Aozora no Kakera

Aozora no Kakera (青空のかけら, lit. "Splinters of a Blue Sky") is the seventh single by Japanese pop singer Yuki Saito. It was released August 21, 1986, by Canyon Records together with "Yubiwa Monogatari" (指輪物語, lit. "Tale of the Ring"). It was ranked #1 on the Oricon charts and #3 on The Best Ten chart, and is the only single from Saito to reach #1 on the Oricon charts.

"Aozora no Kakera 青空のかけら"
Cover of single release of Aozora no Kakera.
Single by Yuki Saito
from the album Chime
A-side	"Aozora no Kakera"
B-side	"Yubiwa Monogatari"
Released	August 21, 1986
Genre	J-pop
Length	3:49
Label	Canyon Records
Songwriter(s)	Takashi Matsumoto, Toshio Kamei
Yuki Saito singles chronology
"'Doyōbi no Tamanegi'" (1986) "Aozora no Kakera 青空のかけら" (1986) "'May'" (1986)

The title song was used in commercials for the Axia brand of cassette tapes from Fujifilm in Japan. Several artists have covered the song.

History

"Aozora no Kakera" was released on August 21, 1986, as a 7-inch vinyl record through Canyon Records. The single reached #1 on the Oricon charts, and is the only single from Saito to do so.[1] It also reached #3 on The Best Ten chart. The B-side release was "Yubiwa Monogatari".

The title song had lyrics written by Takashi Matsumoto, the music was composed by Toshio Kamei and was arranged by Satoshi Takebe. Matsumoto also wrote the lyrics for the B-side, while Kenjiro Sakiya composed the music, and Takebe and Sakiya arranged the music.[notes 1]

The title single was used in commercials for the Axia brand of cassette tapes from Fujifilm in Japan.[1]

The original single sold 48,000 copies, and sold a total of 166,000 copies. It was later rereleased as a mini CD single on April 29, 1988.[1]

Covers

On August 26, 1992, Japanese techno band Long Vacation (a spinoff of Uchoten) released a cover version of "Aozora no Kakera" on their Long Vacation's Pop album.[2]

Singer and actress Chiemi Hori performed a cover on her 80s Idol Songs Collection, released in both regular and limited edition versions on September 8, 2005.[3][4]

Japanese singer Asako Toki released a cover on her Light! CM & Cover Songs album released on February 2, 2011.[5]

Chart history

Chart (1986)	Release	Peak position
Oricon	"Aozora no Kakera / Yubiwa Monogatari"	1
The Best Ten	"Aozora no Kakera / Yubiwa Monogatari"	3

Track listing

EP (catalog #7A0615)
CD single (catalog #S10A0036, released April 29, 1988)

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Aozora no Kakera" (青空のかけら)	Takashi Matsumoto	Toshio Kamei (composer) Satoshi Takebe (arranger)	3:49
2.	"Yubiwa Monogatari" (指輪物語)	Takashi Matsumoto	Kenjiro Sakiya (composer) Satoshi Takebe and Kenjiro Sakiya (arrangers)	4:11
Total length:				8:00

Notes

1. These individuals are all listed on the album cover as well as the label on the vinyl EP itself.

References

1. シングル - 斉藤由貴　非公式ホームページ [Singles - Yuki Saito Unofficial Homepage] (in Japanese). 内藤佑輔. Archived from the original on April 25, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
2. "LONG VACATION'S POP LONG VACATIONのプロフィールならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE" [Long Vacation's Pop - Long Vacation Profile from the Oricon Entertainer Encyclopedia Oricon Style] (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
3. "堀ちえみの'８０ｓ　ＩＤＯＬ　ＳＯＮＧＳ　ＣＯＬＬＥＣＴＩＯＮ（通常盤） 堀ちえみのプロフィールならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE" [Chiemi Hori's "80s Idol Songs Collection" (regular edition) - Chiemi Hori Profile from the Oricon Entertainer Encyclopedia Oricon Style] (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
4. "堀ちえみの'８０ｓ　ＩＤＯＬ　ＳＯＮＧＳ　ＣＯＬＬＥＣＴＩＯＮ（期間限定盤） 堀ちえみのプロフィールならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE" [Chiemi Hori's "80s Idol Songs Collection" (limited edition) - Chiemi Hori Profile from the Oricon Entertainer Encyclopedia Oricon Style] (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
5. "ＴＯＫＩ　ＡＳＡＫＯ"ＬＩＧＨＴ！"～ＣＭ＆ＣＯＶＥＲ　ＳＯＮＧＳ～ 土岐麻子のプロフィールならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE" [Toki Asako "Light! CM and Cover Songs" - Toki Asako Profile from the Oricon Entertainer Encyclopedia Oricon Style] (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved February 20, 2013.