Togawa Jun (戸川純), born March 31, 1961, is an experimental Japanese vocalist… Read Full Bio ↴Togawa Jun (戸川純), born March 31, 1961, is an experimental Japanese vocalist and visual artist. Debuting in 1984, she began her career as a parody of the typical Japanese idol star at the time. It was soon apparent that her eccentric personality, surreal or disturbing lyrics and extensive vocal range set her apart from the usual cute pop singers that were popular in Japan. Her mash-up of "lolita" voice, straight singing, screaming, and operatics, married to traditional Japanese melodies, militaristic marching themes, and techno-pop continue to endear her to Japanese "maniac" fans, such as devotees of horror or erotic manga, particularly young women.

In a 2001 interview, influential alternative musician and producer Jim O'Rourke (known for his work with Sonic Youth, amongst others) picked a Togawa Jun album 20th Jun Togawa as one of his "best albums of the year."
Although her deeply un-commercial attitude kept her away from major "pop" success, she survived as an influential and respected underground music figure both solo and as the lead singer of Guernica (ゲルニカ) and Yapoos (ヤプーズ), and she recently released a new CD with her current project Jun Togawa Band (戸川純バンド) featuring elements of noise rock, disco, techno-pop, opera and various other genres, to favourable reviews from many underground music fans in Japan.

パンク蛹化の女
戸川純 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

月光の白き林で
木の根掘れば蝉の蛹のいくつも出てきし
ああ
それはあなたを思い過ぎて変り果てた私の姿
月光も凍てつく森で
樹液すする私は虫の女
いつのまにかあなたが
私に気づくころ

飴色のはらもつ
虫と化した娘は
不思議な草に寄生されて
飴色の背中に悲しみのくきがのびる
月光の白き林で
木の根掘れば蝉の蛹のいくつも出てきし
ああ
それはあなたを思い過ぎて変り果てた私の姿

月光も凍てつく森で
樹液すする私は虫の女

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "蛹化の女" tell the story of a woman who becomes a bug-like creature after obsessing over someone to the point of transforming. The first stanza describes how many cicada larvae come out of the roots of a tree in a forest illuminated by moonlight. The next stanza goes on to explain how the singer has transformed into a bug-like creature herself, a result of her obsession with the person she sings about. The person she was obsessed with only notices her when it's too late, and she finds herself parasitized by a mysterious plant and covered in sadness. The last stanza echoes the first, except the cicada larvae are a metaphor for the woman herself, who has now transformed.

The lyrics are haunting and metaphorical, exploring themes of obsession, transformation, and the power of nature. The moonlight and forest imagery evoke a sense of mystery and magic, emphasizing the supernatural transformation undergone by the singer. The lyrics also suggest a sense of futility, as the woman's obsession ultimately leads to her own transformation and isolation.

Line by Line Meaning

月光の白き林で
In a forest illuminated by moonlight,

木の根掘れば蝉の蛹のいくつも出てきし
Digging around the roots of trees reveals numerous cicada pupae,

ああ
Ah,

それはあなたを思い過ぎて変り果てた私の姿
That is my changed appearance from thinking too much about you,

月光も凍てつく森で
In a forest where even moonlight freezes,

樹液すする私は虫の女
I am a woman of insects, sipping on tree sap,

いつのまにかあなたが
Before long, as you finally

私に気づくころ
noticed me

飴色のはらもつ
I became a girl who has a candy-colored belly,

虫と化した娘は
transformed into an insect-like girl who

不思議な草に寄生されて
is parasitized by a mysterious plant,