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 ...

, released on December 28, 1988, 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 ...

as the lead single from her third studio album ''

Joy Joy is the state of being that allows one to experience feelings of intense, long-lasting happiness and contentment of life. It is closely related to, and often evoked by, well-being, success, or good fortune. Happiness, pleasure, and gratitu ...

'' (1989). Almost a year later to the day, Kudo marked her second appearance on

Kōhaku Uta Gassen , more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...

by performing "Koi Hitoyo".

Background

"Koi Hitoyo" is a mid-tempo song 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 ...

and composed and produced by

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 ...

. The song was used in televised commercials for the

Hakone Open-Air Museum The Hakone Open-Air Museum (箱根彫刻の森美術館, ''Hakone Choukoku no Mori Bijutsukan''), opened in 1969, is Japan's first open-air museum. It is located in Hakone, Ashigarashimo District, Kanagawa Prefecture. Hosting over 1,000 piece ...

. The lyrics of the song describe the thoughts racing through the protagonist's head as she spends the night with her lover for the first time. At the time of the recording, Kudo complained to her then-executive producer, Yūzō Watanabe, that she was having a hard time singing the song because the

tessitura In music, tessitura ( , , ; ; ) is the most acceptable and comfortable vocal range for a given singer (or, less frequently, musical instrument). It is the range in which a given type of voice presents its best-sounding (or characteristic) tim ...

was too high. Watanabe assured her that "he liked the pain in her voice" and Kudo proceeded with recording "Koi Hitoyo" without changing the key of the song. She has since stated that Watanabe's encouragement helped her gain trust in his vision and that after that she always sang the songs they worked on together in the key he would suggest.

Cover versions

In 2008,

Acid Black Cherry Acid Black Cherry (abbreviated as ABC) is the solo project of the former lead vocalist of Janne Da Arc, Yasu. The group was formed after Janne Da Arc announced their indefinite hiatus. Information Acid Black Cherry is the solo project of Yasun ...

recorded a cover of the song that was initially released as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

on his single "Fuyu no Maboroshi" and later included on his album, ''Recreation'' (2008).

Maki Goto is a Japanese singer, lyricist, and former actress. Born and raised in Edogawa, Tokyo, Goto began her musical career in 1999 when she joined Morning Musume as the only third generation member. Her first single with the group, "Love Machine (Mo ...

recorded a cover of "Koi Hitoyo" for her mini album ''Gloria'' (2011). Goto's version was released as a

digital download Digital download may refer to: *Downloading, the processing of copying data to a computer from an external source *Digital distribution, a method of downloading software or audio-visual media as opposed to buying it at a traditional point of sale * ...

on November 10, 2010 as a promotional single for the album.

Chart performance

"Koi Hitoyo" entered 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 ...

at number two, with 225,000 copies sold. The following week, it reached the top of the chart, where it stayed for two consecutive weeks. The song charted for a total of 21 weeks. It is Kudo's second best-selling single, behind "

Dōkoku is a song recorded by Japanese singer Shizuka Kudo for her eighth studio album, '' Rise Me''. It was released by Pony Canyon as the album's lead single on February 3, 1993. "Dōkoku" is the theme song of the CX getsuku television series ''Ano Hi ...

" (1993), with sales surpassing half a million copies. "Koi Hitoyo" ranked at number six on the year-end Oricon Singles Chart for 1989, and was one of three singles released by Kudo that year to rank in the yearly top ten.

Track listing

Charts

References