| "Forever Love" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Original release | ||||
| Single by X Japan | ||||
| from the album Dahlia | ||||
| Released | July 8, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | One on One Recording, Hit Factory, December 31, 1997 at Tokyo Dome (track 2, 1997 reissue & 2001 reissue) | |||
| Genre | Symphonic rock | |||
| Length | 17:20(original release) | |||
| Label | Atlantic, Polydor (1997 reissue) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Yoshiki | |||
| Producer(s) | Yoshiki | |||
| X Japan singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Forever Love" is the fourteenth single by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, released on July 8, 1996.
The song was written and composed by Yoshiki. An acoustic version appears on their album Dahlia .
The single has been reissued several times. On December 18, 1997, following the announcement of the band's breakup, a different mixed version was released with a live version of "Longing" (recorded at "The Last Live" concert) as a B-side. The original single was reissued again on July 22, 1998, after the death of guitarist hide. A single containing all previous versions (except original karaoke version), as well as a live recording (also recorded at "The Last Live" concert) of the song was released on July 11, 2001.
Also in 2001, the song was used as background music in several commercials for the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party. LDP member Junichiro Koizumi, at that time the country's Prime Minister has expressed fondness for X Japan's music. [1] "Forever Love" appears on the soundtrack of the 1996 animated feature film X . [2]
In 2012, "Forever Love" was covered by both Mr. Big singer Eric Martin in Mr. Rock Vocalist [3] and Megamasso singer Inzargi in Visualist: Precious Hits of V-Rock Cover Song for their respective cover albums. [4] Awoi covered it for the compilation album Counteraction - V-Rock covered Visual Anime songs Compilation-, which was released on May 23, 2012 and features covers of songs by visual kei bands that were used in anime. [5] Death metal band Gyze included a cover of the song on the Japanese edition of their 2019 album Asian Chaos. [6] It was also covered by Mary's Blood for their 2020 cover album Re>Animator, and by Mayo Suzukaze for her 2021 album Fairy ~A・I~ Ai. [7] [8]
In 2019, the city of Tateyama, Chiba (where Yoshiki and Toshi were born) decided to change the departure signal of trains at Tateyama Station to "Forever Love". [9]
The single reached number 1 on the Oricon charts, and charted for 15 weeks. [10] In 1996, with 509,920 copies sold was the 47th best-selling single of the year, [11] being certified Platinum by RIAJ. [12] The edition released in 1997 reached number 13, and charted for 11 weeks, while those in 1998 and 2001 reached number 18 and 19 respectively, and both charted for 4 weeks. [10]
All tracks are written by Yoshiki
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Forever Love" | 8:41 |
| 2. | "Forever Love (Original Karaoke)" | 8:38 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Forever Love (Last Mix)" | 8:31 |
| 2. | "Longing (Bootleg)" | 7:56 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Forever Love" | 8:41 |
| 2. | "Forever Love (Live)" | 8:06 |
| 3. | "Forever Love (Acoustic Version)" | 7:55 |
| 4. | "Forever Love (Last Mix)" | 8:31 |
X Japan is a Japanese rock band from Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer and pianist Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi. Starting as a predominantly power/speed metal band with heavy symphonic elements, they later gravitated towards a progressive sound with an emphasis on ballads. Besides being one of the first Japanese acts to achieve mainstream success while on an independent label, the group is widely credited as one of the pioneers of visual kei, a movement among Japanese musicians comparable to Western glam.
Blue Blood is the second studio album by Japanese rock band X Japan, then known as simply X. It was released on April 21, 1989, by CBS/Sony as the band's major label debut. Blue Blood sold more than 700,000 copies, reached number 6 on the Oricon chart and stayed on the chart for more than 100 weeks. The album's singles would also reach the top five on the chart. In 2007, Rolling Stone Japan ranked Blue Blood number 15 on their list of the "100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time".
"Tears" is the ninth single by the Japanese rock band X Japan, released on November 10, 1993.
