Strawberry Flower

Last updated

Strawberry Flower
OriginJapan
Genres
  • Pop
Years active2001–2004, 2015
Labels
Past members
  • Tomoe Watanabe
  • Takeshi Tomozuma (Gan Matsumoto)

Strawberry Flower was a Japanese music duo, mostly known for their work with Nintendo in creating songs for TV commercials for the Pikmin franchise. Formed in late 2001 specifically to create a song for TV advertisements for Pikmin , Strawberry Flower made the song "Ai no Uta". It became a sleeper hit, getting to #2 in the Japanese charts and becoming one of the best-selling singles in Japan in 2002. They later followed with more Pikmin-related single releases until 2004, totalling 1 million singles sold in their home country.

Contents

Although they kept largely inactive ever since, they briefly reunited in 2015 for the song "arukuhayasade", released independently and with no ties to Pikmin. Most of their songs were released exclusively in Japan, but they got worldwide exposure in 2008, with the inclusion of two of their songs in the game Super Smash Bros. Brawl's soundtrack, gathering a cult following.

History

2001-2002: Formation and "Ai no Uta"

In 2001, Nintendo enlisted singer instrumentist Gan [1] Matsumoto, credited as Takeshi Tomozuma in the project, to create music to be used in their then-upcoming GameCube title Pikmin , created by Shigeru Miyamoto. Tomozuma came up with "Ai no Uta", and then called Tomoe Watanabe to record vocals, that way, forming the Strawberry Flower duo. [2] The song was released as a single in December of that same year, climbing to #2 in the Oricon charts in January 2002, becoming a massive hit and selling over 600,000 copies, outselling Japanese sales of Pikmin itself. [3] The song did boost the game's sales though, eventually hitting over 500,000 copies sold in the country. "Ai no Uta" would prove itself a massive hit, being the 8th best selling single in 2002 in Japan, according to Oricon. [4]

"Ai no Uta"'s lyrics tie in to the games, talking about the events from the game from the Pikmin's point of view. A version for the TV commercials, more directly talking about the Pikmin was also recorded, both versions were included in the Pikmin World soundtrack, released in May 2002. Meanwhile, the single release had a B-side called "Namida ga Afureta", which talks about the game's events from Olimar's point of view. This one is exclusive to the "Ai no Uta" single.

Strawberry Flower's second single was a collection of three instrumental remixes of "Ai no Uta" titled "Pikmin Dance", released under the name "Strawberry Music Group". In 2002, a French version entitled "Vos Meilleurs Amis" was released as a single in France by Virgin France, also used in Pikmin TV commercials in the country. The song was recorded by a French singer named Juliette Katz. [5] A shortened version of it, used in the ads, was also included in Pikmin World.

2004: "Tane no Uta"

Nintendo commissioned Strawberry Flower for promotional Pikmin music once again, this time, for TV commercials for the GameCube title Pikmin 2 . The resulting single was "Tane no Uta", released in May 2004, based on the Japanese children's nursery rhyme "Koganemushi", with the lyrics adapted to talk about each Pikmin color. [6]

The CD single also came with a cover of the Japanese nursery rhyme "Shabondama" and a remix of "Ai no Uta", with re-recorded vocals and instrumentation.

Just like "Ai no Uta" in the first game, "Tane no Uta" was not actually included in Pikmin 2 in any form. However, "Ai no Uta" was included in this game as an easter egg.

2005-2014: Hiatus and worldwide exposure

Ever since "Tane no Uta", Strawberry Flower would not return to work with Nintendo or Pikmin anymore with new songs, despite the Pikmin series getting new installments in the following years.

However, "Ai no Uta" and "Tane no Uta" would be reused by Nintendo in other projects. The first of them was the 2008 crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Brawl , where both songs were included as background music for the Pikmin-themed Distant Planet stage. The french version of "Ai no Uta" was also included. [7] With the worldwide release of the game, that marked Strawberry Flower's first appearance worldwide, leading to a cult following among international Pikmin fans. Those songs did not return in future Super Smash Bros. games.

