Mermaid (Miho Nakayama song)

"Mermaid"
Single by Miho Nakayama
from the album Collection II
LanguageJapanese
B-side"In the Morning"
ReleasedJuly 11, 1988 (1988-07-11)
Recorded1988
Genre
Length4:10
LabelKing Records
Composer(s)Cindy
Lyricist(s)Chinfa Kan
Producer(s)Akira Fukuzumi
Miho Nakayama singles chronology
"You're My Only Shinin' Star"
(1988) 		"Mermaid"
(1988) 		"Witches"
(1988)

"Mermaid" (人魚姫 mermaid, Māmeido) is the 13th single by Japanese entertainer Miho Nakayama. Written by Chinfa Kan and Cindy, the single was released on July 11, 1988, by King Records.[1][2][3]

Background and release

"Mermaid" marked the beginning of Nakayama's collaboration with songwriters Kan and Cindy, which lasted until "Rosécolor" (though Cindy sporadically continued to co-write songs with Nakayama throughout the 1990s). The song was used as the opening theme of the TBS drama series Waka Okusama wa Udemakuri! (若奥さまは腕まくり!, The Young Wife Rolls Her Arms!), which starred Nakayama.[1]

The jacket cover is a painting of Nakayama in a bikini by Robert Blue; this artwork was also used on her album Mind Game.

"Mermaid" became Nakayama's third consecutive No. 1 on Oricon's weekly singles chart and sold over 365,000 copies, becoming her biggest-selling single until "Tōi Machi no Doko ka de..." in 1991.[4][5]

Track listing

7" single
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Mermaid" (Māmeido (人魚姫 mermaid))Chinfa KanCindyRod Antoon4:10
2."In the Morning"Masumi KawamuraToshinobu KubotaTakao Sugiyama5:23

Personnel

  • Miho Nakayama – vocals
  • Rod Antoon – keyboards, backing vocals (1)
  • Takao Sugiyama – synthesizer, drum programming (2)
  • Shinji Shiotsugu – guitar (1)
  • Ichirō Hada – guitar (2)
  • Kitarō – bass synthesizer (2)
  • Cindy – backing vocals (1)
  • Amazons – backing vocals (2)

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1988) Peak
position
Oricon Weekly Singles Chart[6] 1
The Best Ten 1
Uta no Top Ten 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1988) Peak
position
Oricon Year-End Chart[6] 9
The Best Ten Year-End Chart 4
Uta no Top Ten 5

References

  1. ^ a b "中山美穂". Idol.ne.jp. December 28, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  2. ^ "中山美穂 / 人魚姫(マーメイド) [廃盤]". CDJournal. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  3. ^ "人魚姫(mermaid) | 中山美穂". Mora. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  4. ^ "人魚姫(MERMAID) | 中山美穂". Oricon. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  5. ^ "中山美穂(シングル)". Yamachan Land (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  6. ^ a b 1968-1997 オリコン チャート・ブック (in Japanese). Tokyo: Oricon. 1997. ISBN 4871310418.