Week End (Gen Hoshino song) explained

Week End
Type:promotional
Artist:Gen Hoshino
Album:Yellow Dancer
Language:Japanese
Genre:Dance
Length:4:30
Label:Speedstar
Producer:Gen Hoshino

"Week End" (pronounced as /ja/) is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter and musician Gen Hoshino from his fourth studio album, Yellow Dancer (2015). The song is the album's sole promotional single, released for exclusive airplay on the Japan FM League on October 20, 2015, and was also promoted with a listening video. Written and produced by Hoshino as the theme song to the morning news program, it is a pop-like dance song that draws influence from black music genres, such as R&B and soul. Lyrically, Hoshino in falsetto encourages listeners to dance freely.

The song was received positively by album reviewers, who praised its sound as exciting. "Week End" peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for paid digital downloads. The song was particularly successful in airplay, ranking on Billboard Japan year-end radio songs lists for both 2015 and 2016. It had its debut performance on the music program Music Station, after which Hoshino featured the song on the 2016 Yellow Voyage tour with dance performance from Elevenplay.

Background and release

In writing "Week End", Hoshino used a mental image of someone waking up on a Saturday morning and finding themself on a dance floor; with a spinning disco ball above their head, the person springs awake and begins to dance.[1] A fan of week ends, he wanted to replicate a Saturday feeling: something that would be felt more physically than words.[2] Hoshino told that he already had a clear picture of the song's soundscape at the beginning of production. Finding it difficult to explain his ideas, he spent much time with the song's engineer, Takahiro Uchida,[3] adjusting different elements. Though the production period was long, Hoshino felt that the songwriting environment – which he described as the best of his career – allowed him to not worry about time constraints and instead focus on what he and the staff team could do.[4] By the completion of Yellow Dancer, he looked at "Week End" as a vital part of the album's identity, in contrast to tracks such as "Sun", which he viewed more strongly as individual songs.[5]

"Week End" was announced in an episode of the Fuji Television morning show on September 26, 2015. The song, which at the time was not set for an official release, would be the show's new theme song, starting with the October 3 broadcast.[1] [6] On October 14, Hoshino announced his fourth studio album, Yellow Dancer, and announced select songs on the track listing including "Week End".[7] The song used as a promotional track, and was sent to the five radio stations associated with the Japan FM League (JFM; consisting of FM North Wave, J-Wave, Zip FM, FM802, and Cross FM) for an airplay release on October 20, 2015.[8] When Yellow Dancer track listing was unveiled on October 28, "Week End" was shown as the album's second track, placing after "Tokiyo" and before "Sun".[9] Hoshino released a listen along video for "Week End" on November 27, 2015, featuring part of the song and an explanation to the contents of Yellow Dancer.[10] It was the first such video released for the album, with a similar visual to the album-ender "Friend Ship" uploaded in June 2016.[11] Yellow Dancer was released by Speedstar Records on December 2, 2015.[12]

Composition

"Week End" is 4 minutes and 30 seconds long.[13] The song was written, arranged, and produced by Hoshino, who also provided vocals and handclapping. It features Ryosuke Nagaoka on electric guitar, Hama Okamoto on bass, Hajime Kobayashi on Wurlitzer piano, Noriyasu Kawamura on drums and cowbell, and Eiko Ishibashi on synthesizer and background vocals. An ensemble of nine play violin and viola on the track, and the sound of wind instruments is incorporated via trumpet, trombone, and tenor saxophone. Takahiro Uchida is credited as mastering engineer.[3]

Musically, "Week End" is a poppy dance song that incorporates elements of black music genres such as R&B.[14] [15] Hoshino's vocals are within the falsetto range, carrying the song through Philadelphia soul-like horn sections.[12] [16] Takanori Kuroda for described the vocals as between falsetto and Hoshino's natural voice.[16] For the lyrics, Rockin'On Japan Hirokazu Koike connected lines such as "Ima o odoru subete no hito ni sasagu" / "Kimi dake no dance o seken no floor ni dete sakebe" ("Dedicated to everyone who's dancing now" / "Take your dance onto the world's floor and shout") to Hoshino's live performances, where he often asks the audience to dance freely and loosely without any uniform rhythm. Koike wrote that it refers to how listeners can create a "chaotic frenzy" by achieving "true" freedom.[17]

