Rain (Sekai no Owari song)

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"Rain"
Jacket art for the first limited edition A
Single by Sekai no Owari
from the album Mary and the Witch's Flower Original Soundtrack
LanguageJapanese
B-side"Stargazer"
ReleasedJuly 5, 2017 (2017-07-05)
LabelToy's Factory
Composer(s)
  • Nakajin
  • Fukase
  • Saori
Lyricist(s)
  • Fukase
  • Saori
Producer(s)Sekai no Owari
Sekai no Owari singles chronology
"Hey Ho"
(2016) 		"Rain"
(2017) 		"Fukurō no Koe ga Kikoeru"
(2017)

"Rain" is a song by Japanese pop band Sekai no Owari. It was released as the band's eleventh major label single on July 5, 2017, under Toy's Factory. The song was used as the theme song for the animated film Mary and the Witch's Flower (2017).

Background and release[edit]

See also: Mary and the Witch's Flower § Production

At the end of 2014, producer Yoshiaki Nishimura left Studio Ghibli, with director Hiromasa Yonebayashi, who had directed Arrietty and When Marnie Was There, leaving soon after. Nishimura founded Studio Ponoc in April 2015. In December 2016, teasers for Mary and the Witch's Flower, Studio Ponoc's first feature-length animated film, were released.[1] Based on the children's novel The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart, the film follows a young girl, Mary (voiced by Hana Sugisaki), who journeys into the world of witches. Production of "Rain" began at the end of 2016 with a meeting between the Sekai no Owari members, director Yonebayashi, and producer Nishimura,[2] where the members were shown the storyboards and background art.[3] After watching the film, the members wrote the song through repeated discussion with the director and producer. On June 8, 2017, during a live broadcast, Sekai no Owari announced that they would be in charge of the theme song for the animated film Mary and the Witch's Flower, set to release on July 8.[2]

Composition[edit]

"Generally speaking I think the 'rain' used metaphorically has a negative image, but this time I focused on 'was the rain that was falling in my heart for a long time really a bad thing?' I was thinking, 'what did the rain that was falling in her heart create?'"

—Fukase on his thoughts while creating the song[4]

"Rain" is a "warm and nostalgic pop tune unique to [Sekai no Owari]".[2] The song uses the piano, guitar, bass, drums, strings, and the hammered dulcimer, which was requested by the film's producer. Initially, Nakajin began working on a demo, and Fukase created the B-melody, with the chorus created from connecting the two ideas; Saori then refined the chorus.[3] The lyrics were written "based on the weather in the heart of Mary", the film's protagonist.[4] The members said they wrote the song hoping to "create a theme song that would make us want to take a step forward as Mary [the protagonist of the film] grows up".[2]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Rain"
  • Fukase
  • Saori
  • Nakajin
  • Fukase
  • Saori
  • Takeshi Kobayashi
  • Shike Udai
5:11
2."Stargazer"FukaseFukaseSekai no Owari3:53
3."SOS" (Jauz Remix)
  • Saori
  • Nelson Babin-Coy
Fukase 5:39
Total length:14:43

Charts[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Former Ghibli Staffers' Studio Ponoc Unveils Mary and the Witch's Flower Anime Film". Anime News Network. December 15, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d SEKAI NO OWARI、アニメ映画「メアリと魔女の花」に書き下ろし主題歌提供 [Sekai no Owari provides new theme song for animated film "Mary and the Witch’s Flower"]. Music Natalie. June 9, 2017. Archived from the original on December 28, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Kawai, Yoshihiko (August 7, 2017). SEKAI NO OWARI『RAIN』インタビュー｜サウンド&レコーディング・マガジン2017年9月号より [Sekai no Owari "Rain" Interview | From Sound & Recording Magazine September 2017 issue]. Rittor Music. Archived from the original on December 28, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Nakayama, Yōhei (July 22, 2017). SEKAI NO OWARIインタビュー前編 「メアリと魔女の花」主題歌の秘話明かす [Sekai no Owari Interview Part 1 Revealing the secret behind the theme song of "Mary and the Witch’s Flower"]. Abema Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  5. ^ "Sekai no Owari Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  6. ^ オリコン週間 シングルランキング 2017年07月03日～2017年07月09日 [Oricon Weekly Single Ranking July 3, 2017 – July 9, 2017]. Oricon News. Archived from the original on April 18, 2022.
  7. ^ オリコン月間 CDシングルランキング 2017年07月度 [Oricon Monthly CD Single Ranking July 2017]. Oricon News. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017.
  8. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 Year End | Charts". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  9. ^ オリコン年間 シングルランキング 2017年度 61～70位 [Oricon Yearly Single Ranking 2017 Ranks 61–70]. Oricon News. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022.
  10. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 Year End". Billboard JAPAN. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
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