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".

Undergirls - "Nusumareta kuchibiru"

"Nusumareta kuchibiru" (Stolen lips)
(from "Ponytail to shushu" single)
AKB48 Undergirls senbatsu members (A: Iwasa Misaki, Katayama Haruka, Kuramochi Asuka, Maeda Ami, Ota Aika, Sashihara Rino / K: Akimoto Sayaka, Fujie Reina, Kikuchi Ayaka, Nito Moeno / B: Komori Mika, Oku Manami, Sato Amina, Sato Sumire / SKE48: Matsui Rena, Yagami Kumi)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Inoue Yoshimasa
point of view: female
theme: love song
original lyrics


listen to Nusumareta kuchibiru on youtube

Spangles embroidered
In the midsummer's night sky
I pointed at the constellations
And asked you their names

The two of us were lying on a beach
The world up above us was so beautiful...
I thought I was the happiest person in the world
Just by being able to be at your side

Stolen lips
In the blink of an eye
Just as if wind had passed
You were in front of me
And for a second you were above me
My heart beat so fast
I was shaking

Words are always fumbling around
It's so hard to catch the real feelings...

Whenever the lighthouse on the cape shone
Your face appears in the darkness
Your embarassed eyes are so dear to me
I thought I loved you the most in the whole universe

Kiss me again
Let me prepare for it
So that I can feel your love
I want to gaze at you
Until we close our eyes
If it was just a kiss out of the excitement of the moment
Stop it...

Stolen lips
In the blink of an eye
Just as if wind had passed
You were in front of me
And for a second you were above me
My heart beat so fast
I was shaking

Kiss me again
Let me prepare for it
So that I can feel your love
I want to gaze at you
Until we close our eyes
If it was just a kiss out of the excitement of the moment
Stop it...

Stolen lips

Comment
This translation is a request from a S48 user, and I'm happy to help him out :D
It's a pretty simple song. "Stolen kiss" songs are a staple of idol repertory since the 70's, by the way :)

Team A, "Kurumi to dialogue"

I've only posted one Team A song so far, and that's definitely wrong, cause Team A is my second favourite team by a very small margin (Team K just wins, but A is just awesome), and generally has a lot of songs I can safely call my favourites.
So, to celebrate Team A and also as an attempt of being up to date, let me bring you Team A's latest song, "Chance no junban"'s B-side, the amazing "Kurumi to dialogue".

"Kurumi to dialogue" (A dialogue with a walnut)
(from "Chance no junban" single)
Team A (full team)

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


listen to Kurumi to dialogue on youtube

What do you wanna do?

Once you've cracked the walnut open
Its hard shell
What's there inside?
If I open my heart
I should understand
What's coming next, shouldn't I?

Do! Do!…Do!Do!

When our eyes met I felt something
I can't put my finger on
Even if you were erasing those signals
I felt your heartbeat
You were in a place
A little distant from me
And you didn't show it at all
cool

What should I do?

Once you've cracked the walnut open
I could hear
That voice I'd locked away...
Once you've learnt the truth
You can't go back anymore, can you?

Non!Non!…Non!Non!

Held by your hands,
Played with slowly,
I raise a cry
As if love was swaying
If you use a little force
Nonchalantly,
I can't really resist

Yes!Yes!…Yes!Yes!

What do you wanna do?

It's a secret to dad and mum
I was told this is wrong
It'd be ok if it was only a dream,
But can I crush it?

Do!Do!…Do!Do!

What should I do?

Once you've cracked the walnut open
It all starts
A crushed moral
More foolish than Adam and Eve
But somehow I want to do it

Once you've cracked the walnut open
Its hard shell
What's there inside?
If I open my heart
That forbidden thing is delicious

Do!Do!…Do!Do!
Do!Do!…Do!Do!

Comment
I already liked this song since its early leek but I never paid attention to the lyrics. So when I read them I was honestly astonished.
The metaphore is rather easy to see: "cracking the walnut" clearly refers to losing one's virginity. It's not the first time that AKB sing a song about this theme, in more or less explicit ways (songs that come to mind: "Virgin love", "Dear my teacher", "Dokugumo"...), but this is probably one of the most nicely worded and designed ones. We follow the girl meeting a boy, flirting with him and finally losing in to temptation, knowing that what she's doing might be wrong and that there's no way back but eventually conceding. Interestingly, the PV is all about losing to temptation, too, albeit sexual temptation is barely hinted at.

