"Manatsu no Magic" (真夏のMagic, lit. "Midsummer Magic") is the debut single by Japanese hip-hop group Lead released on July 31, 2002, under the Pony Canyon sub-label Flight Master. The single debuted on Oricon at #18 and remained on the charts for five weeks.[1][2] The success of the single and their following single, "Show Me the Way", helped them win the Best Newcomer Award during the 44th Japan Record Awards, alongside Day After Tomorrow, Mika Nakashima and Sachika Shino.
| "Manatsu no Magic" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Lead | ||||
| from the album Life on da Beat | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | July 31, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | 2002 | |||
| Genre | J-pop, hip hop | |||
| Label | Flight Master | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Yasushi Sasamoto | |||
| Producer(s) | Yasushi Sasamoto | |||
| Lead singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Information
edit"Manatsu no Magic" debuted in the top twenty of the Oricon Singles Charts, coming in at #18 and remaining on the charts for five consecutive weeks.[3] The success of the single, along with their following single, "Show Me the Way", helped Lead secure the Best Newcomer Award during the 44th annual Japan Record Awards alongside newbie band day after tomorrow and up-and-coming soloists Mika Nakashima and Sachika Shino.[4]
The single was only released as a standard CD, which contained the title track, the b-side "No Doubt" and a remix and instrumental for "Manatsu no Magic". While the music video was released for syndication to the public upon the single's release, it was not available for the public to purchase until their DVD/VHS release Lead Movies 1 in September 2003.[5]
"Manatsu no Magic" was written and composed by musical composer Yasushi Sasamoto. For "No Doubt", lyricist Katsu wrote most of the lyrics, while Yasushi wrote the lyrics for the rap. As with "Manatsu no Magic", Yasushi composed and arranged the piece. The remix of "Manatsu no Magic" was reworked by famous composer H-Wonder, who has worked with the likes of Kumi Koda, BoA, TVXQ and AAA.[6]
Promotional activities
editTo help promote their single, "Manatsu no Magic" was used as the ending theme to several Nippon TV shows and the ending theme to the theatrical film Juunana Sai (十七歳 / Seventeen Years).[7][better source needed]
The song was used as the ending theme to several television shows, including the drama Romei, the variety show Chanoma Girls, and the shows Anta ni Gurattsu~e! (あんたにグラッツェ！ / Thanks for You!) and Tabi wa Higae Ritchi (旅は日帰リッチ / Travel is a rich day trip).[8]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arranger(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Manatsu no Magic" (真夏のMagic / Midsummer Magic) | Yasushi Sasamoto | Yasushi Sasamoto | Yasushi Sasamoto | 3:52 |
| 2. | "No doubt" | Yasushi Sasamoto • KATSU | Yasushi Sasamoto | Yasushi Sasamoto | 3:55 |
| 3. | "Manatsu no Magic" (MOCH² BRANDNEW CLUB TRACK) | Yasushi Sasamoto | h-wonder | h-wonder | 4:20 |
| 4. | "Manatsu no Magic" (Instrumental) | Yasushi Sasamoto | Yasushi Sasamoto | 3:48 | |
| Total length: | 15:55 | ||||
Charts
edit| Release | Chart | Peak position | Total sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 31, 2002 | Oricon Singles Chart | 18 | 27,330[9] |
References
edit- ^ "ＬｅａｄのCDシングルランキング". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2014-03-04. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
- ^ "「真夏のＭａｇｉｃ」 Ｌｅａｄ". Oricon Style (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2014-10-12. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
- ^ "真夏のMagic / Lead / ORICON NEWS". Oricon. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ "第44回日本レコード大賞(2002年)受賞一覧【PRiVATE LiFE】データベース". Entame Data. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ "Lead MOVIES 1[PCBP-50910][DVD]". Kakaku. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ "H-Wonder Discography". Discogs. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ "Lead / 真夏のMagic [Promotional Tie-Ins]". Suruga-Ya. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ "Lead「真夏のMagic」 / PCCA-70018 / 4988013398900". Billboard Japan. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
- ^ "エンタメの殿堂「Lead シングルCD売上枚数」". Entertainment Hall of Fame. July 31, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2019.