Ongaku Cafe (The 2000s): AKB48 - Aitakatta (Regular Edition) (October 2006)

A catchy and addictive third CD single from idol pop group AKB48, “Aitakatta” is a single worth checking out if you enjoy idol pop music!

GROUP: AKB48

CD SINGLE: 会いたかった (Regular Edition)/ Aitakatta (Regular Edition)

LABEL: DefSTAR RECORDS

CATALOG #: DFCL-1308

DURATION: 16:59

RELEASE DATE: October 25, 2006

会いたかった
だけど…
会いたかった (Instrumental)
だけど… (Instrumental)

Reviewed back in October 2006

After AKB48’s “Skirt no Hirari” CD single, the idol group has returned with a catchy 3rd single titled “Aitakatta” (which translates to “I Wanted to Meet You”).

The single debuted at #12 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and is their best selling single of the three so far with 53,934 singles sold.

On release day, there were two versions of “Aitakatta” sold. The Limited Edition comes with a DVD with two videos, a trading card and an application for an invitation to the group’s “Special Christmas Party 2006” limited to 200 people, an AKB48 Theater 2006 event limited to 100 people or a private movie of 20 of the AKB48 senbatsu members recorded on DVD.

The second version is the regular edition which is a CD-only release and that is the version I will be reviewing. The single features a bi-fold with the 20 senbatsu members on the front cover and 16 non-senbatsu members seen from the distance. The other side features the lyrics to the two songs.

The first track “Aitakatta” is an addictive track. I enjoyed “Skirt no Hirari” but this song has more of a unified sound with all members contributing to the overall soundtrack. The song is about a girl riding her bike on a hill and thinking about how she realized her true feelings about someone. And she wants to know if it’s love, then say it’s love. From your chest, just say it. And so she intends to tell the person how she feels with no regrets.

The second track is “Dakedo…” (which translates to “However”). The song is a slow ballad featuring all Team A and Team K members. The musical arrangement actually reminded me of late ’80s J-Pop and at first I was wondering if Yasushi Akimoto was covering a classic Onyanko Club track. But the song is similar to “Aitakatta” with a girl wanting to confess her feelings to someone. But in this case, she didn’t have the courage to tell the person she likes, her true feelings. And even though her heart is screaming of how she feels, she couldn’t say it and she feels badly that she couldn’t do it.

The remaining two tracks are the instrumental songs for “Aitakatta” and “Dakedo…”.

Overall, I have to say that I enjoyed “Aitakatta” a lot! I have seen the music video for the song on YouTube and I absolutely love the playfulness of the group and how the song utilizes a lot of the members in the performance.

Also, I like it when the other senbatsu members get some facetime. And in the case of “Aitakatta”, a lot of members get to take part in the overall vocals. As mentioned, this song is more unified for AKB48 and everyone lending their voice to the song. I dig that! The coupling track was OK, I doubt I would listen to it a whole lot but for the most part, it’s OK.

A catchy and addictive third CD single from idol pop group AKB48, “Aitakatta” is a single worth checking out if you enjoy idol pop music!