"Sakura no Shiori" (桜の栞, "Cherry Blossom Bookmark") is the 15th single by Japanese idol girl group AKB48; it was released on February 17, 2010.[1] The title track is a school graduation song. The song was used as the theme song to the AKB48-related drama Majisuka Gakuen, which stars Atsuko Maeda and many members from AKB48 and its sister groups.
| "Sakura no Shiori" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Type A cover, featuring Atsuko Maeda. | ||||
| Single by AKB48 | ||||
| from the album Kamikyokutachi | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | February 17, 2010 | |||
| Genre | J-pop, choir | |||
| Length | 3:58 | |||
| Label | You, Be Cool! / King | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Yasushi Akimoto, Hiroshi Uesugi | |||
| Producer(s) | Kenichi Mitsuda | |||
| AKB48 singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music videos | ||||
| Sakura no Shiori on YouTube | ||||
| Majisuka Rock 'n' Roll on YouTube | ||||
| Enkyori Poster on YouTube | ||||
| Choose me! on YouTube | ||||
In its first week, the song sold 318,000 copies - the biggest opening sales for a female group single since Morning Musume's "Mr. Moonlight (Ai no Big Band)" in July 2001. The song has been certified platinum for physical sales by the RIAJ.[2]
Composition
editThe song is composed by Hiroshi Uesugi and written by Yasushi Akimoto.[3] It is sung with AKB48 members singing together in a school choir.[4] The song is a graduation song, with a theme of cherry blossoms.[4]
Tie-in
edit"Sakura no Shiori" was used not only as the theme song for the drama Majisuka Gakuen, but also in commercials for Aoki and Recochoku.[5] The B-side "Majisuka Rock 'n Roll" was used as the opening theme song for the same drama.[5]
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Yasushi Akimoto
| No. | Title | Music | Arranger | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sakura no Shiori (桜の栞, Cherry Blossom Bookmark)" | Hiroshi Uesugi | Kenichi Mitsuda | 3:58 |
| 2. | "Majisuka Rock 'n Roll (マジスカロックンロール, Majisuka Rokkun Rōru)" | Candy&Megane | Yuichi "Masa" Nonaka | 3:37 |
| 3. | "Enkyori Poster (遠距離ポスター, Long Distance Poster)" (Team Play-Boy) | Kōta Ogawa | Nonaka | 3:18 |
| 4. | "Sakura no Shiori (Off Vocal Ver.)" | Uesugi | Mitsuda | 3:58 |
| 5. | "Majisuka Rock 'n Roll (Off Vocal Ver.)" | Candy&Megane | Nonaka | 3:37 |
| Total length: | 18:42 | |||
All lyrics are written by Yasushi Akimoto
| No. | Title | Music | Arranger | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sakura no Shiori" | Uesugi | Mitsuda | 3:58 |
| 2. | "Majisuka Rock 'n Roll" | Candy&Megane | Nonaka | 3:37 |
| 3. | "Choose Me!" (Team Young Jump) | Yusuke Yamamoto | Yūichi Ichikawa | 4:04 |
| 4. | "Sakura no Shiori (Off Vocal Ver.)" | Uesugi | Mitsuda | 3:58 |
| 5. | "Majisuka Rock 'n Roll (Off Vocal Ver.)" | Candy&Megane | Nonaka | 3:37 |
| Total length: | 19:27 | |||
All lyrics are written by Yasushi Akimoto
| No. | Title | Music | Arranger | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sakura no Shiori" | Uesugi | Mitsuda | 3:58 |
| 2. | "Majisuka Rock 'n Roll" | Candy&Megane | Nonaka | 3:37 |
| 3. | "Enkyori Poster" (Team Play-Boy) | Ogawa | Nonaka | 3:18 |
| 4. | "Choose Me!" (Team Young Jump) | Yamamoto | Ichikawa | 4:04 |
| Total length: | 14:57 | |||
Personnel
editSakura no Shiori
edit"Sakura no Shiori" was performed by the following members:[6]
- Team A: Haruna Kojima, Mariko Shinoda, Minami Takahashi, Atsuko Maeda, Miho Miyazaki
- Team K: Tomomi Itano, Yuko Oshima, Sae Miyazawa
- Team B: Mayu Watanabe, Rie Kitahara, Yuki Kashiwagi
- SKE48: Jurina Matsui
The center for the track was Atsuko Maeda.[6]
Majisuka Rock 'n Roll
editThe song centred on Atsuko Maeda.[importance?]
- Team A: Haruna Kojima, Mariko Shinoda, Minami Takahashi, Atsuko Maeda.
- Team K: Tomomi Itano, Sayaka Akimoto, Erena Ono, Yuko Oshima
- Team B: Yuki Kashiwagi, Mayu Watanabe
Enkyori Poster
editThe unit of girls who sung this song performed under the name "Team Play-Boy." The song centred on Yuki Kashiwagi.[importance?]
- Team A: Aki Takajō, Aika Ōta, Ami Maeda
- Team K: Sae Miyazawa, Moeno Nito
- Team B: Yuki Kashiwagi, Miho Miyazaki
Choose Me!
editThe unit of girls who sung this song performed under the name "Team Young Jump." The song centred on Rie Kitahara.[importance?]
- Team A: Haruka Nakagawa, Rino Sashihara, Asuka Kuramochi
- Team K: Minami Minegishi, Ayaka Kikuchi
- Team B: Tomomi Kasai, Rie Kitahara
Chart rankings
edit| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay[7] | 13 |
| Billboard Japan Hot 100[8] | 1 |
| Billboard yearly Japan Hot 100[9] | 43 |
| Oricon weekly singles[10] | 1 |
| Oricon yearly singles[11] | 12 |
| RIAJ Digital Track Chart weekly top 100[12] | 15 |
| RIAJ Digital Track Chart yearly top 100[13] | 96 |
Reported sales
edit| Chart | Amount |
|---|---|
| Oricon physical sales[10] | 398,000 |
References
edit- ^ "2010.2.17(水)発売 「桜の栞＜Type-A＞」" (in Japanese). King Records. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
- ^ ゴールド等認定作品一覧 2010年2月. RIAJ (in Japanese). 2010-03-10. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
- ^ "J!-ENT Dennis A. Amith interviews Hiroshi Uesugi" (PDF). J!-ENT 20th Anniversary Annual (2013). J!-ENTaccessdate=October 16, 2013. October 13, 2013.
- ^ a b "AKB48が2作連続首位、女性アーティスト初動売上30万枚突破は宇多田以来7年ぶり". Oricon (in Japanese). Oricon Style. February 23, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
- ^ a b "桜の栞（Ｔｙｐｅ－Ａ）：ＡＫＢ４８：CD". JBook (in Japanese). Retrieved 2010-05-09.
- ^ a b "AKB48 歴代シングル選抜メンバー（2006年～2013年）" [(2006-2013) AKB48 successive single member selection]. entamedata.web.fc2.com. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
- ^ "Japan Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay". Billboard Japan. March 1, 2010. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
- ^ "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard Japan. March 1, 2010. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
- ^ "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. December 10, 2010. Archived from the original on December 13, 2010. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- ^ a b "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」". Oricon. Retrieved February 9, 2011. (subscription only)
- ^ 2010年オリコン年間ランキング シングル (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2010-12-20.
- ^ "RIAJ Digital Track Chart: Chart issue February 16, 2010" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. March 23, 2010. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
- ^ "レコード協会調べ 2009年12月16日～2010年12月14日「着うたフル(R)」 2010年有料音楽配信「年間チャート」（通称：レコ協チャート）" [Record Association Analysis: December 16, 2009—December 14, 2010 Full-length Cellphone Download 2010 paid digital sales "Yearly Chart" (Abbreviated: RIAJ Chart)] (PDF). RIAJ. December 20, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2010.