Yellow Dancer Explained

Yellow Dancer
Cover:Gen Hoshino - Yellow Dancer.png
Caption:Standard and limited edition cover
Alt:The album's cover art. Above a crimson red backdrop, everyday items like plates, cooking utensils, clothing, books, and a cat are arranged in a pile so that they resemble a human. Above the objects is the text "Yellow Dancer" in a standard font, all caps, and pure black.
Type:studio
Artist:Gen Hoshino
Recorded:2013–2015
Length:56:27
Language:Japanese
Label:Speedstar
Producer:Gen Hoshino
Prev Title:Two Beat in Yokohama Arena
Prev Year:2015
Next Year:2016

Yellow Dancer (pronounced as /ja/) is the fourth studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter and musician Gen Hoshino, released by Speedstar Records on December 2, 2015.

Background

Japanese singer-songwriter and musician Gen Hoshino emerged as a primarily acoustic pop artist with his debut albums Baka no Uta (2010) and Episode (2011).[1] Hoshino's parents were both fans of jazz (his father was a jazz piano hobbyist and his mother at one point aimed to be a jazz vocalist) and he would become known for his love of Michael Jackson.[2] With his instrumental band Sakerock, Hoshino performed songs inspired by funk, soul, jazz, and rhythm and blues genres, and experimented with a mixture of Japanese and African-American styles on the B-sides to his singles, such as "Yuge" on "Kudaranai no Naka ni" (2011), "Moshi mo" on "Film" (2012), or "Kisetsu" on "Shiranai" (2013).[2] [3]

Whilst in the process of wrapping up recording for his third album, Hoshino collapsed to a subarachnoid hemorrhage in December 2012.[4] [5] After a three-month hiatus, Hoshino released Stranger, which brought his sound into a more up-beat direction by incorporating greater use of synthesizer and string sections.[1] [6] He followed Stranger with the non-album rock and roll single "Gag" for the anime film Saint Young Men a week later,[7] but assumed a second hiatus in June after a reinspection discovered a relapse in his hemorrhage.[8] While awaiting the reinspection, Hoshino wrote the lyrics to "Why Don't You Play in Hell?" – the theme song to the Sion Sono film of the same name – and had it released on October 12, 2013, whilst still on hiatus. Hoshino used the song to reconsider his musical roots ("1960s jazz, soul, Motown sound black music") and was his first time incorporating African-American influences on an A-side.[9] [10] [4]

At the start of 2014, Hoshino officially commemorated his full recovery from the hemorrhage by finishing touring for Stranger in February and performing the Fukkatsu ("Revival") Live Tour in April.[11] [12] His first post-recovery single – a double A-side of "Crazy Crazy" and the J-Wave campaign song "Sakura no Mori" ("Cherry Blossom Forest") – was released on June 11, 2014.[13] "Crazy Crazy" was written as a homage to the Japanese jazz band Crazy Cats, reworked from a somber melody created by Hoshino during his surgery's waiting process.[14] [15] A love for soul artists such as Michael Jackson re-discovered during the single's production primarily inspired "Sakura no Mori",[16] and showcased Hoshino merging Japanese and African-American styles into his musical direction.[2]

Writing and production

A fun production on "Sakura no Mori" inspired Hoshino to write an album in the same style, and conceived Yellow Dancer after noticing similarities in the stylistic origins from African-American music in the song and "Why Don't You Play in Hell?".[4] Though the writing process of the singles were based on Hoshino focusing on what he found fun and his niche musical interests, he was encouraged to explore the styles more openly on an album after noticing a rise in popularity of Western artists such as Chich, Daft Punk, and Bruno Mars in Japan; daily airplay of Mark Ronson and Mars' "Uptown Funk" (2014) at his local Lawson convenience store and the response to "Sakura no Mori" from J-Wave listeners further motivated his work on the album.[4] [17]

One of the major obstacles in the album's production was Hoshino's discomfort replicating black music due to his Japanese nationality. In an interview with Musica magazine, Hoshino spoke of his disinterest in mimicking African-American music: "There was a hole in the middle of the obstacle [of my nationality], and I could've easily passed through. But the end of that path would just be a black music-like thing [...] that wouldn't be interesting to make."[4] Instead of replicating black music, he would incorporate elements of it into a J-pop style, a method previously used by 1980s artists such as Toshinobu Kubota and Dreams Come True.[18] In a press comment included with the album's announcement, Hoshino described the result of his "respect for black music" such as soul, jazz, R&B, and jump blues, paired with "focus on the emotions of Japanese pop", as his own genre yellow music ("yellow" referring to Japanese people).[19] [20] In the same comment, he stated Yellow Dancer was written "having fun doing what I wanted" and shared his belief that the album would make listeners dance with "not only the body, but also with the heart".[19]

Material specifically for the new album was written by Hoshino throughout 2015. The first song written with the concept of yellow music was the theme song "Sun", which was released as the album's third single on May 27, 2015. It helped Hoshino envision what kind of album Yellow Dancer would be, and was in the middle of songs created; half of the others songs on the album were written before it, and the other half after.[4] [21] In an interview about "Crazy Crazy" and "Sakura no Mori" in July 2014, Hoshino stated that the writing of his lyrics since Stranger had seen greater focus on feeling rather than story,[15] something he echoed when discussing "Sun" and Yellow Dancer.[22] Among Japanese elements on the album, Hoshino wanted to incorporate a focus on what he described as "Japanese scenery", such as the four seasons, morning and night, or ocean and mountains. The album opener "Tokiyo" ("Time") utilizes kigo ("seasonal words") to represent times of the year.

Hoshino self-produced all tracks on Yellow Dancer. It was recorded and mixed by Shojiro Watanabe, and mastered by Takahiro Uchida. Production on the album was intersected with Hoshino's acting work (such as on the television drama Dr. Storks, or the sketch variety show Life! Jinsei ni Sasageru Conte), which he said particularly provided difficulty in recording vocals.[4] [23] Since Hoshino's schedule was largely dictated by dates of shootings decided around three days in advance, he would plan around this to book studios and schedule with the engineers. The acting work would also influence parts of the album's writing; Hoshino believes his role as an obstetrician on Dr. Storks unconsciously inspired the lyrics of "Tokiyo", which uses the word aka-chan ("baby").[23] Recording was still in progress during Hoshino's interview with Musica on October 1, 2015, and one unspecified song was still without final lyrics; however, alongside the album's announcement on October 14, Hoshino stated that Yellow Dancer had been completed.[4] [19]

Track listing

All tracks are written, arranged, and produced by Hoshino, except where otherwise noted.

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from the Yellow Dancer liner notes.[26]

Production
Instruments

Charts

Weekly charts

+Chart (2015—18)Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[27] 1
Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon)[28] 9
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[29] 1
Taiwanese East Asian Albums (G-Music)[30] 1

Year-end charts

+ Chart (2015)Position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[31] 26
+ Chart (2016)Position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[32] 32
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[33] 6
+ Chart (2017)Position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[34] 92
Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[35] 26
Taiwanese East Asian Albums (G-Music)[36] 6
+ Chart (2018)Position
Japanese Top Download Albums (Billboard Japan)[37] 94

