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Halfway (Gen Hoshino song)

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"Halfway"
The cover art to "Halfway". It features two slightly textured, blue and green figures who together form a singular shape.
Single by Gen Hoshino
LanguageJapanese
ReleasedJune 19, 2020 (2020-06-19)
StudioHome studio
Length3:04
LabelSpeedstar
Songwriter(s)Gen Hoshino
Producer(s)Gen Hoshino
Gen Hoshino singles chronology
"Idea"
(2018) 		"Halfway"
(2020) 		"Fushigi" / "Create"
(2021)
Music video
"Halfway" on YouTube

"Halfway" (Japanese: 折り合い, Hepburn: Oriai, lit. 'Compromise') is a song by Japanese singer-songwriter and musician Gen Hoshino. Written and produced by him, he handled all elements of production and the instrumentation except mixing. While experimenting with keyboards from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hoshino wrote "Halfway" as a birthday song to comedian Yūki Himura and performed it on the latter's radio show on May 15, 2020, before Speedstar Records surprise released the song as a digital single on June 19, 2020. A hip hop-styled track, it is composed of a simplistic beat that loops and features a rap section from Hoshino. The lyrics depicts a protagonist who tries to amend the everyday relationship with their partner.

Critics found the track enjoyable for its lyrics and programmed music production. It reached numbers 26 and 27 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and Oricon Combined Singles Charts, respectively. Sho Miyake [ja] directed the music video, which was uploaded alongside the song's surprise release. It depicts two people (played by Hoshino and actress Shizuka Ishibashi) in self-quarantine during the pandemic. Hoshino performed "Halfway" during his online concert Gratitude, which celebrated the tenth anniversary of his debut album Baka no Uta (2010).

Background and release

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Since 2010, singer-songwriter and musician Gen Hoshino has written and performed an annual birthday song for the comedian Yūki Himura on the TBS Radio show of his owarai duo Bananaman.[1] Some of these songs were later reworked into parts of Hoshino's discography, such as his singles "Sun" (2015) and "Family Song" (2017), and were described by Real Sound's Natsuna Murakami as a showcase of his and Bananaman's friendship.[2] After the song in 2019, Hoshino decided to take a break from the tradition; later, he laughed that he had grown tired of it.[3] The first ten songs were compiled onto Yellow Disc: Birthday Songs for Yuki Himura — Bananaman and Gen Hoshino 2010–2019, a CD bundled with the fourth issue of Hoshino's annual Yellow Magazine, in early 2020.[4]

In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hoshino posted a one-minute video of an acoustic song titled "Dancing on the Inside" to Instagram and asked users to finish it. The initiative became a viral phenomenon in Japan that attracted responses from various artists and celebrities,[5][6] including a controversial video from prime minister Shinzo Abe.[7] Since the pandemic left his schedule cleared, Hoshino then allocated time to practice using digital audio workstations (DAWs) and keyboard; previously a composer on guitar, he thought the new instruments would help further develop his sound.[8][9] Over a phone call, he received a lecture on the workings of DAWs from music producer and drummer Mabanua, who had participated in the "Dancing on the Inside" trend.[10]

Though Hoshino did not initially intend to write a birthday song for Himura in 2020, free time as a result of the pandemic coerced him into doing so. Written, produced, and recorded by Hoshino from home using DAWs, he based the song on a story of Himura secretly eating behind the back of his wife.[3][11] On May 15, 2020, Hoshino debuted "Halfway" on Bananaman's radio show, even though he initially appeared on the pretense of not delivering a song. He presented it as a follow-up to "Dancing on the Inside" and, four days later, teased that it would be formally released within "the near future".[3][12] Alongside its music video, "Halfway" was surprise released by Speedstar Records for streaming and download on June 19, 2020.[13][14]

Composition and lyrics

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"Halfway"
A Japanese hip hop-styled track, "Halfway" features a minimal beat that critics found peaceful and reminiscent to a sense of daily life.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Three minutes and four seconds long,[15] "Halfway" was programmed and arranged by Hoshino, who also plays all of its instruments. The only other credit is for Shojiro Watanabe, who mixed the song.[16] A hip hop-styled track,[17] it is comprised by a minimal beat that loops, unlike the ensemble sound found on Hoshino's prior works.[10] One section features Hoshino performing rap vocals.[18] Rockin'On Japan's Hirokazu Koike, who found the track to be peaceful, described "Halfway" as a crossover between Caribbean steelpan-like tropical sounds and a modern trap beat.[18] Kazusa Ogiwara, writing for Real Sound, thought that the song was infused with a sense of normalcy and daily life.[10]

A love song,[11] Koike wrote that the lyrics on "Halfway" depict a "casual, everyday human relationship".[18] It presents a protagonist who tries to amend the relationship with their partner: "I got caught for what I tried to hide the other day / So I gotta figure out how to apologize".[10][16] Hoshino sings: "We're always searching for that point / Where we look like strangers when we're not / We're just trying to meet halfway".[10] Ogiwara thought the track reflected Hoshino's genuine thoughts on the present within the pandemic, and found the theming reminiscent to "Barabara", a track from his debut album Baka no Uta (2010).[10]

Reception and promotion

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Shizuka Ishibashi at opening ceremony of the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2018.
Actress Shizuka Ishibashi (pictured in 2018) co-stars in the "Halfway" music video.

Sho Miyake [ja] directed the "Halfway" music video, which follows the daily life of two people who self-quarantine from their homes during the pandemic. Alongside Hoshino, it stars actress Shizuka Ishibashi,[11][18] who appeared in Miyake's And Your Bird Can Sing (2018).[19] According to Miyake, he was contacted about directing the video in late May, and they scheduled to record it as soon as COVID-19 restrictions were loosened up. Having heard about the song's from-home production, he conceptualized the video to illustrate this process. In an interview with Real Sound, Miyake recalled that filming was completed within two days.[20]

"Halfway" received generally favorable reviews from Japanese critics. Writing for Rockin'On Japan, Hirokazu Koike personally found enjoyment in the lyrics and Hoshino's programming work, but thought that the composition would be generally perceived by most listeners as "simple and airy".[18] In a Real Sound article, Kazusa Ogiwara opined that Hoshino prevented the artifical sounds from making the song sound inorganic; she called it a "warm and soft" track and wrote that it is "personal, but not solitary".[10] Retrospectively, Mikiki's Ryūtarō Amano described "Halfway" and "Dancing on the Inside" as tracks that could only have been written during the COVID-19 pandemic.[17] Commercially, "Halfway" entered and peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 dated June 24, 2020,[21] and at number 27 on the Oricon Combined Singles Chart dated June 29.[22] Downloaded 13,760 times within its first week, it reached number six on Billboard Japan's Download Songs sub-chart.[23]

"Halfway" was performed at the Club Quattro live house for Hoshino's online concert Gratitude on July 12, 2020, in celebration of the tenth year anniversary of Baka no Uta's release. The song was arranged in a live ensemble style that added saxophone, and choral vocals from keyboardist Eiko Ishibashi and guitarist Ryosuke Nagaoka behind Hoshino's rap solo.[24][25] FanplusMusic's Aki Ito thought it was one of the songs from the concert that highlighted Hoshino's vocals.[26] On October 21, 2020, "Halfway", "Dancing on the Inside", and other miscellaneous songs were released on In Gratitude, a bonus CD included with the box set Gen Hoshino Singles Box: Gratitude.[27]

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from "Halfway" on Hoshino's official website[16]

  • Gen Hoshino – lead vocals, background vocals, all instruments, songwriting, arrangement, programming, recording
  • Shojiro Watanabe – mix

Charts

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Weekly chart performance for "Halfway" (2020)
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Japan (Billboard Japan Hot 100)[21] 26
Japanese Combined (Oricon)[28] 27

