Ai o Komete Hanataba o

"Ai o Komete Hanataba o" (愛をこめて花束を, "Put Love in a Bouquet") is a song by Japanese pop-rock act Superfly. Used as Edison no Haha's theme song, "Ai o Komete Hanataba o" was released as the band's fourth single on February 27, 2008. The song was Superfly's break-through single, breaking into the Oricon physical singles chart's top 20. As of 2011, it is Superfly's most successful single, being certified as a million ringtone download, triple platinum as a cellphone download, and single platinum for digital sales.

"Ai o Komete Hanataba o"
Single by Superfly
from the album Superfly
ReleasedFebruary 27, 2008 (2008-02-27)
Recorded2007
GenrePop-rock
Length4:53
LabelWarner Music Japan
Songwriter(s)Kōichi Tabo, Shiho Ochi, Junji Ishiwatari
Producer(s)Kōichi Tsutaya
Superfly singles chronology
"I Spy I Spy"
(2008)		 "Ai o Komete Hanataba o"
(2008)		 "Hi-Five"
(2008)
Music video
"Ai o Komete Hanataba o" at YouTube

Writing and background

The melody of "Ai o Komete Hanataba o" was first written in 1997 by Kōichi Tabo at age 15.[1] The song was re-arranged to be used as a song by the band in 2005, after Superfly had moved to Tokyo to pursue their musical career.[1] The song was performed at many lives performed by Superfly before their debut in 2006.[2] While Tabo had already written basic lyrics for "Ai o Komete Hanataba o", they were replaced with new lyrics in 2006 after "Ai o Komete Hanataba o" had been chosen as the theme for the TV drama. The new lyrics were written by vocalist Shiho Ochi, who was assisted by former Supercar member Junji Ishiwatari.[1] The original version was titled the same and had the same theme of a person putting their feelings of love into a bouquet, however in the new version, Ochi changed the gender of a receiver, so it was a boy who received the bouquet.[1] Ochi based the lyrics around her own experience of giving a boy a bouquet of flowers.[1]

"Ai o Komete Hanataba o" felt like a restart to Superfly for vocalist Shiho Ochi, as it was her first solo release after Kōichi Tabo left the official band line-up, and her collaboration song with Jet, "I Spy I Spy."[3]

Promotion

The song was announced as the theme song for Edison no Haha on December 11, 2007, a month before the drama began airing.[2] This was the first time a song by Superfly was associated with a Japanese drama.[2] The producer of the drama, Shōichi Katō, decided to use Superfly for the theme song after being impressed by Superfly's debut single, "Hello Hello," feeling the "strong vocals" and "uplifting message" were fitting for the work.[2] The song was already written prior to the drama, and was chosen by Katō out of a collection of unreleased Superfly demos.[2]

In addition to its use in the drama, "Ai o Komete Hanataba o" was featured in commercials for paid download providers music.jp and Recochoku.[4]

Music video
Superfly in the music video for "Ai o Komete Hanataba o".

The music video was directed by Shūichi Banba,[5] the first time Banba worked together with Superfly. He would become a regular collaborator, directing videos for songs such as "Hi-Five," "Koisuru Hitomi wa Utsukushii", "Yasashii Kimochi de" and "Wildflower".

The music video begins with a shot of a self-playing piano. Vocalist Shiho Ochi stands in front of a camera in a tented campground and sings "Ai o Komete Hanataba o". The camera is shown taking pictures of various other people at the campground, including two small children who hide behind their mother playfully. During the chorus, Ochi performs with men performing instruments, and her image is overlaid in psychedelic colors on the scene. Ochi picks up flowers from inside a box and throws them, becoming surrounded by flower petals. The final scene shows all of the camp members sitting down for a formal photograph.

Critical reception

HotExpress reviewer Takayuki Saito complimented Ochi's "freeing overwhelming vocalism" and Tabo's "excellent melody sense," as well as the lively arrangement.[6]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)ArrangerLength
1."Ai o Komete Hanataba o" (愛をこめて花束を, "Put Love in a Bouquet")Kōichi Tabo, Shiho Ochi, Junji IshiwatariKōichi Tsutaya4:53
2."Ai to Kansha" (愛と感謝, "Love and Thanks")K. Tabo, S. OchiMotoki Matsuoka4:24
3."Rhiannon" (Fleetwood Mac cover)Stevie Nicks 5:00
Total length:14:17

