Team B - "Team B Oshi"

Team B's newest team song (or should we say, New Team B's first team song), "Team B oshi", was the highest ranking theatre song on this year's AX Request Hour, as high as fifth most voted song (out of more than three hundred eligible songs)!
It's a fun, uptempo, a little messy but very exciting song. Team B is my least favourite team, yet I really love this song.

"Team B Oshi" (Team B fan)
(from Team B 5th stage "Theatre no megami")
Team B (full team)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Yoshino Takao
point of view: female
theme: team song
original lyrics


listen to Team B Oshi on youtube

From today you're a Harukyan fan, look, it's Team B
(amazingly cute!)
From today you're a Maachan fan, look, it's Team B
(Maachan? "What?!")
From today you're a Tomoomi fan, look, it's Team B
(Chiyuu, Chiyuu, Chiyuu!)
From today you're a Yukirin fan, look, it's Team B
(I will send you in a daze!)

A! K! B! 48! Say B!
A! K! B! 48! B, B, B, B!

What do you think of our live show? What do you think?
We're so close, you're all "Oh my God!", aren't you?
What do you think of our singing and dancing? What do you think?
This is the notorious AKB!

Since there's so many girls you can't choose, can you?
Cheer for only one of us!

Ready, steady, go!

From today you're a Kitarie fan, look, it's Team B
(you still don't get it?)
From today you're a Kanachan fan, look, it's Team B
("So cute!" "I know")
From today you're a Komorin fan, look, it's Team B
(Hello there)
From today you're a Amina fan, look, it's Team B
(Hey, can you give me half of it?)

What do you think of us compared to the other teams? What do you think?
We're the cutest and just the best, aren't we?
What do you think of our messy speeches? What do you think?
This is AKB, anything can happen!

If my performance charms you
I don't mind if you switch your favourite for me

One, two, yahoo!

From today you're a Suuchan fan, look, it's Team B
(Suu melody!)
From today you're a Nacchi fan, look, it's Team B
(1+2= N Nacchi!)
From today you're a Mariyannu fan, look, it's Team B
(The 3 o'clock snack is Mariyannu!)
From today you're a Chikarina fan, look, it's Team B
(Mow mow meh!)

A! K! B! 48! Say B!
A! K! B! 48! B, B, B, B!

I will be happy
If you fall in love with me and cheer for me

Here we go again!

From today you're a Nacchan fan, look, it's Team B
(Nacchan!)
From today you're a Yukachan fan, look, it's Team B
(Octopus dumplings!)
From today you're a Myao fan, look, it's Team B
(One, two, three, duh!)
From today you're a Mayuyu fan, look, it's Team B
(Let's go!)

We are running for our dreams with all our might
Please, come see the growing up Team B
No matter how much we sell, we'll always be singing here
So all in all, everyone is a Team B fan, right?
Right? Yes!

Comment
Earworm, brainwashing technique, much has been said about "Team B Oshi". It's a fun and addicting song guaranteed to make the audience go wild.
"Oshi" (推し) is a term peculiar to the AKB48 fandom; it comes from the verb osu 推す, to support, and means "supporting a member as your number one". Therefore, one's number one favourite girl is called one's oshimen (推しメン), a combination between oshi and menbaa, the Japanese for "member".

Each of the 16 Team B members are introduced by their nickname, and then she says her catchphrase or some other representative phrase. I will explain them here one by one.

- Harukyan (Ishida Haruka) (amazingly cute!) → "amazingly cute" (超絶可愛い, chouzetsu kawaii) is a staple part of the in-song cheers. If Harukyan were to sing two solo lines, the fans would go "(first line) Harukyan! (second line) chouzetsu kawaii, Harukyan!"
- Maachan (Oku Manami) (Maachan? "What?!") → girls call out to Maachan and she replies "What?" in a half-bothered tone. It's an inside joke that Maachan never looks excited during shows.
- Tomoomi (Kasai Tomomi) (Chiyuu, Chiyuu, Chiyuu!) → Chiyuu is one of Tomoomi's nicknames. It takes its origin from the fact that when she speaks she tends to put "~chiyuu" at the end of sentences quite a lot. It doesn't have a real meaning.
- Yukirin (Kashiwagi Yuki) (I will send you in a daze!) → It's a part of the self-introduction catchphrase she used at the start of B5th. "Awake or asleep, Yukirin world! I will send you in a daze!". I hear she has changed it now.
- Kitarie (Kitahara Rie) (you still don't get it?) → Kitarie's impersonation of Yankumi, the high school teacher from the drama series Gokusen. "You still don't get it?" ("まだわかんねえのか？") is one of Yankumi's famous lines.
- Kanachan (Kobayashi Kana) ("So cute!" "I know") → Kana is known for being particularly silly and for having huge self confidence. Here's why she goes "I know!" triumphantly.
- Komorin (Komori Mika) ("Hello there") → She doesn't say "こんにちは konnichiwa", the Japanese for "hello / good morning), but actually she says "コニチハ konichiwa" with one N. It's a gag by a Japanese comedian, Kokado Kentaro of the duo Lotti.
- Amina (Sato Amina) (Hey, can you give me half of it?) → Amina is a well known sweets lover, and whenever she sees some other AKB member eating sweets or candy she'll ask to share it with her.
- Suuchan (Sato Sumire) (Suu melody!) → Sumire is a big fan of the Sanrio character My Melody, so she made up a new nickname for herself inspired by My Melody.
- Nacchi (Sato Natsuki) (1+2= N Nacchi!) → A part of her self-introduction catchphrase. She sticks out the index finger of her right hand for "1" and makes a kind of a peace sign for "2", and when joined together, the fingers form an N, her initial. If you watch the video I linked to you will understand it more clearly than from this explanation.
- Mariyannu (Suzuki Mariya) (The 3 o'clock snack is Mariyannu!) → this line, too, is a part of her self-introduction catchphrase and comes from a long-running advertising for a cake manufacturing company, Bunmeido, whose jingle was "Castela number one, telephone number two, the three o'clock snack is Bunmeido". Here is a post from an English language food blog run by a Japanese lady, about castela cake and Bunmeido, and in case you're curious here is the old CM.
- Chikarina (Chikano Rina) (Mow mow meh!) → Chikarina, together with Team K's Fujie Rina, is the spokesgirl for milk company Mother Farm. The "mow mow meh" line comes from the CM.
- Nacchan (Hirajima Natsumi) (Nacchan!) → They just call out her name.
- Yukachan (Masuda Yuka) (Octopus dumplings!) → Octopus dumplings, or takoyaki in Japanese, are a famous speciality of Yuka's hometown, Osaka. She loves them so much she even mentions them in her self-introduction catchphrase.
- Myao (Miyazaki Miho) (One, two, three, duh!) → Myao is a fan of the legendary prowrestler Antonio Inoki. "Ichi, ni, san, daa!" is one of his famous phrases.
- Mayuyu (Watanabe Mayu) (Let's go!) → this comes from the lyrics of the unit Mayu leads, Watarirouka Hashiritai's first single, "Hatsukoi dash".

Himawari-gumi, "Tonari no banana"

Second request, with a particular question I'll address in the comments.

"Tonari no banana" (The banana on the other side)
(from Himawari-gumi 2nd stage "Yume wo shinaseru wake ni ikanai")
Himawari-gumi (Kasai Tomomi, Ono Erena / Kobayashi Kana, Oku Manami)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Maeyamada Ken'ichi
point of view: female (two people)
theme: teenage song
original lyrics


listen to Tonari no banana on youtube

Banana banana...

"Even if I look like this, I'm quite an adult
I wear clothes that make me look more slender than I actually am, but I'm surprisingly glamorous nonetheless...
I wear adult makeup, and I have quite a bit of experience in love, too... Yeah!"

