70% (Yūgure no Uta)

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"70% (Yūgure no Uta)"
Single by Chara
from the album Strange Fruits
ReleasedFebruary 24, 1999 (1999-02-24)
March 17, 1999 (1999-03-17) (vinyl)
GenreTrip hop, downtempo
Length4:11
LabelSony Music Japan
Songwriter(s)Chara, Zentarō Watanabe
Producer(s)Zentarō Watanabe
Chara singles chronology
"'Hikari to Watashi'"
(1998)
"70% (Yūgure no Uta)"
(1999)
"'Let Me Know'"
(1999)
Alternative cover
vinyl cover

''70% (Yūgure no Uta)'' (70%—夕暮れのうた, 70% (Evening Song), pronounced Nana Jū Pāsento Yūgure no Uta) is a song by Japanese singer Chara. It was released as the third single from her album Strange Fruits on February 17, 1999.[1] It debuted at #36 on the Japanese Oricon album charts, and charted for three weeks.[2]

In official descriptions of the song, it is described as having "a cool sound with painful vocals," as well as fusing a club sound with a Beatles-style melody.[1][3]

Release[edit]

The single was released as the lead track from Strange Fruits in February 1999, a month before the album's release.[1]

The song was released on vinyl a month later, on the same day as the album's release. The vinyl's cover was taken from the same photoshoot as the album's was. The vinyl features an exclusive DJ Hasebe remix of the title track, along with an unpublished duet with her then husband, Tadanobu Asano ("Afureteiru" (あふれている, Overflowing)) as well as two remixes of an album track, "Tsutawatte" (つたわって, Walking Along). Tadanobu Asano wrote and composed "Afureteiru" for Chara himself.

The B-side of the single, "Chisa na Tenohira (1998.10.22)" (小さな手のひら, Little Palms), was a live recording at NHK Hall of a song from her 'Yen Town Band' concept album Montage. Other recordings from this concert date are found on Chara's live album, Live 97-99 Mood.

Other than on Strange Fruits, the song also features on Chara's greatest hits albums Caramel Milk: The Best of Chara and Sugar Hunter: The Best Love Songs of Chara.

Music video[edit]

Chara in the music video.

The music video was shot by directorial pair Blaine & Justin.[4] It features Chara in night scenes throughout Tokyo. She begins in a lit park, holding a large purple sketch book. As she puts the book down, a superimposed image of her begins to travel beyond her. The superimposed version of herself visits various scenes throughout Tokyo, including an escalator, night trains and the park from the beginning. During this time, she sketches houses, hearts and writes cursive script in the sketch book. The video ends with non-superimposed Chara waking up in the park at dawn.

As of April 20, 2010 the music video for "70% (Yūgure no Uta)" has been viewed 147,000 times on popular video-sharing website YouTube.[5]

Track listing[edit]

Single[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)ArrangerLength
1."70% (Yūgure no Uta) (70%—夕暮れのうた, 70% (Evening Song))"Chara, Zentarō WatanabeWatanabe4:11
2."Chisa na Tenohira (1998.10.22) (小さな手のひら, Little Palms)"CharaTakeshi Kobayashi3:49

Vinyl[edit]

Side A
No.TitleWriter(s)Arranger(s)Length
1."70% (Yūgure no Uta) (Original Version) (70%—夕暮れのうた, 70% (Evening Song))"Chara, WatanabeWatanabe 
2."70% (Yūgure no Uta) (Instrumental) (70%—夕暮れのうた, 70% (Evening Song))"Chara, WatanabeWatanabe 
3."70% (Yūgure no Uta) (DJ Hasebe Re-Mix Version) (70%—夕暮れのうた, 70% (Evening Song))"Chara, WatanabeDJ Hasebe 
Side B
No.TitleWriter(s)Arranger(s)Length
1."Afureteiru (あふれている, Overflowing)"Tadanobu AsanoAsano 
2."Tsutawatte (Ambience Mix) (つたわって, Walking Along)"Chara, Tomoyuki IshikawaAurora Band 
3."Tsutawatte (Dub Mix) (つたわって, Walking Along)"Chara, Tomoyuki IshikawaAurora Band 

Chart Rankings[edit]

Oricon Charts (Japan)[edit]

Release Chart Peak Position First Week Sales Sales Total Chart Run
February 17, 1999 Oricon Daily Singles Chart
Oricon Weekly Singles Chart 36 13,690 21,630 3 weeks
Oricon Yearly Singles Chart

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Sony Music Online Japan : CHARA : 70% -夕暮れのうた". Archived from the original on 2009-03-05. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  2. ^ "70%—夕暮れのうた/Chara". Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  3. ^ "mora[モーラ] : CHARA「70%-夕暮れのうた」を試聴・ダウンロード". Archived from the original on 2008-02-23. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  4. ^ "Chara 70%-夕暮れのうた". Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  5. ^ "# 70%夕暮れのうた - CHARA". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2010-04-20.