Glass Apple/Sweet Memories
1983 single by Seiko Matsuda
"Glass Apple / Sweet Memories" is the 14th single by Seiko Matsuda, released on August 1, 1983. It was re-released as an 8cm CD in 1989, and again in 2004 as a fully limited 12cm CD with a paper jacket (using the pre-replacement artwork).
Background
"Glass Apple" is said to have been produced with the strong intention by producer Muneo Wakamatsu and others to "win the Japan Record Awards". With top-tier creators—lyrics by Takashi Matsumoto, composition by Haruomi Hosono, and arrangement by Masaaki Omura—the song was strategically released in August to target award season. However, although it won a Gold Award, it failed to secure the Grand Prize. Reasons cited include the stark difference from Matsuda's previous musical style, sluggish sales until "Sweet Memories" gained attention, the overwhelming success of "Sweet Memories" overshadowing "Glass Apple," and divided promotional focus due to "Naniwa Koi Shigure" by Harumi Miyako from the same agency. After this song, Matsuda distanced herself from award competitions.
Meanwhile, it won the Golden Grand Prix at the 9th "All Japan Song Music Festival Chosen by You" (October 25, 1983). This marked her second major award following the previous year's FNS Music Festival Grand Prix for "Etude of Wild Roses." According to Oricon, it sold 857,000 copies, becoming her biggest hit of the 1980s and second-highest-selling single after "I Want to See You (Missing You) / Let's Run Toward Tomorrow."
Production
Glass Apple
Composer Hosono was asked by the director to create a song like Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water".
Lyricist Matsumoto said that together with songs he provided that year—"Secret Garden" and "Heaven's Kiss"—they shared "a kind of religious world, something supreme," adding that "things like gardens, heaven, apples… are both sexual and sacred."
Usually, Matsumoto and Hosono collaborated starting from lyrics, but Hosono suggested composing first to avoid monotony.
The public source identifies “Glass Apple/Sweet Memories” as 1983 single by Seiko Matsuda. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Glass, Apple and Sweet.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Glass Apple/Sweet Memories”, the useful work is to connect “1983 single by Seiko Matsuda” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q11296199. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1983, 1989 and 2004.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Glass Apple/Sweet Memories”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Glass Apple/Sweet Memories primary sources, Glass Apple/Sweet Memories archive and Glass research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Glass Apple/Sweet Memories”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Glass Apple/Sweet Memories” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.