Penny Rain Explained

Penny Rain
Type:	studio
Artist:	Aimer
Cover:	Aimer Penny Rain.jpg
Released:	April 10, 2019
Studio:	Studio Device • Studio Sound Valley • Sound City Studio • Studio A-Tone • Higashi-Azabu Studio • Sign Studio Power Station at BerkleeNYC ^[1]
Length:	46:45
Label:	SME Records
Prev Title:	Sun Dance
Prev Year:	2019
Next Title:	Walpurgis
Next Year:	2021

Penny Rain is the second part of the fifth studio album Sun Dance & Penny Rain released by Aimer. It was released on April 10, 2019, in a regular CD only edition and with Sun Dance in three versions: a limited 2 CD + 2 BD + Special Storage Box + Sun Dance Jigsaw Puzzle,^[2] a limited 2 CD + BD edition (Type-A),^[3] and a limited 2CD + DVD edition (Type-B).^[4] Sun Dance and Penny Rain were Aimer's first new studio albums since daydream in 2016.^[5]

Penny Rain peaked at #2 ahead of Sun Dance on Oricon's Weekly Album Chart on April 22, 2019, and charted for 26 weeks.^[6]

Production

In February 2018, Aimer thought about a concept for her next album after releasing her single "Ref:rain". She then came up with the concept of "Sun and Rain" and used it for her "soleil et pluie" Hall Tour from October 2018 to January 2019. In contrast to the lively and up-tempo themes of Sun Dance, Penny Rain features darker themed tones and more ballads, with the lead track "I beg you" incorporating a Middle Eastern rhythm. The album also features collaborations with Yuki Kajiura, Cocco, TK, and Hiroyuki Sawano.^[7]

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.^[8]

• Yuki Kajiura - producer (tracks 1,2,9), keyboards (tracks 1,2,9), programming (tracks 1,2,9), lyrics (tracks 2, 9), music (tracks 1,2,9), arranger (tracks 1,2,9),
• Yasunori Mori - director (tracks 1, 2, 9)
• Takashi Koiwa - recording (tracks 1, 2, 9), mixing engineer (tracks 1,2, 9), Pro Tools operator (tracks 1,2 9)
• KIYO KIDO STRINGS - strings (tracks 1, 9)
• Koichi Korenaga - guitar (tracks 2, 9)
• Kyoichi Sato - drums (tracks 2, 9)
• Tomoharu “Jr. Takahashi - bass (tracks 2, 9)
• aimerrhythm - lyrics (tracks 3, 4, 7, 10)
• Masahiro Tobinai - music (tracks 3, 4, 7), arranger, (tracks 4, 5, 7) programming (tracks 4, 5, 7), all instruments (tracks 4, 5, 7)
• Kenji Tamai - arranger (tracks 3–5, 7, 10), producer (tracks 3–5, 7, 10), executive producer
• Rui Momota - arranger (tracks 3, 10), programming, (tracks 3, 10), all instruments (tracks 3, 10)
• Masaki Mori - recording (tracks 3, 4, 5, 7, 10)
• Satoshi Kumasaka - mixing (tracks 3–5, 7)
• Hideki Morioka - director (tracks 3–5, 7, 10), organizer (tracks 3–5, 7, 10)
• Kentaro Kondo - director (tracks 3–5, 7, 10), organizer (tracks 3–5, 7, 10)
• Cocco - lyrics (5), music (track 5)
• TK - lyrics(6), music (track 6), arranger (track 6), producer (track 6), recording (track 6), guitar(track 6), chorus (track 6)
• Tohru Takayama - recording (track 6), mixing (track 6)
• Shoichiro Ishii - recording (track 6)
• Matthew Soares - recording assistant (track 6)
• Seigen Tokuzawa - string arrangement (track 6)
• Bobo - drums (track 6)
• Hiroo Yamaguichi - bass (track 6)
• Honoka Sato - 1st Violin (track 6)
• Yoko Fujinawa - 1st Violin (track 6)
• Ayaka Jomoto - 1st Violin (track 6)
• Natsue Kameda - 2nd Violin (track 6)
• Matsuri Mikuni - 2nd Violin (track 6)
• Hiroyuki Sawano - lyrics (track 8), music (track 8), arranger (track 8), producer (track 8), piano (track 8), keyboard (track 8), all instruments (track 8)
• Mitsunori Aizawa - recording (track 8), mixing engineer (track 8) Pro Tools operator (track 8)
• Ken Higeshiro - drums (track 8)
• Toshino Tanabe - bass (track 8)
• Hiroshi Iimuro - guitars (track 8)
• Harutoshi Ito - guitars (track 8)
• AlbatoLuce - music (track 10)
• Hitoshi Konno - strings (track 10)
• Kazuyuki Doki - musician coordinator (track 10)
• Yuji Chinone - mastering engineer (tracks 1–5, 7–10)
• Joe LaPorta - mastering engineer (track 6)
• Toru Takeuchi - A&R in chief
• Mio Uchimura - A&R
• Yu Tsuzuki - sales promotion
• Shomaru Tada - sales promotion
• Yuki Terae - sales promotion
• Megumi Miyai - products coordination
• Kazuyo Takeuchi - products coordination
• Go Matsuda - art direction, design
• Arata Kato - photograph
• Yuuka Akaishi - styling
• Aya Murakami - hair & make-up
• Ryota Torisu - artist management
• Mami Fujino - artist management
• Moe Hattori - assistant artist management
• Hiroaki Sano - supervise
• Manabu Tsujino - executive producer
• Yoshichika Matsumoto - executive producer

