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)

A Decisive 3 Minutes
椎名林檎 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When the time is ripe
To catch you in the act

Next time the time arrives
Then you won't slip so fast

I'll numb your senses down
And loosen up your grip

In the foggy light
There's nothing but your sixth

With every color in the book
There is no mercy for a crook

Excuse me
Catch me a thief
Here is your wanted man
He'll steal again
All reason from my heart

You got to be quick
Take the chance, take a shot

The situation here
Remains rather tense

With every pistol in my eyes
This party's over, say goodbye

Oh my god

Hey, I've been had
Instinct is in my head
Cure me again
Of whispers in my heart

Excuse me
Catch me a thief
Here is your wanted man
He'll steal again
All reason from my heart

Oh my god

Hey, I've been had
Some beast is in my head

Take me again
Back to where it begins

Overall Meaning

The song "決定的三分間" by 椎名林檎, or "The Decisive Three Minutes," is a fast-paced and intense song about catching a thief and seeking justice. The lyrics suggest that the singer has been deceived or hurt by someone and is now seeking retribution. The first stanza sets the scene for catching the thief in the act and preventing them from slipping away again. The second stanza talks about using force to subdue the thief and bringing them to justice. The third stanza is a plea to catch the thief and stop them from hurting again. The chorus repeats the plea to catch the thief and stop them from stealing reason from the singer's heart. The final stanza is a cry for help, asking to be cured of the whispers in their heart and taken back to where it all began.

The lyrics of the song are highly metaphorical and can be interpreted in several ways. Some listeners suggest that the "thief" in the song is a metaphor for a past lover or someone who has hurt the singer emotionally. The repeated refrain of "catch me a thief" can be seen as a plea for closure or justice for past wrongs. The line "some beast is in my head" can be interpreted as an internal struggle or emotional turmoil.

The song is known for its high energy and fast-paced tempo, with several instrumental sections featuring guitar and drums. The lyrics are sung in a distinctive, almost spoken-word style that adds to the intensity of the song. The song has been praised for its use of metaphor and imagery, and for its emotional impact.

Line by Line Meaning

When the time is ripe
I will wait for the perfect moment to catch you in the act

Next time the time arrives
When the opportunity presents itself again, you won't escape so easily

I'll numb your senses down
I will make you lose your sense of awareness

And loosen up your grip
I will make you drop whatever you are holding

In the foggy light
Amidst the unclear circumstances

There's nothing but your sixth
You will only rely on your intuition

With every color in the book
I will use every trick in my arsenal

There is no mercy for a crook
I will not show any mercy to a criminal

Excuse me
Pardon me

Catch me a thief
Help me catch a criminal

Here is your wanted man
I have found the criminal you have been searching for