NIRAI KANAI
Encyclopedia
"Nirai Kanai" "" is MAX
's 28th single and first under the Sonic Groove
label. The single serves as a commemoration of their 10th anniversary and saw the group return to the style that originally made them popular.
168".
MAX announced the release of the single during their 10th anniversary tour in May of 2005. Harking back to their beginnings, all the songs selected for the single were based on the Eurobeat
style of music. Eurobeat is a style of dance music that originates in Italy
. They coined a new term, "Okinawan-Euro" to describe "Nirai Kanai" that takes Eurobeat and combines it with traditional Okinawan flavors. MAX took a major role in the production of this song including writing its lyrics and performing some of the music. Unique to this song is the fact that several lines of the song are not in Japanese
, but in their native Okinawan dialect.
The single also includes to b-sides. The first b-side to appear on the single, "Someday" is a cover of eurobeat vocalist Nuage's song "Sunday." The second b-side "Tora Tora Tora 2005" is a self-cover of their first breakout hit. MAX stated that they wanted to rerecord the song because the song had become popular again under a new wave of Para Para
dancing. Unlike the original version, each member has solo lines.
beverage. MAX also appeared as spokespersons for the company appearing in commercials and performing in special live events in Okinawa, Japan
. MAX and the company enjoyed boosts in popularity during the campaign on the island.
In an unusual move, the music video was released shortly after the release of the single to major video outlets. Promotion and the general popularity of the song could have been stunted because of this.
MAX (band)
MAX whose name is an acronym for "Musical Active eXperience" is an Okinawan vocal group popular in Japan. The original members of MAX made their musical debut as members of the Super Monkey's along with lead vocalist, Namie Amuro...
's 28th single and first under the Sonic Groove
Avex Trax
, listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...
label. The single serves as a commemoration of their 10th anniversary and saw the group return to the style that originally made them popular.
Overview
Nirai Kanai, is an Okinawan myth about a magical island off the coast of Okinawa where the gods live. In Okinawa, they believe that the gods come from this island every year to bless their people. This is where MAX drew inspiration for their very own song named after the island. It's a cover of eurobeat vocalist Christine's song "Rain" from the album "Super EurobeatSuper Eurobeat
Super Eurobeat is a CD compilation series of Eurobeat music in Japan. The series itself is one of the longest running in the entire world. It has been running for over twenty years and consists of 214 volumes as of May 2011...
168".
MAX announced the release of the single during their 10th anniversary tour in May of 2005. Harking back to their beginnings, all the songs selected for the single were based on the Eurobeat
Eurobeat
Eurobeat is a form of italo-disco/hi-NRG music that developed in the late 1980s.In the United States, Eurobeat was sometimes marketed as Hi-NRG and for a short while shared this term with the very early freestyle music hits....
style of music. Eurobeat is a style of dance music that originates in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. They coined a new term, "Okinawan-Euro" to describe "Nirai Kanai" that takes Eurobeat and combines it with traditional Okinawan flavors. MAX took a major role in the production of this song including writing its lyrics and performing some of the music. Unique to this song is the fact that several lines of the song are not in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, but in their native Okinawan dialect.
The single also includes to b-sides. The first b-side to appear on the single, "Someday" is a cover of eurobeat vocalist Nuage's song "Sunday." The second b-side "Tora Tora Tora 2005" is a self-cover of their first breakout hit. MAX stated that they wanted to rerecord the song because the song had become popular again under a new wave of Para Para
Para Para
is a synchronized group dance that originated in Japan. Unlike most club dancing and rave dancing there are specific synchronized movements for each song much like line dancing...
dancing. Unlike the original version, each member has solo lines.
Commercial endorsements
The title track was used as the commercial song for Orion Southern Star, a beerBeer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
beverage. MAX also appeared as spokespersons for the company appearing in commercials and performing in special live events in Okinawa, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. MAX and the company enjoyed boosts in popularity during the campaign on the island.
Music video
A video for "Nirai Kanai" was shot on location in Okinawa, Japan. The video involves three scenes. The first scene involves the members of MAX performing on a rock platform built into the ocean. The second scene is just individual shots of the members singing in front of a colored background. The final scene of video, follows MAX as they greet locals on the island.In an unusual move, the music video was released shortly after the release of the single to major video outlets. Promotion and the general popularity of the song could have been stunted because of this.
Track listing
| # | MAX, S. Castagna, C. Codenotti, E. Somenzi, Ace | 5:03 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2. | "Someday" | MAX, G. Pasquini, F. Rizzolo, S. Oliva, Dave Rodgers | 4:07 |
| 3. | "TORA TORA TORA 2005 | Kazumi Suzuki, Tiger Boys | 3:46 |
| 4. | "NIRAI KANAI (Instrumental)" | S. Castagna, C. Codenotti, E. Somenzi | 5:03 |
| 5. | "Someday (Instrumental)" | G. Pasquini, F. Rizzolo, S. Oliva | 4:05 |
| 6. | "TORA TORA TORA 2005 (Instrumental)" | Tiger Boys | 3:43 |
Production
- Art Direction - Shinichi Hara
- Design: Tomokazu Suzuki
- Photography - Satoshi Miyazawa
- Stylist - KOKA
- Hair - YAS
- Make Up - YOSHI.T for MONDO
- Clothing - Emanuel UngaroEmanuel UngaroEmanuel Ungaro is a French fashion designer.-Early life:Ungaro's Italian father fled to France from Francavilla Fontana of Brindisi province because of the fascist uprising in Italy...
Charts
Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)| Release | Chart | Peak Position | Sales Total | Chart Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 July 2005 | Oricon Weekly Singles Chart | 38 | 6,148 | 3 weeks |