Kita Wing

"Kita Wing" (北ウイング, Kita Uingu, lit. "North Wing") is the seventh single by Japanese entertainer Akina Nakamori. Written by Chinfa Kan and Tetsuji Hayashi, the single was released on January 1, 1984, by Warner Pioneer through the Reprise label. It was also the lead single from her fifth studio album Anniversary.[1][2]

"Kita Wing"
Single by Akina Nakamori
from the album Anniversary
LanguageJapanese
English titleNorth Wing
B-sideNamida no Katachi no Earring (First release)
Refrain (Second release)
ReleasedJanuary 1, 1984 (1984-01-01) (First release)
December 15, 1984 (1984-12-15) (Second release)
Recorded1983
Genre
Length4:39
LabelReprise Records
Composer(s)Tetsuji Hayashi
Lyricist(s)Chinfa Kan
Producer(s)Yūzō Shimada
Akina Nakamori singles chronology
"Kinku"
(1983)		 "Kita Wing"
(1984)		 "Southern Wind"
(1984)
Music videos
"Kita Wing" (Live) on YouTube

Background

Nakamori approached songwriters Kan and Hayashi after listening to S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe's 1983 single "Summer Suspicion". During the songwriting process, proposed titles included "Midnight Flight" (ミッドナイトフライト, Middonaito Furaito) and "Yakan Hikō" (夜間飛行, lit. "Night Flight") before Nakamori settled with "Kita Wing", which she revealed was influenced by Yumi Matsutoya's "Chuo Freeway" (中央フリーウェイ, Chūō Furīuei). "Kita Wing" refers to the north wing of Narita International Airport's Terminal 1, with the lyrics referencing Japan Airlines Flight 401 flying to London Heathrow Airport via Anchorage.[3][4]

Nakamori, Kan, and Hayashi collaborated again on a sequel song titled "Dramatic Airport (Kita Wing Part II)" (ドラマティック・エアポート -北ウイング Part II-), which was featured on Nakamori's sixth studio album Possibility.

Nakamori has re-recorded "Kita Wing" for the 2002 self-cover compilation Utahime Double Decade and the 2006 compilation Best Finger 25th Anniversary Selection. In 2010, she re-recorded the song for the pachinko machine CR Nakamori Akina: Utahime Densetsu ~Koi Moni Dome nara~ (CR中森明菜・歌姫伝説〜恋も二度目なら〜, CR Akina Nakamori: Utahime Legend ~If Love Is For the Second Time~).[5] She re-recorded the song for the third time in 2023 as part of Tetsuji Hayashi's tribute album 50th Anniversary Special A Tribute of Hayashi Tetsuji - Saudade - with the subtitle Classic.[6][7] This marks the first time in six years since her hiatus that she released new music.

Chart performance

"Kita Wing" peaked at No. 2 on Oricon's weekly singles chart and sold over 614,200 copies.[8][9]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Chinfa Kan, except where indicated; all music is composed and arranged by Tetsuji Hayashi.

Original release
No.TitleLength
1."Kita Wing" (Kita Uingu (北ウイング, "North Wing"))4:39
2."Namida no Katachi no Earring" (Namida no Katachi no Iyaringu (涙の形のイヤリング, "Teardrop-shaped Earrings"))4:28
Total length:9:07
Second release
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."Kita Wing"   4:39
2."Refrain" (Ri-fu-re-i-n (リ・フ・レ・イ・ン))Gorō MatsuiRyō MatsudaMitsuo Hagita4:57
Total length:9:36
1998 reissue bonus track
No.TitleLength
3."Kita Wing (Live Version)" ((北ウイング(LIVE VERSION))) 

Charts
Chart (1984)[8] Peak
position
Japan (Oricon) 2

Cover versions
  • Kream covered the song on their 1996 album Time Machine ni Onegai.
  • Chinephile covered the song on their 2003 cover album Kayomania.
  • Akiko Matsumoto covered the song on her 2013 compilation album King of Pops 2.
  • Penicillin covered the song as the B-side of their 2014 single "Sol".
  • Sora Amamiya covered the song on her 2021 cover album Covers: Sora Amamiya Favorite Songs.

References
  1. "中森明菜『北ウイング』". Idol.ne.jp. 2019-01-03. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
  2. "中森明菜/北ウイング". SoundFinder. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
  3. "中森明菜「北ウイング」（前編）". Daily. 2016-06-07. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
  4. "DIVA". Rakuten. 2018-01-03. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
  5. "CR中森明菜 歌姫伝説～恋も二度目なら～". P-World. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
  6. "デビュー50周年の林哲司、初トリビュートアルバム11月8日発売決定！豪華アーティストたちが参加！（トレーラー映像有）". prtimes. 2023-09-08. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  7. "林哲司のキャリア史上初となるトリビュートアルバムが発売　中森明菜が"北ウイング"を新たにレコーディング". Mikki Tokyo. 2023-09-08. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  8. "北ウイング | 中森明菜". Oricon. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
  9. "中森明菜". Yamachan Land. Archived from the original on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
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