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)
Haiiro No Hitomi
椎名林檎 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
なんて淋しいこの夕暮れ
とどかない想いを抱いて
なんて淋しいこの夕暮れ
とどかない想いを抱いて
私の大事なこの笛のうたう唄を
あなたは聞いているのだろか
あなたは聞いているのだろか
どこかの小さな木の下で
澄んだ音色で響くこの笛
あなたは聞いているのだろか
泣きくたびれた笛の音を
あなたは聞いているのだろか
泣きくたびれた笛の音を
山は夕暮れ夜の闇がしのびよる
あなたは何処にいるのだろか
風の便りも今はとだえ
あなたは何処にいるのだろか
風の便りも今はとだえ
山の坂道一人で歩いて行った
あなたは今も唄っている
彼方の空に声が聞こえ
あなたは今も唄っている
彼方の空に声が聞こえ
一人ぼっちで影を見つめる
あなたは何処にいるのだろか
風の便りも今はとだえ
あなたは何処にいるのだろか
風の便りも今はとだえ
ララララ
The lyrics to 椎名林檎 Ringo Shiina's song 灰色の瞳 (Haiiro no Hitomi) depict a sense of loneliness and yearning. It starts off with the comparison of the singer's feelings to a small flower blooming in a withered field, emphasizing the desolate atmosphere of the evening. The repeated phrase "なんて淋しいこの夕暮れ" ("nante sabishii kono yuugure") conveys the overwhelming sense of loneliness that cannot be reached or expressed. The singer wonders if the person they are singing for is listening to their song, while imagining them somewhere beneath a small tree. The clear sound of the flute echoes, symbolizing the singer's hope that their music can be heard. The mention of a tired and crying flute suggests a sense of weariness and emotional strain. The lyrics then shift to imagery of the mountains, with the evening darkness creeping in and the wind's news now fading away. The singer questions where the person they are seeking is, as they continue to walk alone on the mountain path. However, they believe they can still hear their voice in the distant sky. Despite feeling alone, the singer is still able to gaze at their own shadow and wonder where the person they long for is. The repetition of "風の便りも今はとだえ" ("kaze no tayori mo ima wa todae") emphasizes the silence and stillness of the wind's message. The song ends with the repeated refrain of "ララララ" ("lalala"), which adds a touch of melancholy and reinforces the sense of longing.
Line by Line Meaning
枯野に咲いた小さな花のように
Like a small flower blooming in the withered field
なんて淋しいこの夕暮れ
How lonely this evening is
とどかない想いを抱いて
Holding unspoken feelings
なんて淋しいこの夕暮れ
How lonely this evening is
とどかない想いを抱いて
Holding unspoken feelings
私の大事なこの笛のうたう唄を
Will you listen to the song played by my precious flute?
あなたは聞いているのだろか
I wonder if you are listening
どこかの小さな木の下で
Underneath some small tree
あなたは聞いているのだろか
I wonder if you are listening
どこかの小さな木の下で
Underneath some small tree
澄んだ音色で響くこの笛
This flute resounds with clear tones
あなたは聞いているのだろか
I wonder if you are listening
泣きくたびれた笛の音を
The sound of a tired, crying flute
あなたは聞いているのだろか
I wonder if you are listening
泣きくたびれた笛の音を
The sound of a tired, crying flute
山は夕暮れ夜の闇がしのびよる
The mountains are shrouded in the darkness of evening
あなたは何処にいるのだろか
I wonder where you are
風の便りも今はとだえ
Even the wind's message has stopped now
あなたは何処にいるのだろか
I wonder where you are
風の便りも今はとだえ
Even the wind's message has stopped now
山の坂道一人で歩いて行った
I walked alone on the mountain slope
あなたは今も唄っている
Are you still singing?
彼方の空に声が聞こえ
I hear a voice in the distant sky
あなたは今も唄っている
Are you still singing?
彼方の空に声が聞こえ
I hear a voice in the distant sky
一人ぼっちで影を見つめる
I gaze at my shadow alone
あなたは何処にいるのだろか
I wonder where you are
風の便りも今はとだえ
Even the wind's message has stopped now
あなたは何処にいるのだろか
I wonder where you are
風の便りも今はとだえ
Even the wind's message has stopped now
ララララ
La La La
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARIANO UNA RAMOS, ALBERTO VELIZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind