Virgin Blue (song)

Virgin Blue (バージンブルー) is the tenth single by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead, released on March 8, 2006, eight months after their previous single Baby Runnin' Wild. It peaked in the top ten on the Oricon charts at #9 and remained on the charts for one full month. Limited editions of the single included one of ten trading cards or a special prize.

"Virgin Blue"
Single by Lead
from the album 4
B-side"Cosmic Drive"
ReleasedMarch 8, 2006
Recorded2006
GenreJ-Pop, hip-hop
LabelFlight Master
CD (PCCA-70142)
Songwriter(s)Suzuki Kisaburo
Yoshiaki Sagara
Haya
Kaji Katsura
Takuya Harada
Producer(s)Suzuki Kisaburo
Lead singles chronology
"Baby Runnin' Wild"
(2005)		 "Virgin Blue"
(2006)		 "Summer Madness"
(2006)

"Virgin Blue" is a cover of the 1984 song of the same name, originally released by the six-member rock band SALLY as their debut song. Four years after Lead's release, they would perform an updated rendition on their single Speed Star★ titled "Virgin Blue 2010."

Information

Virgin Blue (バージンブルー) is the tenth domestic single by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead, seven months after their studio album Lead! Heat! Beat!. The single debuted well on the Oricon Singles Charts, taking the #9 slot for the week and remaining on the charts for four consecutive weeks.[1] The first press editions of the single included one of ten possible trading cards and a special ticket that offered buyers the chance to win one of 500 live event tickets or an original promotional item for the single.[2]

Virgin Blue was released as a standard CD, not carrying a CD+DVD counterpart. While a music video for "Virgin Blue" was released for syndication upon the single's release, it would not be available for fans to purchase until the release of the group third compilation DVD, Movies 3, released two years later in August 2008.[3] The CD carried the title track, the coupling track "Cosmic Drive" and both songs' corresponding instrumentals.[4]

The single's title track was a cover of the rock band SALLY's song "Virgin Blue," originally released on July 1, 1984 as their debut song.[5][6] While SALLY's original song carried more elements of rock, Lead's rendition was given a more upbeat pop/hip-hop sound, updating to the current musical trends and style. The song was originally composed by musical composer Suzuki Kisaburo with the lyrics written by Sagara Yoshiaki.[7] However, for Lead's 2006 version, the music was performed by Haya from the group Summer Snow Surprise.[8]

Takuya Harada wrote and composed the single's b-side "Cosmic Drive," which was an upbeat blend of jazz and dance music.[9] The song's lyrics were written by Kaji Katsura, who is best known for their works with the Japanese group AAA and South Korean girl group After School.[10]

In 2010, Lead would release an alternate version of "Virgin Blue" on their single Speed Star★.[11]

Track listing
CD
No.TitleLyricsMusicArranger(s)Length
1."Virgin Blue" (バージンブルー)Sagara YoshiakiHayaSuzuki Kisaburo3:44
2."Cosmic Drive"Kaji KatsuraTakuya HaradaTakuya Harada4:14
3."Virgin Blue" (Instrumental) HayaSuzuki Kisaburo3:41
4."Cosmic Drive" (Instrumental) Takuya HaradaTakuya Harada4:13
Total length:15:51

Charts
Release Chart Peak position
March 8, 2006 Oricon Weekly Singles Chart 9

References
  1. "バージンブルー / Lead / ORICON NEWS". Oricon Style. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  2. "Lead オフィシャルサイト / CDリリース、ライブ・グッズ情報など". RISING PRODUCTION. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  3. "Ｌｅａｄ「ＭＯＶＩＥＳ３」 / PCBP-51558". Billboard Japan. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  4. "Virgin Blue (Japan Version) CD". YesAsia. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  5. "SALLY / バージンブルー". YouTube. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  6. "今日の1曲セレクトは、「バージンブルー」（SALLY)です。". Kajiyan (in Japanese). January 1, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  7. "バージンブルー 歌詞 SALLY". mojim. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  8. "バージンブルー Lead CDシングル". Neowing. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  9. "Lyrics Cosmic Drive by Lead (romaji) from album - Virgin Blue". JPop Asia. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  10. "Kaji Katsura Writing Credits". Discogs. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  11. "SPEED STAR☆ - EP by Lead". Apple Music. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
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