"You're still a little kid
You just look pretentious
Baby, go home"

The banana on the other side of the fence is too green
Friends who have no secrets are boring
Doing this and that, we ripen
We hope we'll turn into delicious bananas... V!

"They call people like me 'adults'
I even know the name of the American president,
the characters for the word 'sasuga (as expected)', and I worry about the pension problem... Yeah!"

"But you cry for horror movies
And you eat your sushi without wasabi
Baby, stop pretending you're older"

The banana on the other side of the fence is hard to peel
The skin that protects it is too hard
It will turn sweeter just thanks to curiosity
We hope we'll turn into delicious bananas... Yes!

"The other day I had free time so I read the morning newspaper.
Aren't I an adult?"
"People who can eat the skin of eels are adults, aren't they?"

The banana on the other side of the fence is hard to peel
The skin that protects it is too hard
We, too, one day,
Will be delicious bananas...

The banana on the other side of the fence is too green
Friends who have no secrets are boring
Doing this and that, we ripen
Please eat us, two delicious bananas... V!

NOTES
- "Tonari no banana" literally means "The neighbour's banana" (cough...) or "The banana next to me", but when we see it in the context of each chorus's first line, it's actually a pun over the saying "Tonari no shiba wa aoku mieru", which is none other than the good old "The grass is greener on the other side of the fence". "Aoi" (green) might also mean "unripen" when referred to fruits.
- "V!" at the end of the chorus stands for "victory". It doesn't have a particular meaning here, just like "yeah".
- Tomomi claims I know the characters for the word 'sasuga'. "Sasuga" ("as expected") is a fairly common word but it's usually written in hiragana, the Japanese 'alphabet'. Being able to write it in kanji characters is not a common feat, especially among youngsters.
- In the second part, Erena reveals that Tomomi still eats sushi without wasabi (and grilled eel without its greasy skin, to mention another part of the song). Wasabi is considered a food for adults since it's so hot, but, unlike Western sushi places where it's served at the side, Japanese sushi has a thin layer of wasabi spread between the fish and rice, so you have to order a wasabi-less sushi expressedly.

Comment
The question from the person who requested this song was:

I was wondering if you could analyze tonari no banana sometime if you have the chance xD I love that song and I know it's got a kind of adult edge to it (my friend from japan started laughing when she heard the lyrics) but I want to know in a more concrete sense why it's more adult.

Well, if we look at the song literally, we have two girls talking to each other about acting grownup while they're actually still young girls. It looks quite innocent.
But the sexual innuendo is clearly there, albeit in a jokingly way. I think "banana" in this case doesn't stand for what you all are thinking about right now, but for a sexually mature girl. The girls singing are still "unripe", the "skin" protects the fruit inside them; and the fruit can only ripen thanks to curiosity (quite obviously, the sexual curiosity most teenagers feel).
For once, this is an AKB song about virginity that doesn't talk about girls wanting to give it away as soon as possible, but contains hints about giving oneself time to grow up without acting like an adult, and only then do it.

Team A / Theatre Girls, "Hikoukigumo"

Clearing one request ^_^
I am pleased to translate this song, one of my favourites ♥

"Hikoukigumo" (Airplane trail)
(Team A version from Team A 5th stage "Ren'ai kinshi jourei" / Theatre girls version from "RIVER" single and "Kamikyokutachi album")
Team A (full team) / Theatre Girls (selected members from AKB: Nakata Chisato, Matsubara Natsumi, Umeda Ayaka, Chikano Rina, Masuda Yuka, Sato Natsuki, Kobayashi Kana, Nakaya Sayaka, Nakatsuka Tomomi, Tanabe Miku, Hirajima Natsumi, Yonezawa Rumi, Iwasa Misaki, Oya Shizuka, Suzuki Mariya, Matsui Sakiko, Nonaka Misato, Uchida Mayumi)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Ouchi Tetsuya
point of view: male
theme: Naruse Hideki
original lyrics


listen to Hikoukigumo on youtube

On the way from Autumn to Winter
We believed we had taken a shortcut
But we had forgotten
About the corner that leads to the future,
About kindness,
And about the wind

