Listening to the new m-flo album Beat Space Nine I am struck by the extent of the integration between japanese and english. M-flo has always been like this, constantly shifting between the two languages, but the new album is ridiculous – the lyrics often break back and forward several times in the same sentence.
I really like this trend. It makes me happy to hear such cultural integration. A lot changed in 60 years.
Hear an example song here – “Taste your Stuff” originally by Bennie K. Love this song!
September 30th, 2005 at 11:00 am
I was thinking about this actually, yesterday, that is, the integration of english into Japanese. I usually hate gairaigo, but I questioned myself as to why, and the answer was because taking an Englsh word and making it into katakana (thereby liberating it from its correct spelling) strips a word of any meaning embedded into the spelling and reduces it to an empty sound.
It then occurred to me that lately, especially in song lyrics at least, the majority of English words are spelt with the Roman alphabet. Then I realised that if Japanese was to forego the inistence on katakana for gairaigo, it would truly be an Advanced Language. The willingness with which they integrate foreign language into theirs is amazing, and ruined only by katakana.
October 3rd, 2005 at 3:05 pm
Ｈａｐｐｙ Ｄｒｉｖｅ ～Taste Your Stuff～ ＢＥＮＮＩＥ Ｋ
珍しく休みで
空は晴れわたって
久しぶりに 君と二人きりで
空白の時間
取り戻す様に oh…
出かけてたのに
There ain’t nobody else…? ain’t nobody else
今 話題の (what?)
この映画も (はぁ?)
ケンカ越しじゃ
つまらない So
Let’s get outta here!
ダラ裸ダラ Oh no!
ダラ裸ダラ ooh yeah!
You know I had enough of this
So baby
ダラ裸ダラ Oh no!
ダラ裸ダラ ooh yeah!
We could have been on a happy drive
***
（Let me say it slowly so you will understand me）
目覚ませon the count of three
1 ! 2 ! 3 !
I gotta get out! Get out! Out this spot… cuz
（So many people! So many faces!)
話し合っとくほうが大切
（疲れちゃう？ All the funk faking）
Uh huh（アハッ）Uh huh What’s the deal?
Oh! ケンカっぱやい That’s your steelo
なんでそんなにthrillを 欲しいの？
もう終わり？（まだまだ）Damn!
That’s how we do
いつもいつも She be givin’ so much フラストレーション
but 結局 ちゃんと コミュニケーションしたい so
（はぁ？）HA （Have a cup of コーヒ～）
現実逃避のつもり？
（んなわきゃない.Check the リアル・ストーリー！）
他の道あるなら Show me
（com’on）
Let’s get outta here!
ダラ裸ダラ Oh no!
ダラ裸ダラ ooh yeah!
You know I had enough of this
So baby
ダラ裸ダラ Oh no!
ダラ裸ダラ ooh yeah!
We could have been on a happy drive
だからさあ、、、（WHAT?）別に、、、
（Hey!! You don’t wanna start this again!）
What again?（始まった）
Man! I was gonna say sorry though
Too bad you don’t even wanna hear it? So be it then!
（そんじゃ聞くけど 「どうして？」
You know I wanna take new steps を
Choose して から前の方にmove したいだけなのに com’on!）
So what? 文句あるのに can’t say it?
面と向かって NOW SAY IT!
そう 無理！無理！って言ってないで
Just Do it! Do it! まだ足りん足りん！
（「YES!」って言う人だらけ）Lot of them
（「YES!」って一時の）ためだけ
（「え？」って知らなかったつもり
それでいいのなら）NOT FOR ME!
Baby… why you gotta do that?
（But hey you don’t even know what you do!）
Baby… why you gotta do that?
（But yo you don’t even know what you sayin’）
Baby… why you gotta do that?
（わかる？「HELL NO! わかる？」HELL NO!）
Baby… Tell me why you gotta do that?
Let’s get outta here!
ダラ裸ダラ Oh no!
ダラ裸ダラ ooh yeah!
You know I had enough of this
So baby
ダラ裸ダラ Oh no!
ダラ裸ダラ ooh yeah!
We could have been on a happy drive
Let’s get outta here!
ダラ裸ダラ Oh no!
ダラ裸ダラ ooh yeah!
And let me taste your stuff
Cuz I’m here ダラ裸ダラ
And you’re here ダラ裸ダラ
So now just leave them back in yesterday
We could have been .. Let’s get outta here!
