This depiction of shy love was released as the first single from Air's 2004 album Talkie Walkie. It achieved some chart success, reaching the Top 20 in Finland and the Top 100 in France, Germany and Italy. Air's Nicolas Godin told Radio.com: "We're not the kind of band to have very many hit songs, so when we do manage to create one, it's a big deal for us."
The song was sung by Air's Jean-Benoît Dunckel. He recalled to Radio.com the input of producer Nigel Godrich, who is best known for his work with Radiohead. "I like to think of Nigel as the guardian of the mood on Talkie Walkie," said Dunckel. "Like on 'Cherry Blossom Girl,' I wanted to redo some of the vocals. So I went into the studio and recorded more vocals for it, but Nigel didn't like them. He preferred the original take, even though there were some minor mistakes. He really helped us maintain the spirit throughout the whole album."
The 7" and CD single releases include an alternate version of the song that features Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star on vocals. Dunckel recalled: "We'd seen Mazzy Star play in France, and the experience was just so slow and beautiful. We were quite moved by the show, and inspired to write the slowest Air song ever, so we wrote 'Cherry Blossom Girl' with her in mind, and she was kind enough to sing it for us. It didn't work for the album, since it ended up just being JB and I on the record, but that version is very special to me."
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