"Kimi wa Bara yori Utsukushī" (Japanese: 君は薔薇より美しい, lit. "You're More Beautiful Than a Rose") (Japanese pronunciation: [kimi wa baɾa yoɾi ɯtsɯ̥kɯɕiꜜː]) is a song by Japanese singer Akira Fuse from his ninth studio album, Survival, Ai Aru Kagiri Kimi wa Utsukushī (1979). Written by lyricist Kenji Kadoya and composer Mickie Yoshino, it was released through King Records on January 17, 1979, as Fuse's 42nd single. A light ballad, its lyrics are set from the perspective of a man who meets a woman he observes has changed to be more beautiful than a rose.
| "Kimi wa Bara yori Utsukushī" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Akira Fuse | ||||
| from the album Survival, Ai Aru Kagiri Kimi wa Utsukushī | ||||
| Language | Japanese | |||
| B-side | "C'est la Vie (Jinsei Nante Sonna Mono sa)" | |||
| Released | January 17, 1979 | |||
| Genre | Kayōkyoku | |||
| Length | 3:42 | |||
| Label | King | |||
| Composer(s) | Mickie Yoshino | |||
| Lyricist(s) | Kenji Kadoya | |||
| Akira Fuse singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "Kimi wa Bara yori Utsukushī" on YouTube | ||||
Background and release
editAkira Fuse was inspired to become a singer by the twin vocal group the Peanuts. As a high schooler, Fuse gave a passing audition on the television program Aji no Moto Hoihoi Music School and was subsequently scouted by Watanabe Productions, who were also managing the Peanuts. He made his solo debut through King Records with the single "Kimi ni Namida to Hohoemi o" in 1975, a Japanese version of the Italian "Se piangi, se ridi" (1965). In the following years, he saw success with hit songs including "Kiri no Mashūko" (1966), "Koi" (1967), "Ai wa Fushichō" (1970), and "Tsumiki no Heya" (1976).[1][2] His 1975 single "Cyclamen no Kahori" sold over a million copies and won the Grand Prix at the Japan Record Awards.[3]
Within the latter half of the 1970s, rival cosmetics companies Shiseido and Kanebo ran competing advertisement campaigns centered on recognizable commercial jingles. Though the start of the decade had seen focus on slogans and attractive models, Shiseido transitioned to music-based advertising starting with "Haru no Asa" by Lily in 1975. Following suit, Kanebo launched similar campaigns starting with "Ginza Red Oui Oui" by singer Dave in 1976. In 1978, competition for high chart positions intensed when Shiseido's "Jikan yo, Tomare" by Eikichi Yazawa and Kanebo's "Mister Summertime (Natsu Monogatari)" by Circus both achieved first place on the Oricon Singles Chart.[3][4]
"Kimi wa Bara yori Utsukushī" was released by King Records on January 17, 1979.[5] It was used as the jingle in Kanebo's 1979 spring campaign, with the song's title doubling as its slogan.[a] That year – in what kayōkyoku journalist Hideki Hamaguchi described as the Rose War – Shiseido primarily promoted their campaign through the film Lady Oscar (known as the Rose of Versailles in Japan) and starred the lead actress Catriona MacColl in commercials. To compete, Kanebo's commercials featured British-Argentine actress Olivia Hussey, who had gained recognition in Japan for her role in Romeo and Juliet (1968).[3][4] Following the release of "Kimi wa Bara yori Utsukushī", Fuse and Hussey began dating upon the latter's visit to Japan; they married in 1980, but divorced in 1989.[4]
Composition and reception
edit
"Kimi wa Bara yori Utsukushī" was composed and arranged by band leader Mickie Yoshino of Godiego, who had also performed Kanebo's 1977 summer campaign song "Salad Girl". Kenji Kadoya wrote the song's lyrics. Fellow Godiego member Takami Asano arranged the B-side "C'est la Vie (Jinsei Nante Sonna Mono sa)", which features lyrics and composition written by Fuse.[3][6] Musically, "Kimi wa Bara yori Utsukushī" is a light and cheerful ballad and pop song for the spring season, demonstrating elements of Yoshino's musical style developed at the Berklee College of Music. Opening with a brass intro, the songs moves to an odd time signature with the chorus, and ends with Fuse singing the word kawatta (lit. "changed") in high note. Lyrically, it presents the perspective of a man who meets a woman he hasn't seen for a long time, and finds that she has changed into something more beautiful than a rose.[3][4]
