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 K - "Mushi no ballad"

I apologize for being so late but I am finally able my translation + commentary of "Mushi no ballad", the song that ranked first in the poll!
If you have never watched Sayaka perform this song, do yourself a favour: read the lyrics and then click on that youtube link and get ready to be blown away. This song is just beyond the idol world.


"Mushi no ballad" (A bug's ballad)
(from Team K 5th stage "Saka agari")
Team K (Akimoto Sayaka)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Tago Kunio
point of view: male first person and language
theme: fighting song
original lyrics


listen to Mushi no ballad on youtube

Alone under the pouring rain
I wanted it to hit me and get me soaking wet
I was trying to wash away
My dirty body and my ugly heart

What am I supposed to believe in
To live through this age?
I ask myself,
But there's no answer

I am not afraid of being hurt
No matter how hard my road is
I am insignificant
Falling down on my knees
I'll just turn into a bug

The wind makes me fall down
But I have to get out of the mud
I recklessly groveled
Beautiful things
Are things that have been washed
By sweat and tears

What is true?
What is fake?
Even if I think about it
If I take a shortcut I won't find the answer

I don't lament the fact I'm going to die
No matter how long eternity is
I am clumsy but I won't look back
I'll just turn into an earnest bug

As long as I live
I don't care if I'm unsightly
On this ground I'm screaming out my soul
I will cling onto the fact I'm alive

I am not afraid of being hurt
No matter how hard my road is
I am insignificant
Falling down on my knees
I'll just turn into a bug

Comment
I think I haven't done much justice to this song with my translation. I am not very confident in the correctness of my English grammar here so any correction will be welcome.
"Mushi no ballad" is a solo song, sung by Akimoto Sayaka. At that time, the only other solo song ever existed was Oshima Yuko's "Naki nagara hohoende" and even now solo songs are not that common, so the fact that she got to do it despite not being a hugely popular member like Yuko really says something about Sayaka's potential and talent.
The lyrics use the male pronoun "ore", which is rather unusual for songs sung by girls (they rather use "boku" when it comes to songs sung in a male point of view). It's grammatically very strong and assertive, matching the theme of the song.
For once, the theme is not "let's do our best to reach our dreams". The main character of this song is portrayed as he struggles to be alive at all.　He appears to be having a very hard time, "groveling in the mud", but he still he doesn't give up on life, whatever it takes. He will "cling onto life" even if it means to suffer, even if it means to become an unsightly bug. It's a powerful song, full of emotion. It might not have a difficult dance routine, but it takes a lot of skill to sing it, to convey the lyrics into a convincing performance. Simply, Sayaka has that.
The song has been performed by other members as well, with various results, during shuffle concerts and when Sayaka was absent from theatre performances, but this is Sayaka's song all the way. Even a great singer like Masuda Yuka (who technically outshines Sayaka) couldn't put as much emotion into her performance as Sayaka does.

AKB48 - "Beginner"

It seems only fair to start this post with AKB48's biggest hit to date.

"Beginner"
(from "Beginner" single)
AKB48 senbatsu members (A: Kojima Haruna, Maeda Atsuko, Sashihara Rino, Shinoda Mariko, Takahashi Minami, Takajo Aki / K: Itano Tomomi, Minegishi Minami, Miyazawa Sae, Oshima Yuko / B: Kasai Tomomi, Kashiwagi Yuki, Kitahara Rie, Watanabe Mayu / SKE48: Matsui Jurina, Matsui Rena)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Inoue Yoshimasa
point of view: male language is used but it is not relevant to the meaning of this song
theme: fighting/support song
original lyrics


listen to Beginner on youtube

In your position set!

All the experiences you made until yesterday
And your knowledge are only a burden
The wind will always pass by
And leave nothing behind

Look for a new road!
Don't spread someone else's map!
When you raise your eyes that were looking at the ground you'll become zero

Are we dreaming?
Are we believing in future?
Afraid of nothing, careless of what's our place
As reckless as ever
Are we dreaming now?
We should be as brand new as a child...
Let's tear off the chains that controlled us
Change your mind
Change your mind
We don't need to know anything Beginner!

