"Suzume" (すずめ, lit. "Sparrow") is the debut single by Japanese singer Keiko Masuda. Written by Miyuki Nakajima, the single was released on November 28, 1981, eight months after the disbandment of Masuda's group Pink Lady. It peaked at No. 9 on Oricon's singles charts and sold 267,000 copies.[1][2][3]
| "Suzume" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Keiko Masuda | ||||
| from the album Hitori ga Suki | ||||
| Language | Japanese | |||
| B-side | "Eve" | |||
| Released | November 28, 1981 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:28 | |||
| Label | Reprise Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Miyuki Nakajima | |||
| Keiko Masuda singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Masuda was inspired to collaborate with Nakajima after listening to Junko Sakurada's 1977 song "Shiawase Shibai" (しあわせ芝居, "Happy Drama"), which was written by Nakajima. "Suzume" marked a musical change for Masuda from Pink Lady's bubblegum disco-pop style to a more contemporary kayōkyoku sound that would define her solo career.[4]
In 1985, Nakajima recorded her version of the song in her self-cover album Oiro Naoshi. Masuda re-recorded the song as "Suzume ~Acoustic Version '05~" (すずめ～アコースティック・バージョン’05～), which was included in her 2008 self-cover album Moichido Asobimasho: Now & Then (もいちど遊びましょNow & Then, Let's Play Again: Now & Then).[5] She also recorded another version of the song in her 2014 cover album Ai Shōka (愛唱歌, Love Songs).[4]
Track listing (7" vinyl)
editAll tracks arranged by Nozomi Aoki.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Suzume" ((すずめ, "Sparrow")) | Miyuki Nakajima | Miyuki Nakajima | 4:28 |
| 2. | "Eve" (Ivu (前夜祭（イヴ）)) | Aya Sagan | Jun Horie | 3:07 |
Charts
edit| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japanese Oricon Singles Chart[1] | 9 |
Cover versions
edit- Yōko Hatanaka covered the song in her 1982 album Kyōkō Toppa.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Yamachan Japanese Chart History" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2007-10-16. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
- ^ "Keiko Masuda Discography". Idol.ne.jp. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
- ^ "増田けい子* – すずめ". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
- ^ a b "【中島みゆき】が作曲し【増田けい子】が歌った「すずめ」が魂を揺さぶる". Middle Edge. 2019-06-08. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
- ^ "もいちど遊びましょ Now & Then". Oricon. Retrieved 2020-03-10.