Swallowtail Butterfly (Ai no Uta)

"Swallowtail Butterfly (Ai no Uta)" (あいのうた, Suwarōteiru Batafurai Ai no Uta, "Love Song") is a song by Chara, released under the name Yen Town Band.[1] It was the lead single from Montage, a concept album released for the Shunji Iwai film Swallowtail Butterfly that also starred Chara. This song was used as the theme song for the film.

"Swallowtail Butterfly (Ai no Uta)"
Single by Yen Town Band (Chara)
from the album Montage
B-side	"Mama's Alright"
Released	July 22, 1996 (1996-07-22)
Genre	J-pop
Length	4:49
Label	Sony Music Japan
Songwriter(s)	Chara, Shunji Iwai, Takeshi Kobayashi, Takayo Nagasawa, Bryan Burton-Lewis
Producer(s)	Takeshi Kobayashi
Yen Town Band (Chara) singles chronology
"Tiny Tiny Tiny" (1995) "Swallowtail Butterfly (Ai no Uta)" (1996) ""Chara no Boogie Shoes" with The 99 1/2" (1996)

The single debuted at #31 on Oricon's singles charts. Two months later, after the release of the film and album, the single managed to reach #1.[2]

The song was written by Takeshi Kobayashi, in collaboration with Chara and film director Shunji Iwai.

Music video

Chara in the music video.

The music video begins with a long panning shot over a cityscape. It then shows Chara against a farm windmill. It then switches to a junkyard, where Chara and several other people are filtering through rubbish. They eventually find a working piano, which they bring back on the back of a pickup truck. Chara plays the piano as the car drives off. This scene is interspersed with scenes from the movie.

Track listing

Single

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Arranger	Length
1.	"Swallowtail Butterfly (Ai no Uta)"	Shunji Iwai, Takeshi Kobayashi, Chara	Takeshi Kobayashi	Takeshi Kobayashi	4:49
2.	"Mama's Alright"	Takeshi Kobayashi, Takayo Nagasawa, Bryan Burton-Lewis	Takeshi Kobayashi	Takeshi Kobayashi	4:11

Chart rankings

Charts (1996)	Peak position
Oricon weekly singles[3]	1
Oricon yearly singles[4]	26
Charts (2010)	Peak position
RIAJ Digital Track Chart Top 100[5] Moumoon cover	40
RIAJ Digital Track Chart Top 100[6] Kumi Koda cover	45

Sales

Chart	Amount
Oricon physical sales[4]	878,000

Cover versions

• Cinnabom (2007, compilation album Sound of Kula)
• Hiromi Hirata (as Makoto Kikuchi) (2007, album The Idolmaster Master Artist 04)
• Yoshihiko Kai (2007, album 10 Stories)
• Kumi Koda (2010, album Eternity: Love & Songs)
• Scott Murphy (from Allister) (2008, album Guilty Pleasures II)
• Moumoon (2010, EP Spark)
• My Little Lover (2001, album Singles). Released as a self-cover (Takeshi Kobayashi was, at the time, a member of My Little Lover.) A music video was released.
• Ayano Tsuji (2004, album Cover Girl)
• Nagi Yanagi (2013, album Euaru)
• Kana Hanazawa (2019, anime Afterlost)

References

1. "Sony Music Online Japan : Yen Town Band : Swallowtail Butterfly～あいのうた～". Retrieved 2009-11-08.
2. "Swallowtail Butterfly~あいのうた~". Retrieved 2009-11-07.
3. "Ｓｗａｌｌｏｗｔａｉｌ　Ｂｕｔｔｅｒｆｌｙ～あいのうた～ - ＹＥＮ　ＴＯＷＮ　ＢＡＮＤ／ オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
4. "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」". Oricon. Retrieved 2010-10-22. (subscription only)
5. "レコード協会調べ 2010年07月07日～2010年07月13日 ＜略称：レコ協チャート（「着うたフル(R)」）＞" (in Japanese). RIAJ. 2009-07-16. Archived from the original on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
6. "レコード協会調べ 2010年10月13日～2010年10月19日 ＜略称：レコ協チャート（「着うたフル(R)」）＞" (in Japanese). RIAJ. 2009-10-22. Archived from the original on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2010-10-20.