"Doki Doki Morning" (ド・キ・ド・キ☆モーニング, Doki Doki Mōningu, lit. "Heart-Pounding Morning", stylized as "Doki Doki ☆ Morning" and formerly "Do・Ki・Do・Ki ☆ Morning") is a song by the Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. The song was released in Japan as an independent DVD single on October 22, 2011, serving as the first single off the debut album Babymetal.

"Doki Doki ☆ Morning"
A white background with three girls in red and black clothes lying on the floor, the Babymetal logo on the top right, and the words "DO・KI・DO・KI ☆ MORNING / BABYMETAL" in black text along the bottom.
DVD and digital single cover. CD single has a black background.
Single by Babymetal
from the album Babymetal
Language
  • Japanese
  • English
ReleasedOctober 22, 2011 (2011-10-22)
RecordedOctober 30, 2010 (2010-10-30)
Genre
Length3:45
LabelJuonbu
Composer(s)
  • Norizo
  • Motonari Murakawa
Lyricist(s)Nakametal
Producer(s)
  • Kobametal
  • SOH (O! S-D) (arrangement)
  • Murakawa (arrangement)
Babymetal singles chronology
"Doki Doki ☆ Morning"
(2011)
"Babymetal / Kiba of Akiba"
(2012)
Music video
"Doki Doki ☆ Morning" on YouTube

Background and release edit

The song introduced all three members to heavy metal music; Nakamoto commenting how she had never heard such musical heaviness before, while Mizuno initially had more interest in dancing to the music rather than singing. During song production, the signature Kitsune hand gesture (similar to the sign of the horns) was formed.[1] Vocals for the song were recorded on October 30, 2010.[2] The song's first release was in the Sakura Gakuin album Sakura Gakuin 2010 Nendo: Message, released on April 27, 2011, as part of the Jūonbu ("heavy music club") sub-unit.[3][4]

The song was later announced as a limited-edition DVD single on October 12, 2011,[5] and later released also as a standard digital download available on October 22 and 23, 2011 for pre-sale at the Sakura Gakuin Festival 2011 held at Mt. Rainier Hall "Shibuya Pleasure Pleasure", and later sold in limited quantities on ASmart, Amazon, Tower Records Online, and Tower Records Shinjuku starting October 24.[6][7] The limited edition included a DVD with the "Doki Doki ☆ Morning" music video and a cut of the original video focusing on the choreography for live performances of the song, and a towel embossed with either the logo of the band or the label Juonbu Records.[8] The single was later released as a CD single on April 6, 2012, packaged with a T-shirt.[9]

The song was later released as a promotional single in the United Kingdom on December 13, 2015.[10]

Composition edit

The song has a "modern heaviness" sound in its music, with dark, atmospheric instrumentals that reverse into a catchier and brighter melody with lyrics such as "Rin rin rin! Ohayō, wake up" (Ring ring ring! Good morning, wake up).[11] Kikuchi noted how the tone of the song was directly opposite to Japanese kei-on music (light music); as a result, the band formed under the label Jūonbu (heavy music club) to signify the contrast. Nakamoto, whose vocals were recorded separately from those of Mizuno and Kikuchi, needed to speak quickly but clearly in the verses.[1]

Reception edit

The song managed to peak at number 80 on the Billboard Japan Top Independent Albums and Singles chart on the week dated November 7, 2011.[12]

Music video edit

Directed by Shimon Tanaka,[13] shooting for the video was completed by October 2011. According to Nakamoto, Tanaka had wanted to appear in the video, but found the choreography difficult to execute.[14] The video was released in an abridged form to the Toy's Factory YouTube channel on October 12, 2011,[15] with the full version posted on the official Babymetal channel over a year later, on November 8, 2012.[16]

Metal Injection ranked the music video at number nine on the list of "The Top 15 Metal Viral Videos of the Year" on December 8, 2011.[11][17]

