Apple Soda

I am a fiend.

I pursue Shiina Ringo with the tenacity of a four year old to a scratch n sniff.

OH I WANT THAT STICKER SO BAD!!!!

I will take the high road, the back street, rusty grate through the door. Every A, B and C side. Every demo. Every second. Positively ravenous, m'friends.

After outplaying Ringo’s tinny live cover of Private (actually her own song), I got curious about Ryoko Hirouse’s version. Early in her career, Ringo wrote songs for pop stars to pay the rent. Tokyo ain’t as cheap as Fukuoka.

Not that I have much interest in idol pop though I understand its appeal as guilty pleasure. Morning Musume has persevered for a reason. Then again, a majority of musicians in Japan should be seen and not heard. (See: visual kei) Nonetheless, it is the apple* which governs my loyalties, not rationality.

Private is a B-side on a single that has been out of print for 7 years.

Undeterred, I dig up my tattered kanji dictionary, attack Yahoo-J with determination and beg humbly for overseas shipping. Okay, okay fine. I will buy more than one single. Yes, I will pay more for shipping than the actual cost of the damn thing. Just GIMME!!!

Two weeks later and 1575 yen poorer, Hirouse's version is in my hot little hands.

It's a silly song. Childish and simple which is how I feel each time it begins. Like the juvenile I am, it gets played over and over and over again. There is nothing I don’t expect. Digital strings, a piano, the standard baby voice. Ryoko sounds like a Chipette with a cold. Not that Ringo doesn’t? But at least she’s a squirrel in heat. Oh, she is capable of horrendous noises. Examples to come.

Oh and lyrics? Nothing spectacular. If this song were in English, I wouldn't give a whit.

Kore kara zutto soba ni ittemo Even if we end up together
Otona ni natte fuyu ga kittemo Even if Winter comes I'll still grow
Atashi o shiritai to omou kimochi This feeling that I want to know
Kourasenai you ni ki o tsukete Seems unbearable so I better take care
Sukoshi wa anshin shite mitai I just want a little peace of mind

Ok, my translation blows but I find the deconstruction of my lazy attempt more bearable than what she's actually saying. She even uses the cutesy "atashi" to refer to herself. The sap never runs dry in the world of Jpop.

I hope the links work? I’m not smart or anything.

I am just a fiend.

* Ringo = Apple

Thanks for the invite, D!