Tune the Rainbow

Last updated
"Tune the Rainbow"
Maaya Sakamoto - Tune the Rainbow.png
Single by Maaya Sakamoto
from the album Single Collection+ Nikopachi
LanguageJapanese
B-side
  • "The Garden of Everything: Denki Rocket ni Kimi o Tsurete"
  • "Chiisa na Hemisphere"
ReleasedApril 2, 2003 (2003-04-02)
Studio
  • Victor Studio
  • Platimun Sound
Genre
Length5:31
Label Victor Entertainment
Composer Yoko Kanno
Lyricist Yuho Iwasato
Producer Yoko Kanno
Maaya Sakamoto singles chronology
"Gravity"
(2002)		"Tune the Rainbow"
(2003)		"Loop"
(2005)

"Tune the Rainbow" is a song by Japanese voice actress and singer Maaya Sakamoto, released as her eleventh single on April 2, 2003, through Victor Entertainment. [1] [2] Co-written by Yuho Iwasato and Yoko Kanno, the song served as the theme song for the theatrical anime film RahXephon: Pluralitas Concentio . [3]

Contents

Background and release

"Tune the Rainbow" was specifically created for the anime film RahXephon: Pluralitas Concentio, [4] in which Sakamoto also stars as voice actress. [2] This also marked Sakamoto's second contribution to RahXephon, following her single "Hemisphere" which was used as opening theme on the 2002 television series, and also the second song by Sakamoto used in an animated film following "Yubiwa" (2000). Lyricist Yuho Iwasato was commissioned to write the lyrics for the track, with Kano requesting her to deliver a chorus written in the style of Japanese boyband SMAP. [5] Sakamoto commented that upbeat tracks are often requested for this type of tie-in, therefore she was satisfied that she wasle to release this slow-tempo song instead, with lyrics and melody that feel gentle and comforting. [4]

The single was released approximately one month after Sakamoto's previous single "Gravity," on two formats: [6] the standard edition, and a pre-order-only limited edition, which included a special theater ticket featuring original artwork by Yutaka Izubuchi, director and character designer of the RahXephon. [7] The single features the song "The Garden of Everything", with lyrics by Sakamoto and Chris Mosdell, and vocals by Steve Conte and Sakamoto. This track is also composed by Kanno, as is modeled after Alexander Borodin's Polovetsian Dances .

The photoshoot for the artwork was taken by Yoko Kanno [8] —credited on the single as "Francesca R.," [9] and took place on the same day as the one for the previous single "Gravity." [8]

Commercial performance

"Tune the Rainbow" debuted and peaked at number 9 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart [1] with estimated first-week sales of 12,402 copies, [10] marking Sakamoto's first single to enter the top 10 on the Japanese charts. The single charted for nine weeks, with reported sales totaling 38,842 copies. [10]

Album appearances

The song was first included on the soundtrack album of RahXephon: Pluralitas Concentio, released on April 23, 2003, by Victor Entertainment. [11] It was subsequently included on Sakamoto's second compilation album Single Collection+ Nikopachi , released on July 30, 2003. [12]

Cover versions

In 2007, Japanese voice actresses and singers Chiaki Takahashi and Asami Imai covered "Tune the Rainbow" on their radio program The Idolmaster Radio. The song was included on the album The Idolmaster Radio Colorful Memories, released on 4 June 2008, by Nippon Columbia. [13] [14]

In 2015, a cover version by Maki was included on the album Exit Trance Presents Speed Anime Trance Best 3. [15]

Legacy and impact

In 2016, the Japanese polling site Charapedia conducted a poll of 10,000 fans asking for their favorite anime songs from the 2000s performed by a female vocalist, in which "Tune the Rainbow" ranked 13th with 285 votes. [16] [17] In a 2021, the song ranked first in a survey about Sakamoto's most popular songs conducted by Net Lab. [18] The following year, the second ranked second on the survey conducted by the same website. [19] In 2025, the song ranked second in a fan-voting initiative conducted as part of the celebrations of Sakamoto's thirtieth anniversary of her debut, leading up to the release of her second best-of album M30: Your Song. [20] Sakamoto herself has acknowledged its status as a fan favorite. [4]

