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)
Le Moment
椎名林檎 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
疑わないで居られるのは若さ故なんだ
子供みたいに疲れを忘れて寄り掛り合えば
僕らはたった独りでいるよりも有りの侭になる
時よ止まれ 何ひとつ変わってはならないのさ
今正に僕ら目指していた場所へ辿り着いたんだ
生命をほんの少しだけ前借りしたんだ
大人になって恥じらい覚えて寄り掛り合えば
僕らはきっと互いの重さを疎ましく思うだろう
いつも何故か 気付いた時にはもう跡形も無い
伸ばす手の先で消え失せる物程欲しくなるんだ
時よ止まれ 何ひとつ変わってはならないのさ
正に今僕ら目指していた場所へ辿り着いたんだ
Tell me why, all the time
When you finally realize
There's not a trace left behind
Well, anyways in our hands
So I wanna your song
I'll get back in my heart
The lyrics of Shina Ringo's song "青春の瞬き" or "The Blink of Youth" is a beautiful and reflective piece on the passing of time and the influence of youth on one's perspectives. The first verse talks about how when we are young, we can believe that beauty and righteousness are one and the same – something that we may not have the luxury of believing when we're older. The innocence of youth allows us to forget our troubles and rely on one another, finding solace in togetherness. The second verse reflects how the desire for freshness and stability can be equally weighted, and how in borrowing just a little bit of life from the future, we feel the weight of responsibility and shame when we come together as adults. The song ends on an optimistic note, with the realization that although our footprints may disappear over time, we have the power to create something beautiful and meaningful that will endure even as we ourselves move on.
The song is a beautiful reflection on the fleeting nature of youth and how our perspectives are shaped by the experiences we have when we are young. It also touches on universal themes of desire for stability and freshness, and how we each carry the weight of responsibility as we grow older. Shina Ringo's voice and the haunting melody of the song perfectly capture the melancholic tone of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
美しさと正しさが等しくあると 疑わないで居られるのは若さ故なんだ
When you're young, it's easy to believe that beauty and righteousness are the same thing
子供みたいに疲れを忘れて寄り掛り合えば 僕らはたった独りでいるよりも有りの侭になる
When we forget our tiredness and lean on each other like children, we're better off than being alone
時よ止まれ 何ひとつ変わってはならないのさ 今正に僕ら目指していた場所へ辿り着いたんだ
Time, please stop. We've finally reached the place we were aiming for and nothing should change
新しさと確かさを等しくもとめ 生命をほんの少しだけ前借りしたんだ
We sought both novelty and certainty, borrowing just a tiny bit of life
大人になって恥じらい覚えて寄り掛り合えば 僕らはきっと互いの重さを疎ましく思うだろう
When we become adults and feel ashamed to lean on each other, we'll probably find each other's weight burdensome
いつも何故か 気付いた時にはもう跡形も無い 伸ばす手の先で消え失せる物程欲しくなるんだ
For some reason, whatever we long for always disappears before we notice, making us desire it even more
Tell me why, all the time When you finally realize There's not a trace left behind Well, anyways in our hands So I wanna your song I'll get back in my heart
Tell me why, every time, when you finally realize that there's nothing left behind, it's still in our hands, so I want your song to help me get it back in my heart
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ringo Shiina
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind