| Clāvis (Kagi) | |
| Cover: | Clavis (Kagi).png |
| Cover Size: | 192 |
| Type: | Single |
| Artist: | Shizuka Kudo |
| Label: | Pony Canyon |
| Prev Title: | Kokoro no Chikara |
| Prev Year: | 2005 |
| Next Title: | Amayo no Tsuki ni |
| Next Year: | 2007 |
is a song recorded by Japanese singer Shizuka Kudo. It was released as a single by Pony Canyon on September 6, 2006. It served as the theme song to the tanpatsu dramas aired from July through September 2006 on AX's Drama Complex time slot.[1]
"Clāvis (Kagi)" was written by Miyuki Nakajima and arranged by Ichizō Seo.[2] It marks Kudo's first collaboration with Nakajima in eight years, since "Setsu Getsu Ka".[3] The title "Clāvis" is latin for "key". Nakajima wrote the song with Kudo in mind. She thought a song with latin influences should be sung by someone with a strong gaze, such as Kudo.[3] Lyrically, the song deals with the theme of self-realization and explores the social nature of people. Nakajima writes about a protagonist "braving seas and people alike" in quest for the "keys of life", which she concludes is an puzzling endeavor. The song is composed in the key of C minor and set to a tempo of 100 beats per minute.[4] Kudo's vocals span one octave, from B3 to B4.
The latin-inspired track was praised for Kudo's ringing vocals and Nakajima's strong storytelling skills; their collaboration was deemed "miraculous".[5] Kudo was praised as a three-dimensional, versatile vocalist; the single's B-side was described by critics as just as well-executed as the main track, in spite of being in a completely different thematic register from "Clāvis".[5]
In 2006, Nakajima recorded a cover of the song for her album, Lullaby Singer.[6]
"Clāvis" debuted at number 67 on the Oricon Singles Chart, selling 2,000 copies in its first week, and charted for three weeks.[7] [8]