| Life | |
| Cover: | Life Gen Hoshino.png |
| Caption: | Digital single cover |
| Alt: | The digital single cover artwork to "Life". It consists of abstract bright colors, scattered with yellow and white dots and lines. |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Gen Hoshino |
| A-Side: | "Why" (double A-side) |
| B-Side: |
|
| Language: | Japanese |
| Genre: |
|
| Length: | 3:11 |
| Label: | Speedstar |
| Producer: | Gen Hoshino |
| Prev Title: | I Wanna Be Your Ghost |
| Prev Year: | 2022 |
| Why | |
| Title2: | Life |
(pronounced as /ja/) is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter and musician Gen Hoshino. The song was first released by Speedstar Records on August 14, 2023, as a digital-exclusive single. It was self-produced and written by Hoshino as the main theme to TBS broadcast of the 2022 Asian Games and 2023 World Athletics Championships, which were hosted closely together as a result of rescheduling in the COVID-19 pandemic. With gospel influences, the track has an upbeat rock and R&B sound through a small instrumental line-up, led primarily by piano. Lyrically, the song discusses competition and the exhilaration felt on the field, with international themes applicable to everyday life.
Upon release, "Life" took No. 7 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and No. 44 on Oricon's Combined Singles Chart. A digital-exclusive release, it took first place on both publications' download charts. A music video directed by GROUPN was premiered to Hoshino's YouTube channel the day of the single's release, featuring guest appearances from sprinter Yoshihide Kiryū, former Nogizaka46 member Asuka Saitō, and dancer THE D SoraKi. Throughout 2023, Hoshino promoted the song through five television performances, including at the 74th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen on New Year's.
On December 27, 2023, "Life" was reissued as a double A-side with "Why", the ending theme to the anime film (2023). The re-release peaked at No. 2 on the Oricon physical sales and combined sales charts, and on Billboard Japan Top Singles Sales ranking.
Prior to "Life", Gen Hoshino had written songs for sports-related tie-ups, such as "Hello Song" (2016) for a campaign by the Ad Council Japan that encouraged preparation for the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo,[1] and "Continues" (2016) for broadcast of the 2016 Summer Paralympics on SKY PerfecTV!.[2] Due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 Asian Games were postponed to September and October 2023,[3] only a month after the 2023 World Athletics Championships would be held in August.[4] The song "All My Treasures" (2007) by Yūji Oda had served as the theme song for TBS Television's broadcast of the Athletics Championships for sixteen years; however, the 2023 event's close scheduling with the Asian Games prompoted the network to commission a new original theme song for their broadcast of both. They contacted Hoshino, who accepted; he told Billboard Japan that he was honored to have been asked during the rare circumstance of two events being held so close together.[5] [6]
Hoshino invisioned "Life" as a song that encourages athletes, sports fans, and everyone else that lives within the chaos of the present time.[5] Written at the same time as Hoshino's EP Lighthouse (2023),[7] roughly half of the song's lyrics had already been completed when he conceived the title "Life".[8] The Japanese title,, literally translates to lifeform, which Hoshino thought was perfect for the song's theming on living in present times. He related the concept of a living organism to sports: "Suddenly, I had this idea that people are born onto a racetrack of sorts, and we only feel freedom in respect to that race ... I think that not just humans, but everything living—even microrganisms that we cannot read the emotions of—live on that racetrack ... For a song about living in present times, I thought that the title 'Life', literally the body of a living creature, perfectly represented its relation to sports."[6]
