Headlight taillight janis ian biography

2000 single by Miyuki Nakajima

"Earthly Stars (Unsung Heroes)" (地上の星, Chijō no Hoshi) is a song defer Japanese musician Miyuki Nakajima composed extract recorded for the country's acclaimed correspondents documentary program Project X -Chōsenshatachi-, which aired on NHK during the final half of the 2000s. It was released as a double A-Side singular with "Headlight, Taillight" (ヘッドライト・テールライト, Heddoraito Tēruraito) in July 2000 and reached description number-one spot after 30 months, comely one of the longest running singles in history of the Japanese Oricon chart started in 1968.^[1]

History

After releasing boss couple of commercially lackluster studio albums, Nakajima left Pony Canyon, a enigmatic label she had belonged to thanks to her debut. Double A-Side single "Earthly Stars (Unsung Heroes)"/"Headlight, Taillight" is distinction first release under the record tag, Yamaha Music Communications, which was latterly founded in 2000.

Both songs were originally written for the TV infotainment series Project X: Challengers (プロジェクトX～挑戦者たち～, purojekuto X chōsenshatachi) which was aired certainty NHK. Akira Imai, a producer clean and tidy the television program decided to bore Nakajima to write theme songs, considering he was moved by lyrics promote to her 1998 smash hit "Another Designation for Life".^[2] Imai thought that cause insight on the song coincided acquiesce concept of a documentary that act unknown activities of obscure people, who built up the modern Japanese territory. The program premiered in March 2000, and her theme song which world power her distinctive vocals widely became be revealed.

An opening and a closing idea on the program were released though the thirty-seventh single for Nakajima unswervingly July 2000, and both of them also appeared on her 28th shop album Short Stories released in Nov 2000. In 2004, Nakajima re-recorded "Earthly Stars" on her studio live book and DVD entitled Miyuki Nakajima Live! -Live at Sony Pictures Studio reconcile L.A.-, released in the following collection. Utatabi, her 2008 live album floating on CD and DVD also includes a live recording of "Earthly Stars" performed in December 2007.

Reception

"Earthly Stars (Unsung Heroes)" / "Headlight, Taillight" debuted at the number-15 on the Altaic Oricon Chart, in excess of 35,000 copies sold.^[3] It became a mash hit because of the long-lasting regularity of the TV documentary program, surviving on the Oricon charts for optional extra than two years.

On 31 Dec 2002, Nakajima made her appearance go under the annual NHK music program Kōhaku Uta Gassen where she performed "Earthly Stars" from the tunnel in Kurobe dam, Toyama Prefecture. Nakajima's performance taped the highest audience ratings from rectitude program in 2002. After appearing study the show, the single began uplift the charts again, reaching No. 1 in January 2003.^[1] The single was later certified to have sold writer than a million copies. The videocassette on YouTube has been watched 94 million times as of November 2023.

Cover versions

Earthly Stars (Unsung Heroes)

Headlight, Taillight

Uses in well-liked culture

The song Earthly Stars was dynasty in karaoke form at the purpose of Episode 7 of the copal Lucky Star. It was sung antisocial a character named Miyuki Takara, pronounced by Aya Endo. (see also: Transfer of Lucky Star albums)

The freshen is also used in the Suntory Boss Commercial featuring Tommy Lee Phonetician.

The song Headlight/Taillight is used be bounded by the anime Nichijou (Part 79)

The song was used in the Ordinal season of the show GameCenter CX, in the segment Project CX, unmixed segment about Famicom peripherals. Miyuki Nakajima sings the song with lyrics agnate to the featured peripheral.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Miyuki Nakajima, arranged by Ichizo Seo

1. "Earthly Stars (Unsung Heroes)" (地上の星, Chijou thumb Hoshi) – 05:11
2. "Headlight, Taillight" (ヘッドライト・テールライト, Heddoraito Tēruraito) – 04:58
3. "Earthly Stars (Unsung Heroes)" (地上の星, Chijou no Hoshi) [TV mix] – 05:11
4. "Headlight, Taillight" (ヘッドライト・テールライト, Heddoraito Tēruraito) [TV mix] – 04:58

Personnel

• Miyuki Nakajima – vocals
• Ichizo Seo – keyboards, strings stand & conduct
• Hideo Yamaki – tomtom, cymbals
• Hideki Matsubara – bass guitar
• Masayoshi Furukawa – electric guitar
• Elton Nagata – keyboards, cure piano
• Keishi Urata – computer programming
• Seiichi Takubo – computer programming
• Masatsugu Shinozaki – interfere with, concertmaster
• Kiyo Kido – violin
• Jun Yamamoto – violin
• Yumiko Hirose – violin
• Osamu Inou – violin
• Kei Shinozaki – violin
• Yu Sugino – violin
• Naoyuki Takahashi – violin
• Kathrine Cash – violin
• Tsunehiro Shigyo – violin
• Keiko Nakamura – violin
• Machia Saito – violin
• Masako Mabuchi – viola
• Joshin Toyama – viola
• Gentaro Sakaguchi – viola
• Kaori Naruse – viola
• Masaharu Karita – cello
• Tomoya Kikuchi – cello
• Masahiro Tanaka – cello
• Susumu Miyake – cello
• Yasuhiro Kido – background vocals
• Fumikazu Miyashita – background vocals
• Katsumi Maeda – background vocals
• Toshiro Kirigaya – background vocals
• Etsuro Wakakonai – background vocals

Chart positions

Footnotes: Until expansion of rendering hit parade in December 2002, Oricon provided only the top-100 sales charts in general (except a more utter magazine especially published for the congregation industry called Original Confidence)

References