Reception

"Week End" was received positively from critics, who praised its sound as energetic; a writer for Rockin'On called the song representative of Yellow Dancer.[18] A reviewer for CDJournal found the track's soul and disco arrangement reminiscent to Earth, Wind & Fire's "September" (1978),[12] whereas Kulture staff likened the song's groove to Off the Wall (1979) era Michael Jackson.[19] Naho Sadahiro of Tower Plus praised "Week End" as a song that makes one want to dance the moment it starts playing, writing that it would seemingly even make standing at a stoplight during a cold work day fun.[20] In an article covering Hoshino and Sakanaction's Ichiro Yamaguchi's impact on J-pop in a series of articles overviewing the genre, a writer for felt that "Week End" has the "charm of vibrantly updating the history of Japanese pop", describing the song's overall feel as "sparkly".[21] The CDJournal reviewer praised Hoshino's vocals, opining that, while he illustrates a fun and exciting weekend, his singing is not overly flashy, helping the voice keep a good feeling and giving the song a "stylish" sound.[12]

Prior to the release of Yellow Dancer, "Week End" reached number one on J-Wave's Tokio Hot 100.[10] The song debuted at number 93 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart dated October 28, 2015. It rose to numbers 48, 43, and 29 in the following weeks; upon the release of Yellow Dancer, the song reached its best position on the chart during the week of December 16, when it took number 21. Publishing their year-end charts for 2015, Billboard Japan ranked "Week End" as the 82nd most-aired song of the year.[22] "Week End" saw further airplay success in its second year, ranking as the 47th most-played song on Billboard year-end list for 2016.[23] In November 2017, "Week End" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for 100,000 digital sales.

Live performances

Hoshino gave a debut performance of "Week End" on November 27, 2015, when he appeared as a guest on the music television program Music Station.[24] Hoshino performed the song on the Yellow Voyage concert tour, the headlining tour for Yellow Dancer. The performance of the song at the Osaka-jō Hall, where it and "Tokiyo" were the final songs before the encore, saw Hoshino moving from one end of the stage to the other as he and his backup dancers "teased the audience into movement, as if turning the venue into a dancefloor", according to an article from Rockin'On.[18] A report by Natalie.mu of the Osaka performance wrote that "Tokiyo" and "Week End" created a happy atmosphere before Hoshino departed the stage.[25] Teppei Kishida, in a different article for Rockin'On, described the song's performance at the Nippon Budokan as "disco time", where the stage was enveloped in "pop magic" from the distinct movements of the attractive but elegant dancers, backed by soft lightning to focus the audience on the quality of the music.[26] In promotion of the tour's video release, (2016), the Osaka performance of "Week End" was uploaded to Hoshino's YouTube channel.[18]

Hoshino featured "Week End" as the last song before encore on Yellow Pacific in 2017, a two-day concert.[27] He performed the song in the following Continues (2017) and Live in Japan with Mark Ronson (2018) concerts – as the final song on the latter[28] [29] – and featured it on the setlists for both the domestic and world tour promoting his fifth album Pop Virus (2018). A performance of the song at the Tokyo Dome saw Hoshino dancing across the catwalk as he instigated a sing-along with the audience.[30] During the world tour's stop at Yokohama Arena, Hoshino sang "Week End" alongside Ronson on guitar.[31] Subsequently, Hoshino performed the song for Ronson's Love Lockdown: Video Mixtape project in 2020, a livestream promoting social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.[32] In 2019, Hoshino performed "Week End" and "Pop Virus" at the Space Shower Music Awards after receiving the awards for Artist of the Year, People's Choice, Album of the Year, and Best Pop Artist, the most awards taken by an artist in the ceremony's history.[33] For festival and other appearances, Hoshino has performed "Week End" at the Metropolitan Rock Festival,[34] Viva La Rock,[35] Rock in Japan,[36] and Victor Rock Festival in 2016;[37] at the online Soundwave concert, broadcast via Fortnite, in 2022;[38] and at the Summer Sonic Festival in 2023.[39]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Apple Music.[3]

Charts

Weekly charts

+ Chart (2015–16)Peak
position
Japan (Billboard Japan Hot 100)[40] 21

Year-end charts

+ Chart (2015)Position
Japanese Radio Songs (Billboard Japan)82
+ Chart (2016)Position
Japanese Radio Songs (Billboard Japan)47

