椎名林檎 (Shiina Ringo, also sometimes spelled "Sheena Ringo" or "Shéna Ringö")… Read Full Bio ↴椎名林檎 (Shiina Ringo, also sometimes spelled "Sheena Ringo" or "Shéna Ringö"), born November 25, 1978 in Saitama and raised in Fukuoka, is a Japanese singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist. Her family name is Shiina (椎名) and she chose to perform as Ringo instead of her birth name Yumiko (裕美子) because - as a shy child - her cheeks would blush red like an apple (the fruit being 'ringo' in Japanese).

After quitting school to enter a musical contest, Shiina was quickly signed to EMI, then promptly left Japan to avoid the trappings of contract work. After returning, she quickly released a series of singles and albums, all self-penned (a relative rarity for Japanese pop artists), and all meeting with great success on the Japanese charts. A hiatus to start a family followed, itself followed (after a divorce) by both a new album and a new side project, the band 東京事変. (Tokyo Jihen - or Tokyo Incidents)

After more success with the band, Shiina returned to a solo career in 2006 as the Music Director for the film 「さくらん」(Sakuran), quickly taking the number one slot on the Oricon charts with the album Heisei Fuuzoku released in tandem with a major soundtrack project. Following was a B-sides album which peaked quickly at the number one Oricon slot. In the years proceeding this, she spent most of her time dedicated to Tokyo Jihen occasionally revisiting her solo work.

Despite being involved in the main Japanese pop scene, Shiina has created a niche for herself based on a much wider musical range than most artists. Where most pop singers develop a basic sound based on contemporary pop aesthetics and throwaway lyrical matter, Shiina builds on a base of jazz, rock, Motown, and even French chanson equally well (the chanson works especially well with her trademark nasal delivery), infusing her projects with a very different aesthetic, and gaining a fan base separate from the core constituents of the Japanese pop apparatus.

Despite the release of album 三毒史 (trivisa-itihasa) in 2019, released after a myriad of singles being majorly included in aforementioned work. In 2020, Ringo and band Tokyo Jihen turned their backs to their past, doing a major reunion, with the drop of a few projects, such as sixth studio album 音楽.

Discography

Singles

幸福論 (Koufukuron)（1998）
歌舞伎町の女王（1998）
ここでキスして。 (Koko de kisu shite)（1999）
本能（1999）
幸福論（1999）
ギブス (Gibs)（2000）
罪と罰（2000）
真夜中は純潔（2001）
絶頂集（2000）
茎（STEM）～大名遊ビ編～（2003）
りんごのうた (Ringo no Uta)（2003）
この世の限り (Kono Yo no Kagiri) (2007） (With Saitou Neko and her brother Shiina Junpei)
ありあまる富 (Ariamaru Tomi)（2009）
カーネーション (Carnation)（2011）
自由へ道連 (Traveling Companion to Freedom) (2012)
いろはにほへと (Les Couleurs Chantent) (2013)
孤独のあかつき (The Solitude of Dawn) (2013)
NIPPON (2014)
至上の人生 (A Life Supreme) (2015)
最果てが見たい (2015)
長く短い祭 (2015)
神様、仏様 (2015)
ジユーダム (2016)
目抜き通り (2017)
獣ゆく細道 (2018)

Albums

無罪モラトリアム (Muzai Moratorium) (1999)
勝訴ストリップ (Shouso Strip)（2000)
加爾基精液栗ノ花（Karuki Za-men Kuri no Hana）(2003)
平成風俗 (Heisei Fuuzoku) (2007) (with Neiko Sato)
三文ゴシップ (Sanmon Gossip) (2009)
日出処 (Hi Izuru Tokoro) (2014)
三毒史 (trivisa-itihasa) (2019)

Covers Album

唄ひ手冥利～其ノ壱～ (Utaitemyori Sonoichi)（2002）
逆輸入～港湾局～ (Reimports Vol.1) (2014)
逆輸入〜航空局〜 (Reimport Vol.2 -Civil Bureau Aviation) (2017)

Compilations

私と放電 (Me & Electric Discharge) (2008) - (B-Sides)
ニュートンの林檎 (Apple of Universal Gravity) (2019) - (Overview)

意識
椎名林檎 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

頭が有れば要は簡単に片付いて
子供と呼べば汚されないで済むのさ
僕に少しの光合成君に似合ふ遺伝子を
ヒトは仕様の無いことが好きなのだらう「嘘ヲ吐クナヨ」

泣いたら何だつて此の白い手に入りさうで
答へなら純粋だ惹かれ合つてゐる
こんな風に君を愛する多分

幾つに成れば淋しさや恐怖は消へ得る
子供を持てばやがて苦痛も失せるのか
君が慕ふ思春期と僕が用ゐる反抗期
最早語呂を合はすことが好きなのだらう「嘘ヲ吐クナヨ」

泣いたらどんな法も覆して願望通り
答へなら残忍だ騙し合つてゐる
こんな風に君は愛する多分

「嘘ヲ吐クナヨ」

もう是以上知つて眠らない夜と心中未遂
思ひ出に酸化した此の含嗽薬迷彩
無い物頂戴なんて憤つてゐる幼児同様
お母様混紡の僕を恥ぢてゐらつしやいますか

君が愛した僕

Overall Meaning

The song "意識" by Shiina Ringo explores themes of societal expectations, self-discovery, and love. The opening lines of the song talk about how easy life would be if everyone had a clear head and could sort things out easily. But then the lyrics take a turn, and the singer discusses the idea that people are often judged by labels (such as "child") rather than by their true selves. In the second verse, the singer wonders if having a family or fitting into societal norms can help alleviate feelings of loneliness and fear. The chorus repeats the phrase "lying" in Japanese, which adds to the theme of concealment and the need to fit in. The final verse discusses feeling out of place and questioning one's identity, ultimately leading to a desire for self-harm or escape.

The lyrics of "意識" have been interpreted in different ways. Some see it as a critique of societal pressures placed on individuals to conform to certain roles and ideals while others see it as a commentary on the difficulties of trying to find oneself in a world that doesn't easily accept people who are different. Shiina Ringo's use of metaphors, such as comparing the feeling of a containing family to a "hand" or the power of societal labels to "medicine," allows for multiple interpretations of the song's meaning. Musically, "意識" is filled with complex instrumentation, ranging from a driving drumbeat to a memorable chorus melody.

Line by Line Meaning

頭が有れば要は簡単に片付いて
If you have a clear mind, things can be easily sorted out

子供と呼べば汚されないで済むのさ
If you call it childlike innocence, you can avoid being stained

僕に少しの光合成君に似合ふ遺伝子を
I'll give you chloroplast and genes that suit you

ヒトは仕様の無いことが好きなのだらう「嘘ヲ吐クナヨ」
Maybe humans like what they can't have, so they lie

泣いたら何だつて此の白い手に入りさうで
If you cry, anything seems possible with these white hands

答へなら純粋だ惹かれ合つてゐる
Honestly, I'm attracted to you

こんな風に君を愛する多分
In this way, I probably love you

幾つに成れば淋しさや恐怖は消へ得る
At what age can you get rid of loneliness and fear?

子供を持てばやがて苦痛も失せるのか
If you have a child, will the pain eventually disappear?

君が慕ふ思春期と僕が用ゐる反抗期
You're in your adolescence, while I'm going through a rebellious phase

最早語呂を合はすことが好きなのだらう「嘘ヲ吐クナヨ」
Maybe I like the sound of words fitting together, so I lie