The Stress

"The Stress" (ザ・ストレス, Za Sutoresu) is the sixth single by Japanese singer/songwriter Chisato Moritaka. Written by Moritaka and Hideo Saitō, the single was released by Warner Pioneer on February 25, 1989. The full title of the single is "The Stress -Stress Chūkintō Version-" (ザ・ストレス -ストレス 中近東バージョン-, lit. "The Stress -Stress Middle East Version-"), a remix of "Stress" with Middle Eastern-style synthesizer arrangements.[1][2]

"The Stress"
Single by Chisato Moritaka
from the album Mite
Language	Japanese
B-side	"Yurusenai"
Released	February 25, 1989
Recorded	1988
Genre	J-pop dance-pop
Length	4:53
Label	Warner Pioneer
Songwriter(s)	Chisato Moritaka Hideo Saitō
Producer(s)	Yukio Seto
Chisato Moritaka singles chronology
"Alone" (1988) "The Stress" (1989) "17-sai" (1989)
Music video
The Stress on YouTube

The Stress
Video by Chisato Moritaka
Released	April 25, 1989
Genre	J-pop dance-pop
Language	Japanese
Label	Warner Pioneer
Chisato Moritaka chronology
Mite (1988) The Stress (1989) Mite Special Live in Shiodome Pit II 4.1'89 (1989)

Background

During a rehearsal in the middle of her first national tour in 1988, Moritaka suffered abdominal pain and had to be hospitalized for a week after being diagnosed with acute enteritis. Her doctor told her that the inflammation was caused by mental stress. As a result, the experience inspired her to write "The Stress".[3][4]

Music video

The music video features Moritaka as a waitress having to deal with all kinds of customers at a ramen restaurant while visualizing her stress as a ghostly entity watching her. Since the video's release, the waitress uniform has been one of her regular costumes on her live performances.[4][5] The contents of the original 8" LaserDisc release were compiled in the 2000 DVD Chisato Moritaka DVD Collection No. 5: Mite/The Stress/17-sai.[6]

Reception

"The Stress" peaked at No. 19 on Oricon's singles chart and sold 40,000 copies, making it her first top-20 hit.[7]

Other versions

Remixes of "The Stress" were released in the 1989 greatest hits album Moritaka Land and the 1991 remix album The Moritaka.

Moritaka re-recorded the song as "Stress (25th Anniversary Ver.)" (ストレス（25周年記念Ver.）) and uploaded the video on her YouTube channel on April 25, 2014.[8] This version is also included in Moritaka's 2015 self-covers DVD album Love Vol. 7.[9]

The song was remixed by tofubeats in the 2014 collaboration album Chisato Moritaka with tofubeats: Moritaka Tofu.[10]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Chisato Moritaka, except where indicated; all music is composed and arranged by Hideo Saitō, except where indicated.

Single

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Stress -Stress Chūkintō Version-" (Za Sutoresu -Sutoresu Chūkintō Bājon- (ザ・ストレス -ストレス 中近東バージョン-, lit. "The Stress -Stress Middle East Version-))	4:53
2.	"Yurusenai" ((ユルセナイ, lit. "Unforgivable"))	3:26

LaserDisc

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Arrangement	Length
1.	"Overheat Night" (Ōbāhīto Naito (オーバーヒート・ナイト))	Hiromasa Ijichi
2.	"Get Smile"	Ijichi	Ken Shima	Shima
3.	"The Stress -Stress Chūkintō Version-" (Za Sutoresu -Sutoresu Chūkintō Bājon- (ザ・ストレス -ストレス 中近東バージョン-, lit. "The Stress -Stress Middle East Version-))
4.	"Making of 'The Stress' (BGM: Modorenai Natsu)" ((メイキング・オブ・｢ザ・ストレス｣ (BGM｢戻れない夏｣), Making of "The Stress" (BGM: Summer Can't Return)))	Kanon Kuwa	Shima	Shima

Chart positions

Charts (1989)	Peak position
Japanese Oricon Singles Chart	19

Natsumi Abe version

"The Stress"
Single by Natsumi Abe
from the album Natsumi Abe ~Best Selection~ 15 Shoku no Nigaoe Tachi
Language	Japanese
B-side	"The Stress (Crisis Version)"
Released	June 28, 2006
Genre	J-pop
Length	3:56
Label	hachama
Songwriter(s)	Chisato Moritaka Hideo Saitō
Natsumi Abe singles chronology
"Sweetholic" (2006) "The Stress" (2006) "Amasugitakajitsu" (2006)

"The Stress" was covered by Natsumi Abe in 2006 as her seventh single. This version reached No. 14 in Oricon's singles chart. Abe performed an a cappella version of the song in a Georgia GABA commercial.[11][12]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Chisato Moritaka; all music is composed by Hideo Saitō.

No.	Title	Arrangement	Length
1.	"The Stress" (Za Sutoresu (ザ・ストレス))	Keiichi Ueno	3:59
2.	"The Stress (Crisis Version)" (Za Sutoresu (Kiki Bājon) (ザ・ストレス (危機Version)))	Manao Doi	4:15
3.	"The Stress (shakabone HIDE Remix)" (Za Sutoresu (Shakabone Hide Rīmikkusu) (ザ・ストレス (shakabone HIDE Remix)))	shakabone HIDE	4:23
4.	"The Stress (A cappella Version)" (Za Sutoresu (A kapera Bājon) (ザ・ストレス (アカペラVersion)))		0:44
5.	"The Stress (Original Karaoke)" (Za Sutoresu (Orijinaru Karaoke) (ザ・ストレス (オリジナルカラオケ)))	Ueno	3:56

Chart positions

Charts (2006)	Peak position
Japanese Oricon Singles Chart	14

References

1. "｢ザ・ストレス ストレス・中近東ヴァージョン｣ (CT/EP/CD)". Chisato Moritaka Official Website. Up-Front Group. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
2. "森高千里「ザ・ストレス」". Ameba. 2018-07-15. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
3. "Biography". Chisato Moritaka Official Website. Up-Front Group. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
4. Moritaka, Chisato (2012-09-10). 『ザ・ストレス -ストレス 中近東バージョン-』 セルフライナーノート. YouTube. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
5. "｢ザ・ストレス｣(VHS/LD)". Chisato Moritaka Official Website. Up-Front Group. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
6. "｢CHISATO MORITAKA DVD COLLECTION No.5 見て／ザ・ストレス／17才｣(DVD)". Chisato Moritaka Official Website. Up-Front Group. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
7. "ザ・ストレス-ストレス中近東ヴァージョン-/森高千里". Oricon. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
8. Moritaka, Chisato (2014-04-25). 森高千里 『ストレス（25周年記念Ver.）』 【セルフカヴァー】. YouTube. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
9. "「デビュー25周年企画 森高千里 セルフカバーシリーズ "LOVE" Vol.7」". Chisato Moritaka Official Website. Up-Front Group. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
10. "森高千里 with tofubeats 森高豆腐". Warner Music Japan. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
11. "安倍なつみ / ザ・ストレス". Up-Front Group. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
12. "安倍なつみ / ザ・ストレス". CDJournal. Retrieved 2020-03-27.

External links

Chisato Moritaka

• "The Stress" at MusicBrainz
• "The Stress" at Discogs

Natsumi Abe

• "The Stress" at Discogs