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.

R & R Never Die
布袋寅泰 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

あの日あの時あの曲を
聴いてハートに火がついて
憂鬱な日々に REVOLUTION
俺は生まれ変わっちゃった
固定観念なんて言葉
辞書にあるなら塗りつぶせ
大人の振りしたってハートは
セブンティーンのまま

初めて買ったレコードは
今も大事な宝物
我が人生のサウンドトラックは
いつまでも色褪せない
学校じゃ教えてくれない
社会も教えてくれない
マニュアルに書いてないもの
そいつが大切
二つの道があったなら
イバラの道を行けばいい
旨い話にはきっと裏がある
そんなもんさ
人に何て言われようと
夢をあきらめたらオシマイ
自分らしく生きてこその
MY LIFE だってそうだろう
RandR NEVER DIE YEAH
RandR あの日震えた魂よ永遠に

本気で生きてく覚悟なら
夢の為に戦ってみな
3分間のロックンロール
IT'S MY PHILOSOPHY どんな時も
たまに負けそうになることも
生きてりゃ何度もあるはずさ
だけど俺は涙なんか見せない
だってそうだろう
RandR NEVER DIE YEAH
RandR あの日震えた魂よ永遠に
RandR NEVER DIE YEAH

RandR 俺が死んでも魂は永遠さ
RandR NEVER DIE YEAH

Overall Meaning

These lyrics are from the song "R & R Never Die" by 布袋寅泰 (Hotei Tomoyasu), a Japanese rock musician. The song speaks about the power of rock and roll music to inspire and transform people's lives. The opening lines reflect on a specific moment in the past when the singer listened to a certain song and felt a flame ignite in their heart. This experience led to a revolution in their life, bringing them out of a period of melancholy and giving them a sense of rebirth. The lyrics reject the idea of fixed concepts and emphasize the importance of maintaining a youthful spirit even as one grows older.

The lyrics then mention the first record the singer ever bought, a cherished treasure that remains an important soundtrack to their life. It highlights how the music we connect with holds an enduring significance and can't be taught by school or society. The song encourages taking the thorny path if there are two options, as there is often a hidden aspect to anything that appears too good to be true. It asserts that regardless of what others may say, giving up on dreams leads to a dead end, and the only way to truly live is to be true to oneself.

The chorus reinforces the idea that rock and roll never dies and that the trembling soul the singer felt on that day will remain eternal. It urges listeners to fight for their dreams and to live their lives with unwavering determination. The lyrics acknowledge that there will be moments when one feels on the verge of defeat, but the key is to keep going and never show tears because rock and roll represents resilience and strength. The song ends by stating that even if the singer were to die, their soul would remain eternal, symbolizing the lasting impact of rock and roll.

Line by Line Meaning

あの日あの時あの曲を
That day, that time, that song

聴いてハートに火がついて
Lit a fire in my heart when I listened to it

憂鬱な日々に REVOLUTION
A revolution in the melancholic days

俺は生まれ変わっちゃった
I was reborn

固定観念なんて言葉
The words like fixed ideas

辞書にあるなら塗りつぶせ
If they exist in the dictionary, let's paint over them

大人の振りしたってハートは
Even if I pretend to be an adult, my heart

セブンティーンのまま
Will stay seventeen

初めて買ったレコードは
The first record I bought

今も大事な宝物
Is still a precious treasure

我が人生のサウンドトラックは
The soundtrack of my life