is the second studio album by Japanese entertainer

Akina Nakamori is a Japanese Singing, singer and Actor, actress. She is one of the most popular and List of best-selling music artists in Japan, best-selling music artists in Japan. Akina achieved national recognition after winning the 1981 season of the tal ...

. It was released on October 27, 1982, by

Warner Pioneer , is a Japanese multinational corporation based in Tokyo, that specializes in digital entertainment products. The company was founded by Nozomu Matsumoto on January 1, 1938 in Tokyo as a radio and speaker repair shop. Its current president is ...

under the

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...

label. The album includes the controversial hit single "

Shōjo A is the second single by Japanese entertainer Akina Nakamori. Written by Masao Urino and Hiroaki Serizawa, the single was released on July 28, 1982 by Warner Pioneer through the Reprise label. It was also the first single from her second studio al ...

". It became Nakamori's first number-one album on the Oricon Weekly Albums Chart and her best-selling album.

Background

''Variation (Hensoukyoku)'' is Nakamori's second studio album, released in 1982, three months after the release of her debut album. The music production team consisted of main arrangers

Mitsuo Hagita , born June 16, 1946, in Shizuoka, Japan, is a Japanese arranger, composer and musical producer. Biography After graduating from the Keio University, he set his goal to be arranger and composer. In 1973, he made debut as an arranger with the song ...

and Kei Wakakusa, Kisugi siblings Etsuko and Takao,

Masao Urino is a Japanese lyricist, screenwriter, script writer, and film director. He has written lyrics for many musical groups and individual musician, artists, sometimes under the pen name, pseudonym . After graduating from Tochigi Prefectural Ashikaga ...

Hiroaki Serizawa Hiroaki Serizawa (芹澤廣明 ''Serizawa Hiroaki'' January 3, 1948 - ) is a Japanese singer and songwriter. He has released albums under two other similar names: Hiro Serizawa (芹沢ヒロ and 芹沢廣, both said ''Serizawa Hiro''). He has rel ...

Yukinojo Mori , better known by his stage name , is a Japanese lyricist, composer and poet who is affiliated with Amuse, Inc. He has written over 2,500 songs for numerous artists such as Kyosuke Himuro, Takuro Yoshida and Junichi Inagaki and theme songs fo ...

and Yoshitaka Minami. Although the album consists of twelve tracks, "Introduction" and "Ending" are instrumental songs written and arranged by Kei Wakakusa.

Promotion

Single

The album had one promotional single, "

". The single debuted at number 5 on the Oricon Single Weekly Charts and remained on the yearly chart at number 34. In

The Best Ten , was a Japanese music chart television program broadcast on TBS Television (Japan), TBS Television from 1978 to 1989. The weekly shows were broadcast live on Thursdays. During its broadcast history, the air time and day changed only once. Each e ...

Rankings, the single debuted at number 3 and remained on the 1982 yearly chart at number 13.

Music home video

On 1 May 1985, Nakamori's third debut anniversary, the second music home video ''Hajimemashita Nakamori Akina'' was released. The music video clips were filmed in the United States, mainly in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

. Filming began before her debut, between 11 and 17 March 1982. Songs recorded from the original ''Variation'' album were "Moroi Gogo", "Maerchen Location", "Bye Bye Lullaby", "Shoujo A", "Sakihokoru Hana Ni" and "Aishū Magic".

Stage performances

"Shoujo A" has been performed very often in the music television programs Yoru no Hit Studio, The Best Ten and various live tours. Most of the songs were performed in the live tour ''Milky Way'' in 1983, including "Cancel", "Moroi Gogo", "Aishū Magic" , "Bye Bye Lullaby", "Catastrophe no Amagasa", "Maerchen Location" and "Sakihokoru Hana Ni".(1983年) 中森明菜 Ballade Best: 25th Anniversary Selection〜#Akina Milkyway '83 Haru no Kaze wo Kanjite, Akina Milkyway '83 Haru no Kaze wo Kanjite Tour Pamphlet. (MILKY HOUSE) "Yokohama Akuma" and "Dai Nanakan (Septieme Sens)" were performed in the live tour ''Rainbow Shower'' in 1983. "Catastrophe no Amagasa" was performed again in the acoustic live ''Akina Nakamori: 21 Seiki he no Tabidachi'' in 2000.

Chart performance

The album reached number one on the Oricon Album Weekly Chart for three consecutive weeks, charted 34 weeks and sold over 742,900 copies. It is Nakamori's best sold album. The album was ranked at number 8 on the Oricon Album Yearly Chart in 1983.

