Gakuen Tengoku
{{Short description|1974 song by Finger 5}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{infobox single
|name = Gakuen Tengoku
|B-side = Finger 5 Theme
|type = Single
|artist = Finger 5
|album = Second Album
| cover = Gakuen_Tengoku_(single_cover).jpg
| released = March 5, 1974
| studio =
| genre = {{hlist|Kayōkyoku|Funk|Pop}}
| length = 5:04 (Side A & B)
| label = Philips
| producer =
| prev_title = Koi no Dial 6700
| prev_year = 1973
| next_title = Koi no American Football
| next_year = 1974
}}
Gakuen Tengoku (学園天国, School Heaven) is the fifth single by Japanese pop group Finger 5, released in March 1974. The single sold over 1.05 million copies.{{cite web|url=https://www.zakzak.co.jp/entertainment/ent-news/news/20120413/enn1204130753001-n1.htm|title=フィンガー５"三男、東京で沖縄料理店を経営|publisher=zakzak|date=April 13, 2012|language=Japanese|accessdate=April 28, 2022}}
Overview
"Gakuen Tengoku" is the lead single from their studio album Second Album. It peaked at number two on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart.{{cite web|url=http://fg-database.info/blog2/2009/07/31.html|title=往年のヒット曲レビュー(31)／フィンガー５「学園天国」|work=zoizoi|publisher=zozoi's blog|date=July 2, 2009|accessdate=April 28, 2022}} The theme of the song is school life. The song is about students wanting to sit next to the prettiest girl in class during seating arrangement. In the beginning of the song, the shout "Are You Ready?!" was spoken by Akira Tamamoto, the fourth son of the Tamamoto siblings. The second shout "Hey Hey Hey..." was based on the Gary U.S. Bonds song New Orleans.
In baseball, Konan High School{{cite web|url=https://konan-h.ed.jp/sp/1532041422/|title=野球部応援歌【歌詞】|accessdate=April 29, 2022}} & Akashi Commercial High School{{cite web|url=http://www.akashi-ch.ed.jp/article.php?eid=00880|title=野球部応援の資料|accessdate=April 29, 2022}} used the melody of the song as one of their cheering songs.
In popular culture
The first cover of this song was in 1988, Kyoko Koizumi covered the song in her studio album "Natsumero" and was made into a single in 1989. The single would reach at number three on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart. It was used as the ending theme for the 1989 Japanese drama series Aishiatteru Kai!. In 2006, a cover by Wonder☆5 was used as the ending theme for the anime Twin Princess of Wonder Planet Gyu!. A musical ensemble of the song was featured in the anime Sound! Euphonium.{{cite web|url=https://www.excite.co.jp/news/article/E1479230536570/|publisher=Excite Japan Co., Ltd.|work=たまごまご|title=「響け！ユーフォニアム2」6話。大事なものを喪失したら|date=November 16, 2016|accessdate=April 29, 2022}} In 2022, a cover by Rie Takahashi was used as the ending theme for episode six of Teasing Master Takagi-san season three.{{cite web|url=https://takagi3.me/news/20220212_01.html|title=第6話EDテーマ「学園天国」／高木さん(CV:高橋李依)、フルサイズ配信開始！ノンクレジットEDも公開！|date=February 12, 2022|accessdate=April 29, 2022}} Around 27 seconds in the credits, the caption "ヤングの祭典" (Young Festival) can be seen on the blackboard which is a direct reference to the caption for the 3rd Tokyo Music Festival (Silver Canary Award category) held on May 16, 1974, at Hibiya Public Hall in which the group also performed and competed live. In 2024, a cover by Sumire Uesaka was used as the ending theme for episode one of Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian anime series.{{cite web|last=Mateo|first=Alex|title=Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian Anime's Creditless Theme Song Videos Reveal 1st Ending|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-07-03/alya-sometimes-hides-her-feelings-in-russian-anime-creditless-theme-song-videos-reveal-1st-ending/.212781|website=Anime News Network|date=July 3, 2024|access-date=July 3, 2024}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| headline = Side 1
| total_length =
| extra_column = Arrangement
| title1 = Gakuen Tengoku [学園天国]
| length1 = 2:34
| music1 = Tadao Inoue
| lyrics1 = Yū Aku
| extra1 = Tadao Inoue
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side 2
| total_length =
| extra_column = Arrangement
| title1 = Finger 5 Theme [フィンガー5のテーマ]
| length1 = 2:30
| music1 = Kazuo Tamamoto
| lyrics1 = Mitsuo Tamamoto
| extra1 = Shin Saegusa
}}
Chart positions
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable"
!Year !Country !Chart !Position !Sales |
| 1974
| Japan |align="center"|2 |
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable"
!Year !Country !Chart !Position !Sales |
| 1974
|Japan |Oricon Yearly Singles Chart (top 50) |align="center"|10 |