We chose a support theme song that is the most difficult to perform at the moment. Can ZARD really do it?
After the music magazine officially revealed the title and theme of ZARD's new single, such questions emerged in the minds of industry insiders.
It's not unusual for a support song to have such a theme, but whether it's praise or rejection, it's all between negative and positive. This is especially true at a moment like this.
Either it will become a classic, or it will become a useless piece of music.
ZARD is a front-line band with regular supporters, but this time, even the band's loyal supporters were divided over this theme before the single was released.
Some fans reject a support song, but other fans do not do it because they like a support song, but think that with the warmth ZARD has always shown in its lyrics, they should not write lyrics that are like watching the fire from the other side.
This is a pop band that "can be sung in karaoke". It has never been a band that clearly expressed its attitude. And this is why ZARD decided to sing "Don't Give Up", and why there was so much confusion among fans.
There will be such a reaction.
However, whether we had expectations or rejections for this song of support that was born in a miserable era, all of this was solved as the single "Don't Give Up" entered the promotion period.
Before the single is officially released, it is customary to send a trial version to TV stations, radio broadcasting bureaus, magazines and media, as well as record sellers and various contacts.
Shinichi Iwahashi had very high hopes for this single. This time, GENZO’s external staff came together to visit with the single and promotional posters. After receiving this single, I actually listened to it.
From now on, about 70% of the related parties agreed to cooperate with GENZO's publicity and place ZARD's posters in the most conspicuous places.
Support songs are not easy to please in this era. The number of orders from record sellers was a bit conservative at first. However, after officially receiving the trial version of the single, it was originally lower than the number of orders for ZARD’s previous single. Finally, it was the same as the previous one.
The single was flat.
But Shinichi Iwahashi believed that it was more than that, and insisted on sending orders to printing plants with twice the shipment volume of the previous single.
People in the industry and music critics were eager to give it a try after the information about the single was announced, and they were ready to show off their skills.
Finally, the day came when the single was officially released.
…
"Come on" is the icing on the cake.
This is the reason why Ishikawa Toshio hates support songs. When you are full of energy and hope, you can shout "come on" to cheer. However, when you have lost hope and fighting spirit, words like "come on" will only increase anxiety.
.
"Come on", which can only be used when you are full of energy and hope, what is its meaning?
Immersing yourself in the world of disco may be escaping. But music that can provide a refuge for the soul is countless times better than fake support songs.
However, even though he rejects a song of support in his heart and thinks that there is no need for people who are in the upper hand to pretend to say "come on" from the other side, but when he is confused and uneasy, even a little bit, Ishikawa Toshio also longs for it.
A real comfort.
In other words, it is because I long for real comfort and encouragement in my heart that I reject a support song that I don’t know whether it is an enemy or a friend.
When dancing at the disco, he sinks himself into the dance floor. He is not alone. So, can he get rid of this loneliness when he is about to break into a society where he does not know where the future will be single-handedly?
For Ishikawa Toshio, who was about to officially become a member of society, he had to step out of the shelter of his soul. Because of this, he wanted to confirm from the bottom of his heart that he was "not alone."
Tetsuya Komuro, who built a temporary shelter for Ishikawa Toshio's empty and confused soul, was the producer of GENZO Records. When Ishikawa Toshio was a high school student, he watched "Bandheaven" produced by Iwahashi Shinichi-san and listened to it.
I listened to "17 Years Old" which he produced for Chisato Moritaka. Later, I also bought records of GENZO bands.
For Toshio Ishikawa, Iwahashi-san and his GENZO records have been throughout his youth.
Iwahashi-san, who is so considerate of the public's hearts, composed a song of support at this juncture.
Iwahashi-san, who is always able to capture the pulse of the times, doesn't know how unpleasant it is to shout "come on" from a high position?
However, Iwahashi-san, who is always able to capture the pulse of the times, really doesn't know that "come on" from above will make people more desperate?
