"Watarasebashi" (
"Watarasebashi" | ||||
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Single by Chisato Moritaka | ||||
from the album Lucky 7 | ||||
Language | Japanese | |||
English title | Watarase Bridge | |||
A-side | "Writer Shibō" | |||
Released | January 25, 1993 | |||
Recorded | 1993 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:47 | |||
Label | Warner Music Japan | |||
Composer(s) | Hideo Saitō | |||
Lyricist(s) | Chisato Moritaka | |||
Producer(s) | Hideo Saitō | |||
Chisato Moritaka singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
Watarasebashi on YouTube | ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"Watarasebashi" |
Watarasebashi | ||||
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Video by | ||||
Released | November 15, 2017 | |||
Genre | ||||
Language | Japanese | |||
Label | Warner Music Japan | |||
Producer | Yukio Seto | |||
Chisato Moritaka chronology | ||||
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Background
edit"Watarasebashi" is composed in the key of C major and set to a tempo of 77 beats per minute.[2] Moritaka's vocals span from B3 to C5. Lyrically, the song tells the story of a woman reminiscing on a past love at the sight of a sunset. When writing the song, Moritaka scanned maps of Japan in search of bridges or rivers with a "beautiful" sounding name and found the Watarase River.[3] When she learned of the existence of the Watarase Bridge in Ashikaga, Tochigi, a city she had once visited while touring,[4] she decided to base the lyrics on the area.
Music video
editThe music video for "Watarasebashi" pays homage to The Beatles's "Let It Be" and features Moritaka performing the song on piano, playing the drums as well as performing the recorder solo.
Chart performance
edit"Watarasebashi" debuted at No. 9 on the Oricon Singles Chart with 72,000 units sold in the first week.[5] It fell out of the top twenty two weeks later,[6] but came back the next week at number 20 before dropping off again.[7] The single charted in the top 100 for fifteen weeks, selling a reported total of 310,000 copies during its run.[8] "Watarasebashi" ranked at number 96 on the year-end chart.[8][9]
Other versions
editOn November 25, 2009, Moritaka released a newly recorded version of the song as a double A-side single with "Ame".[10]
The original version was remastered and reissued in Ultimate High Quality CD (UHQCD) format on November 15, 2017 as part of the "Complete Box" (
Other media
edit"Watarasebashi" was released as an interactive CD-ROM by Oracion on December 20, 1995. The CD-ROM features the music video, interviews with Moritaka, VR photos of Ashikaga and five extra music videos.[12] It was re-released in the two-disc set Watarasebashi/La La Sunshine for the Sega Saturn on September 11, 1997.[13]
The song was included in the 2020 various artists album Egao no Uta ~ Minna no Kokoro ni Nokoru Suteki na Kyoku, Kokoro ni Sotto Yorisou Uta ~ (エガオのウタ~みんなのココロに
Legacy
editIn 2007, a stele was erected in Ashikaga in honor of Moritaka's contributions to the city.[15] The stele features a speaker that plays the song.[16] Since being mentioned in the song, the Yagumo Shrine (
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Chisato Moritaka; all music is composed and arranged by Hideo Saitō.
- 1993 single
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Watarasebashi" (( | 3:47 |
2. | "Writer Shibō" (Raitā Shibō (ライター | 3:55 |
Total length: | 7:42 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Watarasebashi" | |
2. | "Writer Shibō" | |
3. | "Watarasebashi" (Karaoke) | |
4. | "Writer Shibō" (Karaoke) |
- 2017 Blu-ray Complete Box
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Watarasebashi (Original Music Video)" (( | |
2. | "Watarasebashi ("Making of" Video)" (( | |
3. | "Watarasebashi (Music Video 2017 HD)" (( | |
4. | "Chisato Moritaka Official YouTube Video 'Watarasebashi and Me' (2012) Full Version (HD)" (Moritaka Chisato YūChūbu Eizō 'Watarasebashi to Watashi' (2012-nen) Kanzen-han (HD) ( |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Watarasebashi [2017 Remaster]" (( | 3:46 |
2. | "Watarasebashi (Chisato Moritaka 30th Anniversary Celebration Version)" (Moritaka Chisato Sanjū Shūnen Kinen Vājon ( | 5:05 |
3. | "Watarasebashi (Original Karaoke) [2017 Remaster]" (( | 3:43 |
Total length: | 12:34 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Watarasebashi" (2017 Remaster) | 3:46 |
2. | "Watarasebashi" (Chisato Moritaka 30th Anniversary Celebration Version) | 5:05 |
Total length: | 8:51 |
Personnel
edit- Chisato Moritaka – vocals, drums, piano, alto recorder
- Hideo Saitō – guitar, bass, tambourine, synthesizer
Charts
editChart (1993) | Peak position |
---|---|
Japan Weekly Singles (Oricon)[21] | 9 |
Japan Monthly Singles (Oricon)[22] | 16 |
Japan Yearly Singles (Oricon)[23] | 96 |
Certification
editRegion | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Japan (RIAJ)[24] | Gold | 200,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Aya Matsuura version
edit"Watarasebashi" | ||||
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Single by Aya Matsuura | ||||
from the album Aya Matsuura Best 1 | ||||
B-side | "I Love You no Tsuzuki" | |||
Released | October 20, 2004 | |||
Recorded | 2004 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:47 | |||
Label | Zetima | |||
Composer(s) | Hideo Saitō | |||
Lyricist(s) | Chisato Moritaka | |||
Aya Matsuura singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
"Watarasebashi" |
"Watarasebashi" was recorded by Hello! Project soloist and one-time Moritaka labelmate Aya Matsuura. It was released as a single by Zetima on October 20, 2004. The music video features Matsuura performing the song on a footbridge, with two schoolchildren playing recorders during the instrumental section.
