Kawa no Nagare no Yō ni
| "Kawa no Nagare no yō ni (川の流れのように)" | |
|---|---|
 Single cover | |
| Single by Hibari Misora | |
| Language | Japanese |
| Released | January 11, 1989 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 4:54 |
| Label | Nippon Columbia |
| Songwriter(s) | Yasushi Akimoto |
| Composer(s) | Akira Mitake |
| Audio | |
| Kawa no Nagare no yō ni "川の流れのように" on YouTube | |
"Kawa no Nagare no Yō ni" (川の流れのように; "Like the Flow of the River") is song recorded by Japanese enka singer Hibari Misora, released on January 11, 1989.[1] It was the last single that Misora released as she died soon after its release in June 1989. It was composed by Akira Mitake, with lyrics by Yasushi Akimoto.[2]
Regarded as one of the most influential songs in Japan, "Kawa no Nagare no Yō ni" was voted the greatest Japanese song of all time during a national poll in 1997 by NHK,[3] with more than 10 million votes.
Reception
[edit]The single charted at 8th place for more than a year[4] and sold 225,000 copies in Japan.[5] It is often the song of choice for artists performing live tributes to Misora.
Covers
[edit]It is also covered by various singers, including Teresa Teng, The Three Tenors, Masami Okui[6] and Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán.[3][7][8]
Legacy
[edit]"Kawa no Nagare no Yō ni" inspired the Kawa model used in occupational therapy.[9] In 2023, the Korea Federation of Copyright Societies inducted the song into the Korea World Music Culture Hall of Fame.[10]
Charts
[edit]Weekly charts
[edit]| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japan Singles (Oricon)[4] | 8 |
Year-end charts
[edit]| Chart (1989) | Position |
|---|---|
| Japan Singles (Oricon)[5][11] | 35 |
| Chart (1990) | Position |
|---|---|
| Japan Singles (Oricon)[12] | 78 |
References
[edit]- ^ "川の流れのように – 美空ひばり". Oricon. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
川の流れのように – 美空ひばり – 最高順位 – 8位 – 登場回数 – 63週 – 発売日 – 1989年01月01日
- ^ "川の流れのようにの歌詞 – 美空ひばり". Oricon. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
作詞 – 秋元康 – 作曲 – 見岳章
- ^ a b Matthew Hernon (February 7, 2022). "Spotlight: Hibari Misora — The Queen of Enka". Tokyo Weekender. Archived from the original on November 24, 2023.
...Eight years after her death, it was voted the greatest Japanese song of all time in a national poll by NHK. In 1996, The Three Tenors delighted fans when they performed the track at their concert in Tokyo. The song has been covered by several other well-known artists, including "Asia's eternal queen of pop" Teresa Teng.
- ^ a b "美空ひばりのシングル売上TOP12作品" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
川の流れのように – 発売日 – 1989年01月11日 – 最高順位 – 8位 – 登場回数 – 63週
- ^ a b "1989年の年間シングル売上ランキング(日本国内)". Archived from the original on June 24, 2016.
35位 – 川の流れのように – 美空ひばり – 22.5万
- ^ https://fwshop.thebase.in/items/81394195
- ^ "スーパーセレクション – テレサ・テン". Oricon. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
12. 川の流れのように – 最高順位 – 13位 – 登場回数 – 15週 – 発売日 – 1995年06月07日
- ^ "May 9 – 29: Music and Movies – Santa Clara County Library District". Santa Clara County Library District. May 9, 2022. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023.
...Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan performed Kawa no nagare no yō ni in Japan in the song's original language. They also recorded a version of it in Spanish and Japanese...
- ^ Iwama, Michael (January 27, 2014). Dr Michael Iwama shares insights into the Kawa Model for ETOS (Osnabruck, Germany) (Television production). YouTube. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
- ^ Park, Tae-hae (December 5, 2023). "한국저작권단체연합회, 제2차 헌액 INDUCTION 아티스트 발표" [Korea Copyright Association Announces 2nd INDUCTION Artists]. Segye Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved June 13, 2025.
- ^ "1989年間シングルヒット曲". Archived from the original on March 14, 2023.
35 – 川の流れのように – 美空ひばり – 1989/01/11
- ^ "1990年間シングルヒット曲". Archived from the original on March 14, 2023.
78 – 川の流れのように – 美空ひばり – 1989/01/11
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