Softly (Tatsuro Yamashita album)

Softly is the fourteenth studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Tatsuro Yamashita, released on June 22, 2022. It has been certified platinum by RIAJ in July 2022, for sales of over 250,000 copies.

Softly
Studio album by Tatsuro Yamashita
Released	June 22, 2022
Length	64:12
Label	Warner/Moon
Producer	Tatsuro Yamashita
Tatsuro Yamashita chronology
Artisan (30th Anniversary Edition) (2021) Softly (2022)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Pitchfork	7.4/10[1]

Overview

Softly was Yamashita's first new studio album in 11 years since Ray of Hope in August 2011. In addition to single songs such as "Hikari to Kimi e no Requiem", "Cheer Up! The Summer", "Reborn", "Mirai no Theme", and "Recipe", the album contains 15 songs including "Lehua, My Love" and "Shining from the Inside", which were previously used as CM songs. All the songs that have already been released will have new mixes.^[2] The title "Softly" expresses Tatsuro Yamashita's earnest desire to gently and softly wrap up this turbulent era with music.^[3]

On April 1, 2022, a special site^[4] and an announcement trailer video was made on YouTube.^[5]

Artwork

The jacket uses a portrait of Yamashita drawn by Mari Yamazaki, a manga artist known for Thermae Romae. Yamazaki had studied painting in Italy, majoring in oil painting and art history, and had always dreamt of painting a portrait.^[6]

Track listing

Standard edition

CD and cassette track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Phoenix" (フェニックス; 2021 version)			1:01
2.	"Love's on Fire"			4:09
3.	"Mirai no Theme" (ミライのテーマ)			4:18
4.	"Recipe" (レシピ)			3:38
5.	"Cheer Up! The Summer"			4:18
6.	"Jinriki Hikoki" (人力飛行機; Human Powered Aircraft)			4:20
7.	"Uta no Kisha" (うたのきしゃ)			5:50
8.	"Shining from the Inside"	Nana Hatori	Tatsuro Yamashita	3:29
9.	"Lehua, My Love"			5:12
10.	"Oppression Blues" (弾圧のブルース)			3:58
11.	"Composition" (コンポジション)			5:13
12.	"You" (ユー)			4:34
13.	"Angel of the Light"	Alan O'Day	Tatsuro Yamashita	4:15
14.	"Hikari to Kimi e no Requiem" (光と君へのレクイエム)			3:46
15.	"Reborn" (リボーン)			6:03
Total length:				64:12

All lyrics are written by Tatsuro Yamashita, except where noted; all music is composed by Tatsuro Yamashita

Limited edition bonus disc

CD (bonus tracks): The Latest Acoustic Live: Recorded Live, 2021/12/03 at Tokyo FM Hall, Tokyo

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Tānā no Kikansha" (ターナーの汽罐車)			5:47
2.	"Pocket Music" (ポケット・ミュージック)			5:52
3.	"Amaku Kiken na Kaori" (あまく危険な香り)			4:34
4.	"Paper Doll"			6:22
5.	"Parade" (パレード)			4:17
6.	"Bella Note"	Sonny Burke, Peggy Lee	Sonny Burke, Peggy Lee	3:22
7.	"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"	Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane	Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane	2:52
Total length:				33:06

All lyrics are written by Tatsuro Yamashita, except where noted; all music is composed by Tatsuro Yamashita, except where noted

LP edition

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Phoenix" (フェニックス; 2021 version)
2.	"Love's on Fire"
3.	"Mirai no Theme" (ミライのテーマ)
4.	"Recipe" (レシピ)

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Cheer Up! The Summer"
2.	"Jinriki Hikoki" (人力飛行機; Human Powered Aircraft)
3.	"Uta no Kisha" (うたのきしゃ)

Side C

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Shining from the Inside"
2.	"Lehua, My Love"
3.	"Oppression Blues" (弾圧のブルース)
4.	"Composition" (コンポジション)

Side D

No.	Title	Length
1.	"You" (ユー)
2.	"Angel of the Light"
3.	"Hikari to Kimi e no Requiem" (光と君へのレクイエム)
4.	"Reborn" (リボーン)

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Softly Chart (2022) Peak position Japanese Albums (Oricon)[7] 1 Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon)[8] 1 Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[9] 2

Monthly charts Monthly chart performance for Softly Chart (2022) Peak position Japanese Albums (Oricon)[10] 4 Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for Softly Chart (2022) Position Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[11] 19

Release history

Release history and formats for Softly

Country	Date	Label	Format	Catalog number[12]
Japan	June 22, 2022	Warner/Moon	CD	WPCL-13361
			2×CD	WPCL-13359/60 [Limited edition]
			2×LP	WPJL-10155/6
			CT	WPTL-10004

References

1. Kim, Joshua Minsoo (July 14, 2022). "Tatsuro Yamashita: Softly Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
2. "山下達郎が11年ぶりオリジナルアルバム発売「音楽シーンの中で私に出来ることを再確認」". MusicNatalie (in Japanese). April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
3. "山下達郎、11年ぶりのオリジナル・アルバム『SOFTLY』を6月発売". amass. April 4, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
4. "Tatsuro Yamashita Softly Website". April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
5. "山下達郎「SOFTLY」Trailer". YouTube (in Japanese). April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
6. "山下達郎ニューアルバム「SOFTLY」ジャケットはヤマザキマリが力の限り描いた肖像画". MusicNatalie. May 8, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
7. "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2022-07-04" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
8. "Oricon Top 50 Combined Albums: 2022-07-04" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
9. "Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2022/06/29 公開". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved June 29, 2022.
10. "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2022-06". Oricon. Archived from the original on July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
11. "Billboard Japan Hot Albums Year-End 2022". Billboard Japan. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
12. "SOFTLY". WMG JAPAN (in Japanese). Retrieved April 3, 2022.