Your face
As you whisper "goodbye"
Isn't reached by sunrays
Love has already withered

An airplane trail in the sky
A white line lingering
Whose thoughts will remain?
As we haven't even got the time to look back...
The airplane trail of time
I gazed, absent-minded,
At that thin, fresh scar
Like a scratch made by sharp nails

A cat coming from somewhere crosses the street in front of us
How does it see us?
The asphalt, scribbled on by kids,
Straddles our memories

I wonder if the two of us will meet again somewhere
Because there are too many people
On the street corner of memories

Love is an airplane trail
One delicate brush stroke
That day that won't ever come back
Makes me painfully reluctant to leave this place...
Just like an airplane trail
You raised your right hand up
To hide your tears
And watched your sadness as it left

An airplane trail in the sky
A white line lingering
Whose thoughts will remain?
As we haven't even got the time to look back...
Love's airplane trail
Looks like it's chasing its back
A little late,
I heard the sound of it flying through the sky
And the sound of someone crying
Just like an airplane trail
You raised your right hand up
To hide your tears
And watched your sadness as it left

Comment
Just like "Only today", "Hikoukigumo"'s strength relies on the gap between the bittersweet, end of a love story themed lyrics and the cheerful melody and fun tempo that made it a live favourite.
One of the characteristics of this song is that it's AKB's "towel swinging" song. Most Japanese pop acts have a song of this kind, in which the audience cheers for the singer(s) by swinging their towels (bought, of course, in the official goods stalls outside the concert venue) in time with the music. (It's actually more fun than it seems.)

Team A - "Only today"

I have some requests pending, but after following the latest Request Hour -Set list best 100- concert this song made me want to translate it so much. It's a song I have always loved, and to see it ranked at 45 made me happy (it might seem low at first glance, but if you think 300+ songs were eligible for voting it's definitely not low ^_-)

"Only today"
(from Team A 4th stage "Tadaima ren'aichuu")
Team A (full team)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Ouchi Tetsuya
point of view: male
theme: love song
original lyrics


listen to Only today on youtube

I wanted to come at all costs
To this beach in the middle of Winter
We get off the clattering bus
Inside the freezing wind

Putting in my pocket
A can of hot coffee bought at a vending machine
And holding your hand, I felt warmer
In this world where no one is

Sorry for inviting you
Even if I know
That now you are his girlfriend

If you just stay here for me, it'll be enough
Here right next to me...
Like if nothing changed from then...
Just stick with my foolish love
Only today, one last time
Until the evening sun hides

You're thinking I'm an egoist, aren't you?
With my sudden phone call
A love that is over
Is a pointless visit to our memories

Sitting on the breakwater
I realized only now
That precious treasures
Can only be seen after they're gone

The waves that go back and forth
On the back of a time that can't be turned back
Feel so sad

If you just stay here for me, it'll be enough
On this beach full of memories
Let's watch the sunset together
We'll be together only today
From tomorrow, we will just be
Three friends again

You came with me
Without saying anything
To me today is an eternity

If you just stay here for me, it'll be enough
Here right next to me...
Like if nothing changed from then...
Just stick with my foolish love
Only today, one last time
Until the evening sun hides

If you just stay here for me, it'll be enough
On this beach full of memories
Let's watch the sunset together
We'll be together only today
From tomorrow, we will just be
Three friends again

Comment
One of those songs that have a cheerful melody and bittersweet lyrics, and such a gap is the strength of the song. The lyrics are told from the point of view of a boy who is still in love with his ex-girlfriend, despite she is the girlfriend of a friend of his now; so, to put an end to his unrequited love, he invites her one last time to a place that was special to them.

Team B - "Junjou shugi"

A B3 unit. Because B3 is a really good stage, because I'd like to celebrate SKE Team E who have just debuted with their version of this stage, and cause Haachan is one of my dearest oshimen. XD

"Junjou shugi" (Policy of purity)
(from Team B 3rd stage "Pajama drive")
Team B (Katayama Haruka, Nito Moeno, Matsuoka Yuki)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Kusano Yoshihiro
point of view: female first person, female language
theme: love song
original lyrics


listen to Junjou shugi on youtube

Sorry, but I believe in purity
I have sworn on it
Even if you embrace me, it won't work
I can't kiss you

Love is always a shooting star
It suddenly appears and suddenly disappears
Rather than talking a thousand words,
Give me time to stare into each other's eyes

I believe in purity, my guard is perfect
I'm protecting it
Try your luck with someone else
Sorry, but I believe in purity
I have sworn on it
Even if you embrace me, it won't work
I can't kiss you
I'm sorry

Dad used to tell me "Tease them"
You'll see right away if they lie or they're sincere
Until the day when I hand you the keys,
Rather than opening at today's knock

My heart is cowardly, I believe in pure love
I never want to get hurt
If we're together, you must believe in pure love, too
Just a little, I slip through your arms and runaway
Understand my childishness

I believe in purity, my guard is perfect
I'm protecting it
Try your luck with someone else
Sorry, but I believe in purity
I have sworn on it
Even if you embrace me, it won't work
I can't kiss you
I'm sorry

Comment
I don't have much to comment on this. The lyrics are really easy, without hidden or obscure references.
My only comment is linguistic. The word "主義" (literally meaning policy, belief, principle) is often used as a suffix with the same meaning English sees in the suffix "-ism" (examples: 共産主義 = communism, 超現実主義 = surrealism, etc). So to be completely correct I would have needed to translate "Sorry, but I'm a pure-heartist". I don't have enough courage to use neologisms in my translations, so I loosened it while keeping the translation as close as possible to the original.

Team K - "Melos no michi"

Another amazing, powerful number by Team K.

"Melos no michi" (Melos's road)
(from Team K 4th stage "Saishuu bell ga naru")
Team K (full team)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Ota Michihiko
point of view: gender-neutral
theme: team song
original lyrics


listen to Melos no michi on youtube

Somewhere in this world
There certainly is someone
Who is waiting for you...
That promise you exchanged with the gods
Is your mission

One day, there will certainly be
A meeting
That will make you understand why you were born...
Under the sky
You are dreaming
Of the unknown

If you strain your ears you can hear
A voiceless cry...
Since you have been choosen,
To the cost of throwing everything away...

Hurry up!
You have to rush
On Melos's road right now
For that person who believes in you
Hurry up!
On Melos's road
Even if the goal is far
Don't complain!
Don't give up!
Keep running!
As long as you're alive

Everyone thinks
That you won't come
All the time...
No matter how long they wait
There's no chance

Those curious onlookers
Who have forgotten love
Laugh at the people who believe
No one would keep
Such a promise
It's impossible

The devil is whispering next to you
"It doesn't matter if you don't go"
Retiring would be easier
But you won't betray, will you?

You
Turn into Melos!
Kick the ground
Cut through the wind
Run to the end
Completely lost into it!
There's only one truth
You
Turn into Melos!
Even if you're completely worn out
And fall down
You'll be able to stand up
So many times
For yourself,
Who's waiting believing in you...

You
Turn into Melos!
Kick the ground
Cut through the wind
Run to the end
Completely lost into it!
There's only one truth
You
Turn into Melos!
Even if you're completely worn out
And fall down
You'll be able to stand up
So many times
For yourself,
Who's waiting believing in you...

