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)
Nobara
椎名林檎 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
Röslein auf der Heiden,
War so jung und morgenschön,
Lief er schnell, es nah zu sehn,
Sahs mit vielen Freuden
Röslein, Röslein, Röslein rot,
Röslein auf der Heiden
Röslein auf der Heiden!
Röslein sprach: Ich steche dich,
Dass du ewig denkst an mich,
Und ich wills nicht leiden
Röslein, Röslein, Röslein rot,
Röslein auf der Heiden
Und der wilde Knabe brach
's Röslein auf der Heiden:
Röslein wehrte sich und stach,
Half ihr doch kein Weh und Ach,
Musst es eben leiden
Röslein, Röslein, Röslein rot,
Röslein auf der Heiden
In "野薔薇" (Yobarō), which translates to "Wild Rose" in English, the lyrics are actually an adaptation of the German poem "Heidenröslein" (also known as "Sah ein Knab ein Röslein stehn") by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. This adaptation was done by the Japanese singer-songwriter 椎名林檎 (Shiina Ringo). The song tells the story of a young boy who comes across a wild rose in the heath, and becomes enamored by its beauty. He decides to pick the rose, but the rose warns him that if he picks her, she will prick him and make him remember her forever. The boy disregards the warning and picks the rose anyway, and despite her resistance, the rose cannot escape her fate. The lyrics portray a bittersweet and tragic love story between the boy and the wild rose.
This song can be seen as an exploration of the themes of love, desire, and the consequences that come with pursuing one's desires without regard for the consequences. It reflects on the idea that love can have both beautiful and painful aspects, and the decision to pursue it can lead to both joy and suffering. The wild rose symbolizes a love that is untamed and unpredictable, embodying the duality of passion and pain.
Overall, "野薔薇" is a poignant and introspective song that delves into the complexities of love and the choices we make in pursuing it.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Heinrich Werner, Horst Jankowski, Johann Goethe Von, Peter Herbolzheimer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind