It has been officially announced that Morning Musume's next single will be a cover of the Pink Lady hit "Pepper Keibu." The decision stemmed from Ai Takahashi and Risa Niigaki's appearance in NTV's biographical drama special "Hit Maker: Yu Aku Monogatari," in which they played the popular '70s duo.

The "Pepper Keibu" cover goes on sale September 24. The new version is said to be more danceable than the original, and the music video will feature all nine Morning Musume members dancing in Pink Lady outfits. The coupling song for "Pepper Keibu" will be a cover of another song written by Yu Aku - Hiromi Iwasaki's 1975 hit "Romance."

Then on November 26, the group will release a Yu Aku tribute album called "COVER YOU," supervised by Hiroshi Itsuki, who joined Up-Front Agency earlier this year. The album includes a cover of "Izakaya," originally a duet between Itsuki and Nana Kinomi, but this time Itsuki will be paired up with Ai Takahashi instead.