# Unknown Mother-Goose

Unknown Mother-Goose (アンノウン・マザーグース) is a song by vocaloid producer wowaka. It was released on August 22, 2017 and was wowaka's final vocaloid song before his passing in 2019. A cover version by his band, Hitorie, featuring his vocals was released 2 months later, on October 22, and was the lead single for their third mini album, Ai/SOlate. The cover version is also included in Hitorie's fourth album, 4.

## History

After releasing his debut studio album Unhappy Refrain, Wowaka fell into a six-month period of seclusion due to his anxiety about stagnating in the Vocaloid community and his frustration over the lack of recognition for his contributions. Realizing that only his own voice could save him from his impending breakdown, he decided to leave the Vocaloid scene and formed the band Hitorie to pursue a career in live music. Five years later, Wowaka received an invitation to contribute to Re:Start, a compilation album commemorating the 10th anniversary of Hatsune Miku. The person who reached out to him had previously supported Wowaka in many ways, and their passionate conversation during their meeting deeply moved him. After accepting the offer, Wowaka spent three months composing a new track, driven by the question, "What can I do with Hatsune Miku now?" Much like his earlier work Prism Cube from six years prior, Wowaka once again provided backing vocals for Hatsune Miku in this song.
On April 1, 2023, the song reaches 10 million views on Niconico and included in VOCALOID Mythological Song.
On April 26, 2024, Hitorie performed the song on the YouTube channel THE FIRST TAKE.

## Composition

The song runs for 3 minutes and 49 seconds, 222 BPM, and has a vocal range between F♯3 (mid1F♯) and C♯6 (hihiC♯), with the Hitorie version one octave lower. The song was composed by Wowaka, arranged by Hitorie, and used the Vocaloid vocal library "Hatsune Miku" to synthesize the main vocals, with Wowaka singing the harmonies. The Hitorie's version used Wowaka as the main vocals and Hatsune Miku as chorus vocals. This track embodies the characteristic fast tempo and high vocal range typical of the Vocaloid genre, while incorporating a trap music-inspired approach in its B-melody section.

## Release

The song is a part of Hatsune Miku's 10th anniversary compilation album Re:Start. The music video for this song, which was released on August 22, 2017, is a still grayscale image with lyrics subtitles, drawn and produced by Wowaka. The pattern in this video is heart-shaped like Unhappy Refrain, but it is composed of fragments. A cover version by his band, Hitorie, featuring his vocals was released 2 months later, on October 22, and was the lead single for their third mini album, Ai/SOlate.

## Charts

| Chart | Year | Peak position | Notes |
| Japan Hot 100 | 2017 | 91 | |
| Billboard Japan Top Download Songs | 2019 | 93 | Hitorie version |
| Vocaloid Billboard Japan | 2022 | 12 | |
| Vocaloid Billboard Japan | 2023 | 3 | |

## Personnel

Personnel list adapted from wowaka's official X (formerly Twitter) post and the song's music video description.
* wowaka – composition, lyrics, production, electric guitar, mixing, illustration & cover art, vocals (hitorie version), backing vocals (vocaloid version)
* Hatsune Miku (初音ミク) – vocals (vocaloid version), backing vocals (hitorie version)
* Shinoda (シノダ) – electric guitar
* ygarshy (イガラシ) – bass guitar
* Yumao (ゆまーお) – drums
* Shinjiro "Megane" Hirai (平井信二郎) – mixing, mastering
Recorded at Studio Greenbird, Tokyo. Mixed at Studio RLN, mastered at Studio Megane, Fukuoka.