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)

Cruzar a Linha Do Equador
椎名林檎 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

平和を祈るのは偏に女の生業
男は戦を勃発させるほう大いなる境界線
繁栄を急ぐにも利便性をはかる男と
野性の侭で生産し続ける女の境目よ

寒い秋温い春青い夜赤い朝

Good morning good night

今日も裏表隔たっている
地球の正反対同士 hide & seek
終わりはない

勝負を挑むのは只管男の生業
女は経緯を評価するほう相容れぬ境界線
太陽の後押しで地上へ根差した男と
月に愛されて海洋を漂う女の境目よ

目を閉じたら映るから
遠く水平線の向こうが

Come back go away 屹度
境目は繋目でしょう
地球の命を負う同士 love & hate

Good morning good night
今日も裏表繋がっている

一蓮托生の番いは sun & moon
続いていく

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Cruzar a Linha Do Equador" by 椎名林檎 reflect on the boundaries between men and women in society, as well as the ongoing struggle for power and dominance. The opening lines state that it is the job of women to pray for peace, while men are the ones who tend to initiate wars. The boundary between the two genders is described as being significant, as they each have their own way of pursuing prosperity and interacting with the world. Men are portrayed as being focused on convenience and efficiency, while women are more primal and productive.

The changing seasons are also mentioned, highlighting the constant cycle of birth and death in the natural world. The title of the song, which translates to "Crossing the Equator," further emphasizes the idea of crossing boundaries, both physical and cultural. The chorus suggests that despite these differences and conflicts, the connection between individuals and the planet itself is unbreakable and eternal.

Overall, the lyrics of "Cruzar a Linha Do Equador" offer a complex exploration of gender, power dynamics, and the human experience in relation to the larger forces of nature and the universe.

Line by Line Meaning

平和を祈るのは偏に女の生業
Praying for peace is solely a woman's profession

男は戦を勃発させるほう大いなる境界線
Men are the ones who ignite wars, crossing the great boundary line

繁栄を急ぐにも利便性をはかる男と
Men pursue prosperity while wishing for convenience

野性の侭で生産し続ける女の境目よ
The boundary for women who continue to produce with natural instincts

寒い秋温い春青い夜赤い朝
Cold autumn, warm spring, blue night, red morning

Good morning good night
Good morning, good night

今日も裏表隔たっている
Today, too, they are separated by fronts and backs

地球の正反対同士 hide & seek
Playing hide and seek with the Earth's opposites

終わりはない
There is no end

勝負を挑むのは只管男の生業
Challenging for victory is a purely male profession

女は経緯を評価するほう相容れぬ境界線
Women evaluate the course of events, crossing incompatible boundary lines