Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni
| Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by B'z | |
| from the album ELEVEN | |
| Released | February 9, 2000 |
| Length | 08:21 |
| Label | Rooms Records |
| Producer | Tak Matsumoto |
Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni (今夜月の見える丘に, On the Hill Overlooking the Moon Tonight) is the twenty-seventh single by B'z, released on February 9, 2000. Upon release, the single became an instant hit for the band and quickly became one of the most recognizable songs in their entire catalogue. Amongst the band's ballads, it is rivaled only by fellow 2000s mega hit "OCEAN" in terms of popularity, with constant performances on television karaoke contests and being one of the most popular songs amongst karaoke goers in Japan for over a decade. For their live setlists, "Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni" assumed the token ballad slot that was held by "TIME" throughout the 1990s.
The single was the first by the band to be issued in 12cm disc format instead of the mini discs used by previous singles. The cover photograph was taken inside an antique shop in Tokyo, and, to match the drama Beautiful Life for which the song served as the theme, was done from the vantage point of someone in a wheelchair. The series, aired from January to March of 2000, starred Takuya Kimura as an up-and-coming hairstylist who falls in love with a loveless librarian portrayed by Kyoko Machida who suffers from a disease that has left her bound to a wheelchair since her teens. The series became one of the most successful in the history of Japanese television, with a record viewership rating of over 40% for the series finale. The drama also holds the record for most awards won at Japan's Television Drama Academy Awards. At the 24th edition of the ceremony, it took home numerous honors, including Best Series, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Scriptwriter, Best Director, Best Cast, Best Opening, and Best Theme Song for the B'z contribution, amongst many others. In addition, a cello and piano instrumental arrangement of "Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni" was played throughout the series and also included on its soundtrack.
Originally, the single was scheduled for a January 26 release before being delayed to February 9, and was to include a third new song, titled "RING", as its second track as either a B-side or a double A-side. Instead, "Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni" was released with "Dakara Sono Te wo Hanashite -Mixture style-" as its B-side, with the band feeling "RING" was a strong enough song to stand on its own. The eventual B-side, a re-recording of the first B'z song, was also later found on the full remixes and re-recordings album B'z The "Mixture" a month later. Meanwhile, "RING" was debuted live later in the year at B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2000 "juice" before being released as its own single in October.
The title song remains one of the band's most collected songs on their compilation albums. In December of the year of release, the song was found in a new form on the band's 2000 studio album, ELEVEN. The special version exclusive to the album featured a new, alternative guitar solo. Another special version featuring an alternate take of the original solo was found when the song was collected on The Ballads ~Love & B'z~, although it is not denoted in the track title and thus is unknown to many fans. The original version of the single is one of the band's most collected, with additional appearances on B'z The Best "Pleasure II", B'z The Best "ULTRA Pleasure", and B'z The Best XXV 1999-2012.
The promotional video for the release was filmed at the Church of Pasadena in Los Angeles. The single was also performed live on television on at least six different occasions during the year 2000, including three appearances on Music Station, and additional stops on CDTV and FUN. In addition, it remains immensely popular as a live song, with appearances at numerous LIVE-GYMs since its release, including B'z LIVE-GYM 2001 "ELEVEN", B'z LIVE-GYM 2005 "CIRCLE OF ROCK", B'z LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2008 -GLORY DAYS-, B'z LIVE-GYM 2010 "Ain't No Magic", and B'z LIVE-GYM 2011 -long time no see-.
The single for "Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni" debuted at number-one on the Weekly Oricon Singles chart, becoming their twenty-third consecutively to do so and the first of four for the year of 2000. The release spent seventeen weeks on the chart and was certified a Million seller by the Recording Industry Association of Japan.
Track listing
- Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni — On the Hill Overlooking the Moon Tonight, 今夜月の見える丘に
- One of the band's staple songs, "Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni" has become synonymous with the image of B'z music. The song was written specifically for the drama series Beautiful Life for which it served as the theme. Tak and Koshi read the script to the drama prior to writing and composing the song, and carried out production between stops for B'z LIVE-GYM '99 "Brotherhood" with the single being completed in mid-November. On the lyrics, Koshi aimed to write something that was about figuratively taking whatever steps to overcome barriers and break free. The song is one of the few B'z works in which the title does not appear in the lyrics, with Koshi explaining the title was to set the atmosphere and not necessarily required to be cited in the lyrics directly. Three different versions of the song exist, all differing due to the guitar solos in each, with the new versions found on ELEVEN and The Ballads ~Love & B'z~.
- Dakara Sono Te wo Hanashite -Mixture style- — So Let Go of That Hand, だからその手を離して
- A re-recording of the very first B'z song and their very first single. To showcase the band's progression, the song was completely overhauled in their most recent, hard rock style in place of the dance-centric focus of the original. This version of the song was also the opening track to the band's 2000 remixes and re-recordings album, B'z The "Mixture".
Personnel
B'z
- Tak Matsumoto: Guitar, Music Composition, Arrangement
- Koshi Inaba: Vocals, Lyric Composition, Arrangement
Drums
- Hideo Yamaki (Track 1)
- Kaichi Kurose (Track 2)
Keyboards
- Akira Onozuka: Piano (Track 1)
Bass
- Koji "Kitaro" Nakamura (Track 1)
- Showtaro Mitsuzono (Track 2)
Production
- Masayuki Nomura: Recording & Mixing