Track listing

Covers

Shōjo A

* Singaporean singer Dawn Yip covered the song in Mandarin as "Bùyào liú xià" (不要留下, "Don't Stay") on her 1983 album of the same name. * Taiwanese singer Anna Lin covered the song in Mandarin as "Dānshēn nǚláng" (単身女郎, "Single Girl") on her 1983 album ''Ānnà'' (安娜). This version was then covered by Chinese singer Yáng Jūnzǐ on her 1986 album ''Tiàowǔ jiē'' (跳舞街, ''Dancing Street'') and by Wú xiǎo yún on her 1988 album of the same name. * Chinese singer Du Du covered the song in Mandarin as "Shàonǚ A" on her 1985 album of the same name. * Taiwanese singer

Annie Yi Wu Chin-yi ( zh, t=吳靜怡, p=Wú Jìngyí; born 4 March 1968), professionally known as Annie Yi ( zh, t=伊能靜, p=Yī Néngjìng) or Annie Shizuka Inoh (), is a Taiwanese singer, actress, and writer. Early life Wu Chin-yi, group=note was b ...

covered the song in Mandarin as "Xuǎn cuò diànyǐng xuǎn cuò nǐ" (選錯電影選錯你, "You're in the Wrong Movie") on her 1990 album ''Jǐn jǐn yǒngbào wǒ'' (緊緊擁抱我, ''Hold Me Tightly''). *

Tak Matsumoto is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist and main composer of the Rock music, rock duo B'z, the List of best-selling music artists in Japan, best-selling music act in their native Japan by certif ...

covered the song on his 2003 cover album '' The Hit Parade'', with

Azumi Uehara is a former Japanese Porn actress and Japanese pop singer. Life and career Uehara debuted in 2001 with the song which was featured on the anime ''Detective Conan ''Case Closed'', also known as , is a Japanese manga series writte ...

on vocals. * Miu Nakamura covered the song as the B-side of her 2007 single "Miumiu no Toiki ~Tsuyogaru Ai no Katachi~". *

Ryoko Shiraishi is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Kashiba, Nara. She is affiliated with Aoni Production. Possessing a husky voice, Shiraishi voices young to teenage men as well as young girls and teenage women. However, in a break from tradition, o ...

(as Sayoko Arashiyama) covered the song as an insert song in episodes 12 and 13 of the 2008 anime ''

Natsu no Arashi! is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Jin Kobayashi. The manga was serialized in Square Enix's ''Gangan Wing'' ''shōnen manga'' magazine from August 2006 to September 2010, with its chapters collected in eight Tankōbon, bound volum ...

'' *

Keisuke Kuwata is a Japanese multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and Lead vocalist, frontman for the Southern All Stars, as well of his own solo band, the Kuwata band. He has also done a significant amount of scoring music for films. He went to Aoyama Ga ...

covered the song on the 2009 live video ''Shōwa Hachijūsan-nen do! Hitori Benishiro Uta Gassen''. *

Janet Kay Janet Kay Bogle (born 17 January 1958) is an English actress and vocalist, best known for her 1979 lovers rock hit " Silly Games". Biography Janet Kay Bogle was born in Willesden, North West London. She was discovered singing impromptu at a ...

covered the song in English on her 2012 cover album ''

Idol Kay is a cover album by British singer Janet Kay. Released through Universal Music Japan on 23 May 2012, the album features English-language reggae covers of popular J-pop J-pop (often stylized in all caps; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popula ...

''. *

You Kikkawa is a Japanese singer and actress. Kikkawa achieved early fame portraying Kobeni Hanasaki from ''Kirarin Revolution, Kirarin Revolution Stage 3'' and later debuted as a solo singer with the song, "Kikkake wa You!" Career 2006–2010: Pre-debut, ...

covered the song on her 2012 cover album ''

Vocalist? is a cover album by Japanese singer You Kikkawa. Released through Universal J on November 7, 2012, the album features covers of popular J-pop songs from the 1980s to the 2000s. The album cover features an anime-style caricature of Kikkawa. A limi ...

'' *

Tomomi Itano is a Japanese recording artist, songwriter, dancer, model, and actress. She is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. In 2011 she debuted solo with a single titled " Dear J", which wa ...

covered the song as the B-side of the Theater Edition release of her 2013 single " 1%". *

Ken Hirai is a Japanese singer-songwriter. Since his debut, Hirai has worked as a model, actor, composer, lyricist, singer, and brand ambassador. During his career, Hirai has released forty-seven singles and eleven studio albums as of January 2024.

covered the song on his 2014 cover album ''Ken's Bar III''. * Split BoB covered the song as the B-side of their 2015 single "Mayakashi Shōjo". * Hitomi Arai covered the song in 2020.

Release history

Notes: *2006 re-release includes 24-bit digitally remastered sound source *2012 and 2014 re-release includes subtitles in the tracks "2012 remaster" *2022 re-release includes lacquer remaster which includes subtitles in the tracks "2022 lacquer remaster" along with original karaoke version of the tracks

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control 1982 albums 1982 in Japanese music Akina Nakamori albums Warner Music Japan albums 1980s Japanese-language albums