Ishikawa Toshio had a subtle mentality, both repulsive and vaguely looking forward to it, until the single titled "Don't Give Up" was officially released. It was as if he had purchased the song for the first time, a collaboration between Tetsuya Komuro and Ryoko Shinohara.
Like the new single, I immediately went to the record store and bought "Don't Give Up".
Compared with the grand occasion of "Love, Heartache, Strength" on the day it was released, the momentum of "Don't Give Up" was obviously weaker on the day it was released. However, the promotion before the release of the single was quite grand, and ZARD itself is a well-known band with accumulated experience.
, therefore, although the momentum is weak, it is not too different.
Toshio Ishikawa queued up, paid the bill, and left the record store.
Seeing the bustling scene in the record store, he thought to himself, maybe there are more people than he thought who wanted a song of support. Or maybe, there are more people who believe in ZARD and GENZO than he thought.
That Kamachi-san is best at writing about the hearts of urban women. Several of ZARD’s famous songs have strong styles and simple and moving lyrics. When Ishikawa Toshio attended a sorority, girls often sang ZARD songs in the karaoke OK. Once,
One of his girlfriends once said with emotion, "Sachiko-chan's lyrics are always touching."
Ishikawa Toshio lacks such delicate emotions. He just puts the single into the player with curiosity and imagination-like revealing the answer to a question and presses the play button.
What kind of support song would the lead singer Sang, who is only good at writing about urban women, write?
When the song "Don't Give Up" finished playing for the first time, Ishikawa Toshio let out a soft sigh as if he was relieved. He pressed the button and listened again.
Is "Don't Give Up" a support song? Yes.
However, this is a song that does not shout "come on" throughout.
From the beginning to the end, nothing was irrelevant to me. I did not stand in the distance and shout cheers. Instead, I always stood with "you" and the people who are listening to this song.
Lead singer Sachiko Kamaiike, who is good at writing about female emotions, captured the panic of the world and the inner uneasiness of the public with the same sensitivity.
As the lead singer of a pop band, she did the same this time. She did not try to write any profound words like those orthodox bands. She was just like a gentle and kind sister, like a woman who supports her beloved,
Send her your willingness to share the joys and sorrows.
In an era of lack of security and hope, such a song of support is the most touching.
After listening to it for the first time, Ishikawa Toshio listened to the song "Don't Give Up" again.
Kamai Sachiko's lyrics are sincere and moving, and the music by Oda Tetsuro is catchy. Ishikawa Toshio doesn't know much about music, but he just feels that such a song with such lyrics has the feeling of undulating waves, pushing himself forward.
When you feel exhausted while running, listening to this song may really give you strength.
Toshio Ishikawa was impressed by the band ZARD, and he also had a deeper understanding of Sachiko Kamaike, the lead singer who was responsible for writing lyrics.
My girlfriend at the time said with emotion, "Sachiko-chan's lyrics are always touching."
Ishikawa Toshio thought, maybe it was because that Kamachi-san saw all kinds of scenes and treated every listener with a gentle heart.
In the past, he was unable to appreciate the charm of ZARD because the scene that moved him had not yet come.
Now that he has a deeper understanding of ZARD because of the song "Don't Give Up", Ishikawa Toshio then thought that Iwahashi-san, who was always able to capture the pulse of the times, also realized what the audience needed this time.
What.
Become a social person, but not a person...
At least, muster up the courage for just five minutes while listening to this song.
Maybe you use this courage to take the first step. The first step is always the most difficult. Maybe you use this courage to persist in walking the last short distance. It is always difficult to have a beginning and an end.
Ishikawa Toshio doesn't think a support song will bring him much power. Rather than mustering up energy to work hard but not getting corresponding rewards, he prefers the dream world built by Tetsuya Komuro's music.
However, when he feels that he is still a little bit close and is not ready to give up on something, Ishikawa Toshio thinks to himself that he will repeat it silently in his heart: "Don't admit defeat, try harder..."
