Kono Yoru o Tomete yo

"Kono Yoru o Tomete yo" (この夜を止めてよ, "Stop This Night") is a song by Japanese pop, R&B and jazz musician Juju. It was used as the theme song of the Miho Kanno and Hiroshi Tamaki starring drama Guilty: Akuma to Keiyaku Shita Onna(ギルティ 悪魔と契約した女 ), and was released on November 17, 2010.[2]

"Kono Yoru o Tomete yo"
Single by Juju
ReleasedNovember 17, 2010 (2010-11-17)
RecordedOrchelabo Tokyo (vocals) (2010)[1]
Avaco Creative Studio (strings) (2010)[1]
GenreJ-pop, contemporary R&B
Length4:53
LabelSony Music Entertainment Japan
Songwriter(s)Kiyoshi "KC" Matsuo, Toshiaki Matsumoto
Producer(s)Jin Nakamura, Matsuo
Juju singles chronology
"Hello, Again (Mukashi Kara Aru Basho)"
(2010)		 "Kono Yoru o Tomete yo"
(2010)		 "Sayonara no Kawari ni/Negai"
(2011)

The song was commercially successful, receiving a triple platinum certification for ringtones,[3] a double platinum certification for full-length cellphone downloads,[4] and a gold certification for physical shipping.[5] According to the RIAJ, the song was the 14th most downloaded song of 2010 and Juju's best performing song of the year, narrowly out-competing her previous single, "Hello, Again (Mukashi Kara Aru Basho)."[6]

Composition and production

The song is a pop ballad, with an instrument arrangement centering on piano, synthesised percussion sounds, and chime instruments, with a background string section. Much of the chorus instrumentalization is based around a short motif, which is repeated in several instruments. The lyrics of the song center on someone reflecting on an ending relationship. The song's protagonist, after she met her lover, started to that being hurt was what love was. The couple shared more secrets together, but she noticed that they had become to go down separate roads. She believes that her lover "saying 'I love you' is sadder than saying 'goodbye'," so asks her lover to stop the night they are spending together, to end their relationship in only five seconds, and after that, for him to forget her. The protagonist admits to wanting to "dream the same colored dreams" as her lover and that she does not regret her past, but she also does not want to cling to a known future. She also believes that she had no say in the moments when she and her lover met, and will part.[7]

According to Juju, the song expresses "lurking strength while in pain," and has a message that "in situations beyond your control, you have to stay strong, no matter what happens,"[8] and believes the lyrics are about the feelings of "being confused and in pain."[9] Juju explained the title of the song as relating to the point in a relationship where "you don't want a happy ending, and there is no future, where you want to stop spending time together, immediately."[10] During recording and performances of the song, Juju felt it easy to imagine the feelings of the song's protagonist.[9] Her favorite section of the song is the bridge (the section beginning with the lyrics amai kako no kioku nante).[9]

The song was chosen for release during the search for songs that felt suitable for television dramas for Juju's next studio album. When Juju encountered the music for this song, she attempted humming it, and felt it was the most appropriate song for a drama.[9]

Promotion

During the initial press release for the song, much of the promotional focus was on the song's status as the theme song for the drama Guilty: Akuma to Keiyaku Shita Onna, as well as the songwriters involved: Kiyoshi "KC" Matsuo, who was famous for writing the lyrics to R&B singer Misia's song "Everything," and Jin Nakamura, for his work with dance/R&B group Exile.[11]

On October 10, 2010, Juju held her third annual Juju no Hi (JUJUの日, "Juju Day") live to 5,000 people, at which she performed "Kono Yoru o Tomete yo" for the first time, as well as performing her cover of Off Course's "Kotoba ni Dekinai" in a duet with band member and author of the song, Kazumasa Oda.[12] Further performances of the song include during her set at the Marunouchi Bright Christmas 2010 tree lighting ceremony on November 11 to 2,000 spectators,[13] television performances on Music Japan (October 31),[14] Wednesday J-Pop (November 17),[15] Music Station (November 26)[16] and both CDTV and Music Fair on November 27.[17][18] "Kono Yoru o Tomete yo" was one of the songs performed for an episode of MTV Japan's Jammed, in which Juju held a surprise performance at an inter-school cultural exchange club meeting for middle school students in Hida, Gifu.[19]

A Twitter-based social networking campaign, called itakoi.com (痛恋.com, "painfulove.com"), was set up for the release of the song, in which people were encouraged to tweet about painful love experiences, similar to the lyrics of the song, with the hash tag #itakoi.[20][21]

One of the B-sides of the single, "Piece of Our Days," was used as the ending theme song for the Fuji Television program World Business Satellite.[2]

Music video
Top: fashion model Kana against the relationship posters in a subway
Bottom: Juju as she performs the song in the music video

The music video was directed by Shinji Niwa,[22] and features dramatic scenes with model Kana (伽奈)[23] and actor Terunosuke Takezai,[24] which are interspersed with scenes of Juju performing the song. The drama scenes begin with Kana's character receiving a phone call outside at night time from Takezai's character, telling her he is sorry. Kana's character walks through an underground train station, and sees many posters of her and her former boyfriend on one of the walls. She slowly walks past the photos that depict happier times in their relationship. Kana's character begins to run until she gets outside, where a screen is showing home videos of her together with her former lover. She sits down, and begins to cry. The scenes of Juju feature constant close-up shots of her against a darkened background, as she performs the song in winter clothing. As she does this, the lighting constantly changes and flares behind her.

The video was first aired during morning news show Mezamashi Terebi, on November 5, 2010.[25]

Critical reception

The reviewer at CDJournal described the song as "a ballad of gratitude that strikes pain into your heart, filled with emotion to the point of pain."[26] Haruna Takekawa of Hot Express called the song a mellow ballad with "dazzling introduction from piano, with magnificent strings, heart-filled bass drums and lyrics that account a painful adult passion," that was on par with the world of lyricist Kiyoshi Matsuo's other works. She felt the song "in a single moment vividly paints a sad love story, when the instruments mix with [Juju's] depth-filled, emotional and peaceful voice."[27] Mikio Yanagisawa of What's In? described Juju's singing as "full and real," and described the song as being "the rolling up of a smooth tapestry created from piano and strings."[28]

Chart reception

The single was a very long charting release on Oricon's physical singles charts, debuting at number 13 for two weeks, and staying in the top 20 for eight weeks; peaking at number 10 for two non-consecutive weeks.[29] It was a massive hit digitally, debuting at number one on RIAJ's Digital Track Chart, dropping to number two for its second week.[30] It then regained its position at number one for two more weeks.[31] Despite only being released for sale for 28 days, the song became the 14th most downloaded song to cellphones for 2010, narrowly beating Juju's previous single, "Hello, Again (Mukashi Kara Aru Basho)."[6]

The B-side "Kotoba ni Dekinai" saw minor success, charting at number 99 on RIAJ's digital chart for a single week.[30]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)ArrangerLength
1."Kono Yoru o Tomete yo"Kiyoshi "KC" Matsuo, Toshiaki MatsumotoJin Nakamura4:53
2."Piece of Our Days"E-3, DJ HironycE-3, Soushi Uchida, DJ Hironyc5:00
3."Kotoba ni Dekinai" (言葉にできない "I Can't Put It Into Words," Off Course cover)Kazumasa OdaAkihisa Matzura5:04
4."Kono Yoru o Tomete yo (Instrumental)"Matsuo, MatsumotoNakamura4:53
Total length:19:50

Chart rankings
Chart Peak
position
Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay[32] 14
Billboard Japan Hot 100[33] 12
Oricon daily singles[34] 6
Oricon weekly singles[35] 10
RIAJ Digital Track Chart weekly top 100[31] 1
RIAJ Digital Track Chart yearly top 100[6] 14

Sales and certifications
Chart Amount
Oricon physical sales[29] 80,000
RIAJ physical shipping certification[5] Gold (100,000+)
RIAJ ringtone download certification[3] Triple platinum (750,000+)
RIAJ full-length cellphone download certification[4] Double platinum (500,000+)

Personnel[1]
  • Gen Ittetsu Strings - string section
  • Juju - vocals
  • Toshiaki Matsumoto - music
  • Kiyoshi "KC" Matsuo - lyrics, production
  • Jin Nakamura - all instruments, arrangement, programming
  • Shinsaku Takane - vocal recording, at Orchelabo Tokyo
  • Hiromichi "Tucky" Takiguchi - mastering, at Parasight Mastering
  • Shojiro Watanabe - string section recording, mixing, at Onkio Haus

Release history
Region Date Format
Japan November 3, 2010 (2010-11-03)[4] Ringtone
November 17, 2010 (2010-11-17)[2][4] CD single, cellphone download
December 4, 2010 (2010-12-04)[36] Rental CD