Notes and References

  1. 星野源、新曲「Week End」がフジテレビ"めざましどようび"の新テーマ・ソングに決定. Gen Hoshino's New Song "Week End" To Be New Theme Song to Fuji Television's Mezamashi Saturday. ja. Skream!. September 26, 2015. March 21, 2024. March 21, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240321223959/https://skream.jp/news/2015/09/hoshinogen_week-end_mezamado.php. live.
  2. Web site: 6月21日O.A.「Week End」星野源. June 21 On-Air: "Week End" by Gen Hoshino. ja. Tokyo FM. June 21, 2022. March 22, 2024. June 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220624000412/https://www.tfm.co.jp/song/index.php?catid=1415&itemid=188090. live.
  3. Web site: Week End – Song by Gen Hoshino (from Yellow Dancer). Apple Music. March 21, 2024. March 21, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240321144844/https://music.apple.com/us/song/week-end/1062215241. live.
  4. Hoshino. Gen. Gen Hoshino. 2015年の圧倒的名盤『Yellow Dancer』 その全曲を語りつくす完全保存大特集!. Yellow Dancer - Complete Special Feature Going Into Every Song on 2015's Masterpiece Album!. ja. . 104. 37–39. December 2015.
  5. Hoshino. Gen. Gen Hoshino. Yumi. Chiko. 星野 源、超待望のアルバム『Yellow Dancer』発売決定!. Gen Hoshino To Release Long-Awaited Album Yellow Dancer!. ja. . 103. November 2015. March 21, 2024. March 21, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240321223956/http://musica-net.jp/articles/preview/5172/. live.
  6. 星野 源の歌声で週末をスタート! 新曲が『めざましどようび』テーマソングに. With His New Song to be the Theme Song to Mezamashi Saturday, Week Ends Will Start with the Voice of Gen Hoshino. ja. Rockin'On Japan. September 26, 2015. March 22, 2024. March 22, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240322103508/https://rockinon.com/news/detail/131368. live.
  7. Web site: 星野源、2年7カ月ぶり新アルバム「Yellow Dancer」リリース決定. Gen Hoshino to Release First Album in Two Years Yellow Dancer. ja. Natalie.mu. October 14, 2015. March 14, 2024. February 19, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240219224507/https://natalie.mu/music/news/162859. live.
  8. Web site: 星野 源、アルバム収録曲「Week End」がJFL全5局で同時間帯にオンエア. Gen Hoshino's "Week End" from New Album to Air on All 5 JFL Stations. ja. . October 19, 2015. March 22, 2024. March 22, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240322103510/https://www.cdjournal.com/main/news/hoshino-gen/68785. live.
  9. Web site: 星野源ニューアルバム初回盤に22曲入り「ひとりエッジ」ライブ映像集. Gen Hoshino Will Include 22-Song "Hitori Edge" Live Footage in First Editions to New Album. ja. Natalie.mu. October 28, 2015. March 22, 2024. February 20, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240220014626/https://natalie.mu/music/news/164295. live.
  10. 星野源と一緒に"Week End"を試聴しよう！ 本人出演の動画公開中. Listen to "Week End" with Gen Hoshino!. ja. Rockin'On Japan. November 27, 2015. March 22, 2024. March 22, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240322103521/https://rockinon.com/news/detail/134807. live.
  11. Web site: 星野源の解説付きで楽しむ「Friend Ship」試聴動画. Enjoy Gen Hoshino's "Friend Ship" in Explanation-Included Listening Video. ja. Natalie.mu. June 28, 2016. March 22, 2024. August 2, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160802185317/http://natalie.mu/music/news/192481. live.
  12. Web site: 星野 源 / Yellow Dancer. Gen Hoshino / Yellow Dancer. . ja. March 22, 2024. July 1, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220701102103/https://artist.cdjournal.com/d/yellow-dancer/4115101034. live.
  13. Web site: Yellow Dancer – Album by Gen Hoshino. Apple Music. March 22, 2024. October 31, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231031162116/https://music.apple.com/us/album/yellow-dancer/1062215238. live.
  14. Web site: 星野源「めざど」に"つい踊ってしまう"ダンスナンバー提供. Gen Hoshino Provides Mezashi Saturday With a Dance Song That Will Put Listeners into Movement. ja. Natalie.mu. October 28, 2015. March 22, 2024. October 22, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151022225017/http://natalie.mu/music/news/161083. live.
  15. Web site: 星野源、新曲は『めざましどようび』新テーマ曲 週末の朝にピッタリ. Gen Hoshino's New Song, Theme Song to Mezamashi Saturday, Perfectly Fits the Week End Morning. Oricon. ja. September 26, 2015. March 22, 2024. October 17, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211017071226/https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2059757/full/. live.
