Yasashii Kimochi

"Yasashii Kimochi" (やさしい気持ち, Kind Feelings) is a song by Chara, released as the first single from her 1997 album Junior Sweet.^[1] The song was used in a Shiseido commercial for their 'Tessera J' range. The B-side of this single, Junior Sweet, was also used in these commercials.

"Yasashii Kimochi"
Single by Chara
from the album Junior Sweet
B-side	"Junior Sweet"
Released	April 23, 1997 (1997-04-23)
Genre	Trip hop, alternative pop
Length	3:29
Label	Sony Music Japan
Songwriter(s)	Chara
Producer(s)	Zentarō Watanabe
Chara singles chronology
"Chara no Boogie Shoes with The 99 1/2" (1996) "Yasashii Kimochi" (1997) "Time Machine" (1997)

The song debuted at #10 on Oricon charts.^[2] Four weeks later, it reached its peak of #7.^[3] It stayed on the charts for 16 weeks,^[4] eventually selling approximately 520,000 copies.^[5]

When the Junior Sweet was released, the song featured as a different version with a drawn-out introduction, labelled the Shiawase Version (しあわせ・ヴァージョン, Happy Version).

In 2009, the pop/hiphop duo Halcali heavily sampled Yasashii Kimochi in their single Re:Yasashii Kimochi^[6] The new lyrics written by Halcali and their producer Pal@pop,^[7] act as an 'answer song' to the original lyrics.

Music video

Chara in the music video.

The music video was shot by directorial pair Blaine & Justin.^[8] It centres around three differently dressed Charas. One is a white haired 'mannequin' who bangs a drum, one is a regularly dressed one who rides a merry-go-round, and the other is a dark-haired official who operates the ride. The video ends with the white haired Chara lit in blue with green antlers behind her.

As of August 24, 2019 the music video for Yasashii Kimochi has been viewed more than 3,400,000 times on popular video-sharing website YouTube.^[9]

Track listing

Single

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Arranger	Length
1.	"Yasashii Kimochi (やさしい気持ち, Kind Feelings)"	Chara	Zentarō Watanabe	3:29
2.	"Junior Sweet"	Chara, Shinichi Osawa	Shinichi Osawa	6:27

Chart rankings

Oricon Charts (Japan)

Release	Chart	Peak Position	First Week Sales	Sales Total	Chart Run
April 23, 1997 (1997-04-23)	Oricon Daily Singles Chart
	Oricon Weekly Singles Chart	7	65,500	878,150	16 weeks
	Oricon Yearly Singles Chart	56

Cover versions

• Halcali (2009, single Re:Yasashii Kimochi) (heavily sampled)
• Marié Digby (2009, album Second Home)
• Noelle (2008, album Love Electro)
• Nao Toyama (2018, Tsuki ga Kirei, insert song)
• Rie Takahashi (2019, Teasing Master Takagi-san 2 ending theme)^[10]

References

1. ""Sony Music Online Japan : Chara : やさしい気持ち"". Retrieved 2009-11-14.
2. "1997年05月第1週のシングルランキング情報". Retrieved 2009-11-14.
3. "1997年05月第4週のシングルランキング情報". Retrieved 2009-11-14.
4. ""やさしい気持ち/Chara"". Retrieved 2009-11-14.
5. "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」". Oricon. Retrieved 2009-11-14. (subscription only)
6. ""Sony Music Online Japan : HALCALI : Re:やさしい気持ち"". Retrieved 2009-11-14.
7. ""JBOOK：Ｒｅ：やさしい気持ち：ＨＡＬＣＡＬＩ：CD"". Retrieved 2009-11-14.
8. ""Chara やさしい気持ち"". Retrieved 2009-11-14.
9. ""# やさしい気持ち - CHARA"". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2009-12-10.
10. "高木さん（CV：高橋李依）が歌うEDテーマ、"CHARA"の「やさしい気持ち」フルサイズの配信がスタート！". Takagi3.me (in Japanese). September 23, 2019. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.