OCEAN
| OCEAN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by B'z | ||||
| from the album MONSTER | ||||
| Released | August 10, 2005 | |||
| Promotions | #1 (Umizaru Drama Theme) #2 (Asahi Shimbun Soccer Theme) | |||
| Length | 12:52 | |||
| Label | Vermillion Records | |||
| Producer | Tak Matsumoto | |||
| B'z singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
OCEAN is the thirty-ninth single by B'z, released on August 10, 2005. A gentle power ballad in every sense, the single's title song is a love song that has become one of the band's most requested and most widely-recognized songs, let alone ballads. Prior to its release, the single was tied into the Fuji TV television drama Umizaru Evolution, based on the popular open sea rescue manga series by Shuho Sato. The song's popularity as one of the band's staple ballads is rivaled only by the 2000 single "Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni", which also served as a drama theme five years earlier. Additionally, it remains one of the band's most performed songs not only on their own stage but in karaoke establishments across Japan.
The single was first collected on a compilation album three months after its original release as the flagship song on B'z The Best "Pleasure II", which would go on to sell over 750,000 copies in its first week alone. The following summer, a remixed version titled "OCEAN ~2006 MiX~" was found on the band's next studio album, MONSTER. This rendition of the song—the only alternate version to date—was remixed by American producer Jay Baumgardner, with added emphasis on the guitar and various portions of the instrumentation along with a different take being used for part of the melody. In 2008, the single version of the song would be collected once more on B'z The Best "ULTRA Pleasure" and would again be included in 2013's B'z The Best XXV 1999-2012 along with other era-appropriate singles.
The title song has been performed on a great deal of LIVE-GYM tours in the relatively short time span since its release, including seeing its premiere on the live stage during LIVE-GYM 2005 "CIRCLE OF ROCK". The song would again return the next summer for LIVE-GYM 2006 "MONSTER'S GARAGE", as well as for the twentieth anniversary tour LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2008 -GLORY DAYS- two years later. In addition to North American performances during LIVE-GYM 2011 -long time no see-, a particularly high-production version of the song was performed during LIVE-GYM 2010 "Ain't No Magic" in which a large rounded screen behind the band depicted footage of the ocean timed to their performance. Despite its immense popularity, it has only been performed on television once, during 2005's Music Station Super Live when it was coupled with fellow ballad classic "Itsuka no Merry Christmas".
Upon release, "OCEAN" was an immense hit, debuting at the top of the Weekly Oricon Singles chart and going on to become the band's highest-selling single of all they've released since 2001. The song stayed on the charts for 22 weeks, which also remains the most weeks spent on the chart by a single of the same era apart from 2008's "Ichibu to Zenbu/DIVE". Additionally, on digital platforms, the title song is commonly found ranked in terms of sales amongst the top of songs offered by the band, including on the Japanese iTunes service. Despite its relatively late release date, the package still ranked as the seventh highest-selling single of the year 2005 and would receive the distinction of being the band's thirty-fifth consecutive single to debut at number-one.
Track listing
- OCEAN
- An immediate and lasting success for the band, "OCEAN" is seen by many as the definitive B'z ballad. Sharing the same arrangement team of Koshi, Tak, Daisuke Ikeda, and Tokunaga Akihito as 1997's "Calling", the single has reached similar heights in terms of sales and popularity. The song was created with the open sea as its theme as part of the tie-in with the Umizaru drama for which it served as the theme, along with other figurative references throughout the lyrics. It saw its live premiere during B'z LIVE-GYM 2005 "CIRCLE OF ROCK" before its official release and has since been included in innumerable setlists to much acclaim.
- Narifuri Kamawazu Dakishimete — Embrace Closely Regardless of Appearance, なりふりかまわず抱きしめて
- Dead stock leftover from the band's fourteenth studio album, THE CIRCLE. Although it did not make the aforementioned album, it would go on to become the soccer cheer song for Asahi Shimbun's soccer coverage when included here. The song has not been performed live nor has it been collected elsewhere.
- Dear my lovely pain
- Originally used as the ending music for B'z LIVE-GYM 2005 "CIRCLE OF ROCK". The demo presented there differs from that of the final released version found here. The song has never been performed live in either form, nor has it been collected on subsequent albums or compilations.
Personnel
B'z
- Tak Matsumoto: Guitar, Music Composition, Arrangement
- Koshi Inaba: Vocals, Lyric Composition, Arrangement
Drums
- Shane Gaalaas: Drums, Percussion
Bass
- Akihito Tokunaga: Bass, Arrangement
Production
- Daisuke Ikeda: Arrangement (Track 1)
- TAMA Strings: Strings (Track 1)
- Shinichirou Ohta: Chorus (Track 1)