"Aru Machi no Gunjō" (或る街の群青, A Town In Blue) is a song by Japanese rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. It was released as the lead single of their fifth studio album, World World World, on November 29, 2006. The song was conceived on tour when the director of the then-upcoming anime film, Tekkonkinkreet, approached the band and requested a theme song for his film.[1] AKFG proceeded to compose the track and released it as a single a month prior to the film's December 23 debut.[2] The single peaked at number four on the Oricon charts and sold over 50,000 copies in 2006 alone, becoming the 199th single of the year. The song was ranked 5th on fans request for band's 10th anniversary live setlist on September 14, 2013.[3]
| "Aru Machi no Gunjō" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Asian Kung-Fu Generation | ||||
| from the album World World World | ||||
| Released | November 29, 2006 | |||
| Studio | On Air Azabu Studio | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 4:16 | |||
| Label | Ki/oon Records KSCL-1068 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Masafumi Gotoh | |||
| Producer(s) | Asian Kung-Fu Generation | |||
| Asian Kung-Fu Generation singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Aru Machi no Gunjō" on YouTube | ||||
Music video
editThe music video for "Aru Machi no Gunjō" was directed by Hideaki Sunaga.[4] Beginning with a sunrise, the PV alternates from an outer view of a city, the band playing the song in a garage, a raven inside a birdcage, and a fishtank holding a jellyfish before finally concluding with a sunset. The video was nominated for Best Rock Video at MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2007.[5]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Masafumi Gotoh
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Aru Machi no Gunjō" (或る街の群青 A Town In Blue) | 4:16 |
| 2. | "Kugenuma Surf" (鵠沼サーフ Kugenuma Sāfu) | 2:28 |
| Total length: | 6:44 | |
Personnel
edit- Masafumi Gotō – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Kensuke Kita – lead guitar, background vocals
- Takahiro Yamada – bass, background vocals
- Kiyoshi Ijichi – drums
- Asian Kung-Fu Generation – producer
- Yusuke Nakamura – single cover art
Charts
edit| Year | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Oricon | 4 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Japan (RIAJ)[6] | Gold | 100,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION 映画「鉄コン筋クリート」主題歌を担当! !". Hot Express (in Japanese). Plantech, Co Ltd. 2006-08-14. Archived from the original on 2009-07-06. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
- ^ "ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION: "Aru Machi no Gunjō" (或る街の群青)". Sony Music. Ki/oon Records Inc. Archived from the original on 19 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-30. (in Japanese)
- ^ "Song request". AKGLive. Retrieved 2016-11-07. (in Japanese)
- ^ "SPACE SHOWER Music Video Search". SPACE SHOWER TV. SPACE SHOWER Networks Inc. Retrieved 2008-11-07. (in Japanese)
- ^ "MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2007 Nominees". MTV Japan. MTV Networks. 2007. Archived from the original on 2008-08-04. Retrieved 2008-11-07. (in Japanese)
- ^ "Japanese digital single certifications – ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION – 或る街の群青" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2023-06-20. Select 2023年5月 on the drop-down menu