I’m just playing with ya!! MUAH
*** In Bennie K version, not in m-flo version:
「Yo what’s going on!」って言ってBad timing?
でも何ですか？ その態度 (what)
Flow Man where the music at?
斬新 関心 another 三振？「out?」
大概の事は“Done did it now”?
曖昧にしてりゃ完壁だ！
Diss me now いつになく
戦闘モードB･I･T･C･H!! Now hit me! com’on
Who got the key? (I got the key!)
So you got the key! っで何言ってんの？
「まあ 何がしかやってとりあえず」「ヤッテ～ン！」
って言われてんの、、、？
Though I know you much better than this
（すれ違い伝えるのが下手なんで～す）
そう 楽しみだった happy time
以外な展開にもう限界??
Let’s get outta here!
ダラ裸ダラ Oh no!
ダラ裸ダラ ooh yeah!
And let me taste your stuff
Cuz I’m here ダラ裸ダラ
And you’re here ダラ裸ダラ
So now just leave them back in yesterday
October 3rd, 2005 at 7:04 pm
I agree simon. But note in the lyrics above, where there is a chance the japanese will recognise a word in katakana, they write it in that. So, ironically, the loss of meaning for us translates into a gain for the japanese.
I wonder how much english a song has to have in order to be acceptable to a non-japanese-speaking (or tolerating) audience?
Another meritable artist using an awful lot of english in japanese-released songs is Rie Fu, who tends to sing alternate verses in the two languages. Check her out if possible, she’s good, although her english translations tend to sound hopelessly cheesy as she tries to make them rhyme using very basic emotive-sounding words, obviously not realising (or caring) how ridiculous they sound in english:
“The days go by, you never seem to learn to fly
And all you do is find the reason why
And all I wished for was for you to face your dreams
I still believe that you can fly”
Aargh .. I’m sure in japanese it’s better … a lovely emotion but english ears are too jaded to hear it like that ..
October 3rd, 2005 at 7:13 pm
Japanese:
Decay
by Rie Fu
I could’ve said a word but you turned away
Why do you always act such a passive way?
Now don’t you ever think that I would suck up to you
But I still believe in you
密やかにくらす巨人たち 届かない 届かない いつでも
扉を閉めてしまう 光景遠回り 遠回り いつでも
*こうして日々がたつけれど
大きなジャンプもせずに
あなたはここで何をしてるの
仰ぎ仰がれ どこまでも
情熱は 耐えては いけない
太陽の下でも 蛍光灯の下でも
青白く 冷える 感情 照らして 照らして
その光で
repeat *
いらだちのハザマにある
怠慢なからだ ゆっくりと起きあがる
幻想だけではもう意味がない
空虚な時間は青空へ
救いようのない 水の中で ゴオルまで
たどりつけたら
repeat *
I was waiting for you to stand up to it
What are you waiting for?
You could’ve said a word but you turned away
Why do you always act such a passive way?
Now don’t you ever think that I would suck up to you
But I still believe in you
English:
Decay (English Version)
You could’ve said a word but you turned away
Why do you always act such a passive way?
Now don’t you ever think that I would suck up to you
But I still believe in you
When I was given freedom, oh all I did was flee
When I turn back there was nothing to see
You closed your doors before I could open mine
Now I know, now I see, it was a waste of time
The days go by, you never seem to learn to fly
And all you do is find the reason why
And all I wished for was for you to face your dreams
I still believe that you can fly
When I was given passion, oh I tried to cool it down
Till I found out, I couldn’t say the words I wanted to say
You are the sun to lighten up my shadows, saved me
And never let it go
The days go by, you never seem to learn to fly
And all you do is find the reason why
And all I wished for was for you to face your dreams
I still believe that you can fly
There’s no way I can talk to who you were ten days ago
Cause you are who you are now
When I was facing reality, I lived in fantasy
Till I put it aside in the space between you and me
If only I could reach the voice in the water
Take me there, it’s gonna be much better
As days go by, we all need to learn to fly
If only I didn’t care about the reason why
And all I wished for was for you to meet my dreams
I still believe that we can fly
I’m just waiting for you to stand up to it
What are you waiting for?
You could’ve said a word but you turned away
Why do you always act such a passive way?
Now don’t you ever think that I would suck up to you
But I still believe in you