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.

Ghetto Blaster
布袋寅泰 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

宇宙一素敵なビート
それはお前の鼓動サ
波打つ裸の胸で
今夜は眠らせてくれ
身体じゅうお前の余韻で
しびれっぱなしのままサ
そのまま朝までずっと
握りしめていておくれ

強く深く愛し合えば
愛し合うほど欲しくなる
シャイな気分を乗り越えて
もっとそばにおいで...
お前を壊したい！
GHETTO BLASTER
GHETTO BLASTER
GHETTO BLASTER
GHETTO BLASTER
淫らに咲いた花びら
熱く溢れる溜め息
誰にも渡したくない
独り占めさせておくれ

運命なんか信じない
お前が俺の未来サ
その目でその唇で
好きなだけ愛してくれ
立てなくなるほど激しく
ふたりの秘密重ねよう
俺の温もりを信じて
もっとそばにおいで...
お前を壊したい！
GHETTO BLASTER
GHETTO BLASTER

GHETTO BLASTER
GHETTO BLASTER...

Overall Meaning

The first verse of 布袋寅泰's song Ghetto Blaster talks about a beautiful beat that is the listener's heartbeat. It asks to be let to sleep tonight with the reverberating echoes of them throughout their naked chest. It talks about how the listener's entire body is numb and tingly from the sensation of their presence, and encourages them to hold on to this feeling until morning. The next few lines talk about how the more that two people love each other, the more they crave each other's affection. The song asks the listener to overcome their shyness and move closer to the singer. The chorus consists of the words "GHETTO BLASTER" repeated four times.

The second verse talks about how the singer wants to keep the listener all to themselves, with no desire to share them with anyone else. The song talks about not believing in destiny and how the listener is the singer's future. The singer encourages the listener to love them as much as they want, with their eyes and lips. The song talks about how they want to share a secret, to pile them high and deep until they both cannot stand any longer. The song asks the listener to believe in the warmth that the singer brings, and once again urges them to come closer. The chorus repeats four times.

* The song Ghetto Blaster was released in Japan in 1990.
* The song appears on the album Guitarhythm and was also released as a single.
* The music video features the singer playing a double-necked guitar while wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket.
* The song was used in the 2005 video game Rockin' Pretty.
* The song was also used as the closing song for the Japanese film Roppongi Panic in 1988.
* The meaning behind the phrase "Ghetto Blaster" is unclear, as it could refer to a genre of music or a type of portable radio or cassette player.
* The song was later covered by the band Psycho Le Cemu in 2002.
* The song features elements of blues, rockabilly, and pop music.
* The song charted on the Oricon charts in Japan, reaching #23.
* The album Guitarhythm reached #5 on the Oricon charts in Japan.

Chords (as provided by Ultimate Guitar):
Verse: Dm, F, C, G
Chorus: G, D, C, G

Line by Line Meaning

宇宙一素敵なビート
The best beat in the universe

それはお前の鼓動サ
It's your heartbeat

波打つ裸の胸で
With naked chest that's pounding

今夜は眠らせてくれ
Let me sleep tonight

身体じゅうお前の余韻で
My whole body is filled with your afterglow

しびれっぱなしのままサ
I'm still numb

そのまま朝までずっと
Just like this, until the morning

握りしめていておくれ
Hold me tight

強く深く愛し合えば
The more we love each other deeply

愛し合うほど欲しくなる
The more we want each other