  16. Web site: Kuroda. Takanori. 一躍お茶の間の存在となった星野源。音楽家として何がすごい?. Gen Hoshino Suddenly Became a Household Name. What Makes the Artist So Great?. . ja. December 1, 2015. March 22, 2024. April 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230404142721/https://www.cinra.net/article/review-20151201-hoshinogen. live.
  17. Hirokazu. Koike. 君のダンスはラジオ体操じゃない. Your Dance Isn't A Radio Exercise. ja. Rockin'On Japan. December 1, 2015. March 22, 2024. December 28, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201228002933/https://rockinon.com/disc/detail/134922. live.
  18. 星野源が煽る! 思わず踊りたくなる"Week End"ライブ映像を公開!. Gen Hoshino Teasing Audience in Dance-Inducing "Week End" Live Performance Uploaded to YouTube!. ja. Rockin'On Japan. June 7, 2016. March 25, 2024. March 22, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240322103510/https://rockinon.com/news/detail/144162. live.
  19. Web site: Kulture（カルチャー) 年間ベスト・アルバム 2015. Kulture's Best Albums of 2015. ja. Kulture. December 2015. March 27, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20160403060245/http://kulture.kola.jp/articles/723. April 3, 2016. dead.
  20. Sadahiro. Naho. 星野源『Yellow Dancer』わたしたちの想像をかるくダンスしながら飛び越えてくる大名盤. Gen Hoshino's Yellow Dancer Is A Masterwork That Lightly Dances On and Exceeds Our Imaginations. ja. Tower Plus. June 12, 2020. March 25, 2024. Mikiki. November 30, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231130072238/https://mikiki.tokyo.jp/articles/-/25353. live.
  21. Web site: 星野源と山口一郎ーー音楽シーンに風穴を開ける、それぞれのやり方. How Gen Hoshino and Ichiro Yamaguchi Broke the Music Scene. ja. . December 2, 2015. March 25, 2024. April 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230416013941/https://realsound.jp/2015/12/post-5460.html. live.
  22. Web site: Billboard Japan Radio Songs Year End. ja. Billboard Japan. 2015. March 21, 2024. December 7, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231207220307/https://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=top_airplay_year&year=2015. live.
  23. Web site: Billboard Japan Radio Songs Year End. ja. Billboard Japan. 2016. March 21, 2024. March 31, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230331142855/https://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=top_airplay_year&year=2016. live.
  24. Web site: 「Mステ」に星野源、Shishamo、Superfly、マイラバ、ラブクレ、マッチ. Gen Hoshino, Shishamo, Superfly, My Love, and Match to Appear on Music Station. ja. Natalie.mu. November 20, 2015. March 23, 2024. July 6, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190706151454/https://natalie.mu/music/news/166732. live.
  25. Web site: 'ニセ明'が飛んだ! 星野源「Yellow Voyage」ツアー城ホールで大団円. With a Flying Nise Akira, Gen Hoshino Ends Yellow Voyage Tour at the Osaka Jo Hall. ja. Natalie.mu. March 22, 2016. March 24, 2024. February 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230204161021/https://natalie.mu/music/news/180568. live.
  26. Kishida. Teppei. 星野源 / 日本武道館. Gen Hoshino / Nippon Budokan. ja. Rockin'On Japan. March 14, 2016. March 24, 2024. April 1, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190401095344/https://rockinon.com/live/detail/167287. live.
  27. Hirokazu. Koike. 【完全レポ】星野源、2017年初ライブ「Yellow Pacific」のすべてを振り返る！. (Full Report) Looking Back at Hoshino's First 2017 Concert Yellow Pacific. ja. Rockin'On Japan. February 1, 2017. March 25, 2024. September 27, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230927144807/https://rockinon.com/news/detail/155337. live.
  28. Web site: 星野源、自身の音楽ルーツ込めたツアー「Continues」6万人熱狂のたまアリで幕. Gen Hoshino Closes the Curtains to Continues Live Tour at Saitama Arena to Audience of 60 Thousand. ja. Spice. . September 12, 2017. March 25, 2024. March 15, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240315172950/https://spice.eplus.jp/articles/146246. live.
  29. Hirokazu. Koike. 【来日レポ】星野源×マーク・ロンソン @ 幕張メッセ 国際展示場ホール9~11. (Japan-Leg Report) Gen Hoshino × Mark Ronson @ Makuhari Messe, 9–11. ja. Rockin'On Japan. December 17, 2018. March 25, 2024. March 15, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240315172950/https://rockinon.com/live/detail/182547. live.