Track listing

Tune the Rainbow - CD single
No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Tune the Rainbow" Yuho Iwasato Yoko Kanno5:31
2."The Garden of Everything: Denki Rocket ni Kimi o Tsurete" (THE GARDEN OF EVERYTHING ～電気ロケットに君をつれて～, lit. 'The Garden of Everything: Taking You on an Electric Rocket') (feat. Steve Conte)
6:19
3."Chiisa na Hemisphere" (ちいさなヘミソフィア, lit. 'Small Hemisphere')IwasatoKanno2:14
Total length:14:04

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the CD single. [9]

Charts

Chart performance for "Tune the Rainbow"
Chart (2003)Peak
position
Japan Singles (Oricon) [1] 9

References

  1. 1 2 3 "tune the rainbow | 坂本真綾". Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  2. 1 2 "坂本真綾 / tune the rainbow". CD Journal (in Japanese). 2003. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  3. ↑ "Tune the Rainbow". Maaya Sakamoto's Official Website (in Japanese). Victor Entertainment. Archived from the original on 7 April 2003. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "坂本真綾 30周年記念ベストアルバム 『M30〜Your Best〜』 インタビュー&全曲解説". Maaya Sakamoto Official Website (in Japanese). FlyingDog. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  5. ↑ Iwasato, Yuho [@yuhoiwasato] (May 27, 2021). "27 May 2021 tweet" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved 17 November 2025– via Twitter.
  6. ↑ "RahXephon: Pluralitas Concentio Special Site". Neowing (in Japanese). 2003. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  7. ↑ "ラーゼフォン多元変奏曲 主題歌 tune the rainbow + 特別鑑賞券」set [完全予約限定生産商品] 坂本真綾". Neowing (in Japanese). 2003. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  8. 1 2 "ベスト盤「everywhere』収録全30タイトルー挙レコメンド - 日刊坂本真綾 0331" [Commentary on each track of the best of-album Everywhere - Nikkan Sakamoto Maaya 0331]. 日刊坂本真綾 0331 (1): 30–31. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  9. 1 2 Sakamoto, Maaya (2003). Tune the Rainbow (CD-single). Victor Entertainment, Inc. VICL-35472.
  10. 1 2 "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Taiju']. Oricon . Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  11. ↑ "「ラーゼフォン 多元変奏曲」O.S.T. / 橋本一子 [デジパック仕様]". CD Journal. 2003. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  12. ↑ "坂本真綾 | シングルコレクション＋ ニコパチ". FlyingDog (in Japanese). 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  13. ↑ "THE IDOLM@STER RADIO COLORFUL MEMORIES". Nippon Columbia (in Japanese). 2008. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  14. ↑ "THE IDOLM@STER RADIO COLORFUL MEMORIES | ラジオ・サントラ". Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  15. ↑ "Exit Trance Presents Speed Anime Trance Best 3 - Compilation by Various Artists". Spotify. 1 August 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  16. ↑ Sherman, Jennifer (22 October 2016). "Fans Rank Top 2000s Anime Songs With Female Vocalists". Anime News Network. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  17. ↑ "もっとも好きな2000年代のアニソン【女性Vo】 TOP20!". Charapedia. 20 October 2016. Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  18. ↑ "【坂本真綾】シングル曲人気ランキング！ 1位は「tune the rainbow」に決定！【2021年投票結果】". Net Lab (in Japanese). IT Media Inc. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  19. ↑ "声優「坂本真綾」シングル曲人気TOP41！ 1位は「プラチナ」！【2022年最新調査結果】". Net Lab (in Japanese). IT Media Inc. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  20. ↑ Komatsu, Mikikazu (22 August 2025). "Maaya Sakamoto to Release 30th Anniversary Best Album in October". Crunchyroll News. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
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