Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 1995
Aoi Usagi
Buy Aoi Usagi now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Aoi Usagi
| cover = Noriko Sakai - Aoi Usagi.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Noriko Sakai
| album = Watercolour
| language = Japanese
| English_title = Blue Rabbit
| B-side = Eien no Asa
| released =
| recorded = 1995
| studio =
| genre = J-pop
| length =
| label = Victor
| composer = Tetsur Oda
| lyricist = Emi Makiho
| producer =
| prev_title = Oh Oh Oh (We Are the Winners)
| prev_year = 1995
| next_title = Here I Am (Nakitai Toki wa Nakeba Ii)
| next_year = 1996
| misc =
}}
is the 27th single by Japanese entertainer Noriko Sakai. Written by Emi Makiho and Tetsur Oda, the single was released on May 10, 1995, by Victor Entertainment.
Background and release
"Aoi Usagi" was used as the opening theme of the NTV drama series 'Hoshi no Kinka', which also starred Sakai. According to lyricist Makiho, she won a competition to write lyrics for Oda's composition to match the 'Grimms' Fairy Tales'-influenced theme of the drama.
"Aoi Usagi" peaked at No. 5 on Oricon's singles chart. It sold over 997,000 copies and was certified Double Platinum by the RIAJ, becoming the biggest-selling single in her career. The song was also ranked No. 1 downloaded song on the iTunes Store in 2009 before her drug scandal with her then-husband Yichi Takas prompted Victor to withdraw all of her media from stores.
The music video features Sakai performing Japanese Sign Language while singing the song, as she played a deaf and mute girl in 'Hoshi no Kinka'. She did a similar performance on the 46th 'Khaku Uta Gassen' in 1995, her first and only appearance on NHK's New Year's Eve special.
Makiho self-covered the song on her 1996 album 'Aromatister' while Oda covered it on his 2006 cover album 'Melodies'. Sakai re-recorded the song as the B-side of her 2007 single "Sekaij no Dare Yori Kitto". In 2014, Sakai recorded a Chinese-language version of the song, titled "Jm de xio b t" (); this version is included in her 2016 compilation album 'The Best Exhibition: Noriko Sakai 30th Anniversary Best Album'. In October 2021, Sakai re-recorded the song and placed an NFT of it and promo photos on auction to promote the fourth season of the drama series 'Producer K', which marked her first drama appearance in eight years.
Track listing
Charts
Certification
Cover versions
* McKee covered the song in Tagalog as "Ako Ay Maghihintay" on their 1996 self-titled album, released exclusively in the Philippines.
* Marie Miyake (as Nana Abe) covered the song on the 2013 soundtrack album 'The IdolM@ster Cinderella Master Cute Jewelries! 001'.
* Nanase Aikawa covered the song on the 2015 tribute album 'Treasure Box: Tetsur Oda Songs'.
References
Buy Aoi Usagi now from Amazon
<-- Return to songs from 1995