Sakura Nagashi

"Sakura Nagashi" (桜流し, lit. "Flowing Cherry Blossoms/Cherry Blossoms Sinking") is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada. It was released by EMI Music Japan digitally on November 17, 2012, with a DVD single released December 26, 2012. The song is the theme to the third film of the Rebuild of Evangelion movie series, Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, and was later included on their sixth Japanese-language studio album Fantôme, released in 2016. The single also marked Utada's last release under the then EMI-controlled EMI Music Japan as the label was absorbed into Universal Music Japan as EMI Records Japan in April 2013.

Not to be confused with Sakura Drops.

"Sakura Nagashi"
Digital single cover
Single by Hikaru Utada
from the album Fantôme
ReleasedNovember 17, 2012 (2012-11-17)
Recorded2012
StudioBunkamura Studio
Genre
Length4:42
LabelEMI Music Japan
Songwriter(s)Hikaru Utada, Paul Carter
Producer(s)Hikaru Utada
Hikaru Utada singles chronology
"Goodbye Happiness"
(2010)		 "Sakura Nagashi"
(2012)		 "Hanataba o Kimi ni"
(2016)
Alternative cover
DVD single cover
Audio sample
Sakura Nagashi
  • file
  • help
Music video
"Sakura Nagashi (Short Version)" on YouTube

Background

Utada wrote "Sakura Nagashi" at the express interest of the staff for the Evangelion movie series. Although on hiatus at the time, Utada wrote and composed the song due to their appreciation of the movie series; they had also composed the themes for the previous two Evangelion films. Utada had not watched any of the first three Rebuild films or read their script prior to writing any of their theme songs,[1][2] and wrote the song based on vague descriptions. Because director Hideaki Anno told her to simply write how she felt and Utada felt she could still not understand anything that happened in the film, Utada drew instead on her feelings on the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which had happened days before she was requested to write the song.[3]

A website was set up for the song, which also includes the music video,[4] which was uploaded to Utada's YouTube channel on November 16, 2012. The video remained on the channel for 3 days before being deleted. It was instead replaced by a shortened version of the video.[5] The website states that using the Hashtag "#SakuraNagashi" enters the Twitter user into a prize draw to win one of 1000 CD jacket-sized stickers.

"Sakura Nagashi" is described as "sentimental and beautiful; it is a requiem for life full of literary elegance".[4] The website also has the lyrics to the song, in both Japanese and an English translation by Utada themselves.

Composition

"Sakura Nagashi" is a J-pop/piano rock song, composed of piano and strings, and in the latter part of the song drums, guitar and synths. It was written by Utada, and British songwriter Paul Carter.

The song does not follow standard song structure, instead opting for a build-up of intensity throughout, before drums and guitars end the piece, somewhat similar to other works by Utada (such as "Kremlin Dusk" from Exodus).

The latter part of song repeats the opening line (開いたばかりの花が散るのを見ていた ("Watching flowers just bloomed fall"). There are two instances of English lyrics used, "Everybody finds love in the end".[6]

Music video

A music video was created by film-maker Naomi Kawase, who has previously won the Cannes International Film Festival Grand Prix as well as the Caméra d'Or. They stated about the video: "Because we live in a time such as this, I wanted to incorporate the message of the need to value the things that are presently and immediately around us and can be touched." Utada and Kawase met numerous times to share ideas during the making of the video.

The video depicts various images of scenery around Japan, such as fields of flowers, meadows, more industrialized areas and a baby being breastfed by its mother, as well as an umbilical cord being removed after the birth of a child. The video focuses on motherhood in "a universal light". The video itself is one of the few that does not feature Utada, the others being the previous Evangelion movie theme songs also written and composed by them ("Beautiful World" and "Beautiful World -PLANiTB Acoustica Mix- ", respectively).

The video was uploaded to Utada's YouTube channel on November 16, 2012, and remained there for 3 days before being replaced by a shortened version; the full length video was later made available for wide sale digital distribution on November 28 in Japan and on DVD single on December 26, 2012.[7]

A few days after the release of "Sakura Nagashi", Paul Carter uploaded a version of the track to his YouTube channel, which featured him playing the song on piano.[8]

On September 18, 2016, shortly before the release of Utada's first studio album in seven years, a new music video was released, containing excerpts from Evangelion: 3.0. Like the first video, it was then replaced by a shortened version, although just one day later.[9]

Live performances

Aside from being the theme song to the movie Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo, no promotional activities for the single was done due to Utada being inactive from the music industry at the time of its release. Utada subsequently performed the song in full on Music Station in September 2016.

