愛を込めて花束を － Superfly (A Bouquet of my Love － Superfly)

From the powerful lungs of Shiho Ochi comes this tremendous Superfly hit. The orchestral backing and simple but effective lyrics make this one of my favourite Japanese songs. Gratitude soars from every line.


Special thanks to YouTube user 555dancer for the video!

Song: 愛を込て花束を (A Bouquet of My Love)
Artist: Superfly

VERSE 1
二人で写真を撮ろう　懐かしいこの景色と
Futari de shashin wo torou natsukashii kono keshiki to
Let's take a picture of the two of us in this familiar setting

あの日と同じポーズで　おどけてみせて欲しい
Ano hi to onaji pōzu de odokete misete hoshii
I want you to joke around and show me the same pose you made that day

見上げる空の青さを　気まぐれに雲は流れ
Miageru sora no aosa wo kimagure ni kumo wa nagare
Clouds drift erratically across the blue sky

キレイなものは　遠くにあるからキレイなの
Kirei na mono wa tōku ni aru kara kirei na no
Are beautiful things beautiful because they are untouchable?

約束したとおりあなたと
Yakusoku shita tōri anata to
ここに来られて本当に良かったわ
Koko ni korarete hontou ni yokatta wa
I'm so happy that I could come to this place with you,
just as we promised

PRECHORUS 1
この込み上がる気持ちが　愛じゃないなら
Kono komiagaru kimochi ga ai ja nai nara
If this bursting emotion isn't love

何が愛かわからないほど
Nani ga ai ka wakaranai hodo
I don't know what love is

CHORUS 1
愛をこめて花束を　大袈裟だけど受け取って
Ai wo komete hanataba wo ōgesa dakedo uketotte
Please accept this bouquet of my love, though it's a little extravagant

理由なんて訊かないでよね
Riyuu nante kikanaide yo ne
Don't ask me for a reason or anything

今だけすべて忘れて　笑わないで受けとめて
Ima dake subete wasurete warawanaide uketomete
Just for now, forget everything else and accept it without laughing

照れていないで
Tereteinaide
Don't be shy

VERSE 2
昨日とよく似た今日は　何気ない分かれ道を
Kinou to yoku nita kyou wa nanigenai wakaremichi wo
分かって選びそびれた　臆病のせいでしょう
Wakatte erabisobireta okubyou no sei deshou
Today, as yesterday, I missed my turning at a fork in the road
I guess it's because I'm a coward

私は泣くのが得意で
Watashi wa naku no ga tokui de
I was always good at crying

最初から慰めを当てにしてたわ
Saisho kara nagusame wo ate ni shiteta wa
And I relied on your comfort

PRECHORUS 2
何度も間違った道　選び続けて
Nando mo machigatta michi erabitsuzukete
No matter how many times I got lost along the way

正しく　ここに戻って来たの
Tadashiku koko ni modotte kita no
I made it back here

CHORUS 2
巡り巡る時を超え　いつもあなたの所へと
Meguri meguru toki wo koe itsumo anata no tokoro e to
この心　舞い戻ってゆく
Kono kokoro maimodotte yuku
Circling round and round through time,
This heart of mine is always seeking to return to where you are

無理に描く理想より　笑い合える今日の方が
Muri ni egaku risou yori waraiaeru kyou no hou ga
ずっと幸せね
Zutto shiawase ne
Rather than impossible ideals,
Happiness is sharing this laughter with you today

BRIDGE
violet, indigo, black and blue
flame, yellow, purple, sky blue,
pink, yellow green, ash, brown……

あなたに贈る色は……?
Anata ni okuru iro wa...?
What colours should I send to you?

CHORUS 3
巡り巡る時を超え　いつもあなたの所へと
Meguri meguru toki wo koe itsumo anata no tokoro e to
この心　舞い戻ってゆく
Kono kokoro maimodotte yuku
Circling round and round through time,
This heart of mine is always seeking to return to where you are

ありがとうも言い出せずに　甘えていた
Arigatou mo iidasezu ni amaeteita
今日ここへ来るまでは
Kyou koko e kuru made wa
Until I came back here today
I depended on you like a spoilt child without being able to thank you

愛をこめて花束を　大袈裟だけど受け取って
Ai wo komete hanataba wo ōgesa dakedo uketotte
Please accept this bouquet of my love, though it's a little extravagant

理由なんて訊かないでよね
Riyuu nante kikanaide yo ne
Don't ask me for a reason or anything

今だけすべて忘れて　笑わないで受けとめて
Ima dake subete wasurete warawanaide uketomete
本当のわたしを
Hontou no watashi wo
Just for now, forget everything else and accept, without laughing, the true me

いつまでもそばにいて
Itsu made mo soba ni ite
Stay by my side forever

正しい街 － 椎名林檎 (The Right City － Shiina Ringo)

We re-instate this blog with one of power-pop queen Shiina Ringo's less well-known (but no less brilliant) songs. Shiina spent 6 years growing up in my current home of Fukuoka, eventually moving to Tokyo to pursue her burgeoning musical career. This song was written about leaving the city behind; those of you familiar with Fukuoka should listen out for references to some famous Fukuoka landmarks.


Special thanks to YouTube user aneesognir for the video!

Song: 正しい街 (The Right City)
Artist: 椎名林檎 (Shiina Ringo)

PREVERSE
あの日飛び出した 此の街と君が正しかったのにね
Ano hi tobidashita kono machi to kimi ga tadashikatta no ni ne
I ran away that day, even though you and this city were both right for me

VERSE 1
不愉快な笑みを向け 長い沈黙の後 態度を更に悪くしたら
Furinkai na emi wo muke nagai chinmoku no ato taido wo sara ni waruku shitara
After a long period of smiling uncomfortably in silence, your attitude worsened

冷たいアスファルトに額を擦らせて 期待はずれのあたしを攻めた
Tsumetai asufaruto ni hitai wo kosurasete kitai hazure no atashi wo semeta
and you made me grind my forehead into the cold asphalt, attacking me for betraying your expectations

君が周りを無くした あたしはそれを無視した
Kimi ga mawari wo naku shita atashi wa sore wo mushishita
You gave up those around you; I ignored it

CHORUS 1
さよならを告げた あの日の唇が一年後
Sayonara wo tsugeta ano hi no kuchibiru ga ichinengo
どういう気持ちで いまあたしにキスをしてくれたのかな
Dou iu kimochi de ima atashi ni kisu wo shitekureta no ka na
What do you mean by kissing me now
with those lips that told me goodbye one year ago?

VERSE 2
短い嘘を繋げ 赤いものに替えて 疎外されゆく本音を伏せた
Mijikai uso wo tsunage akai mono ni kaete sogai sareyuku honne wo fuseta
Connecting many small lies, I created a big one, hiding the true feelings that I had completely divorced myself from

足らない言葉よりも近い距離を好み 理解出来ていた様に思うが
taranai kotoba yori mo chikai kyori wo konomi rikai dekiteita you ni omou ga
You preferred short distances to inadequate words
I think I understood what you meant

君に涙を教えた あたしはそれも無視した
Kimi ni namida wo oshieta atashi wa sore mo mushi shita
I taught you to cry
But I ignored that, too.

CHORUS 2
可愛いひとなら捨てる程いるなんて云うくせに
Kawaii hito nara suteru hodo iru nante iu kuse ni
You say you have so many cute girls that you have to dump some of them

どうして未だに 君の横には誰一人居ないのかな
Doushite imadani kimi no yoko ni wa dare hitori inai no ka na
Why, then, has there not been a single person by your side this whole time?

BRIDGE
何て大それたことを夢見てしまったんだろう
Nante daisoreta koto wo yume miteshimattan darou
I allowed myself to dream outrageous things

あんな傲慢な類の愛を押し付けたり
Anna gouman na tagui no ai wo oshitsuketari
Forcing my arrogant love on you

都会では冬の匂いも正しくもない
Tokai de wa fuyu no nioi mo tadashiku mo nai
In the city, winter smells wrong

百道浜も君も室見川もない
Momochihama mo kimi mo muromi gawa mo nai
No Momochi Beach, no you, and no Muromi River

CHORUS 3
もう我が儘など 云えないことは分かっているから
Mou wagamama nado ienai koto wa wakatteiru kara
I know now that I can no longer say those selfish things to you

明日の空港に 最後でも来てなんてとても云えない
Ashita no kuukou ni saigo demo kite nante totemo ienai
No way on earth I could ask you to see me off at the airport, even though it's my last day

忠告は全て いま罰として現実になった
Chuukoku wa subete ima batsu toshite genjitsu ni natta
Punished by all those warnings which came true

あの日飛び出した 此の街と君が正しかったのにね
Ano hi tobidashita kono machi to kimi ga tadashikatta no ni ne
I ran away that day, even though you and this city were both right for me

We're back!

After a two-year hiatus, we've finally found time to update again. Expect another song soon!

COMING SOON...

Special thanks to YouTube user summeryee1977 for the video!

我們的愛 － F.I.R. (Our Love － F.I.R.)

Special thanks to YouTube user Xuxiansheng for the video!

Song: 我們的愛 / Women De Ai / Our Love
Artist: F.I.R.

VERSE 1
回憶裡想起模糊的小時候
huiyili xiangqi mohu de xiao shihou
Hazy flashbacks to my childhood.

雲朵漂浮在藍藍的天空
yunduo piaofu zai lanlande tiankong
Clouds drifting in a bright blue sky.

那時的你說 要和我手牽手 一起走
nashi de ni shuo yao he wo shouqianshou yiqi zou
Back then you told me you wanted to walk hand in hand with me

到時間的盡頭
dao shijian de jintou
until the end of time.

VERSE 2
從此以後我都不敢抬頭看
congci yihou wo dou bugan taitou kan
Ever since, I’ve never dared to look up.

彷彿我的天空失去了顏色
pangfo wode tiankong shiqule yanse
It’s as if my sky has been drained of colour.

從那一天起 我忘記了呼吸
cong na yitian qi wo wangjile huxi
From that day on, I became numb inside.

眼淚啊 永遠不再 不再哭泣
Yanlei a yongyuan buzai buzai kuqi
And the last of my tears dried up forever.

CHORUS
我們的愛~ 過了就不再回來
women de ai~ guo le jiu buzai huilai
Our love is gone, never to return.

直到現在 我還默默的等待
zhidao xianzai wo hai momode dengdai
I’ve waited silently until now.

我們的愛 我明白 已變成你的負擔
women de ai wo mingbai yi biancheng nide fudan
Our love, I understand, became too much for you to bear.

只是永遠 我都放不開
zhishi yongyuan wo dou fangbukai
It’s just that, for as long as I live, I can’t let it go.

最後的溫暖~~~
zuihou de wennuan~~~
That last bit of warmth.

你給的溫暖
ni gei de wennuan
The warmth you gave me.

VERSE 2 REPEAT
CHORUS

BRIDGE
不要再問你是否愛我
buyao zai wen ni shifou ai wo
I don’t want to ask again if you love me.

現在我想要自由的天空
xianzai wo xiang’yao ziyou de tiankong
Right now I long for that boundless sky.

遠離開這被綑綁的世界
yuan likai zhe bei kunban de shijie
To leave the shackles of this world far behind.

不再寂寞
buzai jimo
And be lonely no more.

