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)

Aozora
椎名林檎 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

片付いた部屋が温かくて
曇り窓の外コントラスト
独りで居るのに慣れないまま
ジャニスを聴いているセンチメンタル

此の世で一番輝いている人は
努力しているって教えてくれたね

ねえ見ている?
ほら星が光っているのを
明日は心も空も素敵な青

堅苦しい言葉懐かしくて
貴方は小さなモンテスキュー

本当の自分に正直で飾らない
あたしで良いんだって教えてくれたね

ねえ見ている?
此の星が光っているのを
貴方の心の様な空を見ている

ねえ見ている?
ほら星が光っているのを
明日は心も空も素敵な青

ねえ云える?
いま星が光っている理由

貴方の心を映しているからだよ
明日は心も空も素敵な青

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to 椎名林檎's song Aozora describe a warm, tidy room with contrasting cloudy windows. The singer is alone and unaccustomed to being so, listening to Janis Joplin and feeling sentimental. She recalls someone who taught her that the person shining brightest in the world is the one who is putting in the most effort. She asks if the listener is watching the stars shining, pointing out that tomorrow will be a lovely shade of blue in both the sky and heart.

The second verse mentions "you" being nostalgic for stiff language and comparing him to a small Montesquieu. This person has apparently taught her to be honest with herself and not to put on a facade. The chorus is repeated, with the shining stars representing the reflection of the listener's heart. The singer reminds the listener that tomorrow will be a lovely blue, prompting them to speak up if they understand why the stars are shining.

This song appears to be a message of hope and encouragement, reminding listeners to shine their brightest through hard work and honesty, despite any loneliness or nostalgia for past formalities.

Line by Line Meaning

片付いた部屋が温かくて
The warmness from the tidy room comforts me

曇り窓の外コントラスト
The cloudy outside window creates a sharp contrast

独りで居るのに慣れないまま
I'm not yet accustomed to being alone

ジャニスを聴いているセンチメンタル
Feeling sentimental while listening to Janis (Joplin)

此の世で一番輝いている人は
The person who shines the most in this world

努力しているって教えてくれたね
You taught me that it's through hard work

ねえ見ている?
Hey, are you looking?

ほら星が光っているのを
Look, the stars are shining

明日は心も空も素敵な青
Tomorrow, both my heart and the sky will be beautifully blue

堅苦しい言葉懐かしくて
Nostalgic for formal language

貴方は小さなモンテスキュー
You are a little Montesquieu