Watashi wa Knife

"Watashi wa Knife" (わたしはナイフ, lit. "I'm a Knife") is a song recorded by Japanese singer Shizuka Kudo. It was released as a single through Pony Canyon on June 2, 1993. It made its first album appearance on the compilation album, Super Best, released later that same year.

"Watashi wa Knife"
Single by Shizuka Kudo
Released	June 2, 1993 (1993-06-02)
Genre	Pop
Length	4:27
Label	Pony Canyon
Songwriter(s)	Gorō Matsui Tsugutoshi Gotō
Producer(s)	Tsugutoshi Gotō
Shizuka Kudo singles chronology
"Dōkoku" (1993) "Watashi wa Knife" (1993) "Anata Shika Inai Desho" (1993)
Audio sample
"Watashi wa Knife" file help

Background

"Watashi wa Knife" was written by Gorō Matsui and composed and produced by Tsugutoshi Gotō. It is a pop song reminiscent of Kudo's earlier material.[1] Lyrically, the song describes a protagonist proclaiming herself to be a metaphorical knife "starved" for love and willing to measure up to a rough lover. During the promotional cycle for Super Best, Kudo revealed she doesn't like the title of the song. "I'm more of a saw", she said, half-joking. "Watashi wa Knife" received acclaim for Kudo's upfront vocals, as well as the song's "hard" hook culminating in an "epic" chorus, which were noted for producing an efficient change of pace and making the song memorable.[1] Matsui and Gotō were praised for their practiced collaborative songwriting abilities.[1]

Chart performance

The single debuted at number six on the Oricon Singles Chart, selling 75,000 copies in its first week.[2] It charted in the top 100 for a total of nine straight weeks. With reported sales of 187,000 copies, "Watashi wa Knife" became Kudo's first single since her solo debut to not place in the top 100 of the year-end Oricon Singles Chart.[3]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Arranger(s)	Length
1.	"Watashi wa Knife" (わたしはナイフ, "I'm a Knife")	Gorō Matsui Tsugutoshi Gotō	Gotō Satoshi Kadokura Naoki Takao	4:27
2.	"Shūmaku" (終幕, "The End")	Fumiko Okada Gotō	Gotō	5:12
3.	"Watashi wa Knife" (Original Karaoke)	Matsui Gotō	Gotō Kadokura Takao	4:27
Total length:				14:07

Charts

Chart (1993)	Peak position
Japan Weekly Singles (Oricon)[4]	6
Japan Monthly Singles (Oricon)[5]	15

Certification

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[6]	Gold	200,000*[6]
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. "工藤静香 / ミレニアム・ベスト". CDJournal. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
2. "1993年6月14日付 CDシングル/アルバムランキング". Retrieved December 18, 2017.
3. "オリコン 1993年TOP100". Retrieved December 18, 2017.
4. "わたしはナイフ 工藤静香". Oricon. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
5. "オリコン(oricon)「1993年06月」の月間シングルCDランキング". Retrieved January 18, 2018.
6. ゴールドディスク認定 [Gold Disc Certifications] (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. June 1993. Retrieved December 18, 2017. Select 1993年6月 on the drop-down menu