| Namida no Niji/Save Me | |
| Cover: | Namidasave.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Aya Ueto |
| Released: | May 30, 2007 |
| Recorded: | March 2007 |
| Genre: | Pop, pop rock |
| Length: | 4:22 ("Namida no Niji") 5:31 ("Save Me") |
| Label: | Flight Master |
| Producer: | Akihisa Matzura, Hayama |
| Prev Title: | Way to Heaven |
| Prev Year: | 2007 |
| Next Title: | Smile for.../Mō Ichido Dake |
| Next Year: | 2009 |
is the fifteenth single by Japanese recording artist Aya Ueto. It was released on May 30, 2007.
"Namida no Niji" was included on the standard edition of Ueto's fifth studio album . It served as theme song for the TV Asahi drama Hotelier, starring Ueto herself.[1] The song, which she co-wrote with singer-songwriter Izumi Sakaki, marks Ueto's first foray into songwriting.In a press release, Ueto commented, "The song was composed by a Korean producer. We couldn't quite find the right Japanese lyrics to go with the music, so I decided that perhaps I should write the words myself."[2] About the title of the song, she commented, "When it's raining, people's faces are hidden by their umbrellas. Without an umbrella, you get to experience a world that no one else at that moment can."
Ueto explained in an interview with Oricon Style her reasons for not writing her own lyrics before "Namida no Niji":
I had always said I would never write the lyrics to my songs because it would feel like people were peeping into my heart, but after deciding on the theme for the song and once I started writing, I realized it wasn't so bad after all. I worked with Izumi Sakaki on this song, she took my lyrics and polished them. I'm happy it turned out so well.[3]
The second A-side, "Save Me," was written, composed, and produced by Tourbillon keyboardist Hiroaki Hayama. It was used in the TBS sports program J Spo. Despite being an A-side, "Save Me" was not included in Ueto's succeeding studio album Happy Magic: Smile Project.
"Namida no Niji/Save Me" debuted on the Oricon Daily Singles chart at number 12 on May 29, 2007 and climbed to number 11 the following day.[4] [5] It peaked at number 17 on the Oricon Weekly Singles chart, with 8,904 copies sold in its first week.[6] The single charted for five weeks and has sold a total of 14,858 copies.[7] [8]
| Chart (2007) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Oricon Daily Singles | 11 | |
| Oricon Weekly Singles | 17 | |
| SoundScan Japan Weekly Singles[9] | 18 | |
| Taiwan Five Music J-pop/K-pop Chart[10] | 20 |
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan[11] | May 30, 2007 | CD, digital download | Pony Canyon |
| Taiwan[12] | June 1, 2007 | CD |