With the release of Pikmin 3 in 2013, "Ai no Uta" was once again used in advertisements for the game. This currently stands as the latest usage of Strawberry Flower music in Pikmin media. [8]

2015: Brief reunion and "arukuhayasade"

February 2015 marked a brief reunion for the band with the single "arukuhayasade". It was their first released independently and worldwide, and was also the first with no ties to Pikmin or Nintendo, being written as a tie-in to a book of the same name. [9]

Discography

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name
TitleYearPeak chart positionsAlbum
JP (Weekly) JP (Yearly)
"Ai no Uta"20012 [10] 8Pikmin World
"Pikmin Dance"2002--N/A (tie-in to Pikmin)
"Tane no Uta"200428-N/A (tie-in to Pikmin 2)
"arukuhayasade"2015--N/A
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Related Research Articles

<i>Dr. Mario</i> 1990 video game

Dr. Mario is a 1990 puzzle video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy. It was produced by Gunpei Yokoi and designed by Takahiro Harada. The soundtrack was composed by Hirokazu Tanaka.

<i>Pikmin</i> (video game) 2001 video game

Pikmin is a 2001 real-time strategy puzzle video game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. The game was created and produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, and is the first entry in the Pikmin series. The game's story focuses on an alien pilot, Captain Olimar, who crash lands on a mysterious planet and must make use of a native species called "Pikmin" to find his ship's missing parts in order to escape within 30 days. Players take control of Olimar and direct the different varieties of Pikmin to explore the game's various levels, overcoming obstacles and hostile creatures, in order to find and recover the missing ship parts.

Pikmin is a real-time strategy and puzzle video game series created by Shigeru Miyamoto, and published by Nintendo. The games focus on directing a horde of plant-like creatures called Pikmin to collect items by destroying obstacles, avoiding hazards, and fighting fauna that are hazardous to both the player character and the Pikmin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ai no Uta (Strawberry Flower song)</span> 2001 single by Strawberry Flower

"Ai no Uta" is a song recorded by Strawberry Flower for Japanese TV commercials of the GameCube game Pikmin. It was written and produced by band member Takeshi Tomozuma. The song was later included in the "Pikmin World" soundtrack album, in three different versions. It is from the point-of-view of the Pikmin creatures.

Super Smash Bros. is a crossover platform fighting game series published by Nintendo. The series was created by Masahiro Sakurai, who has directed every game in the series. The series is known for its unique gameplay objective which differs from that of traditional fighters, in that the aim is to increase damage counters and knock opponents off the stage instead of depleting life bars.

<i>The Mysterious Murasame Castle</i> 1986 video game

The Mysterious Murasame Castle is a 1986 action-adventure game developed by Nintendo and Human Entertainment and published by Nintendo. It was originally only released for the Family Computer Disk System in Japan as the second original game for the platform. The Mysterious Murasame Castle was later released worldwide on the Virtual Console in 2014 and for the Nintendo Switch Online service in 2023.

<i>Meowths Party</i> 2000 tech demo

Meowth's Party is a GameCube tech demo showcased at the 2000 Nintendo Space World convention. It features Pokémon dancing to Meowth singing and performing a song with a guitar. The song used is an ending theme song from the Pokémon anime series.

"Rock 'n' Roll Kenchōshozaichi" is a rockabilly song by Japanese singer/songwriter Chisato Moritaka, from her 1992 studio album Pepperland. Written by Moritaka, the song was released as the B-side of her 1993 single "Watashi no Natsu".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ai no Uta (Koda Kumi song)</span> 2007 single by Kumi Koda

Ai no Uta(愛のうた / Song of Love) is the 37th single released by Japanese pop singer-songwriter Kumi Koda. The single was released in CD and CD+DVD, with limited editions carrying the "Urban Kiss Version" of Ai no Uta. The single was released on September 12, 2007, and followed the theme of Yume no Uta/Futari de... as an autumn/winter-time love ballad. It charted at No. 2 on Oricon and stayed on the charts for twenty-two weeks.

<i>Super Smash Bros. Brawl</i> 2008 video game

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a 2008 crossover fighting game developed by Sora Ltd. and Game Arts and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series, it was announced at a pre-E3 2005 press conference by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. Masahiro Sakurai, director of the previous two games in the series, assumed the role of director at Iwata's request. Game development began in October 2005 with a creative team that included members from several Nintendo and third-party development teams. After delays due to development problems, the game was released worldwide in 2008.

<i>Super Smash Bros. Melee</i> 2001 video game

Super Smash Bros. Melee is a 2001 crossover fighting video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the second installment in the Super Smash Bros. series. It features characters from Nintendo video game franchises such as Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox, Pokémon, and Donkey Kong among others. The stages and gameplay modes reference or take designs from these franchises as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbows (Alice Nine song)</span> 2008 single by Alice Nine

"Rainbows" is the 13th maxi single by Alice Nine. It was released on August 6, 2008 in three different versions. Each version contains the title track and a B-side, which may include a booklet, a music video, or another bonus track, respectively within the three versions. The single marks a significant change in the band's overall dress style which no longer resembles their original Visual Kei look.

<i>Airenjaa</i> 2010 greatest hits album by Ai Nonaka (野中藍

Airenjaa is the first "Best Of" album by Ai Nonaka (野中藍), released on 27 January 2010. Fifteen songs were from past releases with two new songs added. The lyrics of the new song, Fight!! (ファイト!!), were penned by Nonaka herself. One of the new songs, Minna no Uta (みんなのうた), was selected as 2010 January's ending theme for "Anison Plus (アニソンぷらす)", a weekly 30-minute anime song and artist-related program that has monthly changing opening and ending themes and is broadcast by TV Tokyo. As part of the efforts in promoting this album, Nonaka appeared as the pickup artist for the third time in Anison Plus. The theme of Airenjā is about five rangers led by the green ranger (renjā) protecting love (ai), thus rangers of love.

<i>Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS</i> and <i>Wii U</i> Pair of 2014 video games

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, both commonly referred to together as Super Smash Bros. 4 or Smash 4, are 2014 crossover platform fighter video games developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U video game consoles. It is the fourth installment in the Super Smash Bros. series, succeeding Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The Nintendo 3DS version was released in Japan on September 13, 2014, and in North America, Europe, and Australia the following month. The Wii U version was released in North America, Europe, and Australia in November 2014 and in Japan the following month.

<i>Uta no Prince-sama</i> Japanese multimedia franchise

Uta no Prince-sama is a Japanese multimedia franchise by Broccoli. The original game of the same name was first released on the PlayStation Portable on June 24, 2010, and since its release, the game has spawned multiple sequels and rhythm game spin-offs. The series has also been adapted into several manga series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Game & Watch</span> Series of handheld electronic games by Nintendo

The Game & Watch is a line of handheld electronic games created by Nintendo. Released from 1980 to 1991, these devices were the brainchild of designer Gunpei Yokoi. Their name reflects their dual functionality: a single game paired with a digital clock on an LCD screen. Starting in 1981, models also included an alarm. In North America, the games were originally released through Mego Corporation as the Time-Out series; this line, consisting of Ball, Flagman, Vermin, and Fire, was discontinued later that year, with Nintendo of America subsequently distributing the series themselves under their original titles.

<i>Mic-a-holic Ai</i> 2005 studio album by Ai

Mic-a-holic Ai is the fourth studio album by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai, released on July 7, 2005, by Island Records and Universal Sigma. It is the best selling album of Ai's career to date, being released just after Ai's single "Story" became a hit. The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan for 500,000 shipped copies.

<i>Super Smash Bros. Ultimate</i> 2018 video game

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a 2018 crossover fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the Super Smash Bros. series, succeeding Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U (2014). The game follows the series' traditional style of gameplay, in which players control one of the various characters and use attacks to weaken their opponents and knock them out of an arena. It features a wide variety of game modes, including a single-player campaign and multiplayer versus modes. Ultimate features 89 playable fighters, including all characters from previous Super Smash Bros. games as well as newcomers. The roster ranges from Nintendo characters to those from third-party franchises.

"Setsugetsuka", released as a single titled Uta no Prince-sama Eternal Song CD "Setsugetsuka", is a song released for the mobile game Uta no Prince-sama: Shining Live. The song is performed by the characters of the game, Otoya Ittoki, Tokiya Ichinose, Ren Jinguji, Masato Hijirikawa, Natsuki Shinomiya, Syo Kurusu, Cecil Aijima, Reiji Kotobuki, Ai Mikaze, Ranmaru Kurosaki, and Camus. The song was released on November 21, 2018.

References

  1. ↑ "ABOUT | ganmatsumoto.com". www.ganmatsumoto.com. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  2. ↑ "1-3 ストロベリーフラワーインタビュー". www.nintendo.co.jp.
  3. ↑ "愛のうた（曲） | 年代流行".
  4. ↑ "2000年代 邦楽ヒット曲 ランキング | 年代流行".
  5. ↑ "Sonia Lisboa, David Videria, Juliette Katz – Vos Meilleurs Amis - Song of Love (2002, CD)". Discogs .
  6. ↑ "1-3 ストロベリーフラワーインタビュー". www.nintendo.co.jp.
  7. ↑ "First Songs in My Music - Smash Bros. DOJO!!". Archived from the original on 16 March 2008.
  8. ↑ "- YouTube". YouTube .
  9. ↑ "歩くはやさで".
  10. ↑ "愛のうた". 12 September 2007.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.