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)

旬
椎名林檎 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

誰もがわたしを化石にしても
貴方に生かして貰いたい
これ以上埃で塗れない様に

貴方とお互いの生命がまだ

繋がっていることを確かめて
いつか別れを識る恐れから逃がして

いまは叱って笑って何時も通り

誰かが貴方を褒めそやしても
わたしは姿勢を崩さない
それ以上噂で汚れない様に

貴方とお互いの意志をただ

敬っていることを確かめて
いつか衰えて行く恐れすら融かして

そとが白んで変って浮沈るまに

生きているうちはずっと旬だとそう裏付けて

充たしていまを感じて覚えて何時もより
生きて生きて活きて居よう

Overall Meaning

These lyrics are from 椎名林檎's song 旬 (shun), which can be roughly translated to "prime time" or "moment of freshness." The song appears to be about the singer's desire to live in the moment and remain connected to a loved one. The first verse expresses the sentiment that even if others saw the singer as a fossil, they would still want to be valued and kept alive by the person they care about. The sense of urgency in the second half of the verse comes from the singer's fear of becoming covered in dust, symbolizing the passage of time and the possibility of being forgotten.

The second verse continues with this theme, as the singer urges the person they care about to acknowledge that their lives are still connected, and to not be afraid of the possibility of separation in the future. The line "それ以上噂で汚れない様に" (sore ijou uwasa de yogorenai you ni) can be interpreted as a reference to the corrosive effects of gossip and how it can tarnish a person's reputation. The singer emphasizes the importance of respecting each other's will in order to avoid being negatively affected by outside voices.

This song seems to be about cherishing the present and trying to avoid fears of the future or regrets/resentments from the past. It's a poignant message to not let fear prevent us from living life fully and to value and respect those we hold dear.

Line by Line Meaning

誰もがわたしを化石にしても
Even if everyone were to turn me into a fossil, I want you to keep me alive.

貴方に生かして貰いたい
I want you to keep me alive.

これ以上埃で塗れない様に
So that I won't get covered in any more dust.

貴方とお互いの生命がまだ
To confirm that both of our lives are still connected.

繋がっていることを確かめて
We need to confirm that we're still connected.

いつか別れを識る恐れから逃がして
So that we won't be afraid of being aware of our eventual parting.

いまは叱って笑って何時も通り
For now, let's scold and laugh, just like always.

誰かが貴方を褒めそやしても
Even if someone else praises you,

わたしは姿勢を崩さない
I won't be swayed from my stance.

それ以上噂で汚れない様に
So that I won't be dirtied by any further rumors.

貴方とお互いの意志をただ
To simply respect each other's wishes.