Kita Wing
is the seventh single by Japanese entertainer Akina Nakamori. Written by Chinfa Kan and Tetsuji Hayashi, the single was released on January 1, 1984, by Warner Pioneer through the Reprise label. It was also the lead single from her fifth studio album Anniversary.
Background
Nakamori approached songwriters Kan and Hayashi after listening to S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe's 1983 single "Summer Suspicion". During the songwriting process, proposed titles included and before Nakamori settled with "Kita Wing", which she revealed was influenced by Yumi Matsutoya's. "Kita Wing" refers to the North Wing of Narita International Airport's Terminal 1, with the lyrics referencing Japan Airlines Flight 401 flying to London Heathrow Airport via Ted Stevens [Anchorage International Airport|Anchorage].Nakamori, Kan, and Hayashi collaborated again on a sequel song titled, which was featured on Nakamori's sixth studio album Possibility.
Nakamori has re-recorded "Kita Wing" for the 2002 self-cover compilation Utahime Double Decade and the 2006 compilation Anniversary Selection">Anniversary (Akina Nakamori album)">Anniversary Selection. In 2010, she re-recorded the song for the pachinko machine. She re-recorded the song for the third time in 2023 as part of Tetsuji Hayashi's tribute album 50th Anniversary [Special A Tribute of Hayashi Tetsuji: Saudade] with the subtitle Classic. This marks the first time in six years since her hiatus that she released new music.
Chart performance
"Kita Wing" peaked at No. 2 on Oricon's weekly singles chart and sold over 614,200 copies.Track listing
All lyrics are written by Chinfa Kan, except where indicated; all music is composed and arranged by Tetsuji Hayashi, except where indicated.Cover versions
- Kream covered the song on their 1996 album Time Machine ni Onegai.
- Chinephile covered the song on their 2003 cover album Kayomania.
- Akiko Matsumoto covered the song on her 2013 compilation album King of Pops 2.
- Penicillin covered the song as the B-side of their 2014 single Sol.
- Mami Ayukawa covered the song on her 2014 album 1984.
- Sora Amamiya covered the song on her 2021 cover album Covers: Sora Amamiya Favorite Songs.
- Yo Hitoto covered the song in Nakamori's 2025 tribute album "Nakamori Akina Tribute Album: Meikyo".