(中森明菜, Akina Nakamori) is a Japanese pop singer and actress born on 13 July… Read Full Bio ↴(中森明菜, Akina Nakamori) is a Japanese pop singer and actress born on 13 July 1965 in Kiyose, Tokyo, Japan. She was one of the most popular singers in 1980s Japan. Best known for 難破船 (Nanpasen), Nakamori made her debut on May 1, 1982 with the single スローモーション (Slow Motion). One of her best-known performances remains that of Desire where she came out in a white kimono and wig, leaving everyone with a very strong image of her. Her own image was always more mature than that of her companions, and her voice much lower and huskier.

She attempted suicide in July 1989 in her then-boyfriend 近藤真彦 (Masahiko Kondo)'s apartment after discovering that 松田聖子 (Seiko Matsuda), her main competition, and her boyfriend were having an affair together. Afterward, she disappeared from the public eye and is rumored to have spent her days drinking heavily in Hawaii. Her career since her suicide attempt has never regained the popularity she experienced in the early- to mid-1980s. But she kept performing even after 1996. Her performances before Japanese audiences continue to be of high quality. Her 2000, 2002 and 2003 concerts attracted large numbers of fans. She still performs and releases original songs (as of 2005). She is also on the New Year’s TV show Kōhaku Uta Gassen.

TATTOO
中森明菜 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

都会にはびこる
哀れなアンドロイド
くどき上手のチープなレプリカント
ハートの萎えた男は要らない (get out! Get out!)
Get out! (Get out! Get out!)

チャンスをあげるわ
熱い儀式(レボリューション)

錆びた魂バラの tattooを
紅く刻んで生まれ変わるのよ (get out! Get out!)
Get out! (Get out!)

さあひえた胸に
じっと眠る炎起こして
いまゾクゾクする夢を
追ってごらん (take a dream, take a dream, take a dream)

手頃な恋(プレイ)で麻痺したエモーション
感動したくて女はアジテーション
言葉じゃなくて soulを感じたい (wake up! Wake up!)
Wake up! (Wake up!)

いませとぎわだわ
焦り焦り凍りつく私を
さあ欲しいのなら
愛を見せてごらん (take a chance, take a chance, take a chance)

Show me your real love 咲かせなさい
その胸に消えないバラを
Show me your real love
陥としてみてこの私 tatooで
Just falling you

都会は sweet drug
いかさまパラダイス
孤独にまみれて恋もパラノイア
優しささえ毒入りのジェリービーンズ (wake up! Wake up!)
Wake up! (Wake up!)

いま時代というぬるい
ベットなんか這い出て
さあわしづかみで愛を
獲ってごらん (take a love, take a love, take a love)

Show me your real love
空白(しろ)い胸に
焼きつけて消せないバラを
Show me your real love
刻みつけて私へと tatooを
Just falling you

Show me your real love
咲かせなさい
その胸に消えないバラを
Show me your real love

陥としてみてこの私 tatooで
Just falling you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of 中森明菜's song TATTOO speak of a woman's desire to live passionately and authentically, rejecting the superficiality and emptiness of the city and those who inhabit it. She describes the men she encounters as "pathetic androids" and "cheap replicants" who try to charm her with their smooth words but ultimately have no real heart or soul. Instead, she calls for a revolution, a rebirth, symbolized by the red rose tattoo she has etched onto her skin, a mark that cannot be erased. She invites others to join her, to awaken the fire within them and follow their dreams, even if it means risking everything to find true love and authenticity.

Line by Line Meaning

都会(まち)にはびこる
Cities are rampant

哀れなアンドロイド
Sad androids

くどき上手のチープなレプリカント
Cheap replicants skilled in sweet talk

ハートの萎えた男は要らない Get out!
I don't need a man with a withered heart. Get out!

チャンスをあげるわ
I'll give you a chance

熱い儀式(レボリューション)
A passionate ritual (revolution)

錆びた魂バラのTattooを
A rusty soul engraved with a rose tattoo

紅く刻んで生まれ変わるのよ
I'll be reborn, engraved in red

Get up!
Get up!

さあひえた胸に
Come on, in my cold chest

じっと眠る炎起こして
Awaken the flame that sleeps inside