…
Don't admit defeat, work harder, there's still a little bit left.
Kamai Sachiko's lyric writing style is to use ordinary words and sentences to write about the lives of urban women. Even though she always uses colloquial words to write lyrics, this song "Don't Give Up" is far more simple than before.
It is precisely because of this that it feels even more like being right next to you to cheer you up.
She had been a pink-collar worker and a photo model. Before she officially debuted as the lead singer of a band, Kamaike Sachiko had a lot of experiences. Although these experiences were setbacks before she embarked on the road to success, there is no doubt that they were her
Because of these experiences, Kamaike Sachiko gained a thorough and simple attitude toward others.
She will truly worry about others, and she will also be sincerely happy for them. Even if she becomes a big star, she is still an ordinary person. It is precisely because she is an ordinary person that she can see the confusion and loss of ordinary people at this moment, so she writes such a story.
song.
When Sachiko Kamaiike wrote the lyrics of "Don't Give Up", Shinichi Iwahashi was convinced that such a song was the most needed support song at the moment. It was precisely because of this that he vigorously promoted this song
The power of a single.
When this song "Don't Give Up" was released, it cleared away all the previous doubts and disapproval that the public had about a song of support.
The catchy melody and crisp lyrics work perfectly together. Whether it is a cheer song or a golden song that can be sung in karaoke, it is impeccable.
This collaboration between Tetsuro Oda and ZARD created surprisingly strong sparks.
In the first week of the single's release, ZARD stopped Shinohara Ryoko and Komuro Tetsuya's "Love, Heartache, Strong" single's consecutive number one single record, defeated other rivals who released singles in the same week, and successfully won the top spot on the chart.
middle.
At ZARD's level, winning a weekly championship is normal performance.
However, after the release of the single, word-of-mouth quickly developed. Graduation season is approaching and the world is miserable. Such a song that does not attract public rejection and captures the public's support beautifully is rare. TV stations and radio broadcasting bureaus
I would also like to play this song.
ZARD appeared on a music program for the first time after the release of the single to promote it. As usual, TV Asahi's "MUSI" was the first stop for album promotion.
In the program, Kamai Sachiko explained the song and conveyed her simple wish to bring some strength to everyone.
She is shy by nature, and is even more nervous when facing the camera. Because of this, when the scene of her summoning up all the courage to express her feelings was broadcast on TV, the audience watching the TV were attracted by her.
The deputy looked moved.
Nothing can better express one's own feelings than the expression of true feelings.
After the program aired, the episode in which ZARD appeared instantly broke into the top ten of "MUSI" in ratings since its launch, ranking seventh. Many viewers specifically called the TV station to pay their respects to ZARD.
In the second week after the single was released, TV stations and advertisers came to us one after another and discussed using "Don't Give Up" as a promotional song. With such a strong momentum, "Don't Give Up" was released in the second week.
Zhou won the first place in the weekly singles chart. Not only that, the ranking rose rapidly on the cable broadcast on-demand chart, landing at the first place.
Such a song of support that has been recognized by the public has appeared in the streets and alleys at the fastest speed, occupying the on-demand stations, and has become a new popular song in karaoke.
As expected by industry insiders, in such miserable times, a song of support will either become a hit or end miserably.
And this song "Don't Give Up" successfully captured the pulse of the times and became a song destined to leave its mark in the history of pop music.
With such a song, from now on, no one will think that ZARD is just a pop band that sings about the emotions of urban women. Although this band does not have such strong opinions and never outputs opinions, it is closely related to
People in this era stand together.
Following the collaborative single between Ryoko Shinohara and Tetsuya Komuro, ZARD, who took over, also started his own road to consecutive championships, completing a perfect handover.
There are two groups of singers, one is closely related to the GENZO group, and the other is a GENZO singer.
Spring is the beginning of a new year.
In January and February, in this new beginning, GENZO singers not only continued the glory of last year, but also started the new year with a dominant posture.
