Force is the fourth studio album by Japanese pop-rock unit Superfly. It was released on September 19, 2012. Force commemorates the group's fifth anniversary and was released in several formats, including a special fifth anniversary edition which includes a bonus CD (included with the first-press releases), a vinyl version of the album, and a commemorative poster. Japanese convenience store Lawson will also exclusively sell a special edition of the album which includes a bonus DVD. On the iTunes Store, the album will be packaged with one bonus track, with a second reserved for those who pre-ordered the album.
The album's title comes from both the English word "force" as well as the similarity between the Japanese pronunciations of "force" and "fourth".
To support Force, Superfly is going on two separate tours, the "Live Force" national concert hall tour from October 2012 through January 2013 and the tentatively titled "Superfly Arena Tour 2013" in March and April 2013.
"Force" is a song by Japanese rock unit Superfly. It is a song from the album of the same name, serving as its title track. It is being released as a re-cut single on October 31, 2012. The song, on its own, is used as the theme song for the TV Asahi drama Doctor X, and as a radio single reached 46 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.
The Force is a binding, metaphysical, and ubiquitous power in the fictional universe of the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. Introduced in the first Star Wars film (1977), it is wielded primarily by the Jedi and Sith monastic orders and is a part of all subsequent Star Wars works, including the Star Wars Legends collection of comic books, novels, and video games. The line "May the Force be with you", spoken in each of the Star Wars films, has become part of the pop culture vernacular and is iconic of the series.
In the original Star Wars film (1977), later dubbed A New Hope, the Force is first described by Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi:
Throughout the series, characters exhibit various paranormal powers that rely on the Force, such as telekinesis and empathy. The Force has a negative and destructive aspect called the "dark side", which feeds off emotions such as fear, anger, greed, pride, jealousy and hate. Jedi Master Yoda explains to his pupil Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back (1980):
Light tracers follow me farther
Into the depths of unknown
The blackness surrounding the border of hope
We're alone
We plead for the signs of a second chance
In hopes it will stifle the fear
The dying remains of a world gone insane
We are near the end
A course that will lead us through darkness
Prepared by our leaders insist
We mustn't all pray to the shadow of
The iron fist
We enter the void with our eyes straight ahead
The force all around us we feel
The twisted contusions of hatred will finally reveal
Enforcer
Master of nations revealed
Enforcer
The beams from his soul you will feel
Slicing and tearing our way to the gate
A towering fortress of blackened steel
Desolate plains holding dying remains
Heed the call of the master we'll soar to
The edges of time
Light tracers follow me farther
Into the depths of unknown
The blackness surrounding the borders of hope
We're alone
We plead for the signs, give us a second chance
In hopes it will stifle the fear
The battered remains of world gone insane
We are near
Once long ago we had to hideIn the shadows of the land
To keep us away from the crawl