Stray Sheep

Last updated
Stray Sheep
Kenshi Yonezu - Stray Sheep.png
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 5, 2020 (2020-08-05)
Genre J-pop
Length59:26
Label Sony Japan
Producer Kenshi Yonezu
Kenshi Yonezu chronology
Bootleg
(2017)
Stray Sheep
(2020)
Lost Corner
(2024)
Singles from Stray Sheep
  1. "Lemon"
    Released: March 14, 2018
  2. "Flamingo/Teenage Riot"
    Released: October 31, 2018
  3. "Spirits of the Sea"
    Released: June 3, 2019
  4. "Uma to Shika"
    Released: September 11, 2019
  5. "Paprika"
    Released: February 3, 2020
  6. "Kanden"
    Released: July 6, 2020

Stray Sheep (stylized in all caps) is the fifth album by Kenshi Yonezu, released on August 5, 2020. [1] [2] [3] The song "Kanden" has been used as the theme song of the comedy TV series MIU404. [4] The album sold over 879,000 copies in its first week, debuting atop the Oricon Albums Chart. [5] It was the top selling album of 2020 in Japan according to both Billboard Japan [6] and Oricon . The latter calculated that the album had sold 1,970,930 copies in Japan by the end of 2020, summarizing CDs, vinyls, downloads, and streaming equivalents. [7]

Contents

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Stray Sheep was the world's third-best-selling album of 2020, with 2.54 million sales worldwide. [8]

Release

Stray Sheep was released digitally worldwide on August 5, 2020. The album was available on physical formats in South Korea and Taiwan on October 16, 2020. [9]

Singles

"Lemon" is the first single of the album and was released on February 27, 2018. It served as the theme song for the TBS television drama Unnatural . [10] "Spirits of the Sea (Umi no Yuurei)" was chosen as the theme song of the animated film Children of the Sea . [10] "Uma to Shika" is the theme song of TBS television drama No Side Manager. [11] "Paprika" is the representative song for 2020 Summer Olympics. [12]

Commercial performance

The song "Kanden" was released on YouTube on July 10, 2020, and reached 10 million views in four days, breaking Yonezu's own record. [13] The studio album has sold one million copies within 10 days. [14] Besides, the album hit number one under the J-Pop category in over 30 countries in iTunes Chart and hit number one in 54 countries under the J-Pop Apple Music Albums Chart. And the topped 20 All Genres category in 22 Countries/Regions, 6 of which hit Number one. [15] [16]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Kenshi Yonezu

Stray Sheep track listing [17] [18]
No.TitleLength
1."Campanella" (カムパネルラ "Bell")3:55
2."Flamingo"3:16
3."Kanden" (感電 "Electric Shock")4:24
4."Placebo" (featuring Yojiro Noda)4:00
5."Paprika" (パプリカ)3:22
6."Uma to Shika" (馬と鹿 "Horse and Deer")4:25
7."Yasashii Hito" (優しい人 "Kind Person")3:28
8."Lemon"4:15
9."Machigai Sagashi" (まちがいさがし "Spot the Difference"; rearrangement)4:27
10."Himawari" (ひまわり "Sunflower")4:02
11."Stray Sheep" (迷える羊)3:46
12."Décolleté"3:29
13."Teenage Riot"3:45
14."Spirits of the Sea" (海の幽霊)3:54
15."Canary" (カナリヤ)4:58
Total length:59:26

Charts

Certifications and sales

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ) [25] Million1,000,000^
Japan (RIAJ) [26]
digital sales
Gold185,000 [27] [28]
Summaries
Worldwide2,540,000 [29]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

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References

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  2. "米津玄師の新アルバム『STRAY SHEEP』Lemon、パプリカなど新曲9曲を含む全15曲収録". www.fashion-press.net (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  3. "3年かけて磨き上げた傷だらけの宝石". Natalie.mu. 性懲りもなく迷ってるなという感じですね。だからアルバムのタイトルも「STRAY SHEEP」になった。
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