is the seventh single by Japanese recording artist Aya Ueto. It was released on February 4, 2004 as the fourth and final single from Ueto's second studio album ''

Message A message is a discrete unit of communication intended by the source for consumption by some recipient or group of recipients. A message may be delivered by various means, including courier, telegraphy, carrier pigeon and electronic bus. ...

''. The single was released in two formats: limited and standard editions, both issued with different covers.

Overview

"Ai no Tame ni." was written, composed and produced by

Tetsurō Oda is a Japanese composer, record producer, and singer-songwriter. Oda gained prominence as a songwriter in Japan during the late 1980s. He composed over 50 top-ten hit singles on the Japanese Oricon chart during the 1990s, including 12 that have ...

, marking their first collaboration. The song served as theme song for the

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Com ...

drama ''

Ace o Nerae! ''Aim for the Ace!'', known in Japan as , is a manga series written and illustrated by Sumika Yamamoto. The series tells the story of Hiromi Oka, a high school student who wants to become a professional tennis player as she struggles aga ...

'', starring Ueto herself. Unlike her previous singles, which were all based on a darker, edgier concept, "Ai no Tame ni." is Ueto' first light-hearted, cheerful single. CDJournal described the song as a "fresh, juvenescent ska-pop track," while Barks complemented Oda for composing a song that fit the modern take of the drama on the original ''Ace o Nerae!'' manga perfectly. The B-side, "Arigato," was also produced by Oda, and written by Oda protégé Akira Nakazawa. The single also includes a 1980s-inspired remix of "

Binetsu "Binetsu" is Aya Ueto's sixth single. It was released on November 27, 2003. The first pressing came with an 18-page photo booklet. This single marked a turning point in Ueto's career as a singer where she took control over her appearance and soun ...

Chart performance

"Ai no Tame ni." debuted on the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in N ...

Daily Singles chart at number 7 on February 3, 2004 and climbed to number 4 on February 7, 2004. It peaked at number 6 on the Oricon Weekly Singles chart, with 31,006 copies sold in its first week. The single charted for fifteen weeks and has sold a total of 99,470 copies.

Track listing

Charts, certifications and sales

Charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

References

{{authority control 2004 singles Aya Ueto songs Japanese television drama theme songs Songs written by Tetsurō Oda 2004 songs