January 1st (song)

"January 1st" (stylised in all caps) is a song by Japanese rock band Coldrain. It is the third single and sixth track on their sixth studio album The Side Effects, produced by Michael Baskette, written by Masato Hayakawa and Ryo Yokochi, and was released on 8 August 2019.[1][2][3][4]

For the date, see January 1.
"January 1st"
Single by Coldrain
from the album The Side Effects
Released8 August 2019 (2019-08-08)
RecordedFebruary 2019
StudioStudio Barbarosa (Orlando, Florida, United States)
GenreAlternative rock
Length4:40
LabelWarner Music Japan
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Michael Baskette
Coldrain singles chronology
"Coexist"
(2019)		 "January 1st"
(2019)		 "The Side Effects"
(2019)
Music video
"January 1st" on YouTube

"January 1st" is the first ever "soft" song by the band to be released as a single.

Background

"January 1st" was released on 8 August 2019 as the band's third single and the sixth track off their sixth studio album The Side Effects, following the release of the second single "Coexist" which was released just the month prior. It was the last single to be released prior to the album's release.

On 7 August, several teases were made on Coldrain's social media accounts with a photo of lead singer, Masato Hayakawa, surrounded by darkness, as well as a translucent image of him in the same photo which is contrasted by a flame and water. This tease would be followed up by an announcement made of the official music video, which would be slated for release on the following day.[5]

Composition

"January 1st" is an alternative rock song.[6] The track runs at 150 BPM and is in the key of A major. It runs for four minutes and 40 seconds.[7] The song was written by Masato Hayakawa and Ryo Yokochi, it was produced by Michael Baskette.

Meaning and lyrics

"January 1st" is written about Hayakawa's dog, who died on January 1, 2019. Struggling to cope with his loss, who felt like family to him. He wrote the song to cope about how he could not let go for someone he loved dearly and had many memories of. As a result of this, the chorus would be a direct reference to how Hayakawa felt about it.[8]

Hayakawa would directly request "January 1st" to be a single and a music video released by the band. This would prove to be ambitious, as it would be the first slow song by the band to ever be released as a single.[9]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusic[10]Length
1."January 1st"Masato HayakawaRyo Yokochi4:40

Music video

The music video for "January 1st" was released alongside the single on 8 August 2019, and was directed by Koh Yamada.[11]

The video starts out with frontman, Masato Hayakawa, walking up from the ocean on the beach during the night to join his bandmates to perform the song. Flames from campfires surround the band as they perform. These scenes are intertwined with Hayakawa singing the song during the day on an escalator, under a bridge, and in the sea on the same beach while also scaling up stairs in a well which symbolises moving on.

As of October 2022, the music video for "January 1st" has over 1 million views on YouTube.[12]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[13]

Coldrain

Additional personnel

  • Michael Baskette – producer, mixing, arrangements
  • Ted Jensen – mastering
  • Jeff Moll – recording engineer
  • Joshua Saldate – assistant engineer

Charts
Charts (2019) Peak
position
Japanese Daily Hot 100[14] 57
Japanese Weekly 74

References
  1. "coldrain、アルバム『THE SIDE EFFECTS』より 「JANUARY 1ST」 MV公開" (in Japanese). OkMusic. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  2. "Coldrain release their new song "January 1st"". MoreCore. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  3. "coldrain、8/28リリースのニュー・アルバム『THE SIDE EFFECTS』からバラード曲「JANUARY 1ST」先行配信＆MV公開！". Gekirock.com. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  4. "Coldrain Shanghai gig is hot and not wet". Shine.cn. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  5. "【NEW VIDEO告知】 Coldrain - JANUARY 1ST(Official Video) Directed by Koh Yamada Announcement". Twitter. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  6. "Coldrain - January 1st (Single) (2019)". Rockmania. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  7. "Key and BPM of January 1st by Coldrain". Musicstax.com. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  8. "Although the New Year was welcomed, I have been spending time since the evening of New Year's Day because I cannot accept reality". Instagram. 4 January 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  9. "Sharing a very important song to me "JANUARY 1ST" tonight at midnight Japan time. Thanks to our friend Koh Yamada who said he would do anything in his power to give this song a video🙏 #coldrain #TheSideEffects #January1st". 8 August 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  10. "Coldrain / The Side Effects" (in Japanese). Tower Records Japan. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  11. "coldrain "JANUARY 1ST" Music Video を監督しました。". Instagram. 9 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  12. Coldrain (8 August 2021). "Coldrain - JANUARY 1ST (Official Music Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  13. "Credits / The Side Effects / Coldrain". Tidal. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  14. "Coldrain January 1st (Charts)". Retrieved 4 April 2020.
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