Suteki na Tanjōbi

"Suteki na Tanjōbi"
Single by Chisato Moritaka
from the album Do the Best
LanguageJapanese
English titleA Lovely Birthday
A-side"Watashi no Daiji na Hito (Single Version)"
ReleasedOctober 10, 1994 (1994-10-10)
Recorded1994
Genre
Length4:09
LabelOne Up Music
Composer(s)Yuichi Takahashi
Lyricist(s)Chisato Moritaka
Producer(s)Yukio Seto
Chisato Moritaka singles chronology
"Natsu no Hi"
(1994) 		"Suteki na Tanjōbi" / "Watashi no Daiji na Hito"
(1994) 		"Futari wa Koibito"
(1995)

"Suteki na Tanjōbi" (素敵な誕生日, lit. "A Wonderful Birthday") is the 24th single by Japanese singer/songwriter Chisato Moritaka. Written by Moritaka and Yuichi Takahashi, the single was released with "Watashi no Daiji na Hito" by One Up Music on October 10, 1994. It became her second of two singles to hit No. 1 on Oricon's singles chart (the first being "Kaze ni Fukarete" in 1993).[1]

Background

"Suteki na Tanjōbi" was used by Asahi Breweries for commercials promoting Asahi Z beer. "Watashi no Daiji na Hito (Single Version)" is taken from Moritaka's 1994 studio album Step by Step.[2]

Moritaka performed "Suteki na Tanjōbi" on the 45th Kōhaku Uta Gassen.[3]

Music video

The music video for "Suteki na Tanjōbi" is set on a farm, with Moritaka playing drums while a masked man plays guitar.

Chart performance

"Suteki na Tanjōbi"/"Watashi no Daiji na Hito" hit No. 1 on Oricon's singles chart and sold 380,000 copies.[4][5] It was also certified Gold by the RIAJ.[6]

Other versions

Moritaka re-recorded the song and uploaded the video on her YouTube channel on January 30, 2013.[7] This version is also included in Moritaka's 2013 self-covers DVD album Love Vol. 3.[8]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Chisato Moritaka; all music is arranged by Yuichi Takahashi.

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Suteki na Tanjōbi" ((素敵な誕生日, "A Wonderful Birthday"))Takahashi4:09
2."Watashi no Daiji na Hito (Single Version)" (Watashi no Daiji na Hito (Shinguru Bājon) (私の大事な人 (シングル・バージョン), "My Important Person (Single Version)"))Moritaka3:28
3."Suteki na Tanjōbi" (Original Karaoke) 4:09
4."Watashi no Daiji na Hito (Single Version)" (Original Karaoke) 3:23

Personnel

  • Chisato Moritaka – vocals, drums
  • Yuichi Takahashi – guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals
  • Yukio Seto – bass
  • Yasuaki Maejima – Fender Rhodes, synthesizer

Chart positions

Chart (1994) Peak
position
Japanese Oricon Singles Chart[4] 1

Certification

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[6] Gold 200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

  • Runa Miyoshida covered the song on her 2010 album Ska Flavor #3.

References

  1. ^ "｢素敵な誕生日／私の大事な人｣（CD)". Chisato Moritaka Official Website. Up-Front Group. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
  2. ^ "Biography". Chisato Moritaka Official Website. Up-Front Group. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
  3. ^ "44th Kōhaku Uta Gassen History". NHK. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
  4. ^ a b "素敵な誕生日/森高千里". Oricon. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
  5. ^ "森高千里(シングル)". Yamachan Land (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  6. ^ a b "Japanese certifications – 森高 千里 – 素敵な誕生日／私の大事な人（シングル・ヴァージョン）" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved March 24, 2021. Select 1994年10月 on the drop-down menu
  7. ^ Moritaka, Chisato (2013-01-30). 森高千里 『素敵な誕生日』 【セルフカヴァー】. YouTube. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
  8. ^ "「デビュー25周年企画 森高千里 セルフカバーシリーズ "LOVE" Vol.3」". Chisato Moritaka Official Website. Up-Front Group. Retrieved 2020-04-04.