"Virgin Blue" (バージンブルー) is the tenth single by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead, released on March 8, 2006, eight months after their previous single "Baby Running Wild". It peaked in the top ten on the Oricon charts at #9 and remained on the charts for one full month. Limited editions of the single included one of ten trading cards or a special prize.
| "Virgin Blue" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Lead | ||||
| from the album 4 | ||||
| B-side | "Cosmic Drive" | |||
| Released | March 8, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2006 | |||
| Genre | J-pop, hip hop | |||
| Label | Flight Master | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Suzuki Kisaburo | |||
| Lead singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Virgin Blue" is a cover of the 1984 song of the same name, originally released by the six-member rock band Sally as their debut song. Four years after Lead's release, they would perform an updated rendition on their single "Speed Star" titled "Virgin Blue 2010".
Information
edit"Virgin Blue" followed seven months after their studio album Lead! Heat! Beat!. The single debuted well on the Oricon Singles Chart, taking the #9 slot for the week and remaining on the charts for four consecutive weeks.[1] The first-press editions of the single included one of ten possible trading cards and a special ticket that offered buyers the chance to win one of 500 live event tickets or an original promotional item for the single.[2]
"Virgin Blue" was released as a standard CD, not carrying a CD+DVD counterpart. While a music video for "Virgin Blue" was released for syndication upon the single's release, it would not be available for fans to purchase until the release of the group third compilation DVD, Movies 3, released two years later in August 2008.[3] The CD carried the title track, the coupling track "Cosmic Drive" and both songs' corresponding instrumentals.[4]
The single's title track was a cover of the rock band Sally's song "Virgin Blue", originally released on July 1, 1984 as their debut song.[5][6] While SALLY's original song carried more elements of rock, Lead's rendition was given a more upbeat pop/hip-hop sound, updating to the current musical trends and style. The song was originally composed by musical composer Suzuki Kisaburo with the lyrics written by Sagara Yoshiaki.[7] However, for Lead's 2006 version, the music was performed by Haya from the group Summer Snow Surprise.[8]
Takuya Harada wrote and composed the single's b-side "Cosmic Drive", which was an upbeat blend of jazz and dance music.[9] The song's lyrics were written by Kaji Katsura, who is best known for their works with the Japanese group AAA and South Korean girl group After School.[10]
In 2010, Lead would release an alternate version of "Virgin Blue" on their single "Speed Star".[11]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arranger(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Virgin Blue" (バージンブルー) | Sagara Yoshiaki | Haya | Suzuki Kisaburo | 3:44 |
| 2. | "Cosmic Drive" | Kaji Katsura | Takuya Harada | Takuya Harada | 4:14 |
| 3. | "Virgin Blue" (instrumental) | Haya | Suzuki Kisaburo | 3:41 | |
| 4. | "Cosmic Drive" (instrumental) | Takuya Harada | Takuya Harada | 4:13 | |
| Total length: | 15:51 | ||||
Charts
edit| Release | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| March 8, 2006 | Oricon Weekly Singles Chart | 9 |
References
edit- ^ "バージンブルー / Lead / ORICON NEWS". Oricon Style. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ "Lead オフィシャルサイト / CDリリース、ライブ・グッズ情報など". RISING PRODUCTION. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ "Ｌｅａｄ「ＭＯＶＩＥＳ３」 / PCBP-51558". Billboard Japan. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
- ^ "Virgin Blue (Japan Version) CD". YesAsia. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
- ^ "SALLY / バージンブルー". YouTube. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ "今日の1曲セレクトは、「バージンブルー」(SALLY)です。". Kajiyan (in Japanese). January 1, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ "バージンブルー 歌詞 SALLY". mojim. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
- ^ "バージンブルー Lead CDシングル". Neowing. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
- ^ "Lyrics Cosmic Drive by Lead (romaji) from album - Virgin Blue". JPop Asia. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
- ^ "Kaji Katsura Writing Credits". Discogs. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
- ^ "SPEED STAR☆ - EP by Lead". Apple Music. Retrieved December 22, 2017.