Sweet 19 Blues (song)
"Sweet 19 Blues" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Namie Amuro. The song was composed, written and arranged by Tetsuya Komuro for her same titled debut album. A month after its release, her label Avex Trax released the song as a recut single due to popular demand. The song's subject and the album was about the melancholic passing of another sweet year of youth, which is a particularly Japanese obsession.
It did not achieve the success of her previous records but debut at No. 2 with over 100,000 copies sold in its first week and sold about 500,000 units, a great feat for a post-album single. The single was certified platinum by the RIAJ for 400,000 copies shipped to stores.
The song was later served as the ending theme song for the 1996 comedy That's Cunning! Shijo Saidai no Sakusen?, in which she also starred. Marked the first and only time she used a track to promote theatrically.
Miliyah Kato's "19 Memories" later sampled the song.
The new version of the song marked 18 years since its original release in 2014.
Composition
The song carries its album's title, which according to Ted Mills from AllMusic, was a reflection of a "melancholic passing of another sweet year of youth" and a "particular Japanese obsession".Release
The song "Joy", which features vocals by M.C.A.T., is in fact a shortened version to what appears on the CD single of "Sweet 19 Blues"; two additional remixes appeared on it, whilst an original mix was featured on his single "Thunder Party". "Joy" was originally on m.c.A.T's fifth studio album Crossover.Music video
The new version of the video was directed by Kanji Suto.Live performances and usage in media
Track listing
Credits and personnel
Credits are taken from the CD singles liner notes.- Tetsuya Komuro – production, composition, writing, arrangement,
- Randy Waldman - strings arrangement,
- Akio Togashi - composition, arrangement; writing, rapping ,
- Keith "KC" Cohen - mixing,
TV Performances
- ?, 1996 – Fun
- August 23, 1996 – Music Station
- August 24, 1996 – Mega Hit Night
- August 31, 1996 – PopJam
- August 31, 1996 – CDTV
- September 16, 1996 – Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ Special
- October 4, 1996 – Music Station Special
- October 29, 1996 – Utaban
- October 4, 1996 – Music Station Special
- November 2, 1996 – 27 hours TV
- November 26, 1996 – P-Stock
- December 14, 1996 – 29th All Japan Request Awards
- May 21, 1997 – TK Groove Museum HongKong
- May 27, 1997 – TK Pan-Pacific Tour
Charts
| Release | Chart | Peak Position | First Week Sales | Sales Total | Chart Run |
| August 21, 1996 | Oricon Daily Singles Chart | ||||
| August 21, 1996 | Oricon Weekly Singles Chart | 2 | 102,000 | 452,890 | 13 weeks |
| August 21, 1996 | Oricon Yearly Singles Chart | 64 |