References

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  1. ^ 星野源、『バナナマンのバナナムーンGOLD』に生出演　日村勇紀の誕生日をお祝い [Gen Hoshino to Appear on Bananaman no Bananamoon Gold with Birthday Song to Celebrate Yūki Himura]. Real Sound (in Japanese). May 8, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  2. ^ Murakami, Natsuna (May 17, 2018). 星野源、今年もバナナマン日村勇紀の誕生日を"歌"で祝福　次なるヒット曲への布石となるか [Gen Hoshino Once Again Celebrates Bananaman Yūki Himura's Birthday with A Song — Will This Be the Groundwork for a New Hit?]. Real Sound (in Japanese). Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c 星野源、『バナナムーン』で新曲披露「『うちで踊ろう』に続いての…」 [Gen Hoshino Performs New Song on Bananamoon, Successor to "Dancing on the Inside"]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). May 19, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  4. ^ バナナマンが星野源イヤーブックで鼎談、付属CDには日村への「誕生日の歌」10年分 [Bananaman Appears for Three-Way Discussion in Gen Hoshino's Yearbook, CD to Compile Ten Years of Birthday Songs for Himura]. Natalie.mu (in Japanese). January 28, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  5. ^ Ogiwara, Azusa (April 12, 2020). 星野源「うちで踊ろう」はなぜ一大ムーブメントとなったのか? 3つのポイントから考察 [Why Did Gen Hoshino's "Dancing on the Inside" Became a Viral Movement? Analyzing Three Factors]. Real Sound (in Japanese). Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  6. ^ 星野源「#うちで踊ろう」広がるコラボの輪　豪華有名人が続々と参加 [Gen Hoshino's #DancingOnTheInside Becomes Extensive Collaboration, Numerous Celebrities Jump on the Trend] (in Japanese). Oricon. April 10, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  7. ^ 「うちで踊ろう」安倍首相もインスタ投稿　批判相次ぐ [Prime Minister Abe Joins "Dancing on the Inside" Instagram Trend, Faces Criticism]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). April 13, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  8. ^ Hoshino, Gen (September 8, 2023). Takimoto, Daisuke (ed.). 星野源が語る"対話からの創造"と、Netflix「LIGHTHOUSE」で挑んだ新たな曲づくりのかたち [Gen Hoshino Talks "Creating from Conversation" and New Writing Style Tackled on Netflix's Lighthouse]. Wired Japan (Interview) (in Japanese). Interviewed by Hasegawa, Tomoko. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  9. ^ Hoshino, Gen (2022). "Liberation and Restriction". Yellow Magazine: 2021–2022 (Interview) (in Japanese). No. 6. Interviewed by Takahashi, Yoshiaki. pp. 128–132.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Ogiwara, Azusa (June 26, 2020). 星野源、「折り合い」という言葉と音楽に表れた'今'に対するリアルな思い　ソロデビュー10周年SP『ANN』を受けて [Gen Hoshino's Real Thoughts on the Word Called 'Compromise' and the 'Present' Within Music — Response to the Solo Debut 10th Anniversary Special on ANN]. Real Sound (in Japanese). Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  11. ^ a b c 星野源、コロナ禍で生まれたラブソング「折り合い」配信&MV公開 [Gen Hoshino Releases New Song and Music Video "Halfway", Out for Streaming: A Love Song Born in the Corona Pandemic]. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). June 19, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  12. ^ 星野源、バナナマン日村勇紀に捧げた新曲「折り合い」リリースを予告「近いタイミングで…」 [Gen Hoshino Teases Release of Bananaman Yūki Himura Birthday Song "Halfway" in the "Near Future"] (in Japanese). Oricon. May 20, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  13. ^ 星野 源、新曲"折り合い"をサプライズで配信リリース。石橋静河と共演のMVも公開 [Gen Hoshino Surprise Releases New Song "Halfway", Premieres Music Video with Shizuka Ishibashi]. Rockin'On Japan (in Japanese). June 19, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  14. ^ 星野源 — 折り合い (VE3WA-18789) [Gen Hoshino — "Halfway" (VE3WA-18789)] (in Japanese). Victor Entertainment. n.d. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  15. ^ "'Halfway' — Single by Gen Hoshino". Spotify (US). n.d. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  16. ^ a b c "'Halfway'". HoshinoGen.com. n.d. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  17. ^ a b Amano, Ryūtarō (February 17, 2021). 星野源 "創造" 暗闇が覆う世界、それでも星野源は遊ぼうぜ、何か創り出そうぜと歌う [Gen Hoshino's "Create" — Even in This Dark World, Gen Hoshino Sings for You to Create and Play]. Mikiki (in Japanese). Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  18. ^ a b c d e Koike, Hirokazu (August 8, 2020). 人間模様が描くアート — 星野 源『折り合い』 [Artwork Depicting Human Relationships — Gen Hoshino's "Halfway"]. Rockin'On Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  19. ^ "And Your Bird Can Sing". Rotten Tomatoes. n.d. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  20. ^ Miyake, Sho (January 16, 2021). 三宅唱が語る、2020年に映画監督として考えていたこと　「映画ならではの力を探りたい」 [Sho Miyake Discusses Film Directing in 2020: "I Want to Explore the Powers of Movies"]. Real Sound (Interview) (in Japanese). Interviewed by Komekura, Shōju. p. 2. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  21. ^ a b "Gen Hoshino Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). n.d. Retrieved February 4, 2025. Select Hot 100 on the dropdown menu under 週間チャート
  22. ^ "合算シングル週間50 — 2020年06月29日付" [Weekly Combined Singles Top 50 — June 29, 2020] (in Japanese). Oricon. June 29, 2020. p. 3. Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  23. ^ 乃木坂46「世界中の隣人よ」がDLソング初登場1位、星野源/BTS/WANIMAがTOP10デビュー [Nogizaka46's "Sekaijū no Rinjin yo" Opens at Number One; Gen Hoshino, BTS, and Wanima Debut in Top 10]. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). June 24, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2025 – via AeraDot.
  24. ^ Ueda, Takuto (July 17, 2020). 星野源が配信ライブ【Gratitude】に込めた「音を奏でる喜び」と「再会の願い [Gen Hoshino's Joy in Music and Wish for Reunion in Online Concert Gratitude]. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  25. ^ Sugiura, Emi (July 17, 2020). 星野源／配信ライブ「Gen Hoshino's 10th Anniversary Concert "Gratitude"」＠ 渋谷CLUB QUATTRO [Gen Hoshino / Online Concert: Gen Hoshino's 10th Anniversary Concert "Gratitude" @ Shibuya Club Quattro]. Rockin'On Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  26. ^ Ito, Aki (July 28, 2020). 星野源、10周年を記念して開催された配信ライブ『Gen Hoshino’s 10th Anniversary Concert "Gratitude"』 [Gen Hoshino Holds Online Concert "Gratitude" to Celebrate 10th Anniversary]. FanplusMusic (in Japanese). Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  27. ^ 星野源 — Gen Hoshino Singles Box "GRATITUDE"［12CD+10DVD+Blu-ray Disc］<生産限定盤> (in Japanese). Tower Records Japan. n.d. Retrieved February 6, 2025. For track listing, select 収録内容; for release information, select 商品説明
  28. ^ 星野源の合算シングル売上TOP12作品 [Gen Hoshino's Top 12 Combined Singles by Sales] (in Japanese). Oricon. n.d. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
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