Tori no Uta
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| “Tori no Uta” | |||||
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Opening theme to Air.
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| Song by Lia | |||||
| Album | Ornithopter | ||||
| Released | September 8, 2000 | ||||
| Recorded | Paramount Studio | ||||
| Genre | Video game music | ||||
| Length | 6:08 | ||||
| Label | Key Sounds Label | ||||
| Writer | Jun Maeda | ||||
| Composer | Shinji Orito | ||||
| Ornithopter track listing | |||||
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| Music sample | |||||
| Air Original Soundtrack track listing | |||||
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"Tori no Uta" (鳥の詩? lit. "Bird's Poem") is a Japanese trance song sung by Lia, written by Jun Maeda, composed by Shinji Orito, and arranged by Kazuya Takase. The song was recorded at Paramount Studio by the software company Key through their record label Key Sounds Label for use as the opening theme of Key's 2000 visual novel Air.[1] A short version of the song was first released on I've Sound's July 2000 compilation album Verge. The full version of "Tori no Uta" first appeared on the limited edition remix album Ornithopter (September 2000) originally bundled with the first printing release of the Air game,[2] though "Tori no Uta" was not remixed on the album. The song was later widely distributed on the Air Original Soundtrack (2002), the soundtrack of the visual novel.[3] The song was later featured as the opening theme to the Air anime series in 2005.
Shinji Orito commented on the song in the Air Original Soundtrack booklet where he remarked, "Even though I have made up my mind that the song "Tori no Uta" best captures the themes of Air, arriving at this was extremely difficult. Besides being under a lot of pressure, I'm still quite inexperienced in the field of music; this is the area I want to become stronger in most of all."[1][4]
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[edit] Musical structure
"Tori no Uta" is the longest track featured in Air, spanning 6:08 minutes, and is thus the longest track on all of the albums the song appeared on released by Key Sounds Label. "Tori no Uta" is a trance song in common time which begins in the B minor key and waits until the eighth measure for Lia to begin singing. The song is kept in B minor for the first verse, shifts to B major for the second, and again shifts to D-flat major for the third which continues into the first measure of the fourth verse where it shifts back to B minor for the rest of the verse. After a short break, the key goes back to B major and continues the same pattern as before. At the end of this sequence in verse seven, the first verse is repeated as the sole chorus in B minor. An instrumental coda is used to close the song which lasts for about one-sixth of the entire piece's length. The song's instrumentation primarily uses a synthesizer as a base, but does include a short piano sequence lasting for the first eight measures, along with piano accompaniment throughout the song. The song moves at 120 beats per minute, and Lia's vocal range spans almost two octaves from F-sharp4 to D6.
[edit] Release history
"Tori no Uta" has been released many times over the years in original and remix versions. The song was first released as a shortened version spanning 3:09 minutes on I've Sound's July 2000 compilation album Verge. The first release of the song on Key Sounds Label, the record label affiliated with Key, was on the 2001 album Humanity... as a remix version subtitled "Bossanova version" and was sung by Mina Minomo. The full-length original version of the song was first released on the limited edition remix album Ornithopter (September 2000) originally bundled with the first printing release of the Air game.[2] The song was later widely distributed on the Air Original Soundtrack (2002), the soundtrack of the visual novel, in original, short, and instrumental versions.[3] An instrumental piano version of "Tori no Uta" was released on the album Re-feel (2003) by Key Sounds Label.[3] A remixed version arranged by Cosmic Seekers was included in the albums Air Analog Collector's Edition, and OTSU Club Music Compilation Vol.1, both released by Key Sounds Label in 2006.[3] The song also appeared in several albums released by Lia. The first was a remix on her first independent album Prismatic (2004); the song carried the subtitle "2004 summer version: Relaxin' with lovers mix", and later appeared on Lia's best of album Crystal Voice (2007). The original version appeared on Lia's best of album Diamond Days (2007), and a remix version, subtitled "StripE REMIX", was included on her best of album Spectrum Rays (2007). A new vocal recording of "Tori no Uta" was released on Lia's Enigmatic LIA 2 album in early 2007.
