Tomoyasu Hotei (布袋寅泰 , born February 1, 1962 in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture… Read Full Bio ↴Tomoyasu Hotei (布袋寅泰 , born February 1, 1962 in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture) is a Japanese musician, guitarist and actor. Hotei rose to prominence in the 1980s as the guitarist for BOØWY, one of Japan's most popular rock bands, before starting a solo career. In 2003, he was ranked number 70 on HMV Japan's list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts. He ranked second in a 2011 poll on who the Japanese people thought was the best guitarist to represent Japan after Tak Matsumoto.

Hotei is best known internationally for his song "Battle Without Honor or Humanity" , which has been used in numerous films, commercials, and video games, most notably Quentin Tarantino's feature film Kill Bill.

Born to a Korean father and a Japanese/Russian mother, Hotei first began playing the guitar in junior high school. In high school, his band Blue Film finished runners up in a school contest to Death Penalty, a band led by Kyosuke Himuro. Hotei was expelled shortly before graduation. The reason was that, when warned about his long hair he replied “Jesus had long hair!” Shortly after, he went to Tokyo where one day he received a phone call from Himuro. The two had never really known each other but hit it off and went on to hold auditions for a new band, which in 1981 became the six-member BOØWY. The band became major stars in Japan, in 1985 played the Marquee in London, and in 1986 had their first million seller, Beat Emotion.

When the band broke up in 1988, Hotei established himself as a solo star, as did Himuro. Hotei also made two albums with Koji Kikkawa as Complex, both of which went to number one in the national charts. Hotei frequently records overseas and has collaborated with many foreign musicians, including playing on The Stranglers Hugh Cornwell’s 1993 solo album, on stage with David Bowie at Nippon Budokan in 1996, and at the closing ceremony of the Atlanta 1996 Centennial Olympic Games with Michael Kamen.

He later recorded “Guitar Concerto” with Kamen. He has also worked with Andy Mackay of Roxy Music, guitarist Chris Spedding and Mike Edwards of Jesus Jones. Hotei also sometimes plays in Europe, including a number of major festivals. His regular drummer in recent years, Zachary Alford, has previously played with Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie. Hotei's 1998 album Supersonic Generation, recorded in part with Apollo 440 and Ofra Haza, was released in 14 European countries.

In addition to many bestselling solo albums, Hotei composed and performed the score for Hiroyuki Nakano’s Samurai Fiction, as well as starring in the film. He composed the score to Terry Gilliam’s feature film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas together with Ray Cooper. Hotei's song “Battle Without Honor or Humanity” was used in the Quentin Tarantino’s feature film Kill Bill, the PlayStation 2 version of Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA,and Michael Bay’s feature film Transformers. Hotei recorded a cover of John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” for Merry Axemas, an instrumental guitar Christmas album featuring tracks from guitarists including Jeff Beck, Joe Perry, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai and Steve Morse.

The Nintendo DS game Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan features his song "Thrill". The game's sequel, Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii, features another Hotei song, "Bambina". (Both songs are cover versions.) Hotei is featured in “Grace” on the Apocalyptica album Worlds Collide. The song is featured in the game NHL 09.

Boy Meets Girl
布袋寅泰 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

BOY MEETS GIRL BOY MEETS GIRL
BOY MEETS GIRL BOY MEETS GIRL
久しぶりだぜこんなに心臓が
激しく高鳴るのも
運命なんか信じてないけど
お前だけは特別
BOY MEETS GIRL BOY MEETS GIRL
BOY MEETS GIRL BOY MEETS GIRL

所詮世の中男と女だけ
押さえきれない欲望(リビドー)
身体に飢えてるわけじゃないけど
お前は俺のモノさ
何もかもみな捨てて
お前に賭けよう
男心に火をつけて
運命を燃やせ!
BOY MEETS GIRL BOY MEETS GIRL
BOY MEETS GIRL BOY MEETS GIRL

人間(ひと)は皆
孤独抱きしめて
宇宙をただ彷徨う
悲しい放浪者(ボヘミアン)
2度とない奇跡の出逢い
BOY MEETS GIRL!!!
何もかもみな捨てて
お前に賭けよう
怖いものなどありゃしない
運命を燃やせ

BOY MEETS GIRL BOY MEETS GIRL
BOY MEETS GIRL BOY MEETS GIRL...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Boy Meets Girl" by 布袋寅泰 (Hotei Tomoyasu) convey a story of a passionate encounter between a boy and a girl. The opening repetition of "Boy Meets Girl" sets the theme for the song, suggesting the universal experience of a romantic encounter. The lyrics express the excitement and pounding heart that the boy feels upon meeting the girl after a long time. Although the boy claims not to believe in destiny, he considers the girl to be special.

The next lines reflect on the relentless nature of desire and the attraction between men and women. The boy acknowledges that he is not driven by physical hunger, but the girl is something he wants to possess. The chorus emphasizes this feeling of being captivated by the girl, willing to throw everything away and bet everything on her. The boy wants to ignite a fire within his own heart and burn his destiny.

The lyrics then take a broader perspective, highlighting the inherent loneliness that humans carry with them as they wander aimlessly through the universe. The boy and girl's encounter is described as a once-in-a-lifetime miracle. The repetition of "Boy Meets Girl!!!" emphasizes the significance and rarity of this meeting. The song ends reaffirming the boy's determination to cast away all fears and burn his destiny with the girl.

Overall, "Boy Meets Girl" captures the excitement and intensity of a passionate encounter, with the lyrics exploring themes of destiny, desire, and the transformative power of love.

Line by Line Meaning

BOY MEETS GIRL BOY MEETS GIRL
A boy encounters a girl, a meeting of two individuals.

久しぶりだぜこんなに心臓が激しく高鳴るのも
It's been a while since my heart has raced so intensely like this.

運命なんか信じてないけどお前だけは特別
I don't believe in fate, but you are the exception.

BOY MEETS GIRL BOY MEETS GIRL
A boy encounters a girl, a meeting of two individuals.

所詮世の中男と女だけ押さえきれない欲望(リビドー)
After all, the world is just about men and women and their uncontrollable desires (libido).

身体に飢えてるわけじゃないけどお前は俺のモノさ
It's not like I'm starving for physical intimacy, but you belong to me.

何もかもみな捨ててお前に賭けよう男心に火をつけて運命を燃やせ!
Let's abandon everything and bet on you, ignite passion within a man's heart, and burn fate!

BOY MEETS GIRL BOY MEETS GIRL
A boy encounters a girl, a meeting of two individuals.

人間(ひと)は皆孤独抱きしめて宇宙をただ彷徨う悲しい放浪者(ボヘミアン)
Humans all embrace loneliness and wander aimlessly through the universe, like sad bohemians.

2度とない奇跡の出逢い BOY MEETS GIRL!!!
An encounter of miracles that will never happen again, boy meets girl!

何もかもみな捨ててお前に賭けよう怖いものなどありゃしない運命を燃やせ
Let's abandon everything and bet on you, there's nothing to fear, burn fate.