Northern Lights (Megumi Hayashibara song)

"Northern Lights"
Single by Megumi Hayashibara
from the album Center Color
LanguageJapanese
B-side"Omokage"
ReleasedMarch 27, 2002 (2002-03-27)
Genre
Length3:31
LabelStarchild
ComposerGo Takahashi
LyricistMegumi
ProducerGo Takahashi
Megumi Hayashibara singles chronology
"Brave Heart"
(2001) 		"Northern Lights"
(2002) 		"Treat or Goblins"
(2002)
Audio
"Northern Lights" on YouTube

"Northern Lights" is a song by Japanese voice actress and recording artist Megumi Hayashibara. Written by Go Takahashi with lyrics penned by Hayashibara,[a] the song served as the second opening theme for the television anime series Shaman King,[1][2] and was released as a single on March 27, 2002, via Starchild.[3] For the single release, the song was coupled with "Omokage", which was used as the second ending theme for the same series.[2]

Background and release

"Northern Lights" is the second opening theme performed by Hayashibara for the Shaman King anime series, following "Over Soul."[b] The song is characterized for featuring stronger rock influence compared to "Over Soul," with Hayashibara's vocal delivery characterized by greater intensity and power, reflecting the protagonists' growth and development throughout the story.[4]

The full-length version of the song had its first album appearance on the Shaman King album Osorezan Revoir: Prologue to Shaman, released on October 23, 2002.[5] This album also included a previously unreleased ballad version of the song. Both versions were subsequently also included on Hayashibara's studio album Center Color released on January 7, 2004.[6]

The single was made available for streaming on March 30, 2021, along with the entire Megumi Hayashibara discography.[7]

Commercial performance

The single debuted and peaked at number 3 on the Oricon charts,[8] selling 44,660 copies on its first week.[9] It charted for nine weeks, with cumulative reported sales totaling 93,080 copies.[9] It remains Hayashibara's highest-charting single to date, and at the time of its release it also set the record for the highest charting position ever attained by a single from a voice actor in Oricon history, a benchmark it held until surpassed by Nana Mizuki's "Phantom Minds" in 2010.[10]

The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan in October 2003.[11] In August 2019, it received an additional gold certification by the RIAJ for digital downloads of the title track.[12]

Impact and legacy

Upon its release, "Northern Lights" amassed considerable popularity and went on to be considered one of the foundational tracks of 2000s anime songs.[4] In 2016, the song was voted by 10,000 anime fans as the seventeenth best anime song of the 2000s by a female vocalist, via the anime analytics website Charapedia.[13][14] The song is also a widely popular karaoke song in Japan, being ranked 17th on the Top 100 most performed tracks by voice actors in 2023 by Japanese karaoke provider DAM.[15]

Cover versions

Masami Okui recorded her own version of "Northern Lights" on her 2003 cover album Masami Kobushi.[16] In 2020, voice actress unit Afterglow recorded a cover of the song for the game BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!;[17] the track was subsequently included on the group's 2023 album Stay Glow.[18]

On August 29, 2010, female vocalists Ayane and Faylan performed the song live at the Animelo Summer Live 2010 concert held at the Saitama Super Arena.[19]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Megumi; all music is composed by Go Takahashi.

CD single/digital release track listing[20]
No.TitleLength
1."Northern Lights"3:13
2."Omokage" (おもかげ, lit. 'Vestige')4:12
3."Northern Lights" (off vocal version)3:13
4."Omokage" (off vocal version)4:11

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the CD single.[21]

  • Megumi Hayashibara - vocals, lyrics, chorus
  • Go Takahashi - songwriting, arrangements, keyboards, chorus, recording producer
  • Eiichi Ishikawa - drums
  • Yoshiro Kanamori - bass
  • Takahiro Shuto - guitar
  • Fumio Nishiyama - guitar
  • Yasuharu Nakanishi - piano
  • Shigehiko Saito - synthesizer, manipulator
  • Satoshi Iwase - synthesizer, manipulator
  • Gen Ittetsu Strings - strings
  • Keiji Kondo - mixing
  • Shinpei Yamada - recording engineer
  • Hiroyuki Tsuji - recording engineer
  • Akira Ando - mastering engineer
  • Toshimichi Otsuki - executive producer

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ)[22] Gold 100,000^
Digital downloads
Japan (RIAJ)[23] Gold 100,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ^ Under the alias "Megumi" stylized in all caps.
  2. ^ It is the third single by Hayashibara associated with the Shaman King anime series, following "Over Soul" and "Brave Heart."

