| "Fly Away" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Lead | ||||
| from the album Life On Da Beat | ||||
| B-side | "Shining Day" | |||
| Released | February 5, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | 2003 | |||
| Genre | J-Pop, hip hop | |||
| Label | Flight Master CD (PCCA-70032) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Yasushi Sasamoto | |||
| Producer(s) | Yasushi Sasamoto | |||
| Lead singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Fly Away (stylized as FLY AWAY) is the third single by Japanese hip-hop group Lead. It peaked in the top ten on the Oricon charts at #10 and remained on the charts for seven weeks, charting longer than their previous singles.
Fly Away is the third domestic single by Japanese hip-hop dance group Lead. It charted in the top ten on the Oricon Singles Charts, taking the number 10 slot for the week and remaining on the charts for seven consecutive weeks. [1] It became their longest charting single, only being met by their later single Get Wild Life.
Fly Away was released as a standard CD, not carrying a CD+DVD counterpart. The CD contained the title track, the b-side "Shining Day" (stylized as SHINING DAY) and the corresponding instrumentals for both songs. The single came with one of five possible Lead trading cards, a specialized URL to download a wallpaper and a discount coupon for the 2003 film Boutaoshi!, of which all four members of Lead starred in. [2] While the music video was released for syndication to the public upon the single's release, it was not available for the public to purchase until their DVD/VHS release Lead Movies 1 in September of the same year. [3]
Both "Fly Away" and "Shining Day" were written and composed by musical composer Yasushi Sasamoto. Yasushi had worked with Lead on their previous singles. The strings arrangement for the a-side was performed by Gen Ittetsu, who is best known for his works with famous Japanese soloist Gackt. [4] The rap portion of the song was written by KATSU. [5]
This would be their last single released before their debut studio album Life On Da Beat on April 23, 2003. [6]
To help promote the single, "Fly Away" was used as the theme song to the movie Boutaoshi!, which the members of Lead also starred in. It was also used as the opening theme for the Tokyo Broadcasting System Television series Count Down TV throughout the month of February. [7]
"Fly Away" was utilized as the theme song to the movie Boutaoshi! . The members of Lead were featured in the film, playing different characters.
Boutaoshi!(棒たおし! / Pole Toppling!) is a 2003 Japanese film by director Tetsu Maeda, released on March 21, 2003. Based on the Japanese game bo-taoshi, a capture the flag-like game played during sports days, the film centers around Tsuguo Takayama (Shinya Tanuichi), who has a talent for the sport. The mischievous Isamu Hisanaga (Kyohei Kaneko) sees him and delves a plan to test his skills. Tsuguo is conned into joining the annual competition, but how he fares in an event is something else entirely. [8]
The film's screenplay was written by Minoru Matsumoto and directed by Tetsu Maeda. It featured artists from the Pony Canyon record label, including the members of Lead and Flame. Production committee members included those from Pony Canyon, Japan Skyway, Jesus Vision, Tokyo Theaters Company, Inc. and PAL Planning, with distribution being done by Tokyo Theater and PAL Planning.
Boutaoshi! was later released on DVD and VHS on August 20, 2003. [9]
The music video for "Fly Away" was not included with the release of the single; however, it was given a physical release on their Lead Movies 1 compilation VHS and DVD on September 18, 2003.
The music video was shot in what appears to be a shipyard during sunset. Hiroki opens the video as each member is introduced before cutting to the four members break dancing. For the dance segments, the boys don two outfits: a red parka with black clothes and a white parka with white clothing. The rap break in the video utilized the wide-angle lens, which was predominant in late-90s and early-2000s rap and hip-hop music videos. [10]
Lead's official YouTube uploaded the full video on their account on March 11, 2012. [11]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arranger(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fly Away" | Yasushi Sasamoto • KATSU | Yasushi Sasamoto • Gen Ittetsu (strings) | Yasushi Sasamoto | |
| 2. | "Shining Day" | Yasushi Sasamoto | Yasushi Sasamoto | Yasushi Sasamoto | |
| 3. | "Fly Away" (Instrumental) | Yasushi Sasamoto • Gen Ittetsu (strings) | Yasushi Sasamoto | ||
| 4. | "Shining Day" (Instrumental) | Yasushi Sasamoto | Yasushi Sasamoto |
| Release | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| February 5, 2003 | Oricon Weekly Singles Chart | 10 |
Lead is a Japanese hip-hop dance and vocal group, initially formed under the name Rhymix in Osaka, Japan in March 2002. They went through two name changes before debuting as "Lead" in May 2002 under the Pony Canyon sub-label Flight Master. The group consists of Shinya Taniuichi, Keita Furuya, Akira Kagimoto and, formerly, Hiroki Nakadoi.
Life On Da Beat is the debut studio album by Japanese hip-hop group Lead. It was released on April 23, 2003. The single debuted in the top five on the Oricon charts and stayed on the charts for five consecutive weeks. Bonuses with the album including one of five original stickers, tickets to one of five events, a chance to enter a t-shirt lottery and a leaflet that included a URL to download a special wallpaper.
The Showcase is the seventh studio album by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead. The album became their highest ranking album since their debut, peaking at #2 on the Oricon charts and remaining on the charts for five weeks. The album consisted of seven preluding singles, the first being Still in December 2012 and the last being Yakusoku, released three years later on November 25, 2015.
Lead Tracks: Listener's Choice is the first compilation album by Japanese hip-hop group Lead. It was their lowest charting album, only reaching #67 on Oricon and dropping off of the charts by the second week.
"Show Me the Way" is the second single by the four-member Japanese hip-hop group Lead, released on October 17, 2002. It charted better than their debut single, ranking in the top ten on the Oricon charts at #7.
Now or Never is the sixth studio album by Japanese hip-hop group Lead. It was their first album to chart in the top ten on the Oricon charts since their debut album Life On Da Beat (2003) coming in at #6 and remaining on the charts for two weeks.
The discography of Japanese hip-hop group Lead includes 9 studio albums, 1 compilation album, 1 remix album, 16 live albums and 32 singles. Their first sixteen singles were released under the Pony Canyon sub-label Flight Master; since, their singles have been strictly under Pony Canyon.
Still is the twentieth single by Japanese hip-hop group Lead, released on December 12, 2012, and first to bring in their new era for The Showcase album. The single took the #4 position on the Oricon weekly singles charts and remained on the charts for two weeks.
Bumblebee is the twenty-ninth single by Japanese hip-hop group Lead. The single was announced in March and was released on April 25, 2018. The single was their third release post their studio album The Showcase, and released seven months after their previous single Beautiful Day. The single peaked on the Oricon charts at No. 2, becoming their highest ranking single.
Upturn is the twenty-first single by Japanese hip-hop group Lead, released on June 19, 2013, becoming their first release of the year. It became their third consecutive single to chart in the top five on Oricon, ranking at No. 5 for the week, and remained on the charts for three weeks.
Beautiful Day is the twenty-eighth single by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead. It was their second single released post their studio album The Showcase. It charted well on Oricon, taking the #6 spot for the week and remaining on the charts for four consecutive weeks.
My One is the twenty-fifth single by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead, becoming their first release of 2015 on March 4, 2015. The single continued their string of top releases, taking the #6 slot for the week on Oricon and remaining on the charts for three weeks.
Speed Star is the 17th domestic single by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead, released on July 28, 2010, a year after their previous single GiraGira Romantic. The single peaked at number 11 on the Oricon Singles Chart, and remained on the charts for three weeks.
Lead Live Tour Upturn 2005 is the second concert DVD by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead, released on December 7, 2005. It charted at No. 35 on Oricon and remained on the charts for two weeks.
Lead Movies 1 is the first compilation video release by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead. The compilation ranked at #11.
1st Live Tour ~Brand New Era~ is the first concert video release by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead. It was released on both DVD and VHS on November 17, 2004. It managed to peak in the top ten on Oricon at No. 9.
Boutaoshi! is a 2003 Japanese film. It was directed by Tetsu Maeda. and released on March 21, 2003. The film's screenplay was written by Minoru Matsumoto. It features artists from the Pony Canyon record label, including members of Lead and Flame. Production committee members included those from Pony Canyon, Japan Skyway, Jesus Vision, Tokyo Theaters Company, Inc. and PAL Planning, with distribution by Tokyo Theater and PAL Planning.
"Be the Naked" is the thirtieth single by Japanese hip-hop group Lead. The single was announced in December 2018, two weeks before the release of their concert DVD Lead Upturn 2018: Milestone. It debuted in the top ten on the Oricon charts at No. 7.
10th Anniversary Tour Lead Upturn 2012 ～Now or Never～ is the tenth anniversary concert DVD released by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead one year after their previous concert DVD on December 26, 2012. It charted at #38 on the Oricon charts, remaining on the charts for one week.
The Japanese group Lead has released over forty music videos since their debut in 2002. They debuted as a hip-hop group with the music video "Manatsu no Magic" on July 31, 2002. In other visual media, the group has been a part of several films and television shows. In 2003, all four members appeared in the film Boutaoshi!, with Shinya taking on the lead role of Tsuguo Takayama. All four members also appeared in the 2004 film Kamachi. Along with performing the theme song "Get Wild Life", Shinya took on the role of the title character and Hiroki was featured as the troubled teen Shun Iijima. In 2014, Shinya took the role of Tsuyoshi Kakinoki for the movie Oretachi no Ashita.