Ai no Uta (Kumi Koda song)

""Ai no Uta" "愛のうた"
Single by Kumi Koda
from the album Kingdom
B-side	Come Over
Released	September 12, 2007 (Japanese single)
Format	CD, CD+DVD
Recorded	2007
Genre	J-pop
Label	Rhythm Zone
Writer(s)	Kumi Koda • Kosuke Morimoto
Kumi Koda singles chronology
"Freaky" (2007) "Ai no Uta" (2007) "Last Angel feat. TVXQ" (2007)

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.^[1] 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 #2 on Oricon and stayed on the charts for twenty-two weeks.^[2]

Information

Ai no Uta is Japanese pop singer-songwriter Kumi Koda's thirty-seventh single released under the Avex sub-label Rhythm Zone. It charted at #2 on the Oricon Weekly charts and remained on the charts for twenty-two weeks. It was released in September 2007 and continued the theme of an autumn/winter-time love song, such as she did with Yume no Uta/futari de... the year prior during her Black Cherry era.

The single was released in both CD and CD+DVD editions, with limited editions of each. Limited editions contained one bonus track: a remix of Ai no Uta.^[3]

The title track has been described as a song about the sadness of fleeting love and how fragile and precious it is.^[4] The b-side, Come Over, was the theme song used for the World Judo 2007 (世界柔道2007 / Sekai Judo 2007).^[5]

Ai no Uta was certified by the RIAJ as being downloaded as a ringtone more than one million times, and as a full-length download to cellphones more than 750,000 times.^[6]

Reception

In North America, the song received positive to mixed reviews. Many fans had called the song "generic" and "plain." Rinoa agreed and even said that "the title [was] too typical." Others, however, said the song was "stunning" and praised the song for Kumi's vocals and the imagery used in the music video.^[7]

In Japan, however, the song was praised upon its release, with fans complementing Kumi's vocals in the song and her "passion when singing." Many fans said how the "song will last the test of time," whereas the song became very popular to perform during karaoke and other live performances.^[8]

Music Video

The music video of Ai no Uta carried a theme of a woman in love, but left broken-hearted by her lover. A ring is used to symbolize the fragility of love, showing her saddened when he lover ignores her adoration of a ring in the window to a jewellery shop.

The video has been described as her "most stunning," with Kumi in a room surrounded by teardrop crystals.

An alternate version of the music video was placed on her corresponding album, Kingdom.

Track listing

Charts

Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)

Chart procession and succession

Alternate Versions

愛のうた

1. 愛のうた: Found on the single (2007) and corresponding album Kingdom (2008)
2. 愛のうた [URBAN KISS Version]: Found on the single (2007)
3. 愛のうた [Instrumental]: Found on the single (2007)
4. 愛のうた [The Standard Club PIANO DANCE Remix]: Found on Koda Kumi Driving Hit's (2009)

Come Over

1. Come Over: Found on the single (2007)
2. Come Over [Instrumental]: Found on the single (2007)
3. Come Over [Caramel Pod Club Mix]: Found on Koda Kumi Driving Hit's (2009)

References