Personnel

Credits adapted from One Last Kiss EP liner notes[10]

  • Utada Hikaru - music, words, vocals, programming, string arrangement
  • Paul Carter - music, piano, programming, string arrangement
  • Atsushi Matsui - recording
  • Goetz B. - mixing
  • Kei Kawano - band leader, conductor, string arrangement
  • Takumi Ogasawara - drums
  • Tsuyoshi Kon - electric guitar
  • Takeshi Taneda - electric bass
  • Mamiko Amemiya - strings leader

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Hikaru Utada; all music is composed by Hikaru Utada and Paul Carter

Digital version
No.TitleLength
1."Sakura Nagashi (桜流し, Flowing Cherry Blossoms)"4:42
2."Sakura Nagashi (Instrumental) (桜流し, Flowing Cherry Blossoms)"4:41
DVD version
No.TitleLength
1."Sakura Nagashi (桜流し)" (music video)-:--

Charts

Weekly charts

Release history
Region Date Format Label
Japan November 17, 2012 (2012-11-17) Digital download EMI
December 26, 2012 (2012-12-26) DVD single
Worldwide November 17, 2012 (2012-11-17) Digital download
United States December 1, 2012 (2012-12-01)
United Kingdom

References
  1. 宇多田ヒカル [@utadahikaru] (April 3, 2021). "今までの新劇場版の曲はその都度大まかなプロットだけ聞いて作ったけど、今回は台本を読んで最後のシーンを思い浮かべながら、曲の第一音(イントロのシンセ)からプログラミングと作曲を始めたから、オンライン試写の時にドキッとする絶妙な瞬間に曲が流れ出して嬉しかったなあ✨👩🏻💻✨" [Until now, I've only listened to the rough plot of each new movie version song and made it, but this time I read the script and imagined the final scene, and started programming and composing from the first sound of the song (intro synth). That's why I was so happy when the song started playing at that perfect moment during the online preview✨👩🏻💻✨] (Tweet) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 19, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022 – via Twitter.
  2. 宇多田ヒカル [@utadahikaru] (November 18, 2012). "映画の世界観と曲調が合うか不安で一応脚本を頂いたけど、映画観る前にネタバレすんのがヤでストーリーが理解できない程度にツラーッと目を通したよ。なので映画の展開は知らずに作詞したよ。　RT @gaban_sp: ちなみにヱヴァQの脚本は読んでたの？" [I was worried about whether the music would match the world view of the movie, so I got the script, but I didn't want to spoil it before watching the movie, so I read it through it so quickly that I couldn't understand the story. So I wrote the lyrics without knowing how the movie would unfold. RT @gaban_sp: By the way, did you read Eva Q's script?] (Tweet) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022 – via Twitter.
  3. 編集部. "宇多田ヒカル「６年間歌っていなかった」曲作りを登山に例える". MusicVoice (in Japanese). Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  4. "Theme song for Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo Utada Hikaru Sakura Nagashi". EMI Music Japan. Archived from the original on February 18, 2013. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  5. 宇多田ヒカル [@utadahikaru] (November 16, 2012). "My new song+video, viewable for 3 days. English translation of lyrics will be posted shortly. Booyah! t.co/NCLPgEQM #SAKURANAGASHI" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2022 – via Twitter.
  6. "Sakura Nagashi Lyrics". EMI Music Japan. Archived from the original on January 6, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  7. "Theme song for Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo Utada Hikaru Sakura Nagashi". EMI Music Japan. Archived from the original on February 18, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  8. Paul Carter (Benbrick) plays "Sakura Nagashi" (桜流し) | Utada Hikaru (宇多田ヒカル) | Piano version. Benbrick. November 21, 2012. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022 – via YouTube.
  9. "宇多田ヒカル – 「桜流し」（ヱヴァＱバージョン）". YouTube. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  10. Utada, Hikaru (2021). One Last Kiss (booklet). Japan: Sony Music Labels. ESCL-5488.
  11. "Billboard Japan Hot 100 2012/12/03付け" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. November 28, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  12. "Adult Contemporary Airplay 2012/12/03付け" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. November 28, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  13. "Hot Animation 2012/11/26付け" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. November 21, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  14. "宇多田ヒカルのヱヴァQ主題歌がアニメチャートを圧倒" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. November 21, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  15. "宇多田のヱヴァQ主題歌が2週連続首位獲得" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. November 28, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  16. "宇多田ヒカル『ヱヴァQ』主題歌でアニメチャート3週連続首位キープ" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. December 5, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
  17. "World Digital Song Sales". Billboard. December 22, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  18. "2012年12月24日～2012年12月30日のDVD音楽週間ランキング（2013年01月07日付）". Oricon (in Japanese). January 7, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  19. "2012年12月24日～2012年12月30日のDVD総合週間ランキング（2013年01月07日付）". Oricon (in Japanese). January 7, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  20. "Billboard Japan Hot 100" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. October 3, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  21. "Japan Billboard Hot 100-year-end chart 2013". Billboard Japan. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  22. 一般社団法人 日本レコード協会｜各種統計. RIAJ (in Japanese). December 20, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
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