"Yuki no Hana" (Japanese:
"Yuki no Hana" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Mika Nakashima | ||||
from the album Love | ||||
Released | October 1, 2003 | |||
Recorded | 2003 | |||
Genre | J-pop | |||
Length | 5:41 | |||
Label | Sony Music Japan | |||
Songwriter(s) | Satomi | |||
Producer(s) | Ryouki Matsumoto | |||
Mika Nakashima singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Yuki no Hana" on YouTube |
Written by Satomi with production handled by Ryouki Matsumoto, "Yuki no Hana" utilizes piano and string instrumentations with soft vocal phrasings. Its lyrics refer to snowflakes as "snow flowers", and reflect on happy moments shared by lovers in the winter time.[1] "Yuki no Hana" was met with positive reviews from music critics upon its release, who praised its production as well as Nakashima's vocal delivery.[2]
A commercial success in Japan, it peaked at number three on the weekly Oricon Singles Chart and was multi-certified in various categories, including twice in million. The CD single sold over 240,000 copies by the following month, and is to-date her third best-selling physical single.[3] An accompanying music video was directed by Masashi Muto and depicts Nakashima singing the track in a wintery setting.[4] It has been covered by numerous artists internationally since its release, including Park Hyo-shin, Han Xue, and Vincy Chan.
Cover versions
editThe song has since been translated and covered a number of times by many artists in several different languages. The song was covered by South Korean male singer Park Hyo-shin and this covered song was inserted in the popular Korean drama I'm Sorry, I Love You. Another Korean version was sung by female singer Seo Young-eun. It was also one of the most popular karaoke songs in Japan in 2004. The song was first covered by Singapore singer Joi Chua in 2005 by the same title "Sorry I Love You". It was also covered by Mainland Chinese singer Han Xue in August 2004 in Mandarin; and by Hong Kong singer Vincy Chan in 2006, in Cantonese. In Vietnam, the song was translated and covered in Vietnamese by male singer Minh Vương M4U[5] and female singer Đông Nhi[6] in 2008.
An English version of Yuki no Hana was covered by American singer Eric Martin and featured in his 2008 solo album Mr. Vocalist, which was produced and released in Japan. The German singer Tabea covered the English version snowflower in her album Memories. New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra also covered the song in English as part of her 2008 album Hayley sings Japanese Songs which debuted at number 12 on the Japanese Albums Chart but broke into the Top 10 in its second week of release. Another covered version was released in June 2006, sung by Japanese male singer Hideaki Tokunaga. An instrumental rock cover was made by Megadeth's former guitarist Marty Friedman, and featured on his 2009 solo album Tokyo Jukebox. In 2016, the song was featured in the anime ReLIFE as the ending theme of its eighth episode.
On December 24, 2018, Jisoo, lead singer of Blackpink, performed a solo rendition of 'Yuki no Hana (
Accolades
editYear | Organization | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2003 | Japan Record Awards | Excellent Work Award (Gold Award) | Won | [8] |
Best Lyricist Award | Won | |||
Grand Prix | Nominated | |||
Japan Cable Awards | Excellence Award (Pop) | Won | [9] |
Track listing
edit- CD single
- "Yuki no Hana" (
雪 の華 ; Snow Flower) – 5:41 - "Yuki no Hana" (Acoustic) – 3:37
- "Yuki no Hana" (Reggae Disco Rockers Flower's Mix) – 6:03
- "Yuki no Hana" (Instrumental) – 5:38
- "Yuki no Hana" (English ver.) – 5:40
Charts
editSales and certifications
editRegion | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Japan (RIAJ)[12] Digital single |
Million | 1,000,000* |
Japan (RIAJ)[14] Physical single |
Platinum | 248,167[13] |
Japan (RIAJ)[15] Ringtone |
Million | 1,000,000* |
Japan (RIAJ)[16] Full ringtone |
2× Platinum | 500,000* |
Streaming | ||
Japan (RIAJ)[17] | Gold | 50,000,000† |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
References
edit- ^ "
中島 美嘉 、10/1発売 の新曲 ビデオクリップをいち早 く公開 " [Mika Nakashima will release new song and video on October 1st]. Barks (in Japanese). September 16, 2003. Retrieved January 31, 2022. - ^ "
第 1回 ─ Yoshii Lovinson、中島 美嘉 、Orange Rangeの3枚 を分析 !". Tower.jp (in Japanese). October 3, 2003. Archived from the original on May 14, 2020. - ^ "
中島 美嘉 CDシングル売上 枚数 一覧 |年代 流行 ". Nendai Ryūkō (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022. - ^ "'
雪 の華 ' PV メイキング" ["Yuki no Hana" PV making]. Sony Music Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on February 19, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2022. - ^ "Xin lỗi anh yêu em - Minh Vương M4u". November 16, 2014 – via YouTube.
- ^ "[Fanmade] Xin Lỗi Em Yêu Anh - Đông Nhi". January 16, 2012 – via YouTube.
- ^ "앨범 정보>멜론".
- ^ "
第 45回 輝 く!日本 レコード大賞 (2003年 )|音楽 |TBSチャンネル". TBS (in Japanese). Retrieved January 31, 2022. - ^ "
第 36回 日本 有線 大賞 " [36th Japan Cable Awards]. Can System. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2022. - ^ "
中島美嘉 の作品 " [Mika Nakashima products]. Oricon. Retrieved January 17, 2014. - ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 Chart". Billboard (in Japanese). Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ "Japanese digital single certifications – Mika Nakashima –
雪 の華 (Yuki no Hana)" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2016年 10月 on the drop-down menu - ^ "オリコンランキング
情報 サービス「you大樹 」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree']. Oricon. Retrieved January 17, 2014. - ^ "Japanese single certifications – Mika Nakashima –
雪 の華 (Yuki no Hana)" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2003年 11月 on the drop-down menu - ^ "Japanese ringtone certifications – Mika Nakashima –
雪 の華 (Yuki no Hana)" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2008年 11月 on the drop-down menu - ^ "Japanese ringtone certifications – Mika Nakashima –
雪 の華 (Yuki no Hana)" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2010年 4月 on the drop-down menu - ^ "Japanese single streaming certifications – Mika Nakashima –
雪 の華 (Yuki no Hana) (Streaming)" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved December 27, 2022. Select 2022年 11月 on the drop-down menu