Comment
Let's start off by clarifying who the "Melos" in the title is.
"Hashire Melos!" ("Run, Melos!") is the title of a short story by a prominent Japanese Literature author, Dazai Osamu. The story, extremely well known and a staple read in Japanese classrooms, is set in Ancient Greece and talks about the strong bond of friendship.
From Wikipedia:

Melos is a naïve young shepherd with a sense of equity. The land in which he lives is ruled by Dionys, a tyrant king who, because of his distrust of people, has killed many. When Melos hears about the King's deeds one day, he becomes enraged. He decides to assassinate the King, and so he sneaks into the castle with a knife, but is caught and arrested. Melos pleads with the King to postpone his execution and give him three days so that he can attend his younger sister's wedding. The King agrees, but on one condition: that Melos' friend Selinuntius is left as a hostage, and if Melos does not return in three days, he will be executed in Melos' stead.
After the wedding is over Melos hurries back to the city. Along the way he encounters many tribulations, such as a broken bridge due to the overflowing of the river and attacks by bandits. All of these things exhaust him, and he nearly gives up, but then continues to run for his friend's life's sake.
At sundown Melos finally arrives at the city, just in time to save his friend Selinuntius. He apologizes to Selinuntius for his treachery, and Selinuntius apologizes for ever doubting him. The King is moved by the display and decides to let Melos go with impunity.

Rereading the lyrics with the story in mind, the meaning becomes clearer. "Melos no michi" talks about a person who, just like Melos, has to run to fulfill a most important promise s/he made with someone.
But the last word of the second chorus twists it to reveal that the person "Melos" is running for is actually himself. So, beyond being a song about friendship, "Melos no michi" also conveys the idea of running for one's dream, without giving up or betraying oneself.

Team A - "Utsukushiki mono"

As I promised, I will be posting more actively, starting with one Team A song, one Team K song and one Team B song.

Let's start with a relatively recent Team A song, one of my A favourites.

"Utsukushiki mono" (Beautiful thing)
(from Team A 6th stage "Mokugekisha")
Team A (full team)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Ueda Koji
point of view: female
theme: sexy song
original lyrics


listen to Utsukushiki mono on youtube

Sharpen your nails, don't hesitate
Leave traces on my soft skin
I want to feel the pain of being loved
Let me know I am yours

Now I am naked, and rather than being served with kindness
I'd prefer to indulge in the luxury of one night's illusion

A cruel morning will come
For the most beautiful thing in this kingdom
Ah, shall I give you a dream
More expensive than silk, in the black of your eyes?

Bite my ears, don't hold back
Go straight in the midst of a kiss
I want you to be strong enough to make my blood flow
Let me know this is real

It's already the second new moon
Even though my pride has dropped to the floor
My appetite is insatiable
Move your troops forward as you please

The most precious thing in this kingdom
Is to live indulging in depravation
Ah, were I to be ruined I'd be satisfied with accepting it
Love is my fate

A cruel morning will come
For the most beautiful thing in this kingdom
Ah, shall I give you a dream
More expensive than silk, in the black of your eyes?

Who is the most beautiful woman in this kingdom
But me?
Come on, those who know, step forward
I will reward you by having your head

Comment
These are some of the most strongly sexual lyrics AKB has ever put out. The music, the dance, the outfits concur with the lyrics to create a Middle East flavoured, decadent setting. The picture of the powerful queen who just wants to be strongly held and taken at night, allowing her partner to cross the line in sexual play but not forgiving him for getting overboard and forgetting she's actually in control, is extremely vivid.
During the performance, four girls recite the lines of the chorus over the other girls singing it: Haruna for the first chorus, Takamina for the second, Mariko for the third and Acchan for the final, cruel one, as the other girls bow and awe her. It is a very nice touch that makes the lyrics pop up and brings them to life, making the performance of "Utsukushiki mono" look more like a high class musical theatre number than just the performance of a song.

AKB48, "Keibetsu shite ita aijou"

Sorry for disappearing for almost a month! x_x
I've had some rough times irl, but I'll try to update this blog a lot more in the next few days!

