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)

Kougousei
椎名林檎 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

暗い色の塀に届きそう
痛い暇を恋と呼ぶ様に
青梅を疾走して居る期間は憂鬱
都会故強靭さ
間も無く其の日がやって来る予定
もうすぐ

悲哀以外の才を譲りいよ

芝居依頼を佞と呼ぶ様に
挨拶は新ウィッス君限定と云う
遺憾故快進さ
間も無く其の日がやって来る予定
もうすぐ

青梅を疾走して居る期間は憂鬱
都会故快進さ
間も無く其の日がやって来る予定
もうすぐ

挨拶は新ウィッス君限定と云う
遺憾故快進さ

間も無く其の日がやって来る予定
もうすぐ

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to 椎名林檎's song "Kougousei" talk about the feeling of unease and melancholy that comes with living in a big city and the anticipation of a scheduled day that is about to arrive. The first verse describes a sense of loneliness and isolation, represented by the dark-colored wall that seems within reach. The pain and free time are likened to love, suggesting that even in difficult or painful moments, there is a certain romanticism to them. The period of running through the green plums (symbolizing youth and energy) feels oppressive and melancholic. The city, with all its strength and toughness, adds to this feeling of melancholy.

The second verse talks about giving away talents other than sadness, comparing it to calling acting requests as flattery. The greeting is exclusive to a new Whistling Boy, implying a sense of regret. The regret and the desire to move forward quickly lead to anticipation for the approaching day.

Overall, the lyrics express a mix of emotions, including sadness, unease, and anticipation, capturing the complexity of living in a bustling city and the longing for something more.

Line by Line Meaning

暗い色の塀に届きそう
It feels like reaching the dark-colored wall

痛い暇を恋と呼ぶ様に
Calling the painful free time 'love'

青梅を疾走して居る期間は憂鬱
The period of rushing through the green plums is melancholic

都会故強靭さ
Urban area, therefore strength and resilience

間も無く其の日がやって来る予定
Soon, that day will come as planned

もうすぐ
Very soon

悲哀以外の才を譲りいよ
Give away talents other than sorrow

芝居依頼を佞と呼ぶ様に
Calling the request for a performance 'deceit'

挨拶は新ウィッス君限定と云う
Greetings are limited to the new Whis

遺憾故快進さ
Regret, therefore progress

青梅を疾走して居る期間は憂鬱
The period of rushing through the green plums is melancholic