Musically, Hoshino intended to incorporate inspiration from gospel music to create a sound that releases listeners from ego and pressures. Himself not a Christian, he wanted to process gospel through his own musical style and only take inspiration to avoid distastefully replicating the genre.[6] For the recording and mixing process, Hoshino said he had grown tired of the standard consistency in Japanese music production, and instead took an approach that prioritized the "soul" within the instrumental performance.[6] On his Instagram, audio mixer Shojiro Watanabe posted that the drums on "Life" were recorded in the style of Glyn Johns; Hoshino told Billboard Japan that this production was the most energetic that he had seen Watanabe throughout their ten plus years of collaboration.[6]
"Life" features guest background vocals by solo singer Ua. Initially, Hoshino and usual collaborator Ryosuke Nagaoka tried to record the backing vocals on their own, but felt that something more was needed and considered enlisting the help of an outsider. Ua was suggested by her and Hoshino's mutual manager at Victor Entertainment; Hoshino liked the suggestion due to Ua's roots in gospel and soul music, but felt hesistant since her voice would most likely not be recognizable amongst the other singers. However, the manager thought this would make it easier for Ua and went ahead with the offer; according to Hoshino, she gladly accepted.[6] [9]
"Life" was written and produced by Hoshino, who co-arranged it with frequent collaborator Mabanua. The instrumental line-up on the track is minimal and consists of only upright piano (performed by Hoshino and Mabanua), electric bass (Mabanua), drums (Shun Ishiwaka), and alto saxophone (Satoru Takeshima). The song also includes handclaps, which are performed by background vocalists Nagaoka and Ua.[10] Minus the electric bass, the entire instrumentation is almost acoustic, which writers for Rhythm & Drums Magazine noted as a departure from Hoshino's programming-heavy works in the years prior to the song. They also pointed out the absence of guitar.[11] "Life" was mastered by Takahiro Uchida and mixed by Watanabe; Satoshi Goto is credited with additional assistance. Recording is credited to Watanabe, Shu Saida, Mabanua, Hoshino, and Takeshima, the latter of which recorded their saxophone from home.[6]
"Life" runs for three minutes and eleven seconds (3:11). Musically, it is a fast-paced Japanese rock and R&B song that reminisces to gospel music.[11] [12] [13] The song is driven by the melodies on the upright piano and the beat of Ishiwaka's drumming, which move through quick chord changes.[10] [11] The track does not have a proper intro nor outro, which represents the sudden start and end to life.[14] From its opening, the drums on "Life" run dotted notes on a ride cymbal and leads the beat with a half open hi-hat.[11] The chorus sees Hoshino singing in a high-pitched tone, whereas a solo on alto sax is performed by Takeshima in the song's middle phase.[10]
The lyrics depicts the perceived mentality of an athlete competing and the exhilaration of sports: "Kaze ni hada ga mazari toketeku / Sakaime wa kieru" ("My skin melds with the wind and melts away / Boundaries disappear"). The text covers the continuation of life after the conclusion of a competition and ends with a return to reality: "Anata wa tashika ni koko ni iru / Soshite tsuzuku" ("Without a doubt, you're here / And life goes on").[10]
On June 30, 2023, "Life" was announced as the theme song to the 2023 World Athletics Championships and Asian Games on TBS.[15] Alongside a new promotional artist visual on August 7, Hoshino announced that the song would be released as a single on August 14, 2023, five days ahead of the start of the Athletics Championships and nine days ahead of the Asian Games.[16] On the slated date, "Life" was released as a digital-exclusive single by the Victor Entertainment label Speedstar Records, roughly one year after Hoshino's previous single "I Wanna Be Your Ghost" (2022).[11] Promotion for the release included a campaign by Victor where listeners who downloaded the song or added it to their streaming libraries could win a phone wallpaper based on the single's cover art, a two-set postcard set featuring photos of Hoshino, and a different wallpaper drawn by him.[17] [18]
GROUPN directed the music video to "Life", which was premiered to YouTube on August 14, 2023, at 0:00 (JST).[19] The video features Hoshino singing in an arena venue next to footage of "various people living in the present".[20] Recorded in the span of four days, it includes guest appearances from some of the song's performing musicians like Mabanua and Ishiwaka, professional athletic sprinter Yoshihide Kiryū, former Nogizaka46 member Asuka Saitō, and dancer The D Soraki.[11] [20] The scenes of Hoshino singing are interlayed with the other footage via split screen to mimick the appearance of a running track.[21]