Release history

Yellow Dancer release history and formats
RegionDateEditionFormatLabelCatalogue code
JapanDecember 2, 2015StandardCDSpeedstar Records[38] [39]
Limited[40] [41]
January 20, 2016AnalogLP recordVIJL-60160
TaiwanJanuary 23, 2017StandardCDRock RecordsGUT-2523[42]
JapanMarch 27, 2019Limited ProductionLP recordSpeedstar RecordsVIJL-60198
VariousSeptember 30, 2019StandardStreaming[43] [44]
South KoreaJ-Box Entertainment[45]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kuroda. Takanori. 星野源の音楽はなぜ'キャッチーでマニアック'なのか?「ひらめき」から「恋」まで楽曲分析. How Gen Hoshino's Music Captures a Catchy Mania — Dissecting the Discography from "Hirameki" to "Koi". ja. Real Sound. January 14, 2017. July 17, 2024.
  2. Web site: Mori. Tomoyuki. 星野源の新作『YELLOW DANCER』が心と体に響くワケーー収録曲の音楽的アプローチから分析. Why Gen Hoshino's New Yellow Dancer Reaches the Heart and Body: A Musical Dissection of the Track Listing. ja. Real Sound. December 1, 2015. July 17, 2024.
  3. 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 Became a Household Name — What Makes the Artist Great?. Cinra. ja. December 1, 2015. July 17, 2024.
  4. Hoshino. Gen. Gen Hoshino. Tomoko. Arizumi. Katsumi Omori (photographer). 星野 源 — アルバム『YELLOW DANCER』発売決定!!. Gen Hoshino Announces Album Yellow Dancer!. ja. Musica. 103. 16–33. November 2015.
  5. 星野 源、くも膜下出血でしばらくの間休養. Gen Hoshino Assumes Hiatus Due to Subarachnoid Hemorrhage. ja. Rockin'On Japan. December 22, 2012. July 17, 2024.
  6. Web site: 星野源、くも膜下出血から快復「病気が教えてくれたこと」. Gen Hoshino Talks About What Illnes Has Taught Him Upon Revival After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage. ja. Oricon. April 1, 2014. July 25, 2024.
  7. Web site: Koike. Hirokazu. ブッダ＝星野 源のシングル. Gen Hoshino (Buddha)'s Single. ja. Rockin'On Japan. May 6, 2013. July 19, 2024.
  8. 星野源　くも膜下出血で2度の手術を経験　当時の心境は「一瞬自暴自棄に」も「絶対に大丈夫と思ってた」. Gen Hoshino Reflects on Second Surgery for Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: "A Moment of Despair But I Thought for Certain It Would Be Alright". ja. Sports Nippon. April 26, 2023. July 19, 2024.
  9. 星野 源、10月にリリースする6thシングル『地獄でなぜ悪い』の詳細を発表. Gen Hoshino Reveals Details to Sixth Single "Why Don't You Play in Hell?". ja. Rockin'On Japan. September 6, 2013. July 19, 2024.
  10. Web site: Hoshino. Gen. Gen Hoshino. 『地獄でなぜ悪い』曲について. About "Why Don't You Play in Hell?. ja. HoshinoGen.com. Amuse Inc.. July 2013. July 19, 2024.
  11. Web site: 「幸せですね」星野源、満員の初武道館ワンマンで完全復活. Gen Hoshino Makes Full Recovery to Packed Crowd at the Budokan. ja. Natalie.mu. February 7, 2014. July 19, 2024.
  12. Web site: 星野源「復活アアアアア!」念願NHKホールで無事'了'. Gen Hoshino Concludes Fukkatsu Live Tour at the NHK Hall. ja. Natalie.mu. April 11, 2014. July 19, 2024.
  13. Web site: 星野源、両A面シングルに「緊急特番」含む77分の映像集も. Gen Hoshino Will Release 77-Minute Video Collection with "Emergency Program" on Double A-Side Single. ja. Natalie.mu. May 14, 2014. August 1, 2024.
  14. Hoshino. Gen. Gen Hoshino. 新シングル『Crazy Crazy / 桜の森』で才気大爆発! 星野源、衝動とともに新たな王道を突き進む. Gen Hoshino Pursues a New Direction with Impulse on New Single "Crazy Crazy" / "Sakura no Mori". ja. Interview. Musica. 86. 82–89. May 19, 2014. July 23, 2024.
  15. Hoshino. Gen. Gen Hoshino. Yoshiba. Saori. 星野源 — インタビュー. Gen Hoshino — Interview. ja. Skream!. 1. July 2014. July 23, 2024.
  16. Web site: Onuki. Nobuaki. 『SUN』を紐解く。. Unraveling "Sun". ja. HoshinGen.com. Amuse Inc.. n.d.. July 19, 2024.
  17. Hoshino. Gen. Gen Hoshino. Tomoyuki. Mori. 【インタビュー】星野 源. Interview — Gen Hoshino. ja. Lawson Ticket. HMV
    Lawson
    . 99. November 15, 2015. January 7, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160107050821/http://www.hmv.co.jp/newsdetail/article/1511101033/. dead.
  18. Web site: Reggie. 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. Real Sound. December 2, 2015. August 15, 2024.
  19. 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 Yellow Dancer, First Album in Two Years. ja. Natalie.mu. October 14, 2015. August 10, 2024. February 19, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240219224507/https://natalie.mu/music/news/162859. live.
