Namae no Nai Sora o Miagete

"Namae no Nai Sora o Miagete" (名前のない空を見上げて, lit. "Looking Up to the Nameless Sky") is the fourteenth single by Japanese recording artist Misia. It was released on July 7, 2004 as the first and sole single from Misia's sixth studio album Singer for Singer.[1][2]

"Namae no Nai Sora o Miagete"
Single by Misia
from the album Singer for Singer
Released	July 7, 2004
Genre	Pop
Length	5:19
Label	Rhythmedia Tribe
Songwriter(s)	Misia, Kōji Tamaki
Producer(s)	Tohru Shigemi
Misia singles chronology
"In My Soul/Snow Song from Mars & Roses" (2003) "Namae no Nai Sora o Miagete" (2004) "Luv Parade/Color of Life" (2006)

Background

"Namae no Nai Sora o Miagete" was simultaneously released with the Hoshizora no Live II Constellation Misia 2003 concert DVD on Misia's twenty-sixth birthday.[3][4] With only two tracks, "Namae no Nai Sora o Miagete" is one of Misia's shortest singles. In addition to the title track, the single also includes its instrumental version. It is Misia's sixth and last release issued in CCCD format. A campaign to win a trip to Kauai, Hawaii, where the artwork for the single cover was shot, was launched in July 2004 to celebrate the release of the single.[5]

On the release day, Misia held a special concert open to her fan club members only where she performed the "Namae no Nai Sora o Miagete" accompanied by Tamaki himself.[6] In January 2005, Tamaki self-covered the song with Misia providing back-up vocals during the choruses and released it as a B-side to his single "Aisaretai Dake sa."[7] In April 2009, singer-songwriter Taeko Ōnuki recorded a cover of the song for her cover album Palette.[8]

Composition

"Namae no Nai Sora o Miagete" was written by Misia, composed by Kōji Tamaki, and produced by Tohru Shigemi.[9] CDJournal described the song as a "simple but powerful" medium-tempo ballad and complimented the collaboration between Misia and Tamaki.[10] It served as theme song for the NHK morning drama Tenka, which aired from March to September 2004 for a total of 156 episodes.[9] Tamaki explained in an interview that he composed the track with Misia in mind.[4] In a press release, Misia commented:

When I first listened to Tamaki's demo tape, I was overcome by the gentle melody. It inspired me to write the lyrics to "Namae no Nai Sora o Miagete." I also had Tamaki provide back-up vocals for the choruses of the song, his voice gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it. As I hand it over to "Tenka," I can truly say I'm happy to have sung this song.[11]

Chart performance

"Namae no Nai Sora o Miagete" debuted on the Oricon Daily Singles chart at number 8 on July 6, 2004 and climbed to number 7 the following day.[12] With 22,832 copies sold in its first week, the single peaked at number 9 on the Oricon Weekly Singles chart, becoming Misia's third consecutive and overall twelfth top ten hit.[13][14] It charted for fifteen weeks and sold a total of 58,253 copies.[15][16]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Misia; all music is composed by Kōji Tamaki.

No.	Title	Arranger(s)	Length
1.	"Namae no Nai Sora o Miagete" (名前のない空を見上げて "Looking Up to the Nameless Sky")	Tohru Shigemi	5:19
2.	"Namae no Nai Sora o Miagete (Instrumental)"	Shigemi	5:21
Total length:			10:45

Charts, certifications and sales

Charts Chart (2004) Peak position Oricon Daily Singles[12] 7 Oricon Weekly Singles[13] 9 Oricon Monthly Singles[17] 18 Oricon Yearly Singles[18] 166 SoundScan Japan Weekly Singles[19] 9

Certifications and sales Country Certifications Sales Japan Gold[20] 58,253[16]

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
Japan[21]	July 7, 2004	CD	Rhythmedia Tribe
Taiwan[22]	July 14, 2004		Avex Taiwan

References

1. "MISIA、コンセプト・アルバムをリリース＆全国ツアー" (in Japanese). Listen Japan. 2004-10-03. Archived from the original on 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
2. "MISIA、NHK朝の連続テレビ小説『天花』主題歌を歌う！" (in Japanese). Listen Japan. 2004-02-19. Archived from the original on 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
3. "MISIAのファンクラブ限定バースデーライヴに玉置浩二が参加!!" (in Japanese). Oricon. 2004-07-08. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
4. Kitagai, Kumiko (片貝久美子). "デビュー7周年を迎えたMISIAが円熟した歌声で綴るミディアムバラード！" (in Japanese). Excite Japan. Archived from the original on 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
5. "MISIA「名前のない空を見上げて」発売記念キャンペーン" (in Japanese). Rhythmedia. Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
6. "MISIA、ファンクラブ限定バースデイライヴに玉置浩二が参加！". Barks (in Japanese). ITmedia. 2004-07-08. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
7. 愛されたいだけさ (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
8. 大貫妙子の名曲セレクション・アルバムが発売！全曲デジタル・リマスター. CDJournal (in Japanese). OngakuShuppansha. 2009-03-31. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
9. "MISIA　NHK連続テレビ小説『天花』の主題歌に決定". Vibe (in Japanese). Namco Bandai Holdings. 2004-02-19. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
10. "MISIA ／ 名前のない空を見上げて ［CCCD］ ［CD］ ［シングル］ - CDJournal.com". CDJournal (in Japanese). OngakuShuppansha. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
11. "MISIA、玉置浩二と共作の「天花」がNHK朝の連ドラ主題歌へ". Barks (in Japanese). ITmedia. 2004-02-18. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
12. "【音楽・新譜】CDチャート速報/売上予想スレッド 7/13～" (in Japanese). 2004-07-13. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
13. 2004年07月第3週の邦楽シングルランキング情報 (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
14. 氷川きよし、自己最高の２位！シングル初登場ＴＯＰ３入りは通算３作目で演歌新記録に！ 松平 健、歌手デビュー２５年目にして初のチャートイン！ (PDF) (Press release) (in Japanese). 2004-07-12. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
15. "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」". Oricon (in Japanese). Oricon Research. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
16. "CD売上予想・議論スレッド part29 ＠音楽サロン" (in Japanese). 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
17. 2004年7月オリコンシングルランキング (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
18. 2004年間シングルランキング (in Japanese). 2004-12-29. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
19. "週間 CDソフト TOP20" (in Japanese). SoundScan Japan. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
20. ゴールド等認定作品一覧　2004年7月 (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2004-07-10.
21. 名前のない空を見上げて (in Japanese). JBooks Corporation. Retrieved 2011-07-10.
22. 抬頭仰望無名天空 (in Chinese). Avex Taiwan. Retrieved 2011-07-10.

External links

• Official website