| "4 Hot Wave" | ||||
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| Single byKoda Kumi | ||||
| from the albumBlack Cherry | ||||
| Released | July 26, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2006 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 21:23 | |||
| Label | Rhythm Zone | |||
| Lyricists |
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| Producers |
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| Koda Kumi singles chronology | ||||
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4 Hot Wave (stylized as4 hot wave) is the 32nd single by Japanese singerKoda Kumi, released throughRhythm Zone on July 26, 2006. The singles contains the quadruple A-side tracks "Ningyo-Hime", "I'll Be There", "Juicy", and "With Your Smile". All four songs were included on Kumi's fifth studio albumBlack Cherry, released in December 2006.
A commercial success,4 Hot Wave charted at number two on theOricon Singles Chart and stayed on the charts for seventeen weeks. The sales for the single became Koda’s highest selling single, even surpassing the total sales of "Real Emotion / 1000 no Kotoba" in less than three weeks. It became her highest debut single and reclaimed the title of highest debut sales female artists, previously held byAyumi Hamasaki's "Blue Bird" (2006).
4 Hot Wave is singer-songwriter Koda Kumi's thirty-second single and is her first quadrupleA-side, with each song containing a corresponding music video. Each song's music video tied together into one story. The single's artwork was shot inMorocco while Kumi was in the country shooting for herphoto-bookMaroc.[1] The videos for "With Your Smile" and "I'll be there" were shot in Australia, with "I'll Be There" shot onFraser Island. "Ningyo-hime" was certified gold for full-length cellphone downloads.
4 Hot Wave was commercially successful in Japan, it peaked number two on theOricon Singles Charts and remained on the charts for seventeen consecutive weeks.[2] The sales for4 Hot Wave made it her highest selling single, even surpassing the total sales of "Real Emotion / 1000 no Kotoba" in less than three weeks.[3] Within its first week, the single sold 207,484 copies, with 489,000 in total. Despite losing the number-one spot toKinKi Kids' "Natu Moyou",4 Hot Wave outsold them by over 80,000 copies.[4] At the end of the year, the single ranked number 2 on highest selling single female artist, losing out toNaoru Amane's "Taiyou no Uta", which was used in her filmMidnight Sun.
Due to the single's success, it reclaimed the title of highest debut sales female artists, fromAyumi Hamasaki's "Blue Bird", which had originally taken the title from Koda Kumi's previous single, "Koi no Tsubomi".[5]
Each song from the single was used for a promotional campaign during the single's release. "I'll Be There" was featured in a television advertisement for Sea Breeze, asun-tan lotion company.[6] "Juicy" was featured as a television advertisement for jewelry company GemCerey'sBinary Face necklace, which was designed by Koda Kumi.[7] "With Your Smile" was the image song for NTV'sPride & Spirit 2006 Nippon Professional Baseball and featured in aDwango commercial.[8] "Ningyo-hime"(人魚姫 / Mermaid Princess) was featured in aVodafone 705T television advertisement.[9]
The music videos tie-in together to show a story about rivaltreasure hunters attempting to gain a triad treasure. "Juicy" is the first video in the story, showing Kumi with her crew seducing a group of men in a bar, who have a treasure map. In the end of the video, the men realize the women stole the map. "With Your Smile" is the second video, in which Koda is shown trying to outrun the men. The music video shows a race through the desert. "I'll Be There" is the video showing where the map led. In the video, Kumi is seen on a beach inMorocco, relaxing while enjoying the weather. The video ends with her finding the treasure.
"Ningyo-hime" shows what the treasure led to. Its theme is of Koda being controlled by a doctor, who is notorious for fusing parts of dolls together. While "ningyo hime" can translate to "mermaid princess," it can also translate to "doll princess," which is what the music video depicts. While "Ningyo-hime" was shown to be a doll in the music video, she would perform it as a mermaid princess in hertour for the corresponding album,Black Cherry. This was most likely due to the term "ningyo hime" being able to be translated as either "doll princess" or "mermaid princess".
During the single's promotion, Koda Kumi performed the songs at several events, including:
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arranger(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Introduction – I'll Be There" | 0:30 | |||
| 2. | "Ningyo-Hime" (人魚姫 /Mermaid Princess) | Koda Kumi | Miki Watanabe | Miki Watanabe | 4:25 |
| 3. | "I'll Be There" | Koda Kumi | Shintaro Hagiwara | tasuku | 4:12 |
| 4. | "Interlude – Juicy • Ningyo-hime" | 0:43 | |||
| 5. | "Juicy" | Taira Yo | STY | STY | 4:27 |
| 6. | "With Your Smile" | Koda Kumi | Toru Watanabe | H-Wonder | 4:16 |
| 7. | "Outroduction – With Your Smile" | 0:47 |
| No. | Title | Director(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Juicy" (Music Video) | Kubo Shigeaki | 5:26 |
| 2. | "With Your Smile" (Music Video) | Kubo Shigeaki | 4:22 |
| 3. | "I'll Be There" (Music Video) | Kubo Shigeaki | 4:53 |
| 4. | "Ningyo-hime" (Music Video) | Tadakoro Takashi | 4:40 |
| 5. | "making of "MAROC"" (found on limited editions) | 2:05 |
Weekly charts[edit]
Monthly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Japan (RIAJ)[13] Physical single | Platinum | 391,000[12] |