喔~
O~
Oh

CHORUS

Weekend — X Japan

I've put aside the pop for this entry, and instead humbly present Weekend by the brilliant and ridiculous masters of Japanese 80s hard rock- the incomparable X Japan. Try to cast your attention away from the hair and outfits, and instead enjoy the English translation of one of their most accomplished songs. Highlights include speed-of-light shredding on the solo and some deep piano work in the break.


Special thanks to YouTube user xrosannex for the video!

Song: Weekend
Artist: X Japan

VERSE 1
I hear a knock on the door,

激しくせまる
Hageshiku semaru
pressing in on me louder and louder.

失いかけた意識のなかで おまえがささやく
Ushinaikaketa ishiki no naka de omae ga sasayaku
You whisper through my fading consciousness,

追いつめられた 心溶かす
Oitsumareta kokoro tokasu
melting my hounded heart,

鈍色の肖像
Nibiiro no shōzō
A shadowy portrait

切り刻まれた記憶を 映しだす
Kirikizamareta kioku wo utsushidasu
cast upon my shredded memory.

VERSE 2
咲き乱れた hateful black heart
Sakimidareta HATEFUL BLACK HEART
My hateful black heart, bursting into life,

心にせまる研ぎ澄まされた transient feeling
Kokoro ni semaru togisumasareta TRANSIENT FEELING
Pounded by this knife-edged transient feeling

人波の中
Hitonami no naka
amidst a surging crowd.

ヒステリックに ざわめく風に
Hisuterikku ni zawameku kaze ni
In the face of the raving wind,

止まらない涙を 胸に抱きしめ 孤独を色どる
Tomaranai namida wo mune ni dakishime kodoku wo irodoru
I clutch my endless tears to my chest,
staining my loneliness

I've nothing to lose (Love me till the end)
Except your heart
I've nothing to lose (Love me till the end)
Except your heart

PRECHORUS 1
手首を流れる血を おまえの体に
Tekubi wo nagareru chi wo omae no karada ni
As I let the blood drain from my wrists

絡みつけると一瞬のうちに更みがえる
Karamitsukeru to isshun no uchi ni yomigaeru
over your body, my field of vision is drowned

記憶に視界を
Kioku ni shikai wo
by a flood of memories.

閉ざされ 笑いながら逃げてゆくおまえの姿を
Tozasare warainagara nigeteyuku omae no sugata wo
I watch you recede into the distance, laughing

見つめる 傷ついた俺が立ってる
Mitsumeru kizutsuita ore ga tatteru
as I struggle, wounded, to my feet.

CHORUS
Week End Week End
Week End I'm at my wits end }x2

SOLO

I've nothing to lose(Love me till the end)
Except your heart
I've nothing to lose(Love me till the end)
Except your heart (NO WAY OUT!)

VERSE 3
I hear a knock on the door,

激しくせまる
Hageshiku semaru
pressing in on me louder and louder.

失いかけた意識のなかで おまえがささやく
Ushinaikaketa ishiki no naka de omae ga sasayaku
You whisper through my fading consciousness

冷たい指先のばし
Tsumetai yubisaki nobashi
I stretch out with icy fingertips,

傷口に口づけ
Kizuguchi ni kuchizuke
plant a kiss on my gaping wounds,

赤く染まった狂気を抱きしめる
Akaku somatta kyōki wo dakishimeru
and embrace my sanguine madness

PRECHORUS 2
鏡を見つめながら ふるえる体に
Kagami wo mitsumenagara furueru karada ni
As I gaze in the mirror,

流れはじめた透き通る血を
Nagarehajimeta sukitōru chi wo
I entwine the translucent blood that flows across my trembling body

青白いおまえの心に
Aojiroi omae no kokoro ni
with your pallid heart

絡ませ 幻覚に消えて行く最後の涙を
Karamase genkaku ni kiete yuku saigo no namida wo
I gather up the last of my waning illusory tears

拾い集めて 血の海にまどろむ
Hiroiatsumete chi no umi ni madoromu
And slip into a warm red ocean

Week End Week End

BREAK

BRIDGE
Week End
I still love you
Week End
But I cannot carry on

VERSE 1 REPEAT

CHORUS

原來你什麼都不要 － 張惠妹 (Yuanlai Ni Shenme Dou Bu Yao － Zhang Hui Mei)

Special thanks to YouTube user Snowboy100 for the video!

