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)
Flight JL005
椎名林檎 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You say that you feel so, feel so alive
That's a good thing, no?
What are you afraid of
They've gotten so real
Those things that you feel
But progress is good, no?
You know I just found you
Here suddenly
That's a good thing, no?
What is it you're doubting
You're asking me if you can love me more
But onward we move up
Don't think I don't know that time had come to rest
All of last night, the world was just us
Block by block the rain had let up
The city stopped and seemed to die
And so right then it was like we'd done the same
Feeling like ghosts, like death had no end
Drifting slow we can't go back now it felt so good
But we were young, too young
I've got to find somewhere
No pocket of air can hide you away
They never did exist
Wherever I fly to
I know that the perfect
Nest is a lie
However we move up
Don't think I don't know no weather could upset
All of last night, this world was a nest
None of us were starving but we
Just turned our hearts to you and I
Oh why then there could we not have stopped to think
Something gained is another thing lost
Stopped our hearts and stopped our lives from all drifting off
'Cause we were young, too young
It's why I mutter my mind
I don't know, I don't know how to hide you
And you do it all the time
Why won't time stand still
I know, I know it when you feel that your life
Fires too fast the sounds are too bright
Colors loud it's like a sign that it's dangerous but we were young
I think you should know I'm floating all alone
Drifting, wondering when you'll come back home
But oh, we just can't come apart 'cause when we met
Then we were young, too young
The lyrics to 椎名林檎's song Flight JL005 describe a sense of fear and doubt regarding progress and change, while also highlighting the exhilaration of feeling alive and moving forward. The persona of the song questions the things they're afraid of and doubting while acknowledging that progress is necessary for growth. There is a sense of longing for the past, as demonstrated through the repeated mention of being young and the desire for time to stand still. The song explores the themes of transition, love, and the weight of loss.
The imagery in the song is vivid, with phrases like "the world was just us," "city stopped and seemed to die," and "colors loud" creating a sensory experience for the listener. The repetition of the phrase "we were young, too young" ties together the song's themes and creates a sense of nostalgia and bittersweetness.
Line by Line Meaning
What are you afraid of
What is it that scares you?
You say that you feel so, feel so alive
You believe that you are alive and well
That's a good thing, no?
Isn't that a positive thing?
They've gotten so real
Your fears have become much more tangible
Those things that you feel
The emotions that you are experiencing
But progress is good, no?
But isn't making progress a good thing?
What is it you're doubting
What is causing you to doubt?
You know I just found you
I have only recently met you
Here suddenly
Our meeting was sudden
That's a good thing, no?
Isn't that something positive?
You're asking me if you can love me more
You are wondering if it is possible to love me even more
But onward we move up
But we must continue to move forward
Don't think I don't know that time had come to rest
I am aware that we need to take a break from time to time
All of last night, the world was just us
Last night, it felt like we were the only ones in the world
Block by block the rain had let up
The rain had stopped gradually, one block at a time
The city stopped and seemed to die
The city became quiet as if it had shut down completely
And so right then it was like we'd done the same
At that moment, we felt like we had also come to a stop
Feeling like ghosts, like death had no end
We felt like we were ghosts, and death had no limit
Drifting slow we can't go back now it felt so good
We were slowly drifting along and it felt good, but we couldn't go back
But we were young, too young
But we were too young to fully appreciate the moment
I've got to find somewhere
I need to find a place
No pocket of air can hide you away
No amount of air can conceal you
They never did exist
They never existed in the first place
Wherever I fly to
No matter where I go
I know that the perfect
I am aware that the ideal
Nest is a lie
The concept of a perfect home is not true
Don't think I don't know no weather could upset
I am aware that the weather can be unpredictable
All of last night, this world was a nest
Last night, the world felt like a perfect home
None of us were starving but we
Neither of us was hungry, but we
Just turned our hearts to you and I
Shifted our focus to just each other
Oh why then there could we not have stopped to think
Then why couldn't we have stopped to think?
Something gained is another thing lost
When we gain something, we often lose something else in return
Stopped our hearts and stopped our lives from all drifting off
We should have stopped our hearts and our lives from drifting away
'Cause we were young, too young
Because we were too young and inexperienced
It's why I mutter my mind
That's why I keep my thoughts to myself
I don't know, I don't know how to hide you
I don't know how to keep you hidden
And you do it all the time
But you are always able to do it
Why won't time stand still
Why can't time just stop for a while?
I know, I know it when you feel that your life
I understand how you feel when you think that your life
Fires too fast the sounds are too bright
Moves too quickly, and the sounds are too loud
Colors loud it's like a sign that it's dangerous but we were young
The bright colors seem dangerous, but we were too young to fully realize
I think you should know I'm floating all alone
I want you to know that I feel lost and alone
Drifting, wondering when you'll come back home
Feeling like I'm drifting aimlessly, waiting for you to come back
But oh, we just can't come apart 'cause when we met
But we can't separate because we met
Then we were young, too young
Because we were too young when we first met
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ringo Shiina
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind