Translated from Pakila Music, 2008.11.26
Original Text: Tomonori Nakazawa.
The emotion that follows the inner workings of the human heart--and, the feeling of embracing contradiction; "Jigsaw" tells it like it is!
Acid Black Cherry's sixth single, "Jigsaw", was released on November 26.
Of course, we asked yasu once again about his fascinating musical composition!
No matter what it is, nothing is just beautiful--there is a shadow that lurks underneath. It is absolutely true that life is full of contradictions.
You have recently finished your latest number, "Jigsaw". This time, it became a song that strongly expresses the "contradictions in emotion that whirl about in people's minds".
yasu: It's not that I wanted to "get on my high horse" or anything. It's just something that ended up finishing the heavy, dark tune that the song contains. When I started writing, I wanted to challenge myself by taking myself out of writing love songs, so I thought that I wanted to capture "a wider view of the world"; and this is the result.
Were there different lyrics for this song to start with??
yasu: Yes, there were. I had actually completed it before with entirely different words. However, I thought, "I should focus on one worldview, and express that strongly", so I rewrote them.
In "Jigsaw", you express the "contradicting feelings" that everyone carries inside of them, while bringing it together with language that is easy to understand.
yasu: I think that more than just having those feelings, people go along with them, no matter who they are. I hate the tendency in one part of society to just whitewash over that and complain about others, despite knowing that they have those feelings as well. For example, if someone takes on an act of charity, they always ask if it's true charity, or if there's some kind of ulterior motive...I think, though, that if the result is positive and brings happiness, then even if that other side of it is present as well, that's a good thing, too. But, I really hate those who, in those actions, say, "Let's think of ourselves as good people for doing charitable work" while at the same time abandon all sense of justice in the process. There are a lot of people who work with charities, or do volunteer work, who do so without seeking any gain for themselves. For that reason, I question those who emphasize their charitable works by "waving the iron hammer of justice", and stand in opposition of those people.
For those people, I suppose it is a scary thing to realize the emptiness of their existence if they do not draw attention to themselves.
yasu: But, recognizing that you want recognition for yourself doesn't negate what you do. That's what happens when you put yourself above others waving the banner of "righteousness" for what you do. It doesn't just extend to a "volunteer" basis, but rather, to everything. No matter what it is, nothing is just beautiful--there's a shadow that lurks underneath. There are any number of inconsistencies in the world, aren't there? "The human exists while living in embracing his contradictions". So, for this reason, I started to think, isn't there a need for me to not only sing about "those things that are nothing but beautiful"? I decided that by challenging myself to write a darker piece, and sing it, I would be creating a song more like myself. From that, I wrote "Jigsaw".
Lyrics that hesitate over their answer when asked, "What do you think of this?", aren't good at all, are they?
After all, if people don't justify their actions, they are reminded of their insecurity and weakness, right?
yasu: However, I am comprehending, even within myself, that more than just being emotions that people have, they are also to be expected of humanity itself. Somehow, if they had to say something, they would say "I'm precious to myself", right? If it is taken to an extreme, there are also people out there who take that to mean, "Even if everyone else is unhappy, as long as I'm happy it's okay." There are certainly people out there as well who blindly sing of "LOVE & PEACE" and believe that they are just, as well. I am not denying that, though. But, in fact, aren't there times that you can see things that make you think, "Do you really believe that, or are you just putting on airs"? Maybe that's what I can say that I hate--that tendency to hide one's real intentions by simply glossing over them. If that's the case, then I have taken these hypocritical, dirty feelings and brought them out by making lyrics from them. "Jigsaw" is what came out of that sort of origin.
In your case, yasu-san, you can take those feelings, even if they are only negative, and get them out through lyrics, after all...
yasu: There are a lot of people who think of others more than themselves, with songs like this. My heart, as well, is full of contridictions. So, perhaps I can say that I hate skimming over those contridictory feelings to just write about beautiful things. Something I think of as very important as I write lyrics is, "Though there may be good or evil in the emotions I want to portray, as long as there are no lies in the words I choose, then it's okay." Lyrics that hesitate over their answer when asked, "What do you think of this?", aren't good at all, are they? Representationally.
That's because, in your case, you break down your personal feelings and turn them into lyrics, yasu-san.
yasu: In my case, I'm actually not really the type who desires to have a strong message in his music. Yet, I do think that it is better to, when portraying the same subject, to have lyrics that linger, if only for a little while. For example, that "LOVE & PEACE", if it's John Lennon singing it, I remember the force with which it was sung. For him, it stems from the fact that he himself was a hippie, so it has even more significance because of that. A song that has a backbone in that kind of pursuasive power, a song that is presented in that way, resonates with the hearts of people--and those songs are the ones that stay around. However, though a lot of today's Japanese artists crowd their songs with the words "LOVE & PEACE", I don't feel the persuasive power in them. Of course, that doesn't apply to all of them. Even so, it is absolutely true that there are a lot of things that borrow modes of presentation from elsewhere.
It's a sensitive subject, simply because that "LOVE & PEACE", that came to our lexicon originally as a song lyric, is now used habitually in them.
yasu: Of course, I think that using those words, and singing that message, is a wonderful thing, too. Also, singing about the feeling of gratitude for being born is great, too. I think, "For sure, there are no lies in those words, and that's reality...but, didn't someone else sing that before?" "Didn't I hear that somewhere else before?" So, honestly, I am trying to avoid showing those kinds of things in my own representations of emotion.
How can someone go about expressing emotion with language, which is so mundane, while moving away from those subjects? I think that's a very difficult job. Even if you use words as strong as "I love you", to that end, how much of that will be represented in personal feelings...I suppose you could say that's the difficult part to figure out. But, that's an important truth as well.
yasu: As far as lyrics are concerned, perhaps I can say that if the person singing them is the one who wrote them, then they already have significance. In an extreme case, if you take lyrics written by a professional writer, and those words stick in your heart, you're not denying yourself by singing them, either. With those kinds of songs, I can sing words that others wrote quite obediently. But, sometimes there are songs like that, right? Songs that make you think, "These words this person is singing, who the hell actually thinks like this?!" Or, those songs where you can't see the person's true character at all. If what an artist uses to express himself musically doesn't express any personal feelings, if his words don't resound with it, then I am unmoved by them. If that's the case, then, I think that rather than singers singing words by "that guy", they should take on reality on their own, and with that they will be able to write their own lyrics.
Now, those words like "I love you" and "LOVE & PEACE" are often used as just a weapon someone has in their arsenal, used above the desire to actually express any real sentiment, right?
yasu: That's right. It's not that they actually advocate the things those words mean, they're just using them in the name of "style". Just as an example, if I were to go and see a war film, be shocked by it, and sing "LOVE & PEACE" after feeling honestly that "There can't be any more wars", then it would be something I could agree to doing, because it would be something that I honestly feel. But, to use such expressions just because they are popular or cliched, I reaaaaally hate that.
That relates to the discussion we had about volunteer work in the beginning. But, now, Japanese people are really snapping up the ideology of "LOVE & PEACE" and "ONE LOVE", enough to say that it is in fashion. There's the tendency these days to believe that living being able to say such things is cool, after all.
yasu: Saying those things, and supporting those kinds of songs does seem like it's cool these days, doesn't it. With that, you think that anyone would oppose war, and you take that view for granted. Conveying those feelings isn't bad, but I've come to think rather strongly that more than just conveying a thought, it's important to become the one who believes it if you do, or expressing it has no meaning at all. Though that's a pretty heavy-handed way to say it. The point is, "If this is how I really feel, then it doesn't matter if the feelings are good or bad, I want to put words to them. However, more than just lining up empty words, sometimes my words will take a negative turn if I think this way--and if I thought the words I am writing, then I want to keep them as they are." That's all there is to it.
Honestly, I still have a lot of songs like "Ai no Baka!" and "Hershey" that are so famous people already know them.
For your Recreation Track, you did a cover of Fish & Chips' "Hershey". Choosing this song is just like you, isn't it.
yasu: It's not "Ai no Baka", which I recorded for my last single, "20＋∞ Century Boys", though. I just want to keep going, singing all of these hidden but really famous songs as Recreation Tracks. Fish & Chips were a group who, like me, are from Osaka, and appeared on the "BREAK OUT!" program. Out of all the groups and bands they promoted with that program, they were the very first ones to make it.
Your singing voice in "Hershey" is so clear. I feel as if it was so new and different from the voice, and expressions, that you usually use, yasu-kun.
yasu: This song is in a very high key. So, naturally, my voice is going to become that piercing (Laughs.) However, even now, when I listen to that song, I think it's a good one.
yasu-kun, a lot of your covers are outside of the rock spectrum, aren't they?
yasu: I guess there are rock musicians, or one faction of them anyway, that give off that air of "I never listen to popular or pop songs!" Though...there wouldn't be any musicians expressing themselves through rock music if they only knew pop songs, huh...I guess that's all I can see, making a futile effort to close that gap and make it better.
I know that feeling.
yasu: Of course, I have been influenced by Western music as well. But, it wasn't all Western songs that I was singing in the park in kindergarten, was it? It's natural that I listened to the popular songs and anime themes on TV as a kid, right? I keep these things in mind. I've been influenced by popular songs, and Japanese songs, since I was little, too. Though now I feel like I want to do rock like the Western artists do it. But, that doesn't mean at all that I was strongly influenced by Western artists; on the contrary, I didn't know much Western music at all. So, even though they had covers, it didn't hit me that they were Western artists being covered at all. For that reason, I don't want to conceal my own roots, and instead want to bring them out more.
So, that's why you've been taking up so many songs that were famous in the past.
yasu: Right. For example, with "Ihoujin", I remembered the melody quite fondly...though there are a lot of songs like that which I haven't had the chance to work with yet. But, at the same time, I still have a lot of those songs that everyone around now still knows if they're into music, like "Ai no Baka!" and "Hershey". I think I would like to continue in that sort of positive direction with those covers.
Looking toward the next development...
As ever, you're constantly composing music. I'm sure that even now...
yasu: It's not that I'm really rushing around or always working, but I am still composing. It's not that I'm absolutely clear on what my next move will be, either. Surely, I spend my days composing for a second album that may be released, though. After all, that's just the information that has come out so far on my end.