Though Fuse's popularity had feigned in 1977–78, "Kimi wa Bara yori Utsukushī" was a commercial hit.[3] It sold circa 400,000 copies in Japan according to Sports Nippon and reached number eight on the Oricon Singles Chart, Fuse's first top ten entry since the number-one "Ochiba ga Yuki ni" (1976).[4][5] Based on factors of sales, airplay, and music TV program rankings, Sports Nippon ranked it as the sixth most-popular song of April 1979. The newspaper's staff wrote that there were "probably no women who didn't feel excited when [sung] that [they're more beautiful than a rose]" by Fuse, the "king of ballads".[4] Alongside the follow-up single "Koi no Survival" – a Japanese cover of the English-language "I Will Survive" (1978) – the song was released on Fuse's ninth album Survival, Ai Aru Kagiri Kimi wa Utsukushī (1979).[7]
In the 2010s, the song saw moderate success on radio airplay, charting three weeks on Billboard Japan's adult contemporary chart throughout 2013, with a peak at number 80.[8] A jazz version was recorded for the compilation album 55th Anniversary Special Album in 2021.[9]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kimi wa Bara yori Utsukushī" (君は薔薇より美しい, lit. "You're More Beautiful Than a Rose") |
| 3:42 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2. | "C'est la Vie (Jinsei Nante Sonna Mono sa)" (セ・ラ・ヴィ～人生なんてそんなものさ～, Se Ra Vī (Jinsei Nante Sonna Mono sa), lit. "C'est la Vie (That's Life)") |
| 3:54 |
| Total length: | 7:36 | ||
Charts
edit| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japan (Oricon)[5] | 8 |
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japanese Adult Contemporary (Billboard Japan)[8] | 80 |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ "布施明 — プロフィール" [Akira Fuse — Profile] (in Japanese). HMV Japan. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
- ^ Fuse, Akira (October 2022). "物語が始まる — Vol.23 布施 明さん" [The Story Begins — Vol. 23: Akira Fuse]. Kobecco (Interview) (in Japanese). Interviewed by Totsui, Yasuyuki. Archived from the original on April 15, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hamaguchi, Hideki (January 17, 2019). "40年前の本日1月17日、布施明「君は薔薇より美しい」が発売 ~ 79年の資生堂VSカネボウの'バラ戦争'を制す" [40 Years Ago Today, Akira Fuse's "Kimi wa Bara Yori Utsukushī" Was Released — Engaging Shisedo and Kanebo's "Rose War" of '79]. Nippon Broadcasting News (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 10, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "【1979年４月】君は薔薇より美しい / 瞬く間に恋に落ちた布施明と美人女優の結末は..." [(April 1979) You're More Beautiful Than a Rose / The Final Result of the Immediate Love Between Akira Fuse and a Beauty Actress...]. Sports Nippon (in Japanese). April 10, 2011. Archived from the original on August 3, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
- ^ a b c "布施明のシングル売上TOP20作品" [Akira Fuse's Top 20 Singles by Sales] (in Japanese). Oricon. n.d. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
- ^ Fuse, Akira (January 17, 1979). 君は薔薇より美しい (vinyl liner notes) (in Japanese). Japan: King Records. GK-280.
- ^ Fuse, Akira (July 5, 1979). サバイバル 愛ある限り君は美しい (vinyl LP) (in Japanese). Japan: King Records. SKS-75.
- ^ a b "Billboard Japan Adult Contemporary Airplay — 2013/04/24". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). April 24, 2013. Archived from the original on August 3, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
- ^ "布施明 — 55th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL ALBUM <通常盤>" [Akira Fuse — 55th Anniversary Special Album (Regular Edition)] (in Japanese). Tower Records Japan. n.d. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
External links
edit- "Kimi wa Bara yori Utsukushī" playlist on YouTube