"Jet Coaster Love" (ジェットコースターラブ, Jetto Kōsutā Rabu) is the third Japanese single of South Korean girl group Kara. The single was originally set to be released on March 23, 2011, but following the 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan, the physical single was rescheduled to April 6, 2011. In order to help out the areas affected by the disaster, the group had decided to donate all proceeds from the sales of this single, both physical and digital, to relief efforts.[1] It eventually became the group's first single to reach #1 on Oricon Daily and Weekly charts.
| "Jet Coaster Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Regular Edition cover | ||||
| Single by Kara | ||||
| from the album Super Girl | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | April 6, 2011 (Japan) | |||
| Recorded | January 2011 | |||
| Genre | Pop, dance-pop | |||
| Length | 3:41 | |||
| Label | Universal Sigma | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Hwang Seong Je Natsumi Watanabe Yu Shimoji Simon Isogai | |||
| Kara Japanese singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Jet Coaster Love" on YouTube | ||||
It was released in three different editions, 1 regular edition and 2 limited editions.[2] The full single (excluding the bonus track) was released on iTunes Japan on March 16, 2011.[3]
Background
editIt was announced on January 26, 2011, that TBC (also known as 'Tokyo Beauty Center'), the largest aesthetic beauty salon chain in Japan is scheduled to release a commercial featuring all five members of group next month despite the ongoing controversy the group was facing with three of its members desiring to terminate their contracts. The group teamed up with TBC to headline the campaign, “Kirei wa, TBC kara” (“Beauty comes from TBC”). The group's name “Kara”, which also means “from” in Japanese, was cleverly incorporated into the slogan in order to further promote the group's position as spokespersons. However, it was still undecided as to whether or not the commercial theme song, "Jet Coaster Love", will be distributed digitally in the future.[4]
It was later announced that it would be the group's third Japanese and will be receiving a physical release on March 23, 2011. It will be released in three different editions, 1 regular edition and 2 limited editions. The regular edition will feature a bonus track, “SOS (Army Slick’s 2011 bavtronic mix)". The Limited Edition A will come with a DVD with the promotional video, dance version and behind the scenes footage, and the Limited Edition B will come with a 32-pages photobook.[2]
Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Universal Sigma made an announcement that it will be postponing a number of its releases to different dates including Jet Coaster Love to April 6, 2011.[5] The group later announced that they will be donating all their income from the single (both digital and physical) in order to help out with the Japanese relief and rescue efforts.[1]
Composition
editThe song, "Jet Coaster Love", is an upbeat tune which urges the listener to “fall in love”.
The B-side song "Ima Okuritai 「Arigatou」" was used as the ending theme song of the group's Japanese drama URAKARA. It was later included on the group's third Korean album Step as a bonus track under the title of "With My Heart (Dear Kamilia)" (Korean: 내 마음을 담아서 (Dear Kamilia)).
The first press of the regular edition comes with a bonus track, "SOS (Army Slick’s 2011 bavtronic mix)", a remix version of the song "SOS", which was previously included on their first Japanese studio album Girl's Talk.
Music video
editA one-minute preview of the promotional video for "Jet Coaster Love" was featured on Japan's Mezamashi TV on March 1, 2011. The full version was eventually released on March 3, 2011. The following week after the single's release, a music video for the B-Side, "Ima, Okuritai 「Arigatou」", premiered in MTV Japan on April 12, 2011. Both music videos were directed by Joo Hee Sun and were simultaneously filmed inside the studios of Seoul, South Korea.
"Jet Coaster Love" begins with the girls grooming themselves in front of a mirror at a beauty salon. Their reclining chairs then suddenly move on their own and takes the group into a dream amusement park called "Jet Coaster Love" as the song begins to play. After arriving at the entrance, the girls are seen wearing white formal uniforms and then rides a Carousel adorned with origami-like swans serving as seats. In another scene the members are individually seen sitting inside a white room filled with glittering disco balls while dressed in angelic white clothing.
"Ima, Okuritai 「Arigatou」" begins with the members preparing a letter and are wondering what to write in it. During the bridge, the members begin to write the letter using a quill pen and then places it inside an envelope before sealing it with a wax stamp. Near the end they are seen standing under a white tree dressed in white bridal gown outfits while singing the song.
Live performances
editThe group was originally scheduled to perform on Asahi TV's Music Station on March 18, 2011. However following the 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami disaster, the group was forced to postpone all promotional activities for Japan.
On June 11, 2011, Music Station officially announced that KARA would indeed be returning in Japan and will be appearing on the show next week to perform a special medley of "Jet Coaster Love" along with their newest single, "Go Go Summer!". This marked as the group's first live appearance and performance of the single.
On July 25, 2011, KARA appeared on HEY! HEY! HEY! Music Champ's 700th special episode. On the program, the group sang “Jet Coaster Love” live and also featured a hilarious lengthy interview segment.[6]
The group also performed a medley of Jet Coaster Love and hit single Mister at the 62nd Kōhaku Uta Gassen. It was their first appearance at the program as they opened the second half.
