Misplaced Pages

Chiisana Koi no Uta

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
2001 song by Mongol800 For the film adaptation, see Little Love Song.

"Chiisana Koi no Uta"
Song by Mongol800
from the album Message
ReleasedSeptember 16, 2001
GenrePunk
Length3:43
LabelHigh Wave, Tissue Freak
Songwriter(s)
  • Satoshi Takazato
  • Kiyosaku Uezu
  • Takashi Gima
Producer(s)Mongol800
Message chronology
"Song for You" (2) "Chiisana Koi no Uta" "Melody" (4)
Audio video
"Chiisana Koi no Uta" on YouTube

"Chiisana Koi no Uta" (Japanese: 小さな恋のうた, lit. A Small Love Song) is a song written and performed by the Japanese punk band Mongol800. It is featured on their second studio album Message which was released on September 16, 2001, in Japan. The song's lyrics is about the love between a boy and a girl who has grown up on a small island.

Despite the song never having been released as a single, "Chiisana Koi no Uta" became one of the group's most well-known tracks and was covered several times, the most popular being the cover by Amatsuki in 2016. A cover of the song used as the insert song on Kase-san and Morning Glories by Ayane Sakura as well as the fifth ending theme for the 2018 anime Teasing Master Takagi-san performed by Rie Takahashi, the ending theme of 2023 anime The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten performed by Manaka Iwami, and the fifth ending theme of the 2024 anime Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian performed by Sumire Uesaka.

The song is a popular karaoke song in Japan ranking first in DAM karaoke ranking. It is the second song of the 2000s to accumulate 100 million streams after "Hanabi" by Mr. Children. It become famous for its easy to understand lyrics and repetitive chord progression.

The song inspired the production of a live-action movie by the same name released in May 2019 by Toei.

Background and release

Main article: Message (Mongol800 album)

Chiisana Koi no Uta is the third track of the band's second album Message released on September 16, 2001. The album becomes the first indie album to reach 1 million sales on Oricon.

The lyrics of the songs were written bassist and vocalist Kiyosaku Uezo, and while the other band members composed the music. The main key is B major, the time signature is 4⁄4 and the tempo is 116 Bpm (232 Bpm in double time). The song is known for its simple and repeating chord progression which makes "Chiisana Koi no Uta" easy to learn.

In an interview with Rina Sako from Natalie in 2019, Uezo said that he did not know the song's key when he wrote the song commenting that "Chiisana Koi no Uta" starts with a lower key but with a higher chorus. He also said that he did not use the personal pronouns "Boku" (僕, lit. I) and Kimi (君, lit. You) while writing the song's lyrics as Okinawans have a tendency not to use personal language when speaking adding that at that time he thought that "Anata" (あなた, lit. You) is more fitting.

According to Hasumi Aku from Utaten the song's lyrics are about the love between a boy and a girl who have grown up on a small island and known each other since early childhood until the girl had to leave the island. The song which is written from the boy's view describes their love story and shows his feelings for her which will never change. In a 2019 interview, actor Gordon Maeda who played the role of Shinji Fukumura in the movie said that he initially thought of "Chiisana Koi no Uta" to be a love song but after reading and studying its lyrics he realized that the song expresses the feelings and connections of the band's members for Okinawa.

Cover versions

The song was covered by Japanese artists several times. The most commercially successful version was recorded in 2009 by Yui Aragaki and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in the ringtone category. For her cover version, Aragaki invited 3,000 middle and high schoolers to sing along.

Minami Hamabe

Amatsuki's cover of the song released in May 2016 became a popular hit on YouTube accumulating over 100 million views on YouTube making it the first ever cover song to reach 100 million views in Japan. Actress Minami Hamabe covered the song in 2018 and was used in a Line Music campaign. Her cover version charted in the Billboard Japan charts in 2019 when the movie of the same name was released. It peaked at no. 32.

The song was used as an insert song in several episodes of the Japanese dorama series Operation Love which was aired on Japanese television in 2007. The song was also covered by Ayane Sakura as an insert song for the 2018 original video animation Kase-san and Morning Glories, by Rie Takahashi as the fifth ending theme for the 2018 anime Teasing Master Takagi-san, by Manaka Iwami as the ending theme for the 2023 anime The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten, and the fifth ending theme of the 2024 anime Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian performed by Sumire Uesaka.

