Chapter 737: Melody Only Today
In addition to the content common to all versions, Type-B mainly includes "B Garden" sung by Kuramochi Team B. The covers of both the first limited edition and the regular edition were taken by five members of the selection group: Yona Kojima, Rina Matsui, Rino Tsuyahara, Aya Yamamoto, and Erika Ikuta, but the costumes worn by the members in the two versions of the photos are different, with the first limited edition wearing swimsuits, the regular version wearing a normal dress, and the back cover being taken by Aika Tada, Riei Kitahara, Hanon Kimoto, Akari Takahashi, Mina Oba and Hiiragi Yabushita.
In addition to the content common to all versions, Type-4 mainly includes "Heart Escape Game" sung by Mineshore Team 4. The cover of the Type-4's first limited edition is a photo of Mayu Watanabe, who served as the center of the title song, and the front row members of the second and third stations on either side of it, Rino Ihara and Erika Ikuta, while the regular version is a solo photo of Mayu Watanabe, and the back cover is a group photo of the 36 members of the selection of the title song.
In addition to the content common to all versions, the theater mainly includes the male and female duet song "We Have One Leg" with the participation of Yona Kojima. The cover photo for this version was taken by all other members of the singles selection team who did not participate in the cover shoot of Type-A, -K, -B, and -4 versions, including Miori Ichikawa, Aika Tada, Mina Oba, Nanna Owada, Nana Okada, Rena Kato, Ayaba Kitagawa, Riei Kitahara, Hanon Kimoto, Mako Kojima, Haruka Kodamama, Nagisa Shibuya, Akari Takahashi, Meiru Tajima, Misakura Asagaga, Mihime Nishino, Nawa Furuhata, Sakura Miyawaki, Kaede Yakura, Hiiragi Yashita, and other 20 members. On the back cover, there is a group photo of the 16 members who have appeared on the cover of other editions.
The title song of the same name for this single "Labrador Retriever" was written by Yasushi Akimoto, composed by Manabu Maruya, who had written singles such as "Eternal Pressure" and "True Current" for AKB48, and arranged by Yu Sasaki, and the corresponding music video was directed by Tatsuyuki Kobayashi. Continuing the tradition of swimsuit singles being sung by a large number of members, the number of members involved in the recording of this song reached 36, covering all the domestic sister groups of the AKB48 group.
In terms of cross-border cooperation of songs, the song "Labrador Retriever" is the companion song of the TV commercial "AKB Don't Know" of the laundry detergent product "Fragrance Ne Beads" owned by Kao, a major Japanese daily necessities manufacturer. The commercial was performed by Yuko Oshima, Mayu Watanabe, Minami Takahashi, Yui Yokoyama and Haruka Shimazaki.
"Labrador Retriever" imitates the musical style of French pop music, and through the eyes of a Labrador retriever, it recounts the experience of a boy and his unrequited girl, depicting a sweet and sour, but also full of coolness. The Sankei Shimbun commented that the song was reminiscent of the classic song "Captive of Love" by French singer Cherry Vaddan in 1968, while manga artist Yoshinori Kobayashi felt that some of the melody of the song resembled the song "All for My Beloved" by another French singer, Michel Bornaref, "Toi, viens avec moi. et pends-toi a monbra". Some online commentators believe that the prelude to "Labrador Hound" is a parody of "Captive of Love", and the "pure white sun umbrella" in the lyrics is a tribute to Seiko Matsuda's 1981 single "White Sun Umbrella (Japanese"), and the word "ma chérie" in the lyrics is from "All for My Beloved".
There are members who entered the single selection this time.
Team A: Anna Iriyama, Rina Kawaei, Yona Kojima, Haruka Shimazaki, Minami Takahashi
Team K: Erika Ikuta, Mako Kojima, Yui Yokoyama, Minami Hoshino (Nogizaka 46)
Team B: Nanna Owada, Yuki Kashiwagi, Akari Takahashi, Mayu Watanabe, Rina Ikoma (Nogizaka 46).
Team 4: Nana Okada, Rena Kato, Yuria Kisaki, Mihime Nishino
SKE48 Team S: Ayaba Kitagawa and Rina Matsui.
SKE48 Team KII: Mina Oba, Nawa Furuhata
SKE48 Team E: Hanon Kimoto, Akari Suda
NMB48 Team N: Aya Yamamoto (also a member of AKB48 Team K)
NMB48 Team M: Kaede Yakura (also a member of AKB48 Team A)
NMB48 Team BII: Miori Ichikawa, Nagisaki Shibuya, Hiiragi Yabushita.
HKT48 Team H: Haruka Kodama, Rino Shihara, and Meiru Tajima
HKT48 Team KIV: Aika Tada, Misakura Asaga (also a member of AKB48 Team B), Sakura Miyawaki.
"Melody Only to Today" Yuko Oshima's graduation song. The music video for this song is directed by Eiki Takahashi, who has shot many music films for AKB48, and the full version is nearly 15 minutes long, but the first 10 minutes of the film are actually interviews and side footage with Yuko Oshima as the main character, including a conversation with Hironobu Tanaka, who is the music director of the AKB48 Group, in an old studio used in the past, and a stroll around the AKB48 Theater in Akihabara with Minami Takahashi and Yona Kojima's only remaining AKB48 students, and the first concert was held." I really want to see you~ The pillar is gone! ~".
The main music video was performed by Yuko Oshima and 12 members of the AKB48 group, but as a surprise, 14 original Team K members who have been with Oshima for a long time also participated in the recording of the new song and appeared in the music video. Among the 14 members, Kobayashi Kana, Ikuta Erika, Kuramochi Asuka, NMB48's Umeda Ayaka, and Miyazawa Sae, who is also SNH48 and SKE48, are still active members, but they mainly participated in the recording of the chorus as members of the original Team K, and did not participate in the main film shooting.
Unlike most AKB48 songs, which are recorded in chorus or rounds, and do not have a clear lead singer position, "Melody Only Today" is a rare work in which Yuko Oshima sings alone, and everyone else is in chorus. The detailed list of members who participated in the recording of this song is as follows:
Graduation schedule: Yuko Oshima
Team A: Rina Kawaei, Yona Kojima, Haruka Shimazaki, Minami Takahashi
Team K: Erika Ikuta, Mako Kojima, Kana Kobayashi, Yui Yokoyama
Team B: Yuki Kashiwagi (also a member of NMB48 Team N), Asuka Kuramochi, Mayu Watanabe
NMB48 Team BII: Ayaka Umeda
HKT48 Team H: Refers to Rino Hara
SNH48 Team SII: Sae Miyazawa
Former members: Aika Akimoto, Yu Imai, Megumi Ohori, Tomomi Kawanishi, Natsuki Sato, Ayana Takada, Yoshiyo Noro, Kaoru Hayano, Yuka Masuda.
In fact, this time there are still two or second generations missing, Ono Erina and Okuma Nami.
Reina Ono did not appear on this single for reasons that are well known.
As for Nami Okujina, even if Zhu Zi personally called the girl, it didn't shake her inner thoughts.
In the girl's words, she has completely become an ordinary amateur and doesn't want to appear in the public eye anymore.
Yuko Oshima was still disappointed in her heart, the girl actually wanted Zhu Zi to be the director, but Zhu Zi also refused.
Zhu Zi's reason is very similar to that of Nami Okumana, that is, he has retired from the directing industry.