Chart rankings
Charts (2008) Peak
position
Billboard Japan Hot 100[7] 7
Oricon weekly singles[8] 13
RIAJ Reco-kyō ringtones Top 100[9] 7
Charts (2009) Peak
position
RIAJ Reco-kyō ringtones Top 100[10] 63
RIAJ Digital Track Chart Top 100[11] 81
Charts (2010) Peak
position
Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay[12] 9
RIAJ Digital Track Chart Top 100[13] 40
Charts (2011) Peak
position
RIAJ Digital Track Chart Top 100[14] 91

Sales and certifications
Chart Amount
Oricon physical sales[15] 47,000
RIAJ ringtone downloads[16] Million (1,000,000+)
RIAJ full-length cellphone downloads[17] Triple platinum (750,000+)
RIAJ PC downloads[18] Platinum (250,000+)

Release history
Region Date Format Distributing Label
Japan February 27, 2008 (2008-02-27) CD, digital download Warner Music Japan
March 15, 2008 (2008-03-15)[19] Rental CD
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References
  1. 初のドラマ主題歌は、大切な人へのメッセージ [SFirst drama theme song has an important message]. Oricon (in Japanese). 2008. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  2. "Superfly　初のドラマ主題歌に決定!" [Superfly first drama theme song!]. Vibe Net (in Japanese). December 11, 2007. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  3. "Superfly　不安を乗り越え、もうひとつ先の夢へ" [Superfly: climbing over anxiety, to the beginning of another dream]. Yahoo! Music (in Japanese). May 13, 2008. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  4. "Superfly - タイアップ". CDJournal (in Japanese). Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  5. "アーティスト名 Superfly 楽曲名 愛をこめて花束を" [Artist Name: Superfly. Song Name: "Ai o Komete Hanataba o"]. Space Shower (in Japanese). Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  6. Takayuki Saito. レビュー 愛をこめて花束を (in Japanese). Hot Express. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  7. "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard Japan. March 10, 2011. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  8. 愛をこめて花束を - Ｓｕｐｅｒｆｌｙ. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  9. "レコード協会調べ　3月度有料音楽配信チャート（「着うた（R）」）＜略称：3月度レコ協チャート（「着うた（R）」）＞" (in Japanese). RIAJ. April 20, 2008. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  10. "レコード協会調べ 12月度有料音楽配信チャート（「着うた（R）」）＜略称：12月度レコ協チャート（「着うた（R）」）＞" (in Japanese). RIAJ. January 20, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  11. "レコード協会調べ 2009年06月03日～2009年06月09日 ＜略称：レコ協チャート（「着うたフル(R)」）＞" [Record Association Analysis: June 3, 2009—June 9, 2009 (Abbreviated: RIAJ Chart ('Full-length Cellphone Downloads')]. RIAJ (in Japanese). June 12, 2009. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  12. "Adult Contemporary Airplay". Billboard Japan. May 10, 2010. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  13. "レコード協会調べ 2010年10月06日～2010年10月12日 ＜略称：レコ協チャート（「着うたフル(R)」）＞" [Record Association Analysis: October 6, 2010—October 12, 2010 (Abbreviated: RIAJ Chart ('Full-length Cellphone Downloads')]. RIAJ (in Japanese). October 15, 2010. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  14. "レコード協会調べ 2011年04月20日～2011年04月26日 ＜略称：レコ協チャート（「着うたフル(R)」）＞" [Record Association Analysis: April 20, 2011—April 26, 2011 (Abbreviated: RIAJ Chart ('Full-length Cellphone Downloads')]. RIAJ (in Japanese). April 29, 2011. Archived from the original on May 7, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  15. "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. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2011. (subscription only)
  16. レコード協会調べ　6月度有料音楽配信認定＜略称：6月度認定＞ [Record Association report: August digital music download certifications (Abbreviation: August Certifications)]. RIAJ (in Japanese). July 20, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  17. レコード協会調べ　11月度有料音楽配信認定＜略称：11月度認定＞ [Record Association report: November digital music download certifications (Abbreviation: November Certifications)]. RIAJ (in Japanese). December 20, 2008. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  18. レコード協会調べ　3月度有料音楽配信認定＜略称：3月度認定＞ [Record Association report: March digital music download certifications (Abbreviation: March Certifications)]. RIAJ (in Japanese). April 20, 2009. Archived from the original on 23 June 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  19. "愛をこめて花束を／Ｓｕｐｅｒｆｌｙ". Tsutaya. 2008. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
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