Midnight Zoo (album)

Midnight Zoo (真夜中の動物園, Mayonaka no Dōbutsuen) is the 37th studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Miyuki Nakajima, released in October 2010.

Midnight Zoo
Studio album by
Miyuki Nakajima
ReleasedOctober 13, 2010
Recorded2010, at the Conway Recording Studios (Los Angeles, U.S.) and Bunkamura and momos Studios (Tokyo, Japan)
GenreFolk rock
Length66:42
LanguageJapanese
LabelYamaha Music Communications
ProducerIchizo Seo, Miyuki Nakajima
Miyuki Nakajima chronology
Drama!
(2009)		 Midnight Zoo
(2010)		 From the Icy Reaches
(2011)

None of the songs appeared on the album was released as a single. Instead, two of previous released materials were featured as bonus tracks; her own interpretation of the song "Snow Umbrella" originally recorded by Shizuka Kudo in 2008, and new recording of her recent single "Just Save Love" released in 2009.[1][2] The song "It's a Dream" was simultaneously covered by Makichang (then-23-year-old female singer-songwriter who've contracted with Nakajima's management office). Her version was released as a double A-Side single with her original composition "Anata no Inai Heya ni Nareru Hi ga Kuru Made" by VAP Records.[3]

Midnight Zoo debuted at No. 5 on the Japanese Oricon Weekly albums chart, making Nakajima the first female solo artist to have had the country's top-10 charting albums in five consecutive decades – three male musicians have already set this record; Eric Clapton, Eikichi Yazawa and Masashi Sada. The album has sold over 40,000 copies as of December 2010.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Miyuki Nakajima, arranged by Ichizo Seo (except M1/10 co-arranged by Satoshi Nakamura, and M11 co-arranged by Shingo Kobayashi)

  1. "From This Day On (今日以来, Kyō Irai)" – 5:09
  2. "Midnight Zoo (真夜中の動物園, Mayonaka no Dōbutsuen)" – 7:13
  3. "We are All Rapidly Passing Each Other (まるで高速電車のようにあたしたちは擦れ違う, Maru de Kōsoku-Densha no You ni Atashitachi wa Surechigau)" – 4:26
  4. "Even Hedgehogs Fall in Love (ハリネズミだって恋をする, Harinezumi Datte Koi wo Suru)" – 4:19
  5. "For the Small Wounded (小さき負傷者たちのために, Chiisaki Fushōsha Tachi no Tame ni)" – 6:51
  6. "It's a Dream (夢だもの, Yume Damono)" – 5:26
  7. "A Shark's Song (サメの歌, Same no Uta)" – 4:11
  8. "An Anchovy Gnashing Its Teeth (ごまめの歯ぎしり, Gomame no Hagishiri)" – 4:28
  9. "The Falcon's Song (鷹の歌, Taka no Uta)" – 6:13
  10. "Makenmon-ne (I Can't Lose) (負けんもんね, Makenmonne)" – 5:42

Bonus tracks

  1. "Snow Umbrella (雪傘, Yukigasa)" – 6:00
  2. "Just Save Love (愛だけを残せ, Ai Dake wo Nokose)" (album version) – 6:26


Personnel
  • Miyuki Nakajima – Lead and background vocals
  • Kenny Aronoff – Drums
  • Vinnie Colaiuta – Drums
  • Neil Stubenhaus – Electric bass
  • Michael Landau – Electric guitar, acoustic guitar
  • Michael Thompson – Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, flat mandolin
  • Dean Parks – Acoustic guitar
  • Nozomi Furukawa – Electric guitar
  • Jon Gilutin – Acoustic piano, electric piano, keyboards, hammond organ
  • Shingo Kobayashi – Acoustic piano, keyboards, synth programming
  • Mataro Misawa – Percussion
  • Shuichiro Terao – Percussion loop
  • Shigeo Fuchino – Saxophone
  • Satoshi Nakamura – Saxophone
  • Taro Shizuoka – Trombone
  • Shiro Sasaki – Trumpet
  • Ittetsu Gen – Violin
  • Maki Nagata – Violin
  • Daisuke Kadowaki – Violin
  • Crusher Kimura – Violin
  • Takao Ochiai – Violin
  • Nobuko Kaiwa – Violin
  • Kaoru Kuroki – Violin
  • Kenta Kuroki – Violin
  • Yoshiko Kaneko – Violin
  • Choi Song-il – Violin
  • Naoko Ishibashi – Violin
  • Makiko Murakoshi – Violin
  • Yuichi Endo – Violin
  • Hiroki Muto – Violin
  • Izumiko Fujiie – Violin
  • Soki Nagaoka – Violin
  • Rei Yokomizo – Violin
  • Kyoko Ishigame – Violin
  • Asako Sugano – Violin
  • Takayuki Oshikane – Violin
  • Yoko Fujinawa – Violin
  • Takuya Mori – Viola
  • Shoko Miki – Viola
  • Kaori Morita – Cello
  • Tomoki Iwanaga – Cello
  • Ichizo Seo – Background vocals
  • Fumikazu Miyashita – Background vocals
  • Yuiko Tsubokura – Background vocals
  • Kazuyo Sugimoto – Background vocals
  • Julia Waters – Background vocals
  • Maxine Waters – Background vocals
  • Oren Waters – Background vocals

Chart positions
Chart Position
Japanese Oricon Weekly Albums Chart (top 300)[4] 5

Release history
Country Date Label Format Catalog number
Japan October 13, 2010 Yamaha Music Communications CD YCCW-10121

References
  1. ポニーキャニオン – NIGHT WING/雪傘：工藤静香 "Pony Canyon: Product Description: "Night Wing"/"YukiGasa" by Shizuka Kudo". hp.ponycanyon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved December 30, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  2. Yamaha Music Communications Inc. – Music Page "Product description of a single "Just Save Love" by Miyuki Nakajima". yamahamusic.co.jp (in Japanese). Yamaha Music Communications. Retrieved December 30, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  3. "Pony Canyon: Product Description of a single "It's a Dream"/"Anata no Inai Heya ni Nareru Hi ga Kuru made"". makichang.com (in Japanese). Archived from discography – まきちゃんぐオフィシャル the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  4. 中島みゆき-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック "Highest position and charting weeks of Midnight Zoo by Miyuki Nakajima". oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved December 30, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
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