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King (Kanaria song)

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"King"
Single by Kanaria ft. Gumi V3 English
from the album King
LanguageJapanese
Released2 August 2020 (2020-08-02)
LabelSelf-released
Songwriter(s)Kanaria

"King" (stylized in all-caps) is a 2020 song by Japanese Vocaloid musician Kanaria. Following its release, it brought Kanaria to widespread popularity, and it received covers from dozens of VTubers and other singers.

Overview

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King was released on 2 August 2020.[1] The song uses the Megpoid Vocaloid and the music video was illustrated by Nou.[2]

King achieved one million views within two months of its release.[3] The song caused Kanaria to rise to popularity.[4] Subsequently, dozens of VTubers and other singers posted covers of the song, including from Kizuna Ai, Kuzuha [ja], Nijisanji members, and Upd8 [ja] member Mei Osanai, as well as a duet by Calliope Mori and Gawr Gura;[4][1][5] Eimika Katsuya attributed this widespread trend to the popularity of Kanaria's previous song "Hyakkisai".[4]

Rena Murakami of the Japanese culture site Real Sound [ja] characterizes the lyrics as "reminiscent of the execution of a king".[6] In a column for the lyrics search and music news site UtaTen [ja], Amu Machioka characterized the song as an allegory for the house arrest, trial, and execution of Louis XVI (whom they interpreted as the titular King), told from the perspective of his executioner Charles-Henri Sanson.[7] Eimika Katsuya said of "King": "It's a dark song with an absurd string of words, but the lyrics have a pleasant rhyme that makes it addictive."[4] Tower Records Online said of "King": "You can't talk about internet music in 2020 without listening to this!"[3]

It topped the Billboard Japan Top User Generated Songs for 33 weeks in 2021, as well the equivalent charts for the first half and entirety of 2021.[5][1] It charted at #42 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and #76 at the Billboard Japan Top Download Songs chart.[8] It ranked second place in Nana Music [ja]'s 2021 Most Sung Vocaloid Songs chart.[9]

"King" was included in Kanaria's debut album of the same name, which was released four months after the song.[10] In 2022, it was released as part of Kanaria's greatest hits album Kanaria.code.[11]

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Fuchii, Mika (10 December 2021). "【ビルボード 2021年年間TOP UGC Songs】Kanaria「KING」33週首位獲得で年間1位に" [【Billboard 2021 Annual Top UGC Songs】 Kanaria "KING" at No.1 for the year after 33 weeks at the top]. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  2. ^ Kanaria (2 August 2020). 【GUMI】KING【Kanaria】 (Music video). Archived from the original on 28 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ a b "新世代ボカロP筆頭！Kanaria待望の1stアルバム満を持してリリース！" [Leader of the new generation of Vocaloids! Kanaria's long-awaited 1st album is now ready for release!]. Tower Records Online (in Japanese). 8 December 2020. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Katsuya, Eimika (25 December 2021). "Kanaria – 大名曲「KING」を生み出した若き天才ボカロPとは…？" [Kanaria – Who is the young genius Vocaloid who created the great song "KING"...?]. Cal-cha (カルチャ) (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2024. 破茶滅茶な言葉の羅列でありながら、気持ちのいい韻が踏まれた歌詞がクセになるダークソングです。
  5. ^ a b "【ビルボード 2021年上半期UGC Songs】Kanaria「KING」が通算16回の首位で上半期制す、2位はAdo「うっせぇわ」がチャートイン". Billboard Japan. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  6. ^ Murakami, Rena (7 April 2021). "Ado「うっせぇわ」ヒットは必然だった？ ボカロシーン流行の変遷を整理" [Was Ado's "Usseewa" hit inevitable? Sorting out the change of the Vocaloid scene trends]. Real Sound (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2024. [...]「KING」はGUMIの愛らしい声色で歌われるが、歌詞は裏腹に王の処刑を思わせるものだ。
  7. ^ "「KING」歌詞の意味は王を処刑する物語？Kanariaが作り出す世界観に浸る" [Do the lyrics of "KING" tell a story about executing a king? Immerse yourself in the worldview created by Kanaria]. UtaTen (in Japanese). 24 February 2021. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2024. フランス革命が進む中、当時フランス国王だったルイ16世はその責任を問われ2度軟禁されています。 ここが歌詞の「幽閉」と繋がりますね。[...] 死刑執行を待つ罪人とは国王のことなのです。 [As the French Revolution progressed, Louis XVI, then King of France, was blamed for it and placed under house arrest twice. That's what "imprisonment" in the lyrics refers to. [...] the prisoner awaiting execution is supposedly the king.]
  8. ^ a b c "Kanaria | Artist". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 7 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  9. ^ Takahashi, Manabu (31 August 2022). "【8月31日は初音ミク誕生日】「最も歌われたボカロ曲」ランキングTOP10！ 1位は「ヴァンパイア（DECO*27）」【2021年版】（1/5）". ねとらぼ調査隊 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  10. ^ "KING | Kanaria". Oricon News. Archived from the original on 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Kanaria.code | Kanaria". Oricon News. Archived from the original on 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
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