Staff Picks #2: Memory
The members of JaME's English team have put together a list of songs they recommend based on the theme of memory.
Anna | |||
S.K.I.N. So they never officially released anything, but come on: GACKT, YOSHIKI, SUGIZO and MIYAVI all on one stage together? The horrendous sunburn I suffered while waiting in line to get into the concert was totally worth it. | Chatmonchy - Mayonaka yuuen chi My favourite song off that album, it came out around the time I moved to Taiwan. I used to have it on repeat while I rode my bicycle to work, nothing like pedaling your heart out to this song! | B`z - Mienai Chikara Oh, those carefree days, dancing around the living room and singing into a hairbrush. | DALI - Moonlight Densetsu You don't judge me, I don't judge you, okay? I used to wake up early just so I could watch "Sailor Moon" before school, and I still know every word of the theme song...in both English and Japanese. |
Christine | |||
Hotei Tomoyasu - Last Scene A beautiful song about letting go of a relationship the way they do in all those classic romance movies. | GLAY - Father & Son The part where TAKURO wonders whether a memory he has of being with his father was real or just his imagination really hits me hard, because my father passed away when I was young as well, and I wish I could remember the time I was able to spend with him more clearly. | Nothing’s Carved In Stone - Diachronic This song really captures the bittersweet feeling of remembering an old friend you’ve lost touch with. “I call your number / No one’s there / Has it really been that long?” | Momo Kazuhiro - Rock ‘n’ Roll Heart This song really showcases the high, almost child-like quality of Momo's voice, and how well it contrasts with the harshness of his playing. Catchy and nostalgic; it's a tribute to his road to becoming a musician and the people that shaped his life. |
Claire | |||
GACKT - Emu ~for my dear~ Written for former bandmate Kami, this powerful, touching song is about losing a close friend and keeping hold of the memory of the way they were. | UNISON SQUARE GARDEN - MR. ANDY -party style When I first got the album UNISON SQUARE GARDEN, I had it on repeat for about a month. Every song on it conjures up strong memories of where I lived at the time and the same roads I always used to walk down. | Mr.Children - Hana -Memento-Mori- "Memento mori" is latin for "remember that you will die" and is a symbolic reminder of the inevitability of death. This song takes that reminder in a more positive manner and conjures up feelings of memories and hopes for the future. | BUMP OF CHICKEN - Namida no furusato This beautiful, almost wistful song focuses on the idea of home and always having somewhere and someone to return to. |
Jessieface | |||
Kagrra, - Utakata About 6 years ago, even when I couldn’t read kana or any kanji, I memorized the lyrics to this song to sing it. Now, whenever I listen to Utakata and hear Isshi’s voice, I’m certain that he is in a better place. | back number - Omoide senaku naru sono hi made The lyrics of this even-tempered track touch on the importance of remembering people close to you, and how that can be as important as breathing. | the GazettE - reila I’m not a heavy GazettE listener as of late, but this song reminds me of my first time listening to J-rock when I lived in Australia. | Golden Bomber - Dokugumo Onna (Moe Moe Hen) When I was in college and had to wake up early, I used to play this song to help me wake up and be energized. I’d end up doing the furitsuke instead of putting on my make-up! |
Kay | |||
D'espairsRay - Garnet Back in 2004, J-Rock started to blossom in Europe. D'espairsRay's concert in Berlin was the first 'real' J-Rock concert I attended and this song brings me back to that insane night. | Remioromen - Shunkashuutou While I was travelling through Japan by myself, I had Remioromen's Ether album on repeat a lot. This song always takes me back to riding the cable-cart to Shosha-san in Himeji, Hyogo prefecture. | The Eccentric Opera - Sanctus This duo first got me interested in Japanese music. Even though their style is quite unique, it opened the doors to Japan and a whole lot of fantastic music to me. | Hideaki Tokunaga - Wakareuta When I was travelling through the Japanese island of Yakushima, our rental car came with one CD: Hideaki Tokunaga's Vocalist 3 cover album. It was the only music we listened to for the three days spent on the island. |
Tomo | |||
Arai Akino - Adesso e forutuna ~honoo to eien~ This was an opening theme song for the first animated series of “Record of Lodoss War”, which I was totally into during my junior high school days. I spent a lot of time reading the novelized version of the series. This song brings me back to my fantasy-filled early teenage days. | KUROYUME - for dear This is a fateful song that brought me in to the world of visual kei, which I am still in. | LUNA SEA - THE ONE – crash to create - A full circle song which connects all the memories of life. From a hopeful beginning, to days of youth, to the days in loss and migration after the university, then finally to the long-awaited arrival of a new season. | exist✝trace - Owari no nai sekai I know this song will make me remember the band’s live shows I went to with friends and the moments we shared together. I am thankful that we are still living them. |
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