The Gospellers (ゴスペラーズ) is a Japanese a cappella singing group comprised of… Read Full Bio ↴The Gospellers (ゴスペラーズ) is a Japanese a cappella singing group comprised of five members: Tetsuya Murakami, Kaoru Kurosawa, Yuji Sakai, Yoichi Kitayama and Yutaka Yasuoka.

Originally calling themselves the A Cappella Circle when they were at the University of Waseda, they changed their name to the Gospellers in 1991 after graduating. They spent the next ten years working towards national recognition, releasing 24 singles and 9 albums during that time. They became the first complete a cappella group to be in the top 3 of the Oricon chart ranking in Japan with their song, "HITORI".

In early 2006, the group made a side-project release, Gosperats, featuring the members in blackface and singing with a jazzier accompaniment Rats & Star's member Masayuki Suzuki, Nobuyoshi Kuwano and Yoshio Sato. Many of the western Gospeller fans were upset about the outrage it caused on some discussion forums, many non-fans felt offended by the blackface the group members had chosen to take on. Fortunately, this project was announced as a side-project and released only one album under its name.

The members of Gospellers are now producers for several Japanese artists, including Tatsuya Ishii and Masayuki Suzuki. (This text has been cited from Wikipedia)

Machikado -on the corner-
ゴスペラーズ Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

ふいに僕は街角で声を聞いた
それはあの日の君が呟いた
遠いさよなら
今より若くて不器用な二人だったね
いくつかの季節の角を曲がり
僕から離れた風よめぐり逢い紡ぎ
つづれ織る日々を生きていく
振り返るたびに思い出は優しく背中

押してくれるから次の街角へ

名前のない明日
未来と名付けはしゃいだ
あの頃が意味のない日々だなんて
決して思わない僕はめぐり逢い紡ぎ
ほころんだ心を抱きしめ
そして運命を何かを求めたくなるよ
出逢いたくなる新しい風
忘れかけた何かを
懐かしい気持ちだね
君の声が気づかせた
遠く遠く胸が鳴るめぐり逢い紡ぎ
つづれ織る日々を生きていく
振り返るたびに思い出は優しく背中
押してくれるから歩きだす
今日も何処かで街角の物語
誰かが誰かにめぐり逢う
そして別れも街角は知っている
あの日のさよならも

そっと見ていたね
次の街角へ僕は歩きだすから

Overall Meaning

The song "街角 -on the corner-" by ゴスペラーズ starts with the singer suddenly hearing a voice on a street corner. That voice was murmuring the distant goodbye that the singer's lover had said on that very corner in their youth, when the two of them were younger and more awkward. The lyrics then describe how the singer and their lover went around the corners of various seasons before the winds that blew them apart. Despite being apart, they continue on with their own lives and weave their own stories, with memories of each other pushing them forward to the next street corner.

The second verse describes the singer's belief that there is no such thing as a meaningless day, and that they continue to spin the threads of their lives, embracing their frayed hearts as they seek out something that calls to them, seeking out new winds and memories they thought they had forgotten. Once again, the voice on the street corner reminds the singer of these memories, and gives them the strength to keep moving forward towards the next street corner. The song ends with the singer walking towards that next street corner, knowing that somewhere out there, someone is meeting someone else and that the street corner is where those meetings and goodbyes happen.

Overall, the song is a reflection on time, memories, and the power of a voice to trigger them, even decades later. It showcases the bittersweet nature of life and how we weave the threads of our own stories while still being connected to others.

Line by Line Meaning

ふいに僕は街角で声を聞いた
Suddenly, I heard a voice on the corner of the street

それはあの日の君が呟いた
It was you who murmured that day

遠いさよなら
A distant farewell

今より若くて不器用な二人だったね
We were younger and more clumsy than we are now

いくつかの季節の角を曲がり
Turning the corners of several seasons

僕から離れた風よめぐり逢い紡ぎ
The wind, which separated me from you, weaves our encounters

つづれ織る日々を生きていく
I will continue to live the days of weaving

振り返るたびに思い出は優しく背中
Every time I look back, memories gently push me forward

押してくれるから次の街角へ
Pushing me forward to the next street corner

名前のない明日
A nameless tomorrow

未来と名付けはしゃいだ
I eagerly named it the future