Be Happy (Rina Aiuchi album)

Be Happy is the debut studio album by Japanese singer and songwriter Rina Aiuchi. It was released on 24 January 2001 by Giza Studio. The Eurobeat-sounded J-pop album has yielded four singles, including the Japan top 5 hit "Koi wa Thrill, Shock, Suspense".[1][2] The album reached number 3 on the Oricon albums chart in its first week and charted for seven weeks.[3]

Be Happy
Studio album by
Released24 January 2001 (2001-01-24)
Recorded2000–2001
Studio
  • Red Way Studio
  • Blue Way Studio
  • Green Way Studio
  • Birdman Mastering Room
Genre
Length49:50
LabelGiza Studio
Producer
Rina Aiuchi chronology
Be Happy
(2001)
Power of Words
(2002)
Singles from Be Happy
  1. "Close to Your Heart"
    Released: 23 March 2000
  2. "It's Crazy for You"
    Released: 31 May 2000
  3. "Ohh! Paradise Taste!!"
    Released: 26 July 2000
  4. "Koi wa Thrill, Shock, Suspense"
    Released: 25 October 2000

In support of the album, Aiuchi embarked on her first concert tour, Rina Aiuchi Club Circuit 2001 "Be Happy" from January 2001[4]

Promotion

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Singles

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"Close to Your Heart" was released on 23 March 2000 as the lead single of the album. The song served as the theme song to the Japanese animated television series Monster Rancher. The Eurobeat-influenced J-pop song written by Aiuchi herself and Aika Ohno reached number nineteen on the Oricon singles chart, selling approximately 64,000 copies nationwide.

The second single from the album, "It's Crazy for You" was released on 31 May 2000. The sex-themed Eurobeat song peaked at number sixteen on the Oricon chart.

On 26 July 2000, the follow-up single "Ohh! Paradise Taste!!" was released as the third single from the album. The Eurobeat-influenced J-pop song only managed to reach number twenty-three and sell approximately 43,000 copies in Japan, becoming her second lowest-charting song behind "Hanabi" (2010).

The fourth single from the album, "Koi wa Thrill, Shock, Suspense" was released on 25 October 2000. The song served as the opening theme song to the Japanese animated television series Case Closed. The opening movie left a big impression on the viewers, depicting the protagonist of the series, Conan Edogawa dancing Para Para dance to the song. "Koi wa Thrill, Shock, Suspense" was a commercial success, reaching number 5 on the Oricon singles chart and selling approximately 105,000 copies in Japan. The song has been certificated Gold by Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) and remains as Aiuchi's second best-selling song as of September 2018.

Tour

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Rina Aiuchi Club Circuit 2001 "Be Happy"
Tour by Rina Aiuchi
Associated albumBe Happy
Start date23 January 2001 (2001-01-23)
End date24 February 2001 (2001-02-24)
Legs1
No. of shows
  • 9 in Japan
Rina Aiuchi concert chronology
  • Rina Aiuchi Club Circuit 2001 "Be Happy"
    (2001)
  • Rina Aiuchi Live Tour 2002 "Power of Words"
    (2002)

Rina Aiuchi Club Circuit 2001 "Be Happy" is the first concert tour by Japanese singer and songwriter Rina Aiuchi. It was launched in support of her debut studio album, Be Happy (2001).

Date City Country Venue
Asia
23 January 2001 Shinjuku, Tokyo Japan Kagurazaka Twin Star
24 January 2001 Nagoya, Aichi Club Ozone
26 January 2001 Osaka, Osaka Grand Cafe
28 January 2001 Hakata, Fukuoka Q's
1 February 2001 Roppongi, Tokyo Velfarre
2 February 2001 Utsunomiya, Tochigi Club X
3 February 2001 Isesaki, Gunma Club Luv
16 February 2001 Sapporo, Hokkaido Club Plus
24 February 2001 Kyoto, Kyoto CK Cafe

Track listing

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All lyrics are written by Rina Aiuchi[5]

No.TitleMusicArrangersLength
1."Be Happy?"Masataka KitauraKuuron Oshiro4:23
2."Close to Your Heart"Aika OhnoOshiro5:02
3."Koi wa Thrill, Shock, Suspense" (恋はスリル、ショック、サスペンス)OhnoKuuron Oshiro4:56
4."Snow Drop"Nami KanekoKCP4:25
5."Her Lament: Dare ni mo Kikoenai Kanojo no Sakebi" (Her Lament ~誰にも聞こえない彼女の叫び~)Miho KomatsuKCP4:03
6."It's Crazy for You"OhnoOshiro4:22
7."Can You Feel My...?"Yuuichirou Iwai (New Cinema Tokage)Oshiro4:28
8."Ohh! Paradise Taste!!"OhnoOshiro4:26
9."Kimi e no Sayonara"WatanukiKCP4:25
10."Dear...From..."Masataka KitauraOshiro3:36
11."Be Happy."KanekoOshiro3:27

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of Be Happy.[6]

  • Rina Aiuchi – vocals, producer, backing vocals (track 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10)
  • Aika Ohno - backing vocals (track 2, 3, 6, 8)
  • Secil Minami - backing vocals (track 4, 7, 10, 11)
  • Yujirou - backing vocals (track 1)
  • Koji Yamamoto - backing vocals (track 6)
  • Takumi Ito - backing vocals (track 8)
  • King Opal - rap (track 6, 8)
  • Yoshinobu Ohga - guitar (track 1, 2, 3, 7, 10, 11)
  • Kazuko Ikeda - director
  • Akio Nakajima - mixing
  • Taku Oyabu - mixing
  • Katsuyuki Yoshimatsu - assistant engineer
  • Masahiro Shimada - mastering
  • Manabu Uemoto - art director, designer
  • Teruo Hayashi - photographer
  • Yumi Inui - hair and make-up artist
  • Miwa Kamise - styling
  • Kanonji - executive producer

Charts

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Certification and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[7] Gold 200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "愛内里菜 CD". musing.jo (in Japanese).
  2. ^ "愛内里菜 / Be Happy". CDJournal. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  3. ^ "Be happy (愛内里菜)". Oricon News.
  4. ^ "愛内里菜". Shy Glance. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  5. ^ "Library 愛内里菜 (Albums)". rina-aiuchi.com. Archived from the original on 2016-07-09. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
  6. ^ Be Happy (CD liner notes). Rina Aiuchi. Giza Studio. 2001. 4523949008303.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Rina Aiuchi – Be Happy" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 16 September 2018. Select 2001年1月 on the drop-down menu