References
  1. Kono Yoru o Tomete yo (Media notes) (in Japanese). Juju. Chiyoda, Tokyo: Sony Music Entertainment Japan. 2010. AICL-2205.CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. "JBOOK：この夜を止めてよ：ＪＵＪＵ：CD". JBook (in Japanese). Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  3. レコード協会調べ　2月度有料音楽配信認定 ＜略称：2月度認定＞. RIAJ (in Japanese). February 20, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
  4. レコード協会調べ　12月度有料音楽配信認定 ＜略称：12月度認定＞. RIAJ (in Japanese). January 20, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  5. ゴールド等認定作品一覧　2010年12月. RIAJ (in Japanese). January 10, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  6. "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 January 30, 2011.
  7. "この夜を止めてよ - JUJU". Goo Music (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 31, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  8. "JUJU、11/17リリース「この夜を止めてよ」が、発売後3週目にしてUSEN総合1位に返咲き!" [Juju's November 17 release "Kono Yoru o Tomete yo" comes back to number one on USEN charts three weeks after its release!]. Excite. December 9, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  9. "クローズアップJUJU 「今度の曲は悪女の強がりです! 」" [Closeup: Juju. "This new single has the strength of Akujo!"]. Excite. November 18, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  10. "JUJUインタビュー". EMTG Magazine. November 26, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  11. "15th Single「この夜を止めてよ」2010/11/17 Release決定!!" [15th single "Kono Yoru o Tomete yo", November 17 release!!]. Sony Music Japan. September 27, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  12. "「ぞろ目好き」JUJU、2010年10月10日「100年に一度」" ["Peer Loving" Juju, concert on October 10, 2010 "Once in 100 years"]. News24. October 10, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  13. "ＪＵＪＵは電飾マニア「夏でもツリー飾りたい」" [Juju and Christmas lights mania, "even in summer I want to decorate trees"]. Sponichi Annex. November 12, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  14. "10/31 NHK「MUSIC JAPAN」出演決定!" [Guest appearance on NHK's Music Japan announced, October 31!]. Sony Music Japan. October 31, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  15. "これまでの放送 ２０１０年１１月１７日 ふれあいホールゲスト JUJU" [Past broadcasts: November 17, 2010. Contact Hall Guest Juju]. NHK. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  16. "少女時代・UVERら6組が今週の「Mステ」に出演決定" [Six guests, including Girls' Generation, Uverworld on this weeks M-Ste.]. Oricon. November 22, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  17. "TBS「CDTV」出演決定!!" [Performance on TBS' CDTV!!]. Sony Music Japan. November 27, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  18. "フジテレビ系「MUSIC FAIR」放送日時変更のお知らせ" [Information on the broadcast day change for Juju's performance on the Fuji Television show Music Fair]. Sony Music Japan. November 10, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  19. "何も知らない生徒たちの前に突然JUJUが登場!　サプライズライブの模様を" [Juju performs for unsuspecting students! The video of this surprise live]. RBB Today. December 14, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  20. "「この夜を止めてよ」リリース記念、痛恋.com 企画スタート!!" [Special site itakoi.com online, from release day of "Kono Yoru o Tomete yo"]. Sony Music Japan. November 18, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  21. "痛恋.com" [Painfulove.com]. Sony Music Japan. November 17, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  22. "JUJU 楽曲名 この夜を止めてよ" [Juju. Song Name: "Kono Yoru o Tomete yo"]. Space Shower (in Japanese). Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  23. "伽奈｜etrenne". Étrenne. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
  24. "竹財輝之助". Stardust Promotion. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
  25. "2010/11/05(金) 5:25～8:00 フジテレビ系 「めざましテレビ」 ＊『この夜を止めてよ』Music Video初解禁！（予定）" ["Kono Yoru o Tomete yo"'s music video, first planned airing during Fuji Television's Mezamashi Terebi (November 5, 2010, 5:25-8:00)]. Sony Music Japan. November 5, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  26. "JUJU ／ この夜を止めてよ 試聴記コメント" [Juju "Kono Yoru o Tomete yo," trial listening comment] (in Japanese). CDJournal. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  27. Haruna Takekawa. レビュー この夜を止めてよ (in Japanese). Hot Express. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  28. Mikio Yanagisawa. "DISC REVIEW この夜を止めてよ by JUJU" (in Japanese). What's In?. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  29. "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service "You Big Tree"]. Oricon. Retrieved April 6, 2011. (subscription only)
  30. "レコード協会調べ 2010年11月24日～2010年11月30日 ＜略称：レコ協チャート（「着うたフル(R)」）＞" [Record Association Analysis: November 24, 2010—November 30, 2010 (Abbreviated: RIAJ Chart ('Full-length Cellphone Downloads')]. RIAJ. December 3, 2010. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  31. "レコード協会調べ 2010年12月08日～2010年12月14日 ＜略称：レコ協チャート（「着うたフル(R)」）＞" [Record Association Analysis: December 8, 2010—December 14, 2010 (Abbreviated: RIAJ Chart ('Full-length Cellphone Downloads')]. RIAJ. December 17, 2010. Archived from the original on October 1, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  32. "Japan Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay". Billboard Japan. December 13, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  33. "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. November 29, 2010. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  34. "シングル デイリーランキング-ORICON STYLE ランキング" [Single Daily Ranking - Oricon Style Ranking]. Oricon. November 22, 2010. Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  35. この夜を止めてよ - ＪＵＪＵ (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  36. この夜を止めてよ／ＪＵＪＵ. Tsutaya (in Japanese). Retrieved November 11, 2010.
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