Team A - "Rider"

The last unit song from A3 has a special, important meaning. I'll be glad if you read these lyrics carefully.

"Rider"
(from Team A 3rd stage "Dareka no tame ni")
Komatani Hitomi, Watanabe Shiho, Orii Ayumi, Hoshino Michiru, Sato Yukari, Kawasaki Nozomi, Ohe Tomomi, Urano Kazumi, Tojima Hana

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Sakai Mikio
point of view: female
theme: allegory/story
original lyrics


listen to Rider on youtube

I was worried
'Cause I haven't seen you around recently
I remember your smile,
Warmer than anyone else's...
I was informed
That you moved to a faraway town
I would've liked
To say at least goodbye

Where are you running to
On your bike
Through the wind?
Is the sky clear over there?

I miss you!

Yes!
I won't forget you...
In that half-empty square
You sat down on the bench
And always listened to me sing
Yes!
I won't forget our meeting...
It happened back in December
But it feels like yesterday to me
Time flies, doesn't it?

Even if I can't meet you anymore,
I won't be sad and I'll sing
I'm sure that that's what you,
Who are living somewhere, wish, too
Yes, even now,
I feel as if you could appear suddenly
Saying "I'm late"
On your usual bench...

You stopped your bike
On the corner of my heart
And you're still watching me from somewhere
Even if it starts raining...

Remember!

You!
Even when I feel crushed
I will dream for you, too,
So please cheer me louder than anyone else
You!
When I feel crushed
I'll close my eyes and remember
The sight of you clapping your hands on time
Is my eternal ally

I miss you!

Yes!
I won't forget you...
In that half-empty square
You sat down on the bench
And always listened to me sing
Yes!
I won't forget our meeting...
It happened back in December
But it feels like yesterday to me
Time flies, doesn't it?

Comment
This is a special song, showing once again the tight bond that AKB (used to?) have with their fans. (This is a true story.)

There was a fan who had followed AKB at the theatre since their very first days in 2005, when they were still nameless, struggling idols. He was a regular, attending shows as much as he could; a nice guy, loved by the other fans and recognized by the members. They used to call him Rider-san, because he used to drive a motorbike.
Unfortunately, at the end of 2006, he suddenly fell ill and passed away. The girls got worried cause they couldn't see him around anymore; when they heard he had passed away, they were shocked and sad. Therefore, Akimoto decided to dedicate a song of Team A's new stage to this loyal fan who wasn't in this world anymore.

The frontgirls for this unit, Komatani Hitomi and Watanabe Shiho (both now graduated), were Rider-san's oshimen. When they sing our meeting happened back in December they mean, of course, the AKB Theatre opening on December 8th 2005. The benches are the theatre seats (which used to be actually long benches), in the half-empty square, the theatre that for the first times was nowhere near sold out.

I think this is a wonderful tribute to one of the first people who supported AKB since their birth, and despite sounding like a cheerful song, after knowing the story behind it, "Rider" never fails to bring tears to my eyes.
(On a side note: exactly because of this song's special meaning, when NMB48 announced their first stage would be "Dareka no tame ni", many fans hoped they wouldn't sing this song. They do perform it, led by Jonishi Kei and Matsuda Shiori, but who saw N1 live assured they sing it pouring a lot of feeling into the song and making justice to its meaning.)

Team A - "Shinkirou"

Sorry for being late to post again x_x I'll finish A3 and start on the Sakura Special asap!

"Shinkirou" (Mirage)
(from Team A 3rd stage "Dareka no tame ni")
Kojima Haruna, Nakanishi Rina

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Miyajima Ritsuko
point of view: female
theme: love song
original lyrics


listen to Shinkirou on youtube

As my heart sways, sways
I will disappear from your sight
Excuse me for my love
Excuse me for my love

The train platform at dawn
Is like a letter with nothing written on it
Without even managing to say goodbye
I'm heading to a town I don't know
On the first morning train

Ah, because I love you
I will throw everything away
And leave on a journey

A swaying, swaying mirage outside the window
The time that goes by is like an illusion
I'm glad I could dream
The summer sky is swaying, swaying outside the window
The big clouds look like they're about to cry
Love is so mean
Love is so mean

If I talked to you
You'd make sad eyes
And keep me here
This is my foolish decision
Please, don't look for me

Ah, because I still love you
I will just disappear
Forever...

Even if big, big drops of tears fall
My memories are my treasure
I'm glad the two of us met
Even if big, big drops of tears fall
I can't wipe my love off
Excuse me for my love
Excuse me for my love

A swaying, swaying mirage outside the window
The time that goes by is like an illusion
I'm glad I could dream
The summer sky is swaying, swaying outside the window
The big clouds look like they're about to cry
Love is so mean
Love is so mean

Going far away...

Team A - "Nagekiss de uchiotose!"

Here comes Queen Acchan! This fun, uptempo unit also has Tomochin and Miichan who went on to become frontgirls in their own right.
Also, in NMB's version my (probably) favourite NMB member, Milky aka Watanabe Miyuki, takes the centre position, and another favourite, Riichan aka Kondo Rina, has Tomochin's position. ♥

"Nagekiss de uchiotose!" (Shoot me down with a blown kiss!)
(from Team A 3rd stage "Dareka no tame ni")
Maeda Atsuko, Minegishi Minami, Itano Tomomi, Masuyama Kayano, Hirajima Natsumi, Narita Risa

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Okada Mio
point of view: female
theme: love song
original lyrics


listen to Nagekiss de uchiotose on youtube

La la la...

Every girl in school is aiming at him
His seniors, his juniors and even his classmates
Everyone's crazy for him
They're all my rivals, yeah!

I'm madly in love with him
I'm head over heels
Sorry, but I'll take this love for me

Shoot me down with a blown kiss!
I want to catch in my hands the hearts flying in the sky
Shoot me down with a blown kiss!
Your smile's missile
Hits the target more precisely than an angel!

After lessons, the American football club is training
His whole fanclub has gathered on the stands
Whenever he tackles they shout hysterically, yeah!

He's the best
He's just too cool
I'll have my happy end at all costs

You hit me repeatedly like a machinegun
Those darling bullets
Knock me out as I can't move
You hit me repeatedly like a machinegun
My whole body
This baptism is crueler than a gangster

When just one popular guy like you is here
This boring school looks like a pink paradise

Shoot me down with a blown kiss!
I want to catch in my hands the hearts flying in the sky
Shoot me down with a blown kiss!
Your smile's missile
Hits the target more precisely than an angel!

Comment
Not much to comment. It's a classic high school love song, where the girl likes the most popular boy and wants to have him for herself. The dance is really cute.

Team A - "Bird"

Despite having two popular girls in the unit alongside Takamina (Oshima Mai, now graduated, and Mariko), and although Takahashi now has a solo song (which I'll translate too, since I feel it's the follow-up to this song), Bird is Takamina's signature song even now. It's also one of AKB's best songs and performances.
(As a Sae-oshi, I feel compelled to inform you that whenever this song is performed in a non-shuffle occasion, Ms.Miyazawa is the substitute for Maimai. 8D)

"Bird"
(from Team A 3rd stage "Dareka no tame ni")
Takahashi Minami, Oshima Mai, Shinoda Mariko

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Morikawa Naoki
point of view: female
theme: love song
original lyrics


listen to Bird on youtube

Chased and surpassed by the dawn
Just when you turned off your car's headlights
The Aqua Line¹ that takes us back to our town
Is too long for us to talk
There's nothing to do but run

Love is a bird who's lost its wings and can't fly
I feel the wind from the passenger's seat's window
Love is a bird who's lost its wings and can't fly
Trapped inside the cage of my heart
Ah, the day when that sky is no longer mine has come

There aren't other cars either
So my loneliness just goes on and on
When we surpassed Umihotaru²
That profile of yours I used to remember
Got blurred by my tears

I am a sad bird who's forgotten how to fly
I just squat down in the place I am in now
I am a sad bird who has forgotten how to fly
I cannot make my way to your heart
Ah, on this ground,
Deprived of my freedom, farewell

Love is a bird who's lost its wings and can't fly
I feel the wind from the passenger's seat's window
Love is a bird who's lost its wings and can't fly
Trapped inside the cage of my heart
Ah, the day when that sky is no longer mine has come

Notes
¹ The Aqua Line is a freeway running from Tokyo to Kisarazu, a city in Chiba prefecture. Most of it consists of a tunnel + bridge combination crossing Tokyo Bay.
² Umihotaru (literally meaning "sea firefly" is an artificial island that lies in the middle of Tokyo Bay, at the crossover point between the tunnel and the bridge. It also has amusement and dining facilities.
If you want to know more about the Aqua Line and Umihotaru, you can check its English-language wikipedia page or just look at it on Google maps.

Comment
"Bird" tells us about a couple who's going back to their hometown in Chiba (after presumably a night out in Tokyo) at daybreak. The girl feels like she loves him much more than he loves her, therefore she feels like a wingless bird who has lost its freedom and can't fly anymore. The imagery perfectly conveys the sadness, and the words used are particularly suggestive - with most verbs and nouns chosen to represent certain feelings. I can only hope I have written a translation good enough for you to feel those feelings evoked by the original lyrics.

Team A - "Tanjoubi no yoru"

Sorry for not updating for days x_x! "Tanjoubi no yoru" is musically my least favourite song from Team A's 3rd Stage "Dareka no tame ni", so I guess my mind was unconsciously postponing it? (that, and the fact that I am currently without a job, and looking for employment is a full-time job, at least in this part of the world >_>)
Without further ado, here we go! Unit songs coming up next. Bird = ♥

"Tanjoubi no yoru" (Birthday night)
(from Team A 3rd stage "Dareka no tame ni")
Team A (full team)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Okada Mio
point of view: female
theme: love song
original lyrics


listen to Tanjoubi no yoru on youtube

Love me, darling!
Love, Love me, baby!
We can't say, yet.
Kiss me, darling!
Kiss, Kiss me, baby!
We can't do it, yet.
Love me, darling!
Love, Love me, baby!
We're fighting now.
Kiss me, darling!
Kiss, Kiss me, baby!
Cause we're stubborn.

Since you like doing childish things
Like shaking a can of coke on purpose
And then handing it to me looking all innocent,
Of course I immediately realized
That your unconcerned-looking face
Was scheming something

You said we'd celebrate my birthday together
And at the seats booked at a restaurant...

Happy!
Happy birthday to you!
You've started singing out loud
Putting on airs as if you were an opera singer
Even though there are other customers in the restaurant
Happy!
Happy birthday to you!
I'm embarassed,
Everyone is looking at us
You just keep on singing
Earnestly, your eyes closed

On top of the cake in front of me
As many candles as the number of my years are swaying
I wonder from which candle
Since what candle have the two of us been together?
I have to blow them out in one breath
I kind of feel under pressure
I'm a coward, aren't I?

The only person in the world
Who'd sing to me so proudly
Is you

Happy!
Happy birthday to you!
Everyone in the restaurant starts singing
There's no turning back now
Yes, I am the leading actress tonight
Happy!
Happy birthday to you!
I did the impossible to catch as much breath as I could
And on that second,
You had the nerve to kiss me suddenly on my lips

Amidst the cheers and applauses
You whispered to me
"I'll sing next year, too"

Happy!
Happy birthday to you!
You've started singing out loud
Putting on airs as if you were an opera singer
Even though there are other customers in the restaurant
Happy!
Happy birthday to you!
I'm embarassed,
Everyone is looking at us
You just keep on singing
Earnestly, your eyes closed

Notes
The lines in italics are in English in the original lyrics.

Comment
I might not like the tune of this song but the situation depicted in the lyrics is rather cute. I love how it's like a short story, telling us a little anectode from beginning to end.

Team A - "Warning"

Here is the second song off Team A's 3rd Stage "Dareka no tame ni".

"Warning"
(from Team A 3rd stage "Dareka no tame ni")
Team A (full team)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Ezaki Masaru
point of view: female
theme: love song
original lyrics


listen to Warning on youtube

Giving my all for a pure love isn't worth it even for 10 minutes
Even if I were too honest it'd be incorregibly hard
I rather look at things case-by-case
See, when tomorrow comes I won't be able to meet him
But I want to

If sticking my tongue out becomes the best part of it, that'd be nice
If it's for the sake of being loved why not try to depend on you
Side by side, in a girly way
I whisper to you as if you've already spoiled me, I'm the worst

Love is a girl's ambition
I want to get it more easily
Even if I try to look more adult than I am
If it doesn't match reality
I won't be able to put the pretense on for long

Of course I want you to change me
But if you restrain me, I want to cancel it immediately
Yeah, surprisingly I'd just go bye-bye-bye
If I make you feel good
I won't even be able to keep breathing

Love is everything for a girl
I don't need anything else, no
I believe that meeting you by chance is destiny
Although there are exceptions...

Love is a girl's ambition
I want to get it more easily
Even if I try to look more adult than I am
If it doesn't match reality
I won't be able to put the pretense on for long

Wow wow wow・・・
Warning!
Warning!
Warning!

I'll warn you!
Don't be let girls deceive you!
Because
Despite only saying selfish things
They are fickle double-tongued beings

Warning!
Warning!
Warning!

Comment
There isn't much to say. The theme is: don't trust girls cause they'd do anything when they want to win over someone. I like the music and the performance much more than the lyrics, in this case.

Team A - "Tsukimisou"

As I　mentioned, I'm going to tackle my first full stage translation ^__^
And the stage I chose is...
Team A's 3rd Stage "Dareka no tame ni"
The reasons are basically two. The first is that it's a really great stage, with a lot of good tracks. There are fun songs, melancholy songs, dark songs, cute songs. The second reason is that I have a soft spot for AKB's little sisters based in Osaka, NMB48; they've just debuted with a rehash of A3rd so this is to celebrate (original) Team A as well as the pretty, amazing, hardworking 25 girls of NMB48.

Let's start from the first song. Yoisho! (Yes, it's NMB in the image, simply because it's a pretty picture versus my HORRIBLE screencaps. XD)

"Tsukimisou" (Evening primrose)
(from Team A 3rd stage "Dareka no tame ni")
Team A (full team)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Goto Tsugutoshi
point of view: female
theme: allegory
original lyrics


listen to Tsukimisou on youtube

Passing by it on the road
I saw a flower bud that was looking downward
As if it was waiting for someone from somewhere
It looked up at the sky...

Eventually it becomes dusk
The colours of the capital blend into the night
The feelings inside my heart turn into a shadow
As I reach out my hands

The beauty of the ever changing nature
Where does the eternal wind come from?

Secretly meeting night after night,
Avoiding people's eyes
Our love will bloom one day
Watched over by the crescent moon
Dreaming earnestly,
Women are like evening primroses

How long do I have to wait for the sound
Of my loved one's steps until they come closer?
So many stars are twinkling
Enticing love

A summer night longer than today
In this forsaken place
The white flowers of an unforgettable pure love bloom

They look beautiful and noble...
Are they destined to be so short-lived?

All my feelings have stopped silently
Rather than fall, held by you,
I would bloom until morning
And then wither
My life lasts only for one night
Women are like evening primroses

The cicadas who can't give up
Suddenly started singing from the tree branches

Secretly meeting night after night,
Avoiding people's eyes
Our love will bloom one day
Watched over by the crescent moon
Dreaming earnestly,
Women are like evening primroses

All my feelings have stopped silently
Rather than fall, held by you,
I would bloom until morning
And then wither
My life lasts only for one night
Women are like evening primroses

Dreaming only for one night,
Women are like evening primroses

Comment
The main characteristic of this song is the distinct Japanese flavour of it. The melody is built on the classic Asian pentatonic scale, and the instrumental makes use of Japanese drums and instruments; during the song, there are a lot of kakegoe (the classic Japanese rhythmic cries, used, for example, during traditional festivals too - in this case the kakegoe that is repeated throughout the song is "yoisho!". Kakegoe have no literal meaning.)
Moreover, the lyrics are also written in a style reminiscing of classical Japanese.
They make a comparison between a woman who can only meet her lover at night and an evening primrose, a flower that blooms at night and wilts the following morning.