Team K - "Kiseki wa ma ni awanai"

Finally, here it comes. "Kiseki~" is a song that is most precious for me, the song I voted for for this year's Request Hour, it HAD to come around asap. :D

"Kiseki wa ma ni awanai" (Miracles don't make it on time)
(from Team K 6th stage "RESET")
Team K (Miyazawa Sae [centre], Yonezawa Rumi, Nonaka Misato)

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


listen to Kiseki wa ma ni awanai

A windy bus stop
Even if I wait for you
You definitely won't come
I knew that much

Over a not so high hill
There's a bench that looks like someone has forgotten it there
My hat flew away...
I kept looking for you since then

But miracles never make it on time, do they?
Love is always such a hasty thing
How many buses will have to stop and leave
Until destiny catches up?
My future lover

The reason why my heart's beating fast
Suddenly sped up
And got closer
To my heart's curve

It feels like
the green trees are staring at me
And I can't calm down
The probability that the two of us will fall in love

But miracles never make it on time, do they?
Pure love is never something that goes smoothly
Even if you weren't on the last bus either
I will forever wait here
I am the only lover

But miracles never make it on time, do they?
Love is always such a hasty thing
How many buses will have to stop and leave
Until destiny catches up?
My future lover

Comment
I LOVE THIS SONG. (wow, a scholarly comment. XD) It's the first unit song that Sae got to lead and it was written exactly for her: it's fun, happy, boyish and cool and cute at the same time, just like she is.
This song has no hidden meaning or cultural references in particular. It talks of a boy/young man who was sitting on a bench next to a bus stop, when suddenly the wind made his hat fly away. When he goes to pick it up, he sees a girl on the bus passing by and falls in love at first sight; so he ends up waiting everyday all day at the bus stop to see her again, hoping for a miracle.
It's as simple as this. Yet, I find it so charming. I find that this songs suits who performs them so perfectly I just can't help but love it as if it were a part of Sae-chan. Rumi and Micha are great in this song too, and the voices of the three of them blend really nicely.
In short: there's nothing about this song that's not to like. XD I might not have a deep lyrics analysis this time, but this song gives me energy and positivity every morning when I have to face a hard day, so it deserves its place here. ♥

AKB48, "Ponytail to shushu"

As I promised, a single!
This time I wanted to go for something lighter, but still meaningful, so let me introduce to you...

"Ponytail to shushu" (Ponytail and scrunchie)
(from "Ponytail to shushu" single)
AKB48 senbatsu members (A: Kojima Haruna, Maeda Atsuko, Shinoda Mariko, Takahashi Minami, Takajo Aki / K: Itano Tomomi, Minegishi Minami, Miyazawa Sae, Ono Erena, Oshima Yuko / B: Kasai Tomomi, Kashiwagi Yuki, Kitahara Rie, Miyazaki Miho, Watanabe Mayu / SKE48: Matsui Jurina)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Ota Shinya
point of view: male
theme: love song
original lyrics


listen to Ponytail to shushu on youtube

Before the set date on the calendar
I roll up my shirt's sleeves
It's the sign that the sun is getting closer
I'm changing to summer uniform starting from my arms¹

Blue sea
On the shore
I want to see you
Splashing water with naked feet

(Shaking) your ponytail
Into the wind
You run (I run)
on the sand
(Shaking) your ponytail
You turned my way
Your smile
My summer begins

Sunrays lighten the classroom
The temperature of my dreams got higher
When I look at you, sitting some rows ahead of me
My heart aches

I'll never be able to say I like you
I whisper my feelings to your back

Your ponytail (makes me feel sad)
Inside my dreams
I have all of you (all of me)
For myself
Your ponytail (makes me feel sad)
One-sided love
When our eyes meet
Now, we're just friends

Your long hair in a ponytail
In a polka dot scrunchie
I can't catch the tail of love
It's an illusion that will disappear if I touch it

(Don't take out) your ponytail
Without ever changing
Just keep running
As you are (as I am)
(Don't take out) your ponytail
Please be forever
The happy young girl you are

La la la...

Note
¹ The whole first verse refers to the Japanese school tradition of changing from long-sleeved winter uniform to short-sleeved summer uniform on a set date (usually at the start of June).

Comment
This song is cheerful only in appearance. It is actually a melancholy song, sung from a schoolboy's point of view, about his unrequited love for his classmate. The literal story is as follows: he sees her frolicking on the beach, her hair in a ponytail, and in their sunlit classroom at the beginning of Summer, and thinks that he will never be able to confess to her, he'll just keep loving her from a distance.
But the ponytailed girl is also a symbol of idealized youth. Her ponytail (tied with a colourful scrunchie), her school uniform, taking off her shoes and socks to play with the sea in the first Summer days... The schoolgirl symbolizes youth as it is often idealized in the Japanese adult world: innocence, simple beauty, cheerfulness. Youth is beautiful and fleeting, the only carefree time in a lifetime before being lining up in the "shakaijin" (productive worker) ranks; therefore it is an object of longing - this is the real reason why idol industry is so florid in Japan. They don't sell an image of sex as many Westerners think: idols are the image of perfect youth.
Back to the song, of course the literal unrequited love story is the prevailing part of the song, but the "symbolized youth" metaphor is a pivotal element of Japanese, and especially idol, culture, so I thought I'd point it out since it would be easy to overlook it for someone who is not very knowledgeable with Japan's idealization of youth.