[edit] Controversy
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"Melody" Soundbite of a plagiarizing section in "Melody" by Shaun Yu. - Problems playing the files? See media help.
On August 27, 2005, Anime News Network reported that Singaporean musician Shaun Yu may have plagiarized "Tori no Uta". Yu's current album, The Best of Shaun Yu, features a track called "Melody" which sounds like the Air theme. Though Key made no official statement at the time, an investigation was initiated.[5]
On September 21, 2005, it was reported that a second song on The Best of Shaun Yu may have been plagiarized from a song composed by Hiroyuki Tōshima, "Tenshi no Kyujitsu".[6] Yu had stated that his producers, YesMusic, had arranged both tracks, and that he was unaware of the situation. YesMusic, in turn, had stated that it licensed the rights to the song from Key/Visual Art's for mainland China distribution, but that the album came out in Taiwan before licensing could be arranged for that territory. However, Key/Visual Art's denied this, as per a statement on Key's website:[7]
- Official Announcement Regarding Plagiarism of "Tori no Uta":
- Thank you very much for supporting products of our humble company. According to information provided by fans, we've learned that Shaun Yu's The Best of Shaun Yu (真愛珍愛2005風行精選集?) distributed by Sony BMG Entertainment (Taiwan) is suspected plagiarizing our music — "Tori no Uta". We apologize for worrying supporting fans. We have filed a formal complaint to Sony BMG Entertainment and made following demands:
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- Apologize publicly on the web.
- Credit the composer of "Tori no Uta" to Shinji Orito clearly.
- If the above two requirements are fulfilled, we will not ask for financial compensations.
- We have been negotiating with Sony BMG Entertainment (Taiwan) with those terms. Regrettably, Hei Kiyoshi (季忠屏 Kiyoshi Hei?), director of YesMusic, the production company of this CD, has made a false announcement today that he had purchased distribution rights from us. It is a pity and is regrettable. In order to show our objection to his plagiarizing actions and his dishonest attitude, we shall not license any of our creation to them, including Tori no Uta. These days, we have received supports from both Japanese and Taiwanese fans. You have our immense gratitude. Please keep supporting our humble company, Key, in the future.
- Translation from Anime News Network, not the official website.[6]
On September 29, 2005, Sony BMG Taiwan posted a statement of apology in both Chinese and Japanese on their official website. CD shipments were canceled and recalled.
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ a b Air Original Soundtrack booklet transcribed online (Japanese). Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ a b Air Dreamcast review. GameFAQs. Retrieved on 2007-01-12.
- ^ a b c d Key Sounds Label discography. Key Sounds Label. Retrieved on 2008-05-05.
- ^ Untranslated quote: (鳥の詩は、AIRのテーマ性を念頭に、自分の中でイメージを固めていくのに非常に苦労しました。プレッシャーもすごかったし（笑）歌曲は、まだまだ苦手分野なので、最も自分の中で強化したい部分ですね。 "Tori no Uta" wa, Air no tēma sei o nentō ni, jibun no naka de imēji o katameteiku no ni hijō ni kurō rōshimashita. Puresshā mo sugokattashi (wara) kakyoku wa, madamada nigate bunya no de, mottomo jibun no naka de kyōkashitai bubun desu ne.?)
- ^ Air Theme Plagiarised. Anime News Network (2005-08-27). Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
- ^ a b Air Plagiarisation Follow-Up. Anime News Network (September 21, 2005). Retrieved on 2008-05-05.
- ^ Official announcement by Key concerning the plagiarism of "Tori no Uta" (Japanese). Key (2005-09-15). Retrieved on 2008-05-05.
[edit] External links
- Key Sounds Label official website (Japanese)
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