Also, do check the new layout, done for me by Sanzo, featuring Miyazawa Sae ♥


Let's move on to the song. I have been requested to do this single quite a lot, and it's a very meaningful song that I honestly believe anyone should know, so here you go.

"Keibetsu shite ita aijou" (The love that used to scorn me)
(from "Keibetsu shite ita aijou" single)
AKB48 senbatsu members (A: Itano Tomomi, Kojima Haruna, Maeda Atsuko, Minegishi Minami, Nakanishi Rina, Oshima Mai, Shinoda Mariko, Takahashi Minami/ K: Akimoto Sayaka, Kasai Tomomi, Kobayashi Kana, Masuda Yuka, Miyazawa Sae, Ono Erena, Oshima Yuko, Sato Natsuki)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Inoue Yoshimasa
point of view: female
theme: social problems
original lyrics


listen to Keibetsu shite ita aijou on youtube

Even the tragedies told by the TV news
Protected by anonimity
Are as normal as using emoticons
When I type an email on my mobile phone

The grownups, looking like they know it all,
Are looking for a motive
But their quite off the point analysis
Is like a joke that makes no one laugh

Our future is decided
By our rank in decimal point-accurate charts¹
Even if she did her best
She had no hope of making it
We realized that
Quite a while before
But we did nothing

Without even realizing it
I am longing for the love that used to scorn me
I don't want to be alone
I wanted to be held
By someone...

The girl who tried to turn into a bird
Lined her shoes neatly on the rooftop
Did she want people to praise her for her good manners?
Or was it an insinuation?

Even if they carry out a survey now
Asking if she "was" or "wasn't" bullied
The voice in her heart, which she wanted us to hear,
Is lost in the wind and can't reach us

The process of shifting the responsibility
Makes important people cry
We still don't understand
This way too foolish chain reaction...
The one pointing her finger
Is this me,
Who didn't do anything for her

This love used to scorn me
But despite that, I'm hungry for it
While pretending I didn't notice how anxious I felt
I kept looking for a kind glance
All the time...

Without even realizing it
I am longing for the love that used to scorn me
I don't want to be alone
I wanted to be held
By someone...

All the time...

Note
¹ The lyrics use the word "hensachi", meaning deviation value (in the assessment of an exam). It refers to the charts where the whole school's exam results are listed in result order. These charts are usually hung on the wall for everyone to see. In such a competitive schooling system as the Japanese one, where the best marks are essential in order to access the best schools, then universities, then jobs, even ranking one place lower can make a big difference.

Comment
"Keibetsu shite ita aijou" is a very heavy, un-idol-like song. It talks about a schoolgirl who commits suicide by jumping from the school rooftop after enduring bullying, through the eyes of a classmate of hers. This classmate points her finger at how adults seem to rationalize the accident and make excuses and accusations, but at the same time she feels guilty because she knew the girl was bullied, yet didn't do anything.
In a competitive, yet uniformized society like Japanese society, bullyism towards who is "different" for a reason or another is a serious problem. Suicides caused by bullyism are, unfortunately, pretty frequent - which is addressed in the first verse (the news do not give out the names of the people involved if they are underage, therefore "tragedies protected by anonimity".
The verses are sung by the classmate/narrator, while the chorus, in first person, is like the last, desperate cry of the bullied girl, longing for love even from the people who hurt her.

And here comes an idol group addressing the issue with lyrics which are feather light and stone heavy at the same time. The PV opens and closes with Yuko standing on the rooftop, looking as if she's about to jump, and shows instances of bullyism.
What makes the song even more haunting is the use of the flute and of "heavenly" sounding harmonies in the back track of the song. The contrast between this instrumental, the severe melody in minor mode and the seriousness of the lyrics makes the song all the more a blow to the stomach.

Just out of curiosity, there is another AKB song about a classmate killing herself (despite not specifying if the reason was bullyism), "Hitei no requiem" from Team K's 5th stage "Saka agari".