  30. Web site: 星野源、33万人動員5大ドームツアーで見せた「Pop Virus」の世界. The World of Gen Hoshino's Pop Virus Shown on the 5 Dome Tour. ja. Natalie.mu. March 11, 2019. March 25, 2024. April 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230404130834/https://natalie.mu/music/news/323312. live.
  31. Web site: ただいま! 星野源、ワールドツアー凱旋公演で2年ぶりの横アリ「音楽って楽しい」. Gen Hoshino Revisits the Yokohama Arena After Two Years during World Tour Revival. ja. Natalie.mu. December 11, 2019. March 25, 2024. March 13, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210313033112/https://natalie.mu/music/news/358991. live.
  32. Web site: 星野源がマーク・ロンソン（Mark Ronson）の #Stayhome プロジェクト〈Love Lockdown: Video Mixtape〉に参加. Gen Hoshino Participates in Mark Ronson's #StayHome Project Love Lockdown: Video Mixtape. Mikiki. ja. May 4, 2020. August 1, 2024.
  33. Web site: 星野源がスペシャアワード史上初の4冠！あいみょん、RAD、米津らも受賞. The First Time in the Ceremony's History, Gen Hoshino Takes Four Four Awards at Space Shower. Aimyon, Rad, Kenshi Yonezu, and Others Also Crowned. ja. Natalie.mu. March 8, 2019. March 25, 2024. April 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230419034609/https://natalie.mu/music/news/323000. live.
  34. 【Metrock 2016】星野源、ワンオク、アレキ…豪華ラインナップで繰り広げられた都市型フェスの2日目公演レポート!. Report on the Second Day of Metrock, with a Line-Up of Gen Hoshino, One OK Rock, Alexandros, and More. ja. Billboard Japan. May 25, 2016. March 25, 2024.
  35. Web site: 【ライブレポート】星野源がViva la Rock 2016大トリで登場！光の世界で優しさと幸せにあふれたステージ!. (Live Report) Gen Hoshino Spreads a World of Kindness and Happiness as Last Act at Viva La Rock 2016!. ja. . June 6, 2016. March 25, 2024.
  36. Koike. Hirokazu. 星野源 Rock in Japan Festival 2016 クイックレポート. Gen Hoshino - Rock in Japan Festival 2016 - Quick Report. ja. Rockin'On Japan. August 2016. March 25, 2024. September 26, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230926005040/https://rockinon.com/quick/rijfes2016/detail/146676. live.
  37. 10月9日 星野源/Gacharic Spin/藤原さくら/スガ シカオ/レキシ/Keytalk/Xmas Eileen出演【ビクターロック祭り】1万人が大熱狂 ライブレポート. Gen Hoshino, Gacharic Spin, Sakura Fujiwara, Shikao Suga, Rekishi, Keytalk, and XMas Eileen Gather 10 Thousand People During Victor Rock Festival 2015 (10/9 Live Report). ja. Billboard Japan. October 22, 2016. March 25, 2024. July 3, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220703165920/https://www.billboard-japan.com/d_news/detail/42989/2. live.
  38. Web site: 星野源のフォートナイト『Soundwave』シリーズがアンコール放送. Gen Hoshino Broadcasts Encore on Fortnite Soundwave Series. ja. Spincoaster. August 26, 2022. March 25, 2024. October 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231004023609/https://spincoaster.com/news/gen-hoshino-fortnite-soundwave-series-encore. live.
  39. Web site: NewJeansやBlurが熱狂生み、凱旋したYoasobiや星野源がヒット曲連発した「サマソニ」初日. With a Craze from New Jeans and Blur and Hit Songs from Yoasobi and Gen Hoshino, The First Day of Summer Sonic 2023. ja. Natalie.mu. August 26, 2023. March 25, 2024. January 1, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240101115120/https://natalie.mu/music/news/538247. live.
  40. Citations regarding the chart history of "Week End" on the Billboard Japan Hot 100:
    • Web site: Billboard Japan Hot 100. ja. Billboard Japan. October 28, 2015. August 1, 2024. – the chart dated October 28, 2015. "Week End" appears at number 93 in its first chart week.
    • Web site: Billboard Japan Hot 100. ja. Billboard Japan. November 9, 2015. August 1, 2024. – the chart dated November 9, 2015. Its second chart week, "Week End" rose to number 48.
    • Web site: Billboard Japan Hot 100. ja. Billboard Japan. November 23, 2015. August 1, 2024. – the chart dated November 23, 2015. "Week End" rose to number 29.
    • Web site: Billboard Japan Hot 100. ja. Billboard Japan. December 16, 2015. March 21, 2024. March 21, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240321144844/https://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=hot100&year=2015&month=12&day=21. live. – the chart dated December 16, 2015. In the second chart week following the release of Yellow Dancer, "Week End" appears at its peak of number 21.

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