"Only My Railgun" (stylized as "only my railgun") is a Japanese single by the pop and trance duo fripSide, which was released by Geneon Universal Entertainment on November 4, 2009.[1] It is used as the first opening theme music for J.C.Staff's anime television series A Certain Scientific Railgun.
| "Only My Railgun" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by fripSide | ||||
| Language | Japanese | |||
| B-side | "Late in Autumn" | |||
| Released | November 4, 2009 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 20:48 | |||
| Label | Geneon Universal | |||
| Composer(s) | Satoshi Yaginuma | |||
| Lyricist(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Jun Nishimura | |||
| fripSide singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| A Certain Scientific Railgun album chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background edit
"Only My Railgun" is the first single by fripSide to feature Yoshino Nanjō as its new lead vocalist since her joining in August 2009. Nanjō described it as having the "electric elements" of science and "fantastic elements" of magic, while Satoshi Yaginuma felt that it was a "difficult song" with a "fast pitch and high keys". He cited his fondness of Western hard rock music when composing the song to achieve a native singing speed and rhythm with two or three syllables in every note.[2] The tempo was revealed to have 130 beats per minute (BPM).[3] As for the coupling song "Late in Autumn", Nanjō felt that it was "bright" enough to make its lyrics "sadder", while Yaginuma described it as the "standard song for the new fripSide".[2]
Magician Shinji Maggy made an appearance in the "Only My Railgun" promotional video (PV).[4] The song was included in the 2020 smartphone game D4DJ Groovy Mix on April 4, 2022.[5]
Track listing edit
All music is composed by Satoshi Yaginuma
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Only My Railgun" |
| 4:17 |
| 2. | "Late in Autumn" |
| 6:09 |
| 3. | "Only My Railgun" (instrumental) | 4:16 | |
| 4. | "Late in Autumn" (instrumental) | 6:06 | |
| Total length: | 20:48 | ||
Limited edition edit
The single's limited edition is bundled with a DVD and was also released on November 4, 2009.[6]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Only My Railgun (PV)" | Yuki-ka | |
| 2. | "Making" | ||
| 3. | "Spot (In Stores Now ver.)" | ||
| 4. | "Spot (Special ver.)" |
Reception edit
Sale edit
"Only My Railgun" sold 26,000 copies in its first weekend since its release.[7] The song has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan for both physical and streaming department.[8]
Chart edit
| Year | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Japan Oricon Singles Chart (Oricon)[7] | 3 |
Accolade edit
In October 2010, "Only My Railgun" won the Radio Kansai Award at Animation Kobe Awards.[9]
Other versions edit
Machico did a cover version of "Only My Railgun" song, which became available on iTunes Store on December 10, 2014, as part of her second album COLORS II -RML- that was released in April 2015.[10]
"Only My Railgun" song received a new arrangement from fripSide, which is titled "Only My Railgun Version 2020" (stylized as "only my railgun -version2020-").[11] It was released by NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan on April 1, 2020.[12] The new song is included in fripSide's visual album "fripSide infinite video clips 2009–2020" that was released on Blu-ray on the same date.[11]
References edit
- ^ "fripSide／only my railgun". toaru-project.com/railgun (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 12, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- ^ a b 『とある科学の電磁砲』OPは南條愛乃さんを新ボーカルにむかえた“新生” fripSide！「only my railgun」発売直前インタビュー！ [New fripSide with Yoshino Nanjō as the new vocalist for the "A Certain Scientific Railgun" OP! Interview just before the release of "only my railgun"!]. Animate Times (in Japanese). November 2, 2009. Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ fripSide「only my railgun」から積み重ねた10年 南條愛乃と八木沼悟志が互いの変化を語る [10 years since fripSide's "only my railgun", Yoshino Nanjō and Satoshi Yaginuma talk about the changes in each other]. Real Sound (in Japanese). October 31, 2019. Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ 好きなアニメのオープニング1位は「only my railgun」、2位には「コネクト」 [My favorite anime opening is "only my railgun", followed by "connect" in second place]. Anime! Anime! (in Japanese). November 16, 2015. Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ 『グルミク』と電撃8作品がコラボ！『とある』や『ドクロちゃん』などのOP曲が実装 [Collaboration between Grumiku and 8 Dengeki works! OP songs from Toaru and Dokuro-chan are implemented]. Dengeki Online (in Japanese). March 27, 2022. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ only my railgun［CD+DVD］＜初回限定盤＞ [only my railgun [CD+DVD] <First Limited Edition>]. Tower Records Online (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 12, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- ^ a b Loo, Egan (November 10, 2009). "To Aru Kagaku no Railgun's Opening Theme Lands at #3". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 12, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
- ^ Certifications: JP (Phy) JP (St)
- ^ Loo, Egan (October 15, 2010). "Haruhi Film, K-ON!!, Miku Win Anime Kobe Awards". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ Machico新作に「only my railgun」カバーも [Machico's new work includes "only my railgun" cover]. Natalie (in Japanese). December 7, 2014. Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ a b Morrissy, Kim (March 29, 2020). "Iconic A Certain Scientific Railgun Theme Song 'Only My Railgun' Gets 2020 Version". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 12, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
- ^ "only my railgun -version2020-". mora (in Japanese). Sony Music Solutions. Archived from the original on October 12, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.