References

  1. ^ "Staff & Cast". Shaman King Official Website (in Japanese). King Records. Archived from the original on 9 June 2008. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b "Shaman King (TV 2001)". Anime News Network. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  3. ^ "林原めぐみ / Northern lights". CD Journal (in Japanese). 2002. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  4. ^ a b "平成の人気漫画・シャーマンキングの魅力とは？". UtaTen (in Japanese). 17 July 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  5. ^ "「シャーマンキング」ドラマ&キャラクターソングアルバム 恐山ル・ヴォワール～prologue to shaman～ / 林原めぐみ [廃盤]". CD Journal (in Japanese). 2002. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  6. ^ "林原めぐみ / center color [CD+DVD] [廃盤]". CD Journal (in Japanese). 2004. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  7. ^ "【林原めぐみ】全シングル41枚＆全オリジナルアルバム14枚がサブスクにて一挙配信開始！". EnterJam (in Japanese). 30 March 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  8. ^ a b "Northern lights | 林原めぐみ". Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  9. ^ a b c "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」" [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Taiju']. Oricon. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  10. ^ "紅白初出場の水樹奈々、デビュー10年目で声優史上初のシングル首位「感謝の気持ちでいっぱい」". Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. 19 January 2010. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  11. ^ "一般社団法人 日本レコード協会" (To access, enter the search parameter "Northern lights" in the field "作品名"). www.riaj.or.jp. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  12. ^ "ダウンロード認定検索" (To access, enter the search parameter "Northern lights" in the field "作品名). www.riaj.or.jp. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
  13. ^ Sherman, Jennifer (22 October 2016). "Fans Rank Top 2000s Anime Songs With Female Vocalists". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  14. ^ "アニオタが選ぶ『一番好きな00年代の女性Voアニソン』TOP20! 3位：鳥の詩、2位：エタブレ １位は…". Nijipoi (in Japanese). 21 October 2016. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  15. ^ "最もカラオケで歌われた声優ソングは!?「DAM声優ソングランキングTOP100」に松本梨香さん、坂本真綾さん、水樹奈々さん、寺島拓篤さん、宮野真守さんら人気声優のアニソンがランクイン！". Animate Times (in Japanese). 17 April 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  16. ^ "奥井雅美 / マサミコブシ～アニメソング カバーアルバム [限定][廃盤]". CD Journal (in Japanese). 2003. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  17. ^ "新情報満載の『ガルパ』生放送まとめ。年末年始キャンペーン、Afterglowなど3バンドのアルバム情報、新曲のヒントなど". Dengeki Online (in Japanese). 18 December 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  18. ^ "「BanG Dream!」～STAY GLOW / Afterglow [2CD]". CD Journal (in Japanese). 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  19. ^ "ヒット曲目白押しの「Animelo Summer Live 2010 -evolution-」 - 3年連続の2days公演達成". MyNavi News (in Japanese). 1 September 2010. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  20. ^ "Northern Lights - EP by Megumi Hayashibara". Apple Music (in Japanese). 2002. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  21. ^ Hayashibara, Megumi (2002). Northern Lights (CD single). Starchild. King Records Co., Ltd. KICM-3027.
  22. ^ "Japanese single certifications – Megumi Hayashibara – Northern Lights" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2026-03-19. Select 2003年10月 on the drop-down menu
  23. ^ "Japanese digital single certifications – Megumi Hayashibara – Northern Lights" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2026-03-19. Select 2019年8月 on the drop-down menu
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