During a special event in the Gunma Prefecture held on June 2, 2024, the song was played simultaneously by 1.000 musicians. The line-up consisted of 200 vocalists and bassists, 500 guitarists, and 100 drummers from all over Japan who were invited to perform the song.

Following is a list of artists who have covered "Chiisana Koi no Uta":

Media usage

The chords of the song were published in an elementary school book for 3rd graders. "Chiisana Koi no Uta" was used as one of the themes in the second volume of the Sutopi Toraberā Hanami (ストピトラベラー花美), a music novel series written by Rinako Shibano for pre-schoolers. The book was published on December 19, 2023.

Commercial performance

Since its release in 2001, the song has become very popular as a karaoke song in Japan. "Chiisana Koi no Uta" ranked at the top in the Japanese karaoke charts for ten years straight. In the DAM ranking compiled by Daiichi Kosho Company, the song ranked first in the category of the most-sung songs by a male artist as well as ranking second for the most popular karaoke song on DAM Heisei Karaoke Ranking behind "Hanabi" by Mr. Chicken. The song placed in the top 30 for Oricon's Year End Karaoke charts for eight years straight. It ranked third in 2013, 7th in 2014, 10th in 2016, 8th in 2017, 4th in 2018, and 9th in 2019 on the Oricon Karaoke Chart. According to music critic Tomonori Shiba [ja], the song remained popular even after the commercial success of the band's album Message had died down commenting that the song “got out of hand” and “stands for itself.” Shiba wrote that the song's popularity lies in a simple melody and the straightforward lyrics. The songs' lyrics features sentences that are easy to understand. The song ranked 25th and 38th place in the Oricon Digital Songs and Streaming charts, respectively. According to JASRAC "Chiisana Koi no Uta" generated the fourth-highest revenue in ringtone sales in Japan in 2002. In July 2022, the song was one of the featured songs in FNS Song Festival by Fuji TV.

In December 2021, Billboard Japan reported that the song accumulated 100 million streams and became the second song of the 2000s – after "Hanabi" by Mr. Children – to reach this milestone. According to Oricon, The song was the third most-listened song of the 2000s on Spotify in Japan, behind "Zenryoku Shōnen [ja]" by Sukima Switch and "Hanabi" by Mr. Children.

Charts

Weekly Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Chiisana Koi no Uta"
Charts Peak
position
Japan Hot 100 (Billboard Japan) 28
Japan Digital Single (Oricon) 25
Japan Streaming (Oricon) 38

Year-End Charts

Year-end chart performance for "Chiisana Koi no Uta"
Chart (2019) Position
Japan Hot 100 (Billboard Japan) 67

Live-action adaptation

Main article: Little Love Song

In May 2018, it was announced that an eponymous live-action feature film based on the song was in production. The movie premiered on May 24, 2019, in Japanese cinemas. The theme song which is a cover song of "Chiisana Koi no Uta" as well was performed by the Chiisana Koi no Uta Band. The members of Mongol800 received a role in the movie as well. The film was directed by Kojiro Hashimoto [ja], while Kenya Hirata [ja] was in charge of the scripts and published a novel of the same name for the film, the film was played by Hayato Sano [ja] as Ryota Maeshiro. It was published by Kodansha on March 15, 2019. It was distributed by Toei.

Notes

  1. "Anata" is a more formal way of saying "You". (See Japanese pronouns)
  2. In her role as Takagi-san. Ending theme song of episodes 9–10 (season 1).
  3. In their respective roles as Tomoka Kase (Sakura) and Yui Yamada (Takahashi).
  4. In her role as Mahiru Shiina. Ending theme song for episodes 2–6, 8–11 (season 1).
  5. In her role as Alisa Mikhailovna Kujou. Ending theme song for episode 5 (season 1).