Live performances edit

The song premiered at the Sakura Gakuin concert Sakura Gakuin Festival 2010 at the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse No. 1 on November 28, 2010.[18][19][20] Regarding the group's first performance of the song, Su-metal explained, "What I remember clearly was during the interlude […] we all pretend to fall to the ground...I was afraid that people would just laugh at us and it would be embarrassing, but their reaction made me feel happy and at that time I thought this is who Su-metal is, this is what Babymetal is."[21]

Track listings and formats edit

DVD single[8]

  1. "Doki Doki ☆ Morning" (music video) (ド・キ・ド・キ☆モーニング -Music Clip-) – 3:53
  2. "Doki Doki ☆ Morning" (Air Metal Dance ver.) – 4:04

Digital download[22]

  1. "Doki Doki ☆ Morning" (ド・キ・ド・キ☆モーニング) – 3:45

CD single[9]

  1. "Doki Doki ☆ Morning" (ド・キ・ド・キ☆モーニング) – 3:45
  2. "Doki Doki ☆ Morning" (Air Vocal ver.) – 3:48

UK promotional single[10]

  1. "Doki Doki ☆ Morning" (album version) – 3:44
  2. "Doki Doki ☆ Morning" (UK radio edit) – 3:32

Credits and personnel edit

Credits adapted from album liner notes of Sakura Gakuin 2010 Nendo: Message and Babymetal.[3][23]

  • Suzuka Nakamoto (SU-METAL) – vocals (lead)
  • Moa Kikuchi (MOAMETAL) – vocals (lead and background)
  • Yui Mizuno (YUIMETAL) – vocals (lead and background)
  • Millennium Japan (millennium-JAPAN) – producer
  • SOH (O! S-D) – guitar, arrangement
  • Norikazu Nakayama (ナカメタル) – lyrics, music
  • Norizo (のりぞー) – music
  • Motonari Murakawa (村カワ基成) – music, arrangement
  • Seiji Toda (S.O.L.I.D sound lab) (戸田清章) – recording and audio mixing
  • Yuji Nakamura (中村悠二) – assistant engineer

Charts edit

Chart (2011) Peak
position
Japan Top Independent Albums and Singles (Billboard)[12] 80

Cover versions edit

On March 4, 2012, the song was covered by fellow Sakura Gakuin members Marina Horiuchi, Ayaka Miyoshi, and Airi Matsui as a "Shuffle Unit" during the Sakura Gakuin concert Sakura Gakuin Hōkago Anthology at the Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall, where members of different sub-units would cover other sub-units' songs.[24] On December 8, 2013, Hana Taguchi, Saki Ooga, and Aiko Yamaide covered the song as another "Shuffle Unit" in the concert Sakura Gakuin 3rd Anniversary: Live at the Amuse Musical Theater.[25]

Kiba of Akiba covered the song on the joint single "Babymetal × Kiba of Akiba".[26]

Release history edit

Region Date Format Label
Japan October 22, 2011[8]
  • DVD
  • digital download
Juonbu Records
Worldwide November 2, 2011[22] Digital download Toy's Factory
Japan April 6, 2012[9] CD Juonbu Records
United Kingdom December 13, 2015[10] earMusic

References edit

  1. ^ a b "BABYMETAL全楽曲解説インタビュー" [Interview: BABYMETAL Explains All the Songs]. Hedoban (in Japanese) (1). Shinko Music Entertainment: 64–65. 2013-07-04.
  2. ^ Sakura Gakuin (2012). さくら学院 FIRST LIVE & DOCUMENTARY 2010 to 2011~SMILE~ [Sakura Gakuin First Live & Documentary 2010 to 2011: Smile] (DVD) (in Japanese). Amuse. Event occurs at 14:07 (Disc 2).
  3. ^ a b Sakura Gakuin 2010 Nendo: Message (CD liner notes). Sakura Gakuin. Toy's Factory. 2010. p. 26.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ "BABYMETAL、テビュー曲のミュージック・クリップとタオルがセットに". Tower Records Online (in Japanese). Tower Records Japan Inc. 2011-10-12. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
  5. ^ "重音部 BABYMETAL リリース情報". さくら学院 (in Japanese). 2011-10-12. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  6. ^ "さくら学院 – 音楽室 – ド・キ・ド・キ☆モーニング" [Sakura Gakuin – Discography – Doki Doki Morning] (in Japanese). Amuse, Inc. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
  7. ^ "重音部 BABYMETAL リリース情報" (in Japanese). Sakura Gakuin. Retrieved 2015-08-05.
  8. ^ a b c "Babymetal discography" (in Japanese). Babymetal official website. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-05-31.
  9. ^ a b c "4月6日(金)タワーレコード渋谷店B1F STAGE ONE 「15分一本勝負!!〜見えづらっくってゴメンなさい!!〜」グッズ/CD即売会のお知らせ". BABYMETAL (in Japanese). Amuse, Inc. 2012-03-30. Archived from the original on 2017-09-17. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
  10. ^ a b c "BABYMETAL ANNOUNCE BRAND NEW STUDIO ALBUM – OUT APRIL 1ST 2016". earMusic. 2015-12-13. Archived from the original on 2018-01-21. Retrieved 2016-06-19.
  11. ^ a b "12〜13歳女の子の「ヘビメタアイドル」「さくら学院 BABYMETAL」に世界が大注目". J-Cast News (in Japanese). J-Cast, Inc. 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  12. ^ a b "Billboard Japan Top Independent Albums and Singles│Charts│Billboard JAPAN (2011/11/07 付け)". Billboard Japan. Retrieved 2015-02-06.
  13. ^ "田中紫紋". Qreators (in Japanese). Qreator Agent Inc. Archived from the original on 2019-12-05. Retrieved 2015-08-05.
  14. ^ Nakamoto, Suzuka (2011-10-02). "ド・キ・ド・キ☆のご報告". さくら学院オフィシャルブログ「学院日誌」Powered by Ameba (in Japanese). CyberAgent. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  15. ^ "BABYMETAL – ド・キ・ド・キ☆モーニング[ Doki Doki☆Morning ](Edit ver.)" (in Japanese). Toy's Factory (YouTube). 2011-10-12. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  16. ^ "BABYMETAL – ド・キ・ド・キ☆モーニング – Doki Doki☆Morning (OFFICIAL)". BABYMETAL(YouTube). 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  17. ^ "The Top 15 Metal Viral Videos of the Year – Metal Injection". Metal Injection. Metal Injection Llc. 2011-12-08. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
  18. ^ "さくら学院、初単独イベント<さくら学院祭☆2010>が大成功!". CDJournal. 株式会社音楽出版社. 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  19. ^ 斉藤貴志 (2010-12-08). "さくら学院『かけがえのない青春が炸裂した!! 1日限りの学院祭』". ORICON STYLE. オリコン株式会社. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  20. ^ "さくら学院『かけがえのない青春が炸裂した!! 1日限りの学院祭』". ORICON STYLE (in Japanese). 2010-12-08. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
  21. ^ "Babymetal Talk Their First Performance Ever, Meeting the Fox God: Watch – Fuse". Fuse. 2016-05-29. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  22. ^ a b "BABYMETAL「ド・キ・ド・キ☆モーニング – Single」を iTunes で". iTunes (in Japanese). Apple. 24 October 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  23. ^ Babymetal (limited edition) (CD liner notes). Babymetal. BMD Fox. 2014. p. 15.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ^ 伊藤緑 (2012-04-04). "さくら学院、3名が卒業、新たなるスタート". Barks (in Japanese). Japan Music Network. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  25. ^ "さくら学院3周年ライブで卒業生・武藤彩未サプライズ登場". Natalie (in Japanese). 株式会社ナターシャ. 2013-12-11. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  26. ^ MAY-E (2012-03-06). "アイドルとヲタクがメタル・フィールドでガチンコ・バトル!? 攻めに攻めまくった衝撃スプリットCDが完成!". 激ロック (in Japanese). 激ロックエンタテインメント株式会社. Retrieved 2016-01-11.

External links edit