Evergreen (Hitomi Takahashi song)

"evergreen" is Hitomi Takahashi's 2nd single under the Sony Records (gr8! records) label. The single was released on August 10, 2005, in one format. This is the second retail single to be released from her first album sympathy.

Overview
"evergreen" is the second single released by Japanese singer, Hitomi Takahashi. The a-side song was used as the first theme song for the Japanese TV drama New Kids War. Though this single did not sell as well as her 1st, it still managed to appear in the Top 30 on the Japanese Oricon Charts and overall almost sold 30,000 copies. "evergreen" is currently her third best selling single in terms of sales.

The title song is a ballad, in which Hitomi sings about how the world changes, but memories will always stay the same. A guitar is used throughout the song, and a piano can also be heard playing during the song. In addition, unlike her previous a-side, the lyrics for "evergreen" were partially penned by Hitomi herself. In contrast, the b-side song, "Bōkensha", is a fast-paced, pop-rock song, which, though it has never appeared on an album, is frequently used during her lives.

Sample of the translated lyrics:
 * The wet tracks in the twilight
 * That summer we walked hand in hand is still within me even now
 * I'll never, never forget
 * The countless stories you gave me will cross time and we...
 * Will surely meet again; believe in a miracle...

Music video
The music video for "evergreen" was directed by AT, and was filmed somewhere in Hokkaido. The PV starts with Hitomi walking through a field, the camera only showing her legs. Once the song starts, the first verse and chorus of the PV features a close-up of Hitomi singing with a sunset background behind her. As the PV progresses to the instrumental, another scene emerges with Hitomi in a field with hills in the background. When the instrumental ends, the PV switches between the two scenes. The ending of the PV features two birds flying off into the sky. Also, so far there is no full-length version of the PV.

Track listing
Lyrics by Hitomi Takahashi & Hidenori Tanaka Music by Hidenori Tanaka Arrangement by Tomoji Sogawa Lyrics by Hitomi Takahashi & mavie Music by Hyoei Yasuhara Arrangement by Hyoei Yasuhara
 * 1) "evergreen" - 5:19
 * 1) "Bōkensha (冒険者)" - 4:11
 * 1) "evergreen -Instrumental-" - 5:19
 * 2) "冒険者 -Instrumental- " - 4:11

Personnel

 * Hitomi Takahashi - vocals, chorus
 * Yoshihiko Chino - guitars
 * Tomoji Sogawa - keyboards & apf & programming
 * Naoya Emi - bass
 * Masuke Nozaki - drums
 * Takamichi Tsugei - guitars
 * Rei Shimizu - bass
 * Hyoei Yasuhara - keyboards & programming

Production

 * Producer - Kazuma Jo
 * Directors - Kazuma Jo, Taku Sugawara
 * Mixing - Eiichi Nishizawa (Studio Rine)
 * Music Video Director - AT (Hinx Minx)

Performances

 * August 19, 2005 - Music Fighter
 * August 20, 2005 - CDTV
 * August 28, 2005 - Bokura no Ongaku♪LIVE
 * October 29, 2005 - MUSIC FAIR 21
 * April 15, 2007 - Sakura · Sakura · SAKURA!

Charts
Oricon Sales Chart (Japan)