Dahlia is the fifth studio album by Japanese rock band X Japan, released on November 4, 1996, by Atlantic Records. It is the band's last album before breaking up the following year, and the last to feature new work by guitarist hide, due to his death two years later. The album is composed largely of ballads, with only a few tracks retaining the band's heavier musical traits seen on previous releases. It topped the Oricon chart and stayed on the chart for only 15 weeks, but managed to sell over half a million copies. Seven, nearly all, of the album's songs were released as singles, most of which also topped the singles chart and sold well.
"Crucify My Love" is the fifteenth single by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, released on August 26, 1996. A power ballad, "Crucify My Love" is written and performed entirely in English, unlike most of the band's songs.
"Silent Jealousy" is a single released by X Japan on September 11, 1991.
"Kurenai" is a song by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, written by Yoshiki. One of the band's oldest songs, they have been performing "Kurenai" since 1985, and several versions have been released, most significantly as their major-label debut single on September 1, 1989.
"Endless Rain" is the fourth single released by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan on December 1, 1989. It is their second single on a major record label and reached number 3 on the Oricon chart.
"Say Anything" is a single released by X Japan on December 1, 1991.
Ballad Collection is a compilation album released by X Japan on December 19, 1997. It compiles all the ballads Yoshiki Hayashi wrote for the group. Songs by other members such as "Voiceless Screaming" by Taiji Sawada and Toshimitsu "Toshi" Deyama are not included. The album reached number 3 on the Oricon chart, and charted for 26 weeks. In 1998, with 566,160 copies sold was the 47th best-selling album of the year. It was certified platinum by RIAJ.
"Rusty Nail" is the tenth single by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, released on June 10, 1994.
"Longing" is a ballad by Japanese rock band X Japan and written by Yoshiki. The song has been released in several versions, most notably in two different single variations. The first, "Longing ~Togireta Melody~", was released as their eleventh single on August 1, 1995 and reached the number 1 spot on the Oricon chart. The second, "Longing ~Setsubou no Yoru~", is their twelfth released on December 11, 1995 and reached number 5.
"Dahlia" is the thirteenth single by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, released on February 26, 1996.
"Eyes Love You" is the debut single by Japanese musician hide, released on August 5, 1993. It reached number 3 on the Oricon chart. His second single "50% & 50%" was released on the same day. Both singles' covers are identical except; "Eyes Love You" is green, whereas "50% & 50%" is red. They form a 3D picture when they are placed side by side. It was certified gold upon release by RIAJ.
"Rocket Dive" is the eighth single by Japanese musician hide, the first to bear the hide with Spread Beaver name, released on January 28, 1998. It reached number 4 on the Oricon Singles Chart and was the 33rd best-selling single of the year. It has been certified double platinum by the RIAJ for sales over 500,000 copies.
"Ever Free" is the tenth single by Japanese musician hide, the third to bear the hide with Spread Beaver name, released on May 27, 1998. It debuted at number one on the Oricon chart, replacing his previous single "Pink Spider", and was the 23rd best-selling single of the year and certified double platinum by the RIAJ.
Perfect Best is a compilation album by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, released on February 24, 1999. It includes songs that go from their debut album Vanishing Vision to Dahlia, and also an interview with Yoshiki. Some tracks are taken from Live Live Live Tokyo Dome 1993-1996. The album reached number 4 on the Oricon chart. It was certified gold by RIAJ.
Perfect Crime is the second studio album by Japanese recording artist Mai Kuraki. It was released on July 4, 2001, by Giza Studio.
"1/3 no Junjō na Kanjō" is a song by the Japanese rock band Siam Shade, released in 1997. The song was first released as their sixth single on November 27, 1997, and also featured on their fourth studio album Siam Shade IV - Zero, released on January 21, 1998.
"Red Swan" is a song by Japanese musician Yoshiki, featuring vocals by Hyde. Written and produced by Yoshiki, it is the opening theme song of the first 12 episodes of the third season of the Attack on Titan anime series. The television edit of the song was published on digital platforms on July 23, 2018, while the full single version was released on October 3, 2018.
