is a song recorded by Japanese singer

Shizuka Kudo , known by her maiden name , is a Japanese singer, actress and former idol, born in Hamura, Tokyo, Japan. She was a member of Onyanko Club between May 1986 and September 1987 and went on to have a successful solo career with 11 number-one hit ...

. The song was released as a single by

Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966, which distributes music, films, home video, and video games. It is affiliated with the Japanese media group Fujisankei Communications Group. Pony Canyo ...

on March 2, 1988. Despite being included in several subsequent compilation albums, "Daite Kuretara Ii no ni" was never included in any studio album. An English version of the song was recorded for Kudo's 1998 ballad compilation album ''Best of Ballade: Current'', on which it is dubbed "Let Me Sleep In Your Arms".

Background

The release of the song marked a turning point in Kudo's career. The song was promoted as the first single since having "stripped" herself of the image created for her by

Yasushi Akimoto is a Japanese record producer, lyricist, and television writer, best known for creating and producing some of Japan's top idol groups, Onyanko Club and the AKB48 franchise. Total sales of the singles he has written exceed 100 million copies, ma ...

while a member of the Akimoto-produced

idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a human-made object that is venerated or worshipped for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a devotional image of a deity or saint used during puja ...

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring two or more women in music, female singers who generally vocal harmony, harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female p ...

Onyanko Club was a large all-girl Japanese pop idol group in the 1980s. Some members of the group participated in spin-off groups, such as Nyangilas, Ushiroyubi Sasaregumi and Ushirogami Hikaretai. Many of the latter two groups' songs were used as theme ...

, commonly regarded as the precursor to

AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol musical girl group named after the Akihabara area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48 has sold more records than any other female musical act in Japanese history. AK ...

. Her eagerness to sing more mature songs and shed the cutesy image that she had cultivated during that time was met with a positive reception by her then-managing producer Yūzō Watanabe, who encouraged her to pursue recording the song. Reflecting on that transitional time, Kudo has express that Watanabe's support "sparked a fire in this 17-year-old's heart". The song has enjoyed a steady popularity as a karaoke staple for women across Japan, with it having since been described as a "female anthem".

Composition

The song was written by

Gorō Matsui is a Japanese lyricist born 11 December 1957 in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, though he considers Tokyo to be his hometown. Beginning with participation in the Yamaha Popular Song Contests, he made his debut writing the lyrics for the 1981 Chage and ...

, while

Tsugutoshi Gotō Tsugutoshi Gotō (後藤次利 Gotō Tsugutoshi), born February 5, 1952, is a Japanese songwriter, bassist and music producer. Gotō broke into the Japanese music industry playing bass on tour for artists like Sadistic Mika Band, Bread & Butter ...

composed and produced the track. It is composed in the key of

F major F major is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat.Music Theory'. (1950). United States: Standards and Curriculum Division, Training, Bureau of Naval Personnel. 28. Its relati ...

and set to a tempo of 70

beats per minute Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of in ...

. Kudo's vocals span from A₃ to C₅. Lyrically, the song is about the insecurities and infatuation felt at the beginning stages of a romantic relationship.

Critical reception

The song is described as a revival of the American

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

from the 50s and 60s, but in 1980s fashion. Kudo was praised for singing a song with such sex appeal without hesitation.

Cover versions

In 2013, Chiaki recorded a cover of the song for Tsugutoshi Gotō's concept album, ''King of Pops 2''. "Daite Kuretara Ii no ni" was covered by

Showtaro Morikubo is a Japanese voice actor and singer who has voiced characters in anime, drama CDs, and video games. He was formerly affiliated with I'm Enterprise, Sigma Seven and VIMS. His most notable roles were Shikamaru Nara from ''Naruto'', Souji Okit ...

as part of the Shizuka Kudo-as-sung-by male

voice actors Voice acting is the art of Acting, performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animation, animated, ...

tribute album released in 2017.

Chart performance

"Daite Kuretara Ii no ni" debuted at number three on the

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard Single (music), singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track down ...

and stayed on the chart for sixteen weeks. On its second week it dropped to number seven. On its third charting week the song slid to number nine. The song fell out of the top ten on its fourth week, ranking at number 13 for two consecutive weeks. On its sixth week on the chart it ranked at number 15 and up to number 14 the following week. "Daite Kuretara Ii no ni" dropped to number 38 and out of the top twenty on its eighth charting week. The song moved down at number 37, then up at number 33, then sliding back down to number 34 on its eleventh week on the chart. The single made a last appearance on the Oricon Singles Chart at number 45 before it dropped out of the top fifty the following week.

Track listing

Charts

References

{{authority control 1990s ballads 1988 songs 1988 singles 1980s ballads Pop ballads Songs with lyrics by Gorō Matsui Shizuka Kudo songs Pony Canyon singles Songs written by Tsugutoshi Gotō