Al-Mauj

"Al-Mauj"
Single by Akina Nakamori
from the album Best II
LanguageJapanese
B-side"Bara Hitoyo"
ReleasedJanuary 27, 1988 (1988-01-27)
Recorded1987
Genre
Length4:07
LabelReprise Records
Composer(s)Takashi Satō
Lyricist(s)Akira Ōtsu
Akina Nakamori singles chronology
"Nanpasen"
(1987) 		"Al-Mauj"
(1988) 		"Tattoo"
(1988)
Music videos
"Al-Mauj" (Live) on YouTube

"Al-Mauj" (アルマージ, Al Māji) (stylized as آلموج) is the 20th single by Japanese entertainer Akina Nakamori. Written by Akira Ōtsu and Takashi Satō, the single was released on January 27, 1988, by Warner Pioneer through the Reprise label. It was also the fourth single from her fourth compilation album Best II.[1][2]

Background

"Al-Mauj" is Arabic for "wave". The song was originally recorded by Takashi Satō as "Déraciné" (デラシネ, Derashine) on his 1987 album Mizu no Naka no Taiyō (水の中の太陽, lit. Sun in the Water).[3] The jacket photo was taken in Mykonos. On live TV performances, Nakamori had her microphone stand wrapped with rubber snakes.[2]

Chart performance

"Al-Mauj" became Nakamori's 18th No. 1 on Oricon's weekly singles chart and sold over 296,600 copies.[4][5]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Akira Ōtsu

Original release
No.TitleMusicArrangementLength
1."Al-Mauj" (Al Māji (AL-MAUJ（アルマージ）))Takashi SatōSatoshi Takebe4:07
2."Bara Hitoyo" ((薔薇一夜, "One Night of Roses"))Kisaburō SuzukiKazuo Ōtani4:43
Total length:8:50
1998 reissue bonus track
No.TitleMusicLength
3."Al-Mauj (Live Version)" ((AL-MAUJ（アルマージ）(LIVE VERSION)))Satō 

Charts

Chart (1988) Peak
position
Japan (Oricon)[4] 1

Release history

Year Format(s) Serial number Label(s) Ref.
1988 7inch LP, 8cm CD, CT L-1755, 10SL-100, 10L5-4059 Warner Pioneer [6]
1998 12cm CD WPC6-8677 Warner Pioneer [7]
2008 Digital download - Warner Pioneer [8]
2014 Digital download - remaster - Warner Pioneer [9]

References

  1. ^ "中森明菜(なかもりあきな)ディスコグラフィ". Idol.ne.jp. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  2. ^ a b "反響呼んだ「ひらひら、みだら…」　新曲「ＡＬ―ＭＡＵＪ（アルマージ）」のキャッチコピー". Zakzak. Sankei Shimbun. 2022-05-31. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  3. ^ Takashi Satō (2022-05-22). デラシネ ( 動画 ) / 佐藤隆. YouTube. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  4. ^ a b "AL-MAUJ | 中森明菜". Oricon. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  5. ^ "中森明菜". Yamachan Land. Archived from the original on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2022-08-22.
  6. ^ "7inchシングル Al Mauj 中森明菜". suruga-ya.jp (in Japanese). surugaya. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  7. ^ "中森明菜 / Al Mauj CD" (in Japanese). WMJ. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  8. ^ "中森明菜 / Al Mauj Digital Purchase-Archived". listen.jp (in Japanese). listen japan. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  9. ^ "Al Mauj (+3) [2014 Remaster]". mora.jp (in Japanese). Mora. Retrieved October 31, 2023.