Behind-the-scenes from the song's music video were released on September 13, 2023,[22] and minute-long videos showing only Soraki and Saitō's dance performances were uploaded on September 29.[23] In December 2024, audio commentary by Hoshino and his frequent video collaborator Santa Yamagishi was added to the "Life" music video utilizing YouTube's multi-language audio tracks feature.[24]
On December 27, 2023, "Life" was re-released as a double A-sided single with the song "Why", the ending theme to the anime film . Hoshino announced in November that "Life" would be included as the latter half of a CD single, but did not immediately disclose details on "Why".[25] He revealed its title on December 5,[26] and officially announced it as the ending theme to Spy × Family Code: White on December 22, the day of the film's premiere.[27] Hoshino's first CD single in almost two years after "Fushigi" / "Create" (2021),[28] the B-side to "Why" / "Life" features "Odd Couple"—a song written by Hoshino for the comedy duo Audrey's radio festival at the Tokyo Dome—and the instrumental "Beyond the Sequence", used in a commercial for UCC Ueshima Coffee starring Hoshino.[29]
In an interview with Billboard Japan, Hoshino said that he did not initially intend to release "Why" and "Life" as double A-sides. However, upon the completion of "Why", he felt that they connected.[30] Emi Sugiura, in a review of the double A-side for Rockin'On Japan, wrote that "Why" felt like a sequel to "Life, since both songs discuss living without seeking out meaning.[28]
In its first week of charting, "Life" moved 13,713 digital sales according to Billboard Japan, opening at peaks of No. 44 on Oricon's Combined Singles Chart[31] and No. 7 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.[32] Oricon accounted 13,821 sales, moved up to 15,919 after its second and final appearance on their chart.[31] "Life" secured first place on both Oricon's and Billboard digital-only charts, becoming Hoshino's sixth song to top the Oricon Digital Singles ranking.[32] [33]
The "Why" / "Life" double A-side single moved over 48,000 physical sales upon release, taking No. 2 on the Oricon Singles Chart, the Combined Singles Chart,[31] and Billboard Japan Top Singles Sales ranking. It took first place on Oricon's Anime Singles chart.[31] "Why" charted separately from the single, reaching No. 4 on the Hot 100[34] and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Animation.[35]
On the day of its digital release in August, Hoshino promoted "Life" through a live performance on a special for Count Down TV.[36] Hoshino returned to the program on September 18, performing "Life" and his debut single "Kudaranai no Naka ni".[37] He gave a third performance of "Life" three days later on September 21, appearing on NHK's music program SONGS.[38] Hoshino revisited Count Down TV for a third time in December, performing "Life" and "Comedy" as part of a Christmas special.[39] On New Year's Eve, he returned to NHK to perform the song for the 74th annual Kōhaku Uta Gassen. Hoshino sang from the roof of Toranomon Hills, marking his ninth Kōhaku appearance.[40] The New Year's performance was uploaded in full to YouTube on January 10, 2024.[41]
Credits adapted from Hoshino's website.[42]
All tracks are written by Gen Hoshino expect where otherwise noted.
| + | Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| Japan (Billboard Japan Hot 100)[43] | 7 | |
| Japanese Combined Singles (Oricon)[44] | 44 |
| + | Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese Top Singles Sales (Billboard Japan)[45] | 2 | |
| Japan (Oricon)[46] | 2 | |
| Japanese Combined Singles (Oricon)[47] | 2 | |
| Japanese Anime Singles (Oricon)[48] | 1 |
| Region | Date | Release and edition | Format(s) | Label | Catalogue code | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | August 14, 2023 | "Life" — digital single | Speedstar Records | VE3WT-10580 | [49] [50] [51] | |
| South Korea | J-Box Entertainment | [52] | ||||
| Japan | December 27, 2023 | "Why" / "Life" — standard | CD | Speedstar Records | VICL-37718 | [53] |
| "Why" / "Life" — limited | [54] [55] | |||||
| Various | "Why" / "Life" — standard | [56] | ||||
| South Korea | J-Box Entertainment | [57] | ||||
| Japan | January 13, 2024 | Rental CD | Victor Entertainment | VICL-37718R | [58] |