Chart performance
editMatsuura's version of "Watarasebashi" debuted at number 6 on the Oricon Singles Chart with 29,000 units sold,[25] peaking higher than the original Moritaka version.[26] Her version charted on the Oricon Singles Chart for six weeks, selling a reported total of 48,000 copies during its run.[8]
Track listing
editNo. | Title | Writer(s) | Arrangement | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Watarasebashi" ( | 4:17 | ||
2. | "I Love You no Tsuzuki" (I LOVE YOUの |
| 5:01 | |
3. | "Watarasebashi" (Instrumental) |
|
| 4:14 |
Total length: | 13:32 |
Charts
editChart (2004) | Peak position |
---|---|
Japan Weekly Singles (Oricon)[27] | 6 |
Japan Monthly Singles (Oricon)[8] | 22 |
Sales
editRegion | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Japan (RIAJ) | — | 48,000[8] |
Other cover versions
edit- Enka singer Sanae Jōnouchi included a cover of the song as B-side to her 1993 single "Yowasete yo Kon'ya Dake", which is also a cover of a Moritaka song.
- Gen Takayama recorded a cover of the song for his 1993 album Kokoro Kōrasete, his first album in eleven years.
- Chaka covered the song for her 1999 album I Found Love.
- Maomi Yuki covered the song for her 2003 EP Real My Heart.
- Maki Goto recorded her version of the song for her 2005 album 3rd Station.
- Kyogo Kawaguchi recorded a cover of the song for his 2007 cover album Kimi wo Suki Datta Ano Koro.
- ManaKana recorded a cover of the song for their third cover album Futari Uta 3 in 2010.
- The Japanese music duo Kasarinchu covered the song, in collaboration with Shin Kōno, for the 2013 album Sū-chan Mai-chan Sawako-san.
- Minami Kizuki recorded a cover of the song for her first cover album Sakuranagashi in 2015.
References
edit- ^ "「
渡良瀬橋 /ライター志望 」(CD)". Chisato Moritaka Official Website. Up-Front Group. Retrieved 2020-04-07. - ^ "
楽譜 :渡良瀬橋 /森高 千里 : ピアノ(ソロ) /初級 ". Print Gakufu. Retrieved March 30, 2018. - ^ "ドラマーとしても
凄 かった森高 千里 一流 アーティストも絶賛 !". Excite. February 6, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2018. - ^ "
森高 千里 『渡良瀬橋 』 その誕生 秘話 と公衆 電話 撤去 回避 の経緯 ". News Post Seven. March 31, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2018. - ^ "オリコン 1993.2.8". Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ "オリコン 1993.2.22". Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ "オリコン 1993.3.1". Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "オリコンランキング
情報 サービス「you大樹 」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Taiju']. Oricon. Retrieved March 30, 2018. - ^ "
森高 千里 (シングル)". Yamachan Land (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2021-08-16. - ^ "「
雨 /渡良瀬橋 」(CD)". Chisato Moritaka Official Website. Up-Front Group. Retrieved 2020-04-07. - ^ "
森高 千里 の代表 曲 「渡良瀬橋 」完全 版 にBlu-ray、アナログも". Natalie. August 28, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2018. - ^ "「
渡良瀬橋 WATARASEBASHI」(CD-ROM/Hybrid/PiPPiN)". Chisato Moritaka Official Website. Retrieved 2020-04-08. - ^ "「
渡良瀬橋 /ララ サンシャイン」(セガサターン)". Chisato Moritaka Official Website. Retrieved 2020-04-08. - ^ "エガオのウタ~みんなのココロに
残 るステキな曲 、ココロにそっと寄 り添 う歌 ~". Universal Music Japan. Retrieved 2020-12-31. - ^ "
森高 千里 『渡良瀬橋 』MVの高画質 映像 を発掘 公開 ". News Post Seven. July 14, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2018. - ^ Moritaka, Chisato (May 25, 2012).
渡良瀬橋 『歌碑 』. YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved March 27, 2020. - ^ a b "「
渡良瀬橋 」あの神社 が復活 へ森高 さんも募金 呼 びかけ". Asahi Shimbun. December 7, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2018. - ^ "
足利 ・八雲神社 :「渡良瀬橋 」に登場 新 社殿 が落成 式 ". Mainichi Shimbun. December 9, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2018. - ^ "
森高 千里 さんが「あしかが輝 き大使 」に就任 され、東武 足利 市 駅 とJR足利 駅 のメロディが「渡良瀬橋 」に変 わります!". City of Ashikaga. 2015-07-21. Retrieved 2023-06-23. - ^ "
名曲 「渡良瀬橋 」で電車 発着 開始 東武 ・JR両 駅 で式典 足利 ". Shimotsuke Original Online News. 2015-07-25. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2023-06-23. - ^ "
渡良瀬橋 森高 千里 ". Oricon. Retrieved March 30, 2018. - ^ "オリコン(oricon)「1993
年 02月 」の月間 シングルCDランキング". Retrieved March 30, 2018. - ^ "オリコン 2004
年 TOP100". Retrieved March 30, 2018. - ^ "Japanese certifications –
森高 千里 –渡良瀬川 /ライター志望 " (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved March 24, 2021. Select 1993年 2月 on the drop-down menu - ^ "オリコン 2004.11.1". Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ "
森 高 を超 えた!松浦 亜弥 が6位 に!". Oricon. October 26, 2004. Retrieved March 30, 2018. - ^ "
渡良瀬橋 松浦 亜弥 ". Oricon. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
External links
edit- Official website (Chisato Moritaka)
- Official website (Warner Music Japan)
- "Ame/Watarasebashi" at MusicBrainz
- "Ame/Watarasebashi" at Discogs