Song: 原來你什麼都不要 / Yuanlai Ni Shenme Dou Bu Yao / You Want Nothing
Artist: 張惠妹 / Zhang Hui Mei

SECTION 1
我知道這樣不好
wo zhidao zheyang buhao
I know I can't go on like this.

也知道你的愛只能那麼少
ye zhidao ni de ai zhi neng name shao
I know you can't force yourself to love me.

我只有不停的要
wo zhi you buting de yao
I'm left with this constant desire.

要到你想逃
yao dao ni xiang tao
A desire that drives you further away.

淚濕的枕頭曬乾就好
lei shi de zhentou shaigan jiu hao
One day the sun will come out to dry this tear-drenched pillow.

眼淚在你的心裡 只是無理取鬧
yanlei zai ni de xinli zhi shi wuliqunao
Until that day, these tears are just a petty nuisance to you.

以為在你身後 是我一輩子的驕傲
yiwei zai ni shenhou shi wo yibeizi de jiao’ao
I always imagined I would follow you proudly into eternity.

原來你什麼都不想要
yuanlai ni shenme dou bu xiang’yao
None of that matters. You want nothing from me.

我不要你的呵護你的玫瑰
wo bu yao ni de hehu ni de meigui
I'm not asking you to take care of me or shower me with roses.

只要你好好久久愛我一遍
zhi yao ni haohao jiujiu ai wo yibian
I just want your total, lasting affection.

就算虛榮也好貪心也好
Jiusuan xurong ye hao tanxin ye hao
So what if it's vain or greedy?

哪個女人對愛不自私 不奢望
nage nüren dui ai bu zisi bu shewang
It's a woman’s prerogative to be selfish in love and wish for too much.

我不要你的承諾 不要你的永遠
wo bu yao ni de chengnuo bu yao ni de yongyuan
I'm not asking for promises of forever.

只要你真真切切愛我一遍
zhi yao ni zhenzhen qieqie ai wo yibian
I just want your total, sincere love.

就算虛榮也好貪心也好
jiusuan xurong ye hao tanxin ye hao
So what if it's vain or greedy?

最怕你把沈默當做對我的回答
zui pa ni ba chenmo dangzuo dui wo de huida
My greatest fear is that you'll answer me with silence.

SECTION 1 REPEAT

SECTION 2
我不要你的承諾 不要你的永遠
wo bu yao ni de chengnuo bu yao ni de yongyuan
I'm not asking for promises of forever.

只要你好好久久愛我一遍
zhi yao ni haohao jiujiu ai wo yibian
I just want your total, lasting affection.

就算虛榮也好貪心也好
jiusuan xurong ye hao tanxin ye hao
So what if it's vain or greedy?

哪個女人對愛不自私 不奢望
nage nüren dui ai bu zisi bu shewang
It's a woman’s prerogative to be selfish in love and wish for too much.

我不要你的承諾 不要你的永遠
wo bu yao ni de chengnuo bu yao ni de yongyuan
I'm not asking for promises of forever.

只要你真真切切愛我一遍
zhi yao ni zhenzhen qieqie ai wo yibian
I just want your total, sincere love.

就算虛榮也好貪心也好
jiusuan xurong ye hao tanxin ye hao
So what if it's vain or greedy?

最怕你把沈默當做對我的回答
zui pa ni ba chenmo dangzuo dui wo de huida
My greatest fear is that you'll answer me with silence.

原來你什麼都不想要
yuanlai ni shenme dou bu xiang’yao
None of that matters. You want nothing from me.