Adults have failed and felt ashamed
And suffering has become their trauma
Thinking they don't want to feel such pain again
They have become smart

Challenges are laughed upon
What are you protecting with your silly calculations
In order to avoid risks?

Are we alive?
Do we want to be alive tomorrow?
We pretend we understand, we feign a knowing look
While we haven't dreamed in a long while
Yeah, are we alive?
Aren't we wasting our life?
Feel now the rhythm pulsing through your veins!

Stand up! Together!
Remember the day you were born!
Everyone's a beginner!
Stand up! Right away!
It won't go well
Easily from the beginning
Stand up! Together!
You just need to go back to the beginning
A beginner again
Stand up! Right away!
Be defiant, be defiant
You will make it somehow
Tear away the old page
Come on, let's begin!
We can be reborn all the time

Are we dreaming?
Are we believing in future?
Afraid of nothing, careless of what's our place
As reckless as ever
Are we dreaming now?
We should be as brand new as a child...
Let's tear off the chains that controlled us

I can't do anything
I can't do it well
So what?
We're still young
I can't do anything
I can't do it right away
That's why we have possibilities

The rain has stopped
The wind has stopped
A light we've never seen before
Is shining
Now's the time

You are a reborn beginner!

Text in italics is in English in the original lyrics


Comment

This is probably the song with the strongest lyrics among AKB48's single releases of the last years. It apparently fits in the category, so peculiar of Japanese lyrics, of "ouenka" (support/fighting songs), yet it is much more than that.
The meaning of the lyrics could be largely broken up in three big layers.
The first layer is strong and immediate: do it, recklessly. If you feel it's worth doing it, then don't think that you could fail, don't think of the risks and just do it - it's the only thing that can make you break away from a dull life and make it worth living.
It would be already a rather strong message for a group of idols, considering how idol music is generally very conservative and idol "ouenka" are usually limited to cute "Do your best!" songs; but let us look at the other layers of meaning.
One was nicely pointed out by this Oricon article (translation by me):

Idols song are a means of communication. They are a tool for shaping a message. But if the idols who stand in front don't synchronize themselves with the message, it won't come across. (...) This is an AKB48 song, and at the same time it isn't an AKB48 song. It's not the AKB that has taken the whole Japan by storm and conquered it, but it expresses a reality that's in synch with the state of mind of each single member. (...) A strong will is the reverse side of cheerfulness and high quality entertainment. Idols, too, in order to be able to keep showing their smiles to the fans, have to be strong. AKB can sing this message exactly because they are doing their best to be strong. The reason why this message becomes pain and pierces through us listeners, it's because we have stopped trying to be strong.

I think this is straight to the point. Several members posted on their blogs how they felt the lyrics reflected their own state of mind. It cannot be excluded that it could be a push on their backs from Akimoto, to encourage the girls to keep pursuing their dreams and to stay strong.

Next, there is another point of view we can look at these lyrics from. The controversial PV for this song's theme was "getting to know the meaning of 'being alive' through pain". In short: until you feel pain, until you know what pain is, you cannot understand what it means to be alive. In other words, as especially pointed out in the second verse, avoiding pain is avoiding life. Only by pain can we be reborn (which is, in my opinion, the true meaning of the word "beginner" as it is used in this song).
Moreover, not knowing what pain means leads to smaller perception of what it means hurting others (the "adults who have become smart" might refer to overprotecting parents).

The three interpretation levels overlap and interweave forming the broader picture of this song. The repetitive melody, deep-voiced singing and hard beat make for a compelling song, leaving you slightly anxious, and this is the case where the music is a perfect match for the lyrics.

Language-wise, the song is sung using male language, because of its "strong" connotations. Whether the first person is a boy or a girl is completely irrelevant when it comes to the meaning of "Beginner".

This song led me to take an important, maybe reckless decision that could change my whole life. It's just a song, but it has this kind of power, and I felt it was right to dedicate my first entry to it. I hope I could convey the strenght of this song through my words.