Refraction

Say what you like about Hikaru Utada; the girl knows how to write catchy music. Each of her last three singles has been stuck in my head for quite some time.

I don’t even like the songs when I first listen to them. And, naturally, I have the faintest idea what they’re about unless I listen closely. They’re not even that sing-a-long-able! And yet, they have the catchiest hooks ever.

So, in an attempt at catharsis, I break down each of these songs to try and alleviate myself of this … earworm.

“Be My Last” is a plaintive ballad (replete with “aaaAAAAaaaAAAAhhh”s), plain and simple. I don’t even know what else to say about it! It seems like a very plain song. The title? “Be My Last”? Be my last what? I like Utada’s ballads. Most of the time. But I’m at a loss to explain why I’ve got this one stuck in my head. I don’t feel it’s amazing vocally or lyrically.

“Passion” is the theme for the Japanese version of Kingdom Hearts 2. This can’t be classified as anything other than experimental. Between the reversed backing vocals and the cricket-like sounds in the background… bizarre. Not very mainstream. It’s relaxing and energizing at the same time. I know some people proclaimed this as “her best song yet!” I didn’t feel that way about it. I still don’t.

“Keep Tryin'” is her latest single, and it’s an upbeat number, although the intro’s a bit like “Passion”‘s. (The cover for the single is insane, though. Not like anything I’ve seen from Utada before, since her single covers are usually just a close-up of her face.) And no, I don’t particularly like the song, either. But I suppose it’s interesting in a way that not a lot of J-pop is these days.

And you know what, this didn’t help XP

Oh, and I have an mp3 of her covering Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” Yeah. Interesting.

I can’t seem to write coherently these days. My French lit prof pointed out that my essay seemed to be lacking some logical connections between ideas, which is true. I just didn’t have enough words to stuff everything I wanted to say in there (Only 1200, and my rushed draft was close to 1400…. gah). Next time, I’ll narrow down my topic a little more. I guess I’m a bit out of practice.

My apathy’s sinking in again. At least I don’t have another midterm for 3 weeks.

My friend also burned that Chinese serial I got into halfway through 2 years ago for me. IT IS HILARIOUS. I love that one. The male lead is forced to don a dolphin mascot suit for a good deal of the first episode. Hilarity ensues. I’m not saying the plot’s believable, or that the acting’s good, or that there’s any artistic merit to this show; but it’s escapism, that’s all.

Now, for those of you who are interested, give w-inds.’s cover of Clay Aiken’s “Perfect Day” a try. I don’t like it as much as the original, but I don’t expect much else from covers.

So m-flo, my favourite J-whatever-you-call-that-type-of-music group recently released a music video featuring none other than Sonic’s evil lookalike. It’s amusing. It’s very amusing.

All kidding aside though, I quite like the song. LISA, of course, used to be m-flo’s vocalist before she quit. Since then, they’ve started their “m-flo ♥ …” collaborations. Well, at least it keeps them from getting into a rut.

So, for your reading pleasure, some caps with accompanying commentary. :star:
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I posted this survey over two years ago. I thought it’d be interesting to see how my musical taste has broadened, and so, here it is again, with my revisions.

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One of my favourite tracks on F.I.R.’s latest album isn’t really a song at all; in fact, I’m not sure how to describe it. It reminds me of a read-a-long story set to some medieval-sounding music, or at least what medieval music sounds like in the movies. A little like the Fable demo that was online before the game came out.

Long ago, there was a bird who sang but just once in her life
From the moment she left the nest
she searched relentlessly for a thorn tree
never resting until she found one
Then she began to sing
more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth
But, carried away in the rapture of the song
she impaled herself on the longest, sharpest thorn
But as she was dying
she rose above her own agony to outsing even the lark and the nightingale
The thorn bird traded her life for that one song and
the whole world was captivated to listen!
And God, in His heaven, smiled upon her
As her very best was brought out only at the cost of great pain
Driven by the thorn, with no thought for her death to come

But when we push the thorn into our breast
We know …
We understand …
And still … we choose the pain of the thorn …

The title is “The Legend 傳說” and it’s beautiful in a sad way. Right now, I’m just puzzled over its meaning. The last few lines, especially.

Is the song suggesting that great beauty can be born of great pain? Or that it’s stupid to subject ourselves to something like that?

Wasn’t she outsinging “the lark and the nightingale” even before she pierced herself with the thorn? (Unless nightingales and larks aren’t “creatures on the face of the earth”, but that’s even less likely.)

Oh, and isn’t there some reference to larks and nightingales in Romeo and Juliet?

So!

Michael did a year-in-review with theme songs. Since I love that idea, I am going to steal it. 😀 No, I do not do this usually–stealing ideas because I think they’re good, I mean. It’s just… a very good idea.

And, yes, I am going through archives to see what my mood was like. I can’t remember.

That and looking at old MSN names. Because sometimes the random lyrics I put in there are in there randomly for a reason!
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