Chart performance
editOn February 11, 2011, the single entered the Recochoku "Chika Uta ®" at number-one. Following its physical release, it debuted at number-two on the Oricon Daily Singles Chart selling over 47,810 copies behind SDN48's Ai, Juseyo.[7] On April 7, 2011, it peaked at number-one on the Oricon Daily Singles Chart selling over 28,643 copies on the second day of its release. Popular Korean news portal 'Newsen' praised the group, stating that despite all of the circumstances during the release of the single " KARA’s #1 ranking in both the single and album categories is a great feat [...]this is the first record from the current Hallyu girl group frenzy lineup."[8] The single also debuted at #6 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and has peaked at #2 the following week.[9] By the end of the first week of its release, Jet Coaster Love placed at #1 in Oricon Weekly Chart with 122,820 copies sold, setting another record to KARA for the first foreign girl group to get #1 in Oricon chart since 1968, when Oricon Single Ranking was created.[10][11]
The single was certified as gold by the RIAJ twice in April 2011, once for physical copies shipped, and the second time as a digital download to cellphones.[12][13]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jet Coaster Love (ジェットコースターラブ)" | Natsumi Watanabe, Yu Shimoji | Hwang Seong Je | 3:41 |
| 2. | "Ima, Okuritai 「Arigatou」(今、贈りたい「ありがとう」)" ("Now I Say 'Thank You'") | Simon Isogai | Simon Isogai | 5:52 |
| 3. | "Jet Coaster Love (Instrumental)" | 3:41 | ||
| 4. | "Ima, Okuritai 「Arigatou」 (Instrumental)" | 5:53 | ||
| Total length: | 19:04 | |||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "SOS" (Army Slick’s 2011 bavtronic mix) | Shoko Fujibayashi | Army Slick | 5:03 |
| Total length: | 24:06 | |||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jet Coaster Love" (Music video) | |
| 2. | "Jet Coaster Love" (Music Video - Dance version) | |
| 3. | "Jet Coaster Love" (Music Video - Behind the Scenes) |
Charts
edit
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Year-end chartsedit
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Oricon Chart
edit| Oricon Chart | Peak | Debut sales | Sales total | Chart run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Singles Chart | 1 | 47,810 | 225,521+ | 33 weeks |
| Weekly Singles Chart | 1 | 122,820 | ||
| Monthly Singles Chart | 2 | 172,379 | ||
| Yearly Singles Chart | 26 | 225,175 |
Sales and certifications
edit| Chart | Amount |
|---|---|
| RIAJ physical single[19] | Gold (100,000+) |
| RIAJ ringtone downloads | |
| RIAJ full-length cellphone downloads[20] | Platinum (250,000+) |
| RIAJ PC downloads[21] | Platinum (250,000+) |
Release
edit| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | March 16, 2011 | Digital download | Universal Sigma |
| April 6, 2011 | CD single |
References
edit- ^ a b [1]. "Kara to donate all income to Japanese earthquake relief. Retrieved March 29, 2011
- ^ a b (in Japanese) Kara set to release "Jet Coaster Love" on March Archived 2011-08-28 at the Wayback Machine. "Universal Music Japan". Retrieved February 10, 2011
- ^ (in Japanese) Jet Coaster Love - EP on iTunes Japan
- ^ (in Japanese) New KARA commercial to air in Japan despite on-going issues. "Sponichi". Retrieved on March 3, 2011
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-05-11. Retrieved 2011-04-02.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "KARA's live + talk on the 700th episode of 'HEY! HEY! HEY! Music Champ'".
- ^ "KARA's 'Jet Coaster Love' debuts on Oricon Chart at #2". Allkpop. Retrieved 2011-04-06.
- ^ "KARA reaches #1 on Oricon daily charts and aims for #1 on the weekly charts" (in Korean). Newsen. April 7, 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
- ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100". Billboard Japan. April 8, 2011. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
- ^ "KARA sets another record for foreign female artists in Japan!". Tokyo Hive. April 11, 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
- ^ "Oricon Weekly Chart for April 18th" (in Japanese). Oricon. April 13, 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
- ^ ゴールド等認定作品一覧 2011年4月 [Works receiving gold or other certifications, April 2011]. RIAJ (in Japanese). May 13, 2011. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
- ^ レコード協会調べ 4月度有料音楽配信認定＜略称：4月度認定＞ [Record Association report: April digital music download certifications (Abbreviation: April Certifications)]. RIAJ (in Japanese). May 20, 2011. Archived from the original on September 15, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
- ^ a b "RIAJ Digital Track Chart: Chart issue March 29, 2011" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
- ^ "年間ランキング特集『AKB48が5作ミリオン突破の快挙！2011年オリコン年間CD＆DVDランキングを大発表！』-ORICON STYLE ミュージック (Oricon Yearly Chart for 2011)". Oricon (in Japanese). December 19, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
- ^ "Japan Hot 100 Music Chart / Billboard Japan". Billboard. 2011-12-09. Archived from the original on 2010-12-13. Retrieved 2011-12-09.
- ^ "Hot Singles Sales Year End Music Chart / Billboard Japan". Billboard. 2011-12-09. Archived from the original on 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2011-12-09.
- ^ "レコード協会調べ 2010年12月15日～2011年12月13日「着うたフル(R)」 2011年有料音楽配信「年間チャート」（通称：レコ協チャート）" [Record Association Analysis: December 16, 2009—December 14, 2010 Full-length Cellphone Download 2010 paid digital sales "Yearly Chart" (Abbreviated: RIAJ Chart)] (PDF). RIAJ. December 21, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
- ^ ゴールド等認定作品一覧 2011年4月 [Record Association report: April 2011 Gold List and other approved work]. RIAJ (in Japanese). September 27, 2011. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
- ^ レコード協会調べ 7月度有料音楽配信認定 ＜略称：7月度認定＞ [Record Association report: July digital music download certifications (Abbreviation: July Certifications)]. RIAJ (in Japanese). September 27, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
- ^ レコード協会調べ 5月度有料音楽配信認定 ＜略称：5月度認定＞ [Record Association report: May digital music download certifications (Abbreviation: May Certifications)]. RIAJ (in Japanese). September 27, 2011. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2011.