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)

Black Orpheus
椎名林檎 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Manhã, tão bonita manhã
Na vida, uma nova canção
Cantando só teus olhos, teu riso, tuas mãos
Pois, há de aver um dia em que virâs

Das cordas du meu violão
Que só teu amor procurou
Vem uma voz falar

dos beijos perdidos nos lábios teus

Canta o meu coração
Alegria voltou
Tão feliz a manhã deste amor

I'll sing to the sus in the sky
I'll sing till the sun rises high
Carnival time is here
Magical time of the year
And as the time draws near
Dreams left my heart
I'll sing as he plays his guitar
I'll cling to the dreams form afar
Will love come my way
This carnival day and stay here in my heart?

Will true love come my way on this carnival day or
Will I be alone with my dreams?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Black Orpheus" by Shiina Ringo capture the essence of a beautiful morning filled with hope and new beginnings. The song opens with the line "Manhã, tão bonita manhã," which translates to "Morning, such a beautiful morning." It sets the tone for a joyful and optimistic atmosphere, symbolized by the arrival of a new song in life.

The lyrics speak of singing about the listener's eyes, laughter, and hands, suggesting a celebration of their presence. The mention of a day when they will come and play the singer's guitar hints at a future where their love will resonate through the strings. The song's verses also allude to kisses lost on their lips and the longing to express those emotions through music and song.

The chorus emphasizes the happiness and joy that this newfound love has brought. The singer's heart sings with joy, and they revel in the morning of love. It conveys the sense that love has transformed their world, bringing back the light and happiness that they had been yearning for.

The second part of the song, sung in English, adds a layer of melancholy and longing to the narrative. It expresses the desire for love to come their way during the carnival season, while also acknowledging the possibility of being alone with their dreams. The lyrics imply a sense of uncertainty, questioning whether true love will manifest or remain elusive.

Overall, "Black Orpheus" captures the themes of hope, love, and longing, blending together different emotions and perspectives to tell a nuanced and introspective story.

Line by Line Meaning

Manhã, tão bonita manhã
Morning, such a beautiful morning

Na vida, uma nova canção
In life, a new song

Cantando só teus olhos, teu riso, tuas mãos
Singing only of your eyes, your laughter, your hands

Pois, há de aver um dia em que virâs
For there will be a day when you will come

Das cordas du meu violão
From the strings of my guitar

Que só teu amor procurou
That only your love sought

Vem uma voz falar
A voice comes to speak

Dos beijos perdidos nos lábios teus
Of the lost kisses on your lips

Canta o meu coração
My heart sings

Alegria voltou
Joy has returned

Tão feliz a manhã deste amor
So happy is the morning of this love