  20. Hoshino. Gen. Gen Hoshino. 星野 源、最高傑作『YELLOW DANCER』に至るまでのすべてを語る!. Gen Hoshino Talks Full Production Process to Masterwork Yellow Dancer!. ja. Rockin'On Japan. 461. 65. December 2, 2015.
  21. Web site: Kuroda. Takanori. 星野源はなぜ「希有な存在」でいられる? そのマニアックさと遊び心がお茶の間に愛される理由. How Gen Hoshino's Rare Sense of Mania and Playfulness Made Him a Household Name. Cinra. ja. May 29, 2025. August 16, 2024.
  22. Hoshino. Gen. Gen Hoshino. Koyanagi. Daisuke. 星野 源はなぜ、『SUN』＝理由なき生命力を歌うに至ったのか. How Did Gen Hoshino Come to Sing of Life Without Meaning on "Sun". ja. Rockin'On Japan. 454. May 30, 2015. August 16, 2024.
  23. 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 of Every Song on 2015's Masterpiece Album!. ja. Musica. 104. 33–43. December 2015.
  24. Web site: 星野源 — YELLOW DANCER <完全生産限定アナログ盤>. Gen Hoshino — Yellow Dancer (Complete Limited Analog Version). ja. Tower Records Japan. n.d.. July 15, 2024.
  25. Web site: 星野源 — YELLOW DANCER <生産限定盤>. Gen Hoshino — Yellow Dancer (Limited Production Edition). ja. Tower Records Japan. n.d.. July 15, 2024.
  26. Hoshino. Gen. Gen Hoshino. CD liner notes. December 2, 2015. Yellow Dancer. ja. Japan. Speedstar Records. VICL-64439.
  27. Web site: 星野源のアルバム売上TOP7作品. Gen Hoshino's Top 7 Albums by Sales. ja. Oricon. n.d.. July 15, 2024.
  28. Web site: 星野源の合算アルバム売上Top5作品. Gen Hoshino's Top 5 Combined Albums by Sales. ja. Oricon. n.d.. July 15, 2024.
  29. Web site: Gen Hoshino Chart History (Hot Albums). ja. Billboard Japan. n.d.. July 15, 2024. Select Hot Albums on the dropdown menu under 週間チャート
  30. Web site: G-Music Charts — Week January 20, 2017 to February 2, 2017. zh. G-Music. February 2, 2017. July 15, 2024.
  31. Web site: 年間CDアルバムランキング — 2015年度. Yearly CD Albums Ranking — 2015. 3. ja. Oricon. 2015. July 16, 2024. February 1, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160201111310/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/y/2015/p/3/. dead.
  32. Web site: 年間CDアルバムランキング — 2016年度. Yearly CD Albums Ranking — 2016. 4. ja. Oricon. 2016. July 16, 2024. December 24, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161224232750/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/y/2016/p/4/. dead.
  33. Web site: Billboard Japan Hot Albums Year-End — 2016年. ja. Billboard Japan. 2016. July 16, 2024.
  34. Web site: 年間CDアルバムランキング — 20167年度. Yearly CD Albums Ranking — 2017. 10. ja. Oricon. 2017. July 16, 2024. January 2, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180102132402/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/ja/y/2017/p/10/. dead.
  35. Web site: Billboard Japan Hot Albums Year-End — 2017年. ja. Billboard Japan. 2017. July 16, 2024.
  36. Web site: G-Music 2017 Annual Sales Chart. zh. G-Music. 2017. July 16, 2024. August 28, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180828035819/https://www.g-music.com.tw/website_module.php?website_module_classify_sn=107. dead.
  37. Web site: Billboard Japan Top Download Albums Year-End — 2018年. ja. Billboard Japan. 2018. July 16, 2024.
  38. Web site: 星野源 — YELLOW DANCER <通常盤>. Gen Hoshino — Yellow Dancer (Regular Edition). ja. Tower Records Japan. n.d.. July 16, 2024.
  39. Web site: 星野 源 — YELLOW DANCER (通常盤 初回限定仕様). Gen Hoshino — Yellow Dancer (Regular Edition - First Limited). ja. Victor Entertainment. n.d.. July 16, 2024.
  40. Web site: 星野源 — YELLOW DANCER [CD+Blu-ray+特製ブックレット] <初回限定盤A>]. Gen Hoshino — Yellow Dancer (CD + Blu-ray + Special Booklet) (First Edition A). ja. Tower Records Japan. n.d.. July 14, 2024.
  41. Web site: 星野源 — YELLOW DANCER [CD+DVD+特製ブックレット] <初回限定盤A>]. Gen Hoshino — Yellow Dancer (CD + DVD + Special Booklet) (First Edition B). ja. Tower Records Japan. n.d.. July 14, 2024.
  42. Web site: 星野源 / YELLOW DANCER. Gen Hoshino / Yellow Dancer. zh. Books.com.tw. n.d.. July 16, 2024.
  43. 星野源、全楽曲ストリーミング解禁. Gen Hoshino Releases Full Discography for Streaming. Billboard Japan. ja. September 30, 2019. July 16, 2024.
  44. Web site: Yellow Dancer — Album by Gen Hoshino. Spotify. n.d.. July 16, 2024.
  45. Web site: 星野源 — Yellow Dancer. Bugs. ko. n.d.. July 16, 2024.

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