Work cited

References

  1. "Mongol800「Message」の歌詞一覧リスト". Uta-net.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  2. "モンパチのアルバム、ミリオン到達 インディーズで初". sanspo.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2003. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  3. "小さな恋のうたMongol800". Uta-net.com (in Japanese). Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  4. "小さな恋のうた". Musicstax (in Japanese and English). Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  5. Sayaka Yabe (May 23, 2019). "『小さな恋のうた』佐野勇斗×山田杏奈×眞栄田郷敦インタビュー｜初共演の3人が談笑、バンド練習期間中に"オリジナルソング"作成秘話明かす". Eigaland.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  6. Takaharu Abe (April 4, 2024). "Vol. 4 横山優也（Kotori）が語る軽音楽部の魅力". Natalie.mu (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  7. ^ Rina Sako (July 12, 2019). "Fomare 「Force」特集 / アマダシンスケ（Fomare）×キヨサク（Mongol800）対談" (in Japanese). Natalie. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  8. Hasumi Aku (June 9, 2019). "Mongol800「小さな恋のうた」が奏でる2人の思いとは?". Utaten.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  9. Yoko Hanasaki (May 31, 2019). "「初出演、初映画の作品がこの映画で本当に良かった」映画『小さな恋のうた』で俳優デビューを果たした注目の若手俳優・眞栄田郷敦インタビュー". Kansai.pia.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  10. "ダウンロード認定検索" (in Japanese). RIAJ.or.jp. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  11. "ガッキー、中高生3000人と巨大ユニット結成 モンパチ「小さな恋のうた」をカバー". Oricon (in Japanese). October 9, 2009. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  12. ^ "Mongol800「小さな恋のうた」ストリーミング累計1億回再生突破 2000年代リリース曲としては史上2曲目". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). December 1, 2021. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  13. ^ "Mongol800の名曲『小さな恋のうた』実写映画化". Oricon (in Japanese). May 28, 2018. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  14. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (January 15, 2023). "Manaka Iwami Performs The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten Anime's Ending Theme". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  15. Dennison, Kara (January 14, 2023). "The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten TV Anime Covers Popular Song as Ending Theme". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  16. ^ "「あさがおと加瀬さん。」関連CD3枚が同時発売、2人の「小さな恋のうた」聴ける". Natalie (in Japanese). April 17, 2018. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  17. ^ Jovanovic, Marko (July 31, 2024). "Roshidere Reveals New Ending Video for Episode 5 With Another Song by Alya". Anime Corner. Archived from the original on July 31, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  18. "1000人ロック、今年はモンパチ「小さな恋の歌」 群馬・渋川市で6月". Kitakan-navi.jp (in Japanese). February 12, 2024. Archived from the original on July 20, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  19. "【動画】モンパチの名曲を一斉に演奏、650人の熱気広がる 群馬・渋川市で「1000人Rock」". Jomo News (in Japanese). June 2, 2024. Archived from the original on July 20, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  20. "大山百合香、モンゴル800メンバーが手掛けたニュー・シングルを発表！". CDJournal.com (in Japanese). July 27, 2006. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  21. "Hearts Growカバーの Mongol800「小さな恋のうた」リング・バック・トーン配信!!". Sony Music Entertainment Japan (in Japanese). August 8, 2007. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  22. "アンドリューW.K. 邦楽カバー・アルバム『一発勝負〜カヴァーズ』収録曲決定！". Rockin’ On! Japan (in Japanese). November 5, 2008. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  23. "ガッキー、中高生3000人と巨大ユニット結成 モンパチ「小さな恋のうた」をカバー". Oricon (in Japanese). October 9, 2009. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  24. "欧陽菲菲からComplexまで、倖田來未のJ-Pop カバー集". Natalie (in Japanese). September 15, 2010. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  25. "美声男性デュオが「小さな恋のうた」をバラードカバー". Natalie (in Japanese). April 16, 2010. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  26. "Beni、「Covers 2」で達郎、尾崎、桑田ら英語詞カバー". Natalie (in Japanese). September 28, 2012. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  27. "大友康平、カバー集でオリラブやモンパチ熱唱＆難聴を告白". Natalie (in Japanese). November 7, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  28. "鈴木雅之シングルでモンパチ「小さな恋のうた」カバー". Natalie (in Japanese). June 13, 2012. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  29. "FLiP、新作『Birth』のジャケット＆最新アーティスト写真公開". Rockin’ On! Japan (in Japanese). April 8, 2015. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  30. "天月-あまつき-、最新シングルに Mongol800の"小さな恋のうた"カバー収録". Rockin’ On! Japan (in Japanese). October 25, 2016. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  31. "ハンバート ハンバート20周年記念アルバムにキセルと歌う「おなじ話」". Natalie (in Japanese). May 1, 2018. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  32. "「からかい上手の高木さん」新EDはMongol800「小さな恋のうた」". Ota-suke.jp (in Japanese). March 6, 2018. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  33. "NHK「The Covers」で中島美嘉、Orange Range、岡崎体育が名曲カバー". Natalie (in Japanese). February 7, 2019. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  34. "「Imagination vol.2」収録デュエット曲・参加者全員によるボーナストラック曲が決定！〜数量限定CDの法人別オリジナル特典／メーカー特典も実施決定〜". RKMusic.jp (in Japanese). October 4, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  35. "Jujuがキリンジ、Glay、小田和正ら男性アーティスト限定のカバーアルバムリリース". Natalie (in Japanese). August 25, 2020. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  36. "Tiaraメジャー10周年記念オールタイムベスト3カ月連続配信、本日第1弾コラボソング集リリース（動画あり / コメントあり）". 音楽ナタリー (in Japanese). October 7, 2020. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  37. "「お隣の天使様」EDは真昼が歌う「小さな恋のうた」、真昼と旅気分味わえる新企画も". Natalie (in Japanese). January 14, 2023. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  38. "Mongol800トリビュート第2弾にミセス、WANIMA、フォーリミ、満島ひかり、Awichら参加". Natalie (in Japanese). September 8, 2023. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  39. "BEGIN「島人ぬ宝」の歌詞が道徳に モンパチ「小さな恋のうた」のバンドスコアは音楽に 教科書に沖縄関連が続々". Okinawa Times (in Japanese). March 24, 2024. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  40. Rinako Shibano (December 19, 2023), Sutopi Toraberā Hanami. ストピトラベラー花美 (in Japanese), Gakken, ISBN 9784052057878
  41. "ハラミちゃん監修の音楽小説『ストピトラベラー花美 千本桜に願いをこめて』が12月14日発売！ ボカロ曲「千本桜」、アニソン「残酷な天使のテーゼ」、J-Pop「小さな恋のうた」などが登場". PRTimes.jp (in Japanese). December 14, 2023. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  42. Tomonori, Shiba (2021)
  43. ^ Tomonori, Shiba (2021) pp. 147
  44. ^ "佐野勇斗、森永悠希、山田杏奈、眞栄田郷敦、鈴木仁、Mongol800「小さな恋のうた」モチーフの映画から誕生したバンドのMVフル公開". Spice.eplus.jp (in Japanese). May 22, 2019. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  45. "「ハナミズキ」「小さな恋のうた」「残酷な天使のテーゼ」――令和も歌い継がれるカラオケロングヒットのわけは". Yahoo! Japan (in Japanese). February 29, 2024. Archived from the original on March 1, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  46. "日本人がバレたくないことが明らかに 社内恋愛＆マッチングアプリに次ぐ1位とは". Oricon. November 3, 2023. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  48. Tomonori, Shiba (2021) pp.148
  49. ^ Charts Oricon:
  50. "着メロの著作権使用料は73億円とほぼ倍増 「SAKURAドロップス」がトップに". News.mynavi.jp (in Japanese). May 21, 2003. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  51. "今夜生放送「FNS歌謡祭」タイムテーブル＆披露曲発表". 音楽ナタリー (in Japanese). July 13, 2022. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  52. "Spotify、海外で今年最も再生された日本のアーティスト/楽曲TOP10発表". Oricon (in Japanese). December 7, 2022. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  53. ^ "Mongol800" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  54. "佐野勇斗＆鈴木仁ら劇中バンドでCDデビュー！『小さな恋のうた』沖縄イベントで発表". Cinemacafe.net (in Japanese). April 5, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  55. "映画『小さな恋のうた』は5月24日公開！特報映像も公開に". Cinematoday.jp (in Japanese). February 27, 2019. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  56. "小さな恋のうた". Kodansha (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  57. "小さな恋のうた : 作品情報". eiga.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
Categories: