Yasei no ENERGY

Yasei no ENERGY
Single by B'z
from the album BIG MACHINE
Released	July 16, 2003
Promotions	#1 (TV ASAHI NETWORK SPORTS 2003)
Length	7:49
Label	Vermillion Records
Producer	Tak Matsumoto
B'z singles chronology

Yasei no ENERGY (野性のENERGY, Wild ENERGY) is the thirty-fifth single by B'z, released on July 16, 2003. The title song was written to be a reflection of the band's fifteenth anniversary and is particularly noteworthy for its music video whose concept shows a marginally fictionalized version of the band's formation. The single version of "Yasei no ENERGY" would later be collected on B'z The Best "Pleasure II" and B'z The Best XXV 1999-2012, while a slight rework and remix would be found on BIG MACHINE the year of its release. This version altered the opening and outro of the track and can only be found on said album.

The single went through numerous revisions in its infancy. Initially, the song did not begin with the bridge and chorus sample that it would in its released incarnations—an idea that was ditched in the demo phase of recording. The song was not one that came together easily, with Koshi in particular stating, "It was not very easy, but I was ultimately saved by the music." The lyrics and their anniversary-leveled sentiment were inspired by a conversation with then-new band drummer Shane Gaalaas. As Koshi went over his history and how he was going to be a teacher before partnering with Tak, the idea for the lyrics began to take shape.

The recording began in February and at least three different versions of the song and its lyrics were produced before the final version was settled. Interestingly, "Yasei no ENERGY" is one of the few B'z songs to feature two drummers. Both Shane Gaalaas and Brian Tichy are credited on the track, most likely due to its long development period.

While an important entry in the B'z catalogue, the title song has only been performed on a few choice occasions. It was part of every show the band played during their 15th anniversary year of 2003, as part of The Final Pleasure "IT'S SHOWTIME!!", "BANZAI IN NORTH AMERICA", and "BIG MACHINE". The song would not again see the live stage until the 25th anniversary in 2013 and the band's one-off performance at B'z Special LIVE at EX THEATER ROPPONGI which served as the venue's opening event.

The music video for the song has received numerous accolades from press and fans alike, including taking first place in a poll by Music Freak Magazine in 2008. The video is essentially a loose retelling of the B'z origin story. Tak is introduced as a clerk at a guitar shop, while Koshi bides his time as a teacher. The concept is intended to show the paths of their lives without a career as musicians. At the end of the video, the two answer an advertisement and end up performing together. The backing band features appearances by Shane Gaalaas and Akihito Tokunaga as well. Notably, this was also the first B'z video to receive heavy airplay on MTV Japan according to Tak.

As part of a June 27, 2003 television appearance for B'z 15th Anniversary Special Program: "IT'S SHOWTIME!! Deliver! World Swimming Championships Barcelona 2003" on TV Asahi, B'z gave a rare retrospective interview and performed both "IT'S SHOWTIME!!" and "Yasei no ENERGY". The appearance was accentuated by both songs serving as themes to the network's sports coverage for the year. One additonal performance of the title song came on Music Station the following month as well.

The single sold in excess of 230,000 copies in its very first week of release, giving it the top spot on the Weekly Oricon Singles chart. It finished third for the month of July and later finished as the 19th highest seller for 2003 as a whole. With ten weeks on the charts, the single sold enough to be certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan.

Track listing

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

Yasei no ENERGY — Wild ENERGY, 野性のENERGY
File:s35 01.ogg As a song symbolizing the band's fifteenth anniversary, "Yasei no ENERGY" inhabits a special spot in the B'z discography. The song is rarely performed live—in fact only having been performed once since 2003, during a one-off show for B'z Special LIVE at EX THEATER ROPPONGI. The riff for the song was suggested by arranger and bassist Akihito Tokunaga which was then incorporated by Tak. The lyrics are expectedly sentimental and actually emerged from a conversation between Koshi and the band's then-new drummer Shane Gaalaas about the origins of the band and his career. The song existed as early as the year prior as an album candidate for GREEN. However, Tak wanted it to be a single and thus it was delayed and eventually produced in February 2003 and found its way onto BIG MACHINE.
Tabi☆EVERYDAY — Journey☆EVERYDAY, 旅☆EVERYDAY
File:s35 02.ogg The song was produced during the GREEN sessions but wasn't included on the album in question. The instrumentation features a shuffle beat, as well as a brass section. The intro to the song can be heard during the title song's promotional video at the beginning.

Reversion history

Main article: B'z Reversioned Songs

Original Song	Reversion History
Yasei no ENERGY SINGLE & ALBUM SONG* (2003)	REMIX: Yasei no ENERGY [Album Version] (2003) A remixed revision with an altered outro, found only on BIG MACHINE.