嵐 (Arashi), which means "storm" in Japanese, debuted in 1999 as part of Joh… Read Full Bio ↴嵐 (Arashi), which means "storm" in Japanese, debuted in 1999 as part of Johnny & Associates. They debuted in Hawaii, US under the label Pony Canyon, but soon switched to JStorm, which is a label created especially for them. They consist of 5 boys whose musical style covers a wide range, which includes pop, hip-hop and influences of rock.

Arashi's members are:
相葉雅紀 (Aiba Masaki)
松本潤 (Matsumoto Jun)
二宮和也 (Ninomiya Kazunari)
大野智 (Ohno Satoshi)
櫻井翔 (Sakurai Sho)

Over the years the members have grown in popularity - both individually and as a group, leaving behind a string of successful TV shows, dramas and stageplays as well as their music.

In 2008, they had a extremely successful year with the group achieving the Top 2 spots on the Oricon Yearly charts with truth/Kaze no Mukou e and One Love. Apart from that, they were the 3rd artist from Johnny's to hold concerts at 5 major domes in Japan and also, the 3rd artist to perform at the National Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.

On December 18, 2009, Oricon announced that Arashi topped the annual singles, albums and music DVD rankings for 2009 in Japan. All of the group's 2009 singles ranked within the top five placings on the Oricon singles charts: Believe/Kumorinochi, Kaisei at number one, Ashita no Kioku/Crazy Moon: Kimi wa Muteki at number two, My Girl at number three and Everything at number five.

With monopolization of the top three spots on the singles chart, Arashi became the first artist in twenty-one years and the third artist in history - after Pink Lady in 1978 and Hikaru Genji in 1988 - to do so.

Furthermore, the group became the first artist in history to monopolize the top two spots on the singles charts for two consecutive years and to have four releases in the top five.

Their compilation album, "All the Best! 1999-2009", became the best-selling album of 2009 in Japan by selling over 1.43 million copies, making it the first time the group has topped annual album charts.

As for their music video collection DVD - 5x10 All the Best! Clips 1999-2009 and live concert DVD - Arashi Around Asia 2008 in Tokyo, both claimed the number one and two spots on the annual music DVD charts respectively, making it the first time they have also topped annual music DVD charts.

Due to their high sales for 2009, Oricon declared Arashi the best-selling artist of the year and awarded them the "Artist Top Sales" (ATS) award with 14.46 billion Japanese yen (approx. US$161.25792 million) worth of total sales in the singles, album, music DVD and music Blu-ray categories.

As a result of having dominated three separate charts and emerge as the best-selling artist of the year, the group became the first artist in the forty-two years of Oricon's history to have such a record in the same year.

To be free
嵐 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

流れる雲に憧れた僕ら
遮るものなど何ひとつない
記憶の中に刻んだ空の色は
あの日のように変わらぬように
(何處へ行こうかまだ見ぬ場所へ)

時は止まらない手を伸ばして
渴いたまま僕らは驅け出したんだ

ごまかせない心に気づいたから
何も飾らずそのままで
風に吹かれ行くだけさあ To Be Free

日差しの中で笑い合った僕ら
無邪気な聲が今も響いてる
溢れるほどの想いは明日に向かい
輝くように変わらぬように
(一人じゃないさ淚拭えば)
大切なものに気づくのだろう
透き通ったまま僕らは夢描いたんだ
諦めない太陽よりきらめくから
流した汗もそのままで
光求め行くだけさあ To Be Free

ふり返ることも出来ずに
走り拔けてきた僕ら
上り下り繰り返した yeah
それは時に甘くほろ苦い

渴いたまま僕らは驅け出したんだ
誤魔化せない心に気づいたから
何も飾らずそのままで (To Be Free)
透き通ったまま僕らは夢描いたんだ
諦めない太陽より煌めくから
流した汗もそのままで

渴いたまま僕らは驅け出したんだ (yeah)
誤魔化せない心に気づいたから (oh yeah)
何も飾らずそのままで
風に吹かれ行くだけさあ To Be Free

To Be Free
To Be Free

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of 嵐's song To Be Free are about the desire to break free from constraints and live life without any inhibitions. The first stanza talks about the longing of the singers to be like the clouds, flowing freely without any obstacles. They recall the day when they saw the sky and want their memories of it to remain unchanged forever, as they seek to explore unknown places. In the second stanza, the singers acknowledge that time is fleeting, and they want to seize the moment and pursue their dreams. They are aware of their genuine aspirations and want to stay true to themselves as they face life's winds. The chorus talks about the joy of living without worry, free to pursue one's true desires, and to reach for the light.

The third stanza reflects on the past, looking back on the joyful moments shared with friends, and the youthful laughs continue to resonate. The singers have an abundance of emotions, which they hope will remain constant as they move towards the future. They know the importance of companionship, and with it, they can overcome any hardships they face. The last stanza talks about the journey which was not always smooth; there were rises and falls, sweet moments, and bitter moments, all of which they embraced. They open up their hearts and let their dreams shine; they know that taking up the challenge makes them stronger.

Line by Line Meaning

流れる雲に憧れた僕ら
We admired the flowing clouds

遮るものなど何ひとつない
There was nothing that could stop us

記憶の中に刻んだ空の色は
The color of the sky etched into our memories

あの日のように変わらぬように
Remained unchanged like that day

(何處へ行こうかまだ見ぬ場所へ)
(Where should we go? To places we haven't seen)

時は止まらない手を伸ばして
Time never stops, so we reached out

渴いたまま僕らは驅け出したんだ
We rushed out with unquenched thirst

ごまかせない心に気づいたから
Because we realized we couldn't deceive our hearts

何も飾らずそのままで
Being ourselves without trying to impress anyone

風に吹かれ行くだけさあ To Be Free
Just going with the wind, let's be free

日差しの中で笑い合った僕ら
We laughed together in the sunlight