Charts

Album

Weekly charts

Chart (2019)	Peak position
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard)^[9]	3
Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[10]	2
South Korean International Albums (Gaon)	67

Year-end charts

Chart (2019)	Peak position
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard)^[11]	56
Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[12]	76

Singles

Title	Year	Peak positions
		JPN Oricon	JPN Billboard
"Ref:rain / Mabayui bakari"	2018	6^[13]	6^[14]
"Black Bird / Tiny Dancers / Omoide wa Kireide"		5^[15]	3^[16]
"I beg you / Hanabiratachi no March / Sailing"	2019	1^[17]	2^[18]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work/Nominee	Result
2018	Newtype Anime Awards	Best Theme Song	"Hana no Uta" (from anime film )	^[19]
2019			"I beg you" (from anime film )	^[20]

External links

• (Japanese)
• Penny Rain Aimer on agehasprings
• Penny Rain Aimer on quia
  • • Penny Rain / Aimer on VGMdb

Notes and References

1. Web site: Aimer - Sun Dance & Penny Rain (2019, CD) . Discogs . 2019-11-10.
2. Web site: Sun Dance & Penny Rain【完全生産限定盤】 . Aimer Official Web Site . 2019-11-10.
3. Web site: Sun Dance & Penny Rain【初回生産限定盤A】 . Aimer Official Web Site . 2019-11-10.
4. Web site: Sun Dance & Penny Rain【初回生産限定盤B】 . Aimer Official Web Site . 2019-11-10.
5. Japanese Singer Aimer's 'Sun Dance' & 'Penny Rain' Albums Due in April . . 2019-02-01 . 2019-11-10.
6. Web site: 週間 アルバムランキング . . 2019-04-22 . 2019-11-10.
7. Web site: Aimer「Penny Rain」インタビュー . Natalie.mu . 2019-05-04 . 2019-11-15.
8. Penny Rain . Penny Rain . Aimer . 2019 . booklet . SME Records . SECL-2421 . Japan.
9. Web site: Billboard Japan Hot Albums Charts. Billboard Japan. 2019-04-22. 2019-11-10. ja.
10. Web site: Penny Rain Aimer . . 2019-11-10.
11. Web site: Billboard Japan Hot Albums 2019. Billboard Japan. 2020-03-16. ja.
12. Web site: 年間 アルバムランキング 2019年度. Annual Album Ranking 2019. . 2020-03-16.
13. Web site: Ref:rain/眩いばかり(初回生産限定盤) . Ref:rain / Mabayui bakari . . 2019-11-11.
14. Web site: Japanese Music: Top Japanese Songs Chart March 3, 2018 . . 2018-03-03. 2019-11-11.
15. Web site: Black Bird/Tiny Dancers/思い出は奇麗で(初回生産限定盤) . Black Bird / Tiny Dancers / Omoide wa Kireide . . 2019-11-11.
16. Web site: Japanese Music: Top Japanese Songs Chart September 15, 2018 . . 2018-09-15 . 2019-11-11.
17. Web site: I beg you/花びらたちのマーチ/Sailing(期間生産限定盤) . I beg you / Hanabiratachi no March / Sailing . . 2019-11-11.
18. Web site: Japanese Music: Top Japanese Songs Chart January 19, 2019 . . 2019-01-19 . 2019-11-11.
19. Web site: 'Idolm@ster SideM', 'Bungo Stray Dogs' film win Top Newtype Anime Awards . Egan . Loo . . 2018-10-07 . 2020-03-20.
20. Web site: 「鬼滅の刃」＆「プロメア」が作品賞の第1位を獲得！ ニュータイプアニメアワード2018-2019最終結果発表！ . Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba & Promare win the top prize in the work award! Newtype Anime Award 2018-2019 Final Results Announced! . . 2019-08-14 . 2020-03-20.