Story (Ai song)

"Story" is a song written and recorded by Japanese-American singer-songwriter Ai. It was released on May 18, 2005, by Island Records and Universal Sigma.^[1] The song served as the second single from Ai's fourth studio album, Mic-a-holic Ai.

"Story"
Single by Ai
from the album Mic-a-holic Ai
Language	Japanese
B-side	"Passion"
Released	May 18, 2005 (2005-05-18)
Genre	R&B J-pop
Length	4:49
Label	Island Universal Sigma
Songwriter(s)	Ai Uemura
Producer(s)	2Soul
Ai singles chronology
"Crayon Beats" (2005) "Story" (2005) "Believe" (2006)
Music video
"Story" on YouTube

Produced by 2Soul, "Story" became one of the biggest singles of the 2000s in Japan, peaking at number 8 on the Japanese Oricon singles chart, and was the sixth single in history to receive a triple million digital certification by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).^[2]

Background and release

Ai previously released "365", the lead single for her then-upcoming fourth studio album. The song was used for a commercial tie-up in 2005.^[3]

"Story" was announced and released in May 2005.^[4]

Composition and lyrics

"Story" is a R&B ballad song. Lyrically, the song is about relationships with a significant other.^[4]

Commercial performance

Upon its release, "Story" became a sleeper hit, charting for 20 weeks in the top 30 in 2005 and 2006, however went on to sell over three million ringtones, one million cellphone downloads, and 270,000 physical copies.^[5][6][7] The single charted for 72 weeks total on the Oricon singles chart.^[8] In 2009, the song debuted at number 24 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 with the reborn version included on Ai's greatest hits album, Best Ai. It later peaked at number 7 in its third week on the chart.^[9]

Live performances

Since the release of "Story" in 2005, Ai has performed the song multiple times live. Ai performed "Story" at the 56th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen music competition on December 31, 2005, her first appearance on the program. In 2008, she performed the song at the El Rey Theatre, which marked her debut live performance in the United States.^[10] In 2009, she performed the song at the 3rd Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

Charts

Weekly charts

2005 chart performance for "Story"

Chart (2005)	Peak position
Japan Singles Chart (Oricon)^[8]	8
Sound Scan Japan^[11]	4

2009 chart performance for "Story"

Chart (2009)	Peak position
Japan Hot 100 (Billboard Japan)^[9]	7

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Story"

Chart (2005)	Peak position
Japan Annual (Oricon)^[8]	43

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Story"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)^[12] Single track	2× Million	2,000,000^*
Japan (RIAJ)^[13] Full-length ringtone	Million	1,000,000^*
Japan (RIAJ)^[14] PC download	Platinum	250,000^*
Japan (RIAJ)^[15] Streaming	Gold	50,000,000^†
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

"Story" has been covered by many Japanese artists on albums and live performances. Most notable covers are Makato Ozone's, Ms. Ooja's and May J.'s.^[16][17]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ai Uemura and produced by 2Soul

Story – Maxi single

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Story"	4:49
2.	"Passion"	3:44
3.	"Story" (Instrumental)	4:49
4.	"Passion" (Instrumental)	3:43
Total length:		17:05

Story (English Version)

"Story (English Version)"
Single by Ai
from the album Big Hero 6 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Released	October 21, 2014 (2014-10-21)
Recorded	2005
Genre	R&B
Length	4:50
Label	EMI Universal Walt Disney
Songwriter(s)	Ai Uemura
Producer(s)	2Soul
Ai singles chronology
"Dear Mama" (2013) "Story (English Version)" (2014) "Let It Be" (2014)
Music video
"Story (English Version)" on YouTube

On October 21, 2014, it was revealed that an unreleased English version of "Story" would be used in Disney's 2014 animated film, Big Hero 6 for the Japanese dub.^[18] The song was released digitally as a single from the film's soundtrack on October 22, 2014 by EMI Records and Walt Disney Music in Japan.^[19][20] Regarding the song being included in the movie, Ai commented, "I was very happy to have sung 'Story' instead of a new song. Even if we sometimes feel uneasy or lonely, people always connect with someone."^[21] The song was used in the closing credits for the Japanese release. For the single cover photo, Ai is pictured with her sister, Sachi Uemura.

Track listing

Digital download and streaming

1. "Story (English Version)" — 4:50

Music video

A music video was released on January 27, 2015. Throughout the video, photos of loved ones submitted by fans are shown in the video.^[22]

See also

• List of best-selling singles in Japan

References

1. "AI/Story". tower.jp. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
2. "AI: Japan's R&B princess - CNN.com". www.cnn.com. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
3. "AI（UNIVERSAL / JPN） - CDJournal". artist.cdjournal.com (in Japanese). Retrieved October 3, 2021.
4. "AI、『Mステ』で久々の生歌唱 なぜ「Story」は愛され続ける名曲となったのか？". Real Sound｜リアルサウンド (in Japanese). April 19, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
5. レコード協会調べ 2月度有料音楽配信認定 [Record Association Investigation: February Digital Music Download Certifications]. RIAJ (in Japanese). March 25, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
6. [Record Association Investigation: April Digital Music Download Certifications]. RIAJ (in Japanese). May 20, 2011. Archived from the original on September 15, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
7. "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree']. Oricon. Retrieved August 10, 2012. (subscription only)
8. "Story | AI". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
9. "Billboard Japan Hot 100 Chart | 2009/9/23". Billboard Japan.
10. "Ai's big American dreams". Los Angeles Times. February 19, 2008. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
11. "週間 CDソフト TOP20". www.phileweb.com. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
12. "Japanese digital single certifications – Ai – Story" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved March 27, 2022. Select 2017年6月 on the drop-down menu
13. "Japanese ringtone certifications – Ai – Story" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved March 27, 2022. Select 2011年4月 on the drop-down menu
14. "Japanese digital certifications – Ai – Story" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved March 27, 2022. Select 2008年12月 on the drop-down menu
15. "Japanese digital single streaming certifications – Ai – Story" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved May 4, 2022. Select 2022年02月 on the drop-down menu
16. "Ms.OOJAが宇多田、林檎、鬼束、Coccoらの名曲カバー". 音楽ナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved October 4, 2021.
17. "May J.カバー第2弾全曲決定、アンジェラ、槇原ら追加". 音楽ナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved October 4, 2021.
18. "AI「Story」英語版、新ディズニー映画彩る". 音楽ナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved October 3, 2021.
19. AIの「Story (English Version) - Single」 (in Japanese), October 22, 2014, retrieved October 4, 2021
20. Big Hero 6 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Japan Version), December 17, 2014, retrieved October 4, 2021
21. "AI「Story」×ベイマックスPV、ディズニーYouTubeで公開". 音楽ナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved October 4, 2021.
22. "AI、投稿写真で紡いだ「Story」英語版PV完成". 音楽ナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved October 4, 2021.