "Aoi", "Blue"—has become the widely-acknowledged English translation for the song thanks to its appearance in a column to the side of the lyrics in the single packaging. As the band's fifth most-performed song, it has seen a number of differing versions over the years, including some altered guitar solo sections and new arrangements specifically prepared for the live stage.

2. Hi

   Produced during the same impromptu sessions that resulted in the title song, there was some discussion amongst the staff as to which of the two songs would make the better A-side. The recording of the song also marked the first involvement of Shinichiro Ohta, who served as secondary chorus during the recording. Later, he would serve as rhythm guitarist and backup vocalist on a number of LIVE-GYM tours from 2003 to 2008.

Personnel

B'z

• Tak Matsumoto: Guitar, Music Composition, Arrangement
• Koshi Inaba: Vocals, Lyric Composition, Arrangement

Drums

• Hideo Yamaki

Bass

• Masao Akashi

Production

• Akira Onozuka: Hammond Organ
• Daisuke Ikeda: Synthesizer (TRACK 2)
• Shinichiro Ohta: Chorus (TRACK 2)
• B.B.IKKIES: Chorus (TRACK 2)