Songs for Japan

Songs for Japan
Compilation album by various artists
Released	March 25, 2011 (2011-03-25)
Label	EMI, Sony, Universal, Warner

Songs for Japan is a charity compilation album created to benefit relief efforts for the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. A collaborative project between the music industry's "big four" record labels (EMI, Sony, Universal, and Warner), the album was released through the iTunes Store on March 25, 2011 through Universal.[1][2] Royalties for the songs featured on the album were waived so that all proceeds could be donated to the Japanese Red Cross Society.[3][4]^[dubious – discuss] A physical album was released on April 4, 2011 through Sony.[5]

Reception

Although Songs for Japan received praise for its charitable purpose it was criticized for being a compilation of already released songs, with the exception of Lady Gaga's remixed "Born This Way". This is unlike past charity albums such as Hope for Haiti Now that have included original music and performances.[6]

Commercial performance

The album sold 68,000 copies in its first sales week in the United States, debuting at number six on the Billboard 200.[7] It sold 8,000 copies in Canada and debuted at number three on the Canadian Albums Chart.[8] On the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand's compilations chart, the album debuted at number one.[9] As of May 4, 2011, over 500,000 copies of the album have been sold, and over $5 million has been raised.[10]

The album was certified as a gold record by the RIAJ in Japan for a shipment of 100,000 or more physical copies.[11]

Track listing

The CD features 37 tracks,[2][12] while the iTunes version contains 38 tracks.

Disc one

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Length
1.	"Imagine"	John Lennon	3:07
2.	"Walk On"	U2	4:29
3.	"Shelter from the Storm"	Bob Dylan	5:01
4.	"Around the World (Live)"	Red Hot Chili Peppers	3:58
5.	"Born This Way (Starsmith Remix)"	Lady Gaga	6:45
6.	"Irreplaceable"	Beyoncé	3:48
7.	"Talking to the Moon (Acoustic Piano Version)"	Bruno Mars	3:37
8.	"Firework"	Katy Perry	3:47
9.	"Only Girl (In the World)"	Rihanna	3:55
10.	"Like I Love You"	Justin Timberlake	4:43
11.	"Miles Away (Live)"	Madonna	4:50
12.	"Love the Way You Lie"	Eminem featuring Rihanna	4:23
13.	"Human Touch (Edit)"	Bruce Springsteen	5:08
14.	"Awake (Live)"	Josh Groban	5:39
15.	"Better Life"	Keith Urban	4:43
16.	"One Tribe"	The Black Eyed Peas	4:40
17.	"Sober"	P!nk	4:11
18.	"It's OK"	Cee Lo Green	3:46

Disc two

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Length
1.	"I Run to You"	Lady Antebellum	4:16
2.	"What Do You Got?"	Bon Jovi	3:47
3.	"My Hero"	Foo Fighters	4:19
4.	"Man on the Moon (Live)"	R.E.M.	6:01
5.	"Save Me"	Nicki Minaj	3:05
6.	"By Your Side"	Sade	4:34
7.	"Hold On (Alt. Mix)"	Michael Bublé	4:07
8.	"Pray (Acoustic)"	Justin Bieber	3:34
9.	"Make You Feel My Love"	Adele	3:32
10.	"If I Could Be Where You Are"	Enya	4:01
11.	"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"	Elton John	5:36
12.	"Waiting on the World to Change"	John Mayer	3:21
13.	"Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)"	Queen	5:55
14.	"Use Somebody"	Kings of Leon	3:50
15.	"Fragile (Live)"	Sting featuring The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra	4:50
16.	"Better in Time"	Leona Lewis	3:54
17.	"One in a Million"	Ne-Yo	4:03
18.	"Whenever, Wherever"	Shakira	3:16
19.	"Sunrise"	Norah Jones	3:20

iTunes version

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Length
12.	"When Love Takes Over" (appears between tracks by Madonna and Eminem)	David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland	3:11

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2011) Peak position Canadian Albums (Billboard)[13] 3 US Billboard 200[14] 6

Year-end charts Chart (2011) Position Canadian Albums (Billboard)[15] 38 US Billboard 200[16] 86

References

1. "Global Music Effort Launches "Songs for Japan" Album on iTunes to Benefit Japan Disaster Relief" (Press release). New York: PR Newswire. March 25, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
2. Montgomery, James (March 25, 2011). "Songs For Japan Includes Eminem, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga And More". MTV. Archived from the original on April 1, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
3. "John Lennon, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Josh Groban hits together on 'Songs for Japan' benefit album". Los Angeles Times. March 25, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
4. "Major Labels Join for Compilation for Japan". ABC News. Associated Press. March 25, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
5. Collett-White, Mike (March 25, 2011). "Major record labels join for Japan relief album". Reuters. London. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
6. Fallon, Kevin (2011-03-25). "'Songs for Japan': Justin Bieber, Bob Dylan, and Beyonce Unite for Random Compilation of Unoriginal Music". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
7. Caulfield, Keith (March 30, 2011). "Chris Brown Nets First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Los Angeles: Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
8. Williams, John (March 30, 2011). "Six new debuts crash charts". JAM! Music. Canadian Online Explorer. QMI Agency. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
9. "Chart #1766 – Monday 28 March 2011: Top 10 Music Compilations Chart". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. March 28, 2011. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
10. "'Songs for Japan' Album Raises $5 Million for Earthquake and Tsunami Relief". Reuters. May 4, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
11. ゴールド等認定作品一覧 2011年05月 [Works Receiving Certifications List (Gold, etc) (May 2011)]. RIAJ (in Japanese). June 10, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
12. "Songs for Japan by Various Artists". iTunes Store. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
13. "Various Artists Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
14. "Various Artists Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
15. "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
16. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2020.