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)

SG ~Superficial Gossip~
椎名林檎 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

何でもいいのさ
分別(しどけ)ない願望は何処?
文明の進歩へ
反比例していく自然
いつだって泳ぎ回る欲
性(セックス)と嫉妬が満ち干けば
知りたいのは仕掛けじゃない
割り高広告黙ってろってんだ

捏造して金儲けか
恥ずかしがっている
ヒトを視たいのに

安くていいのさ
邪心(あどけ)ない絶望は何処?
どっちかと云えば
不幸せな方がいい
だれかの取り乱した顔
嘘と秘密を剥がし取れ
知りたいのは釣り餌じゃない
手前の可愛さ誇張すなってんだ
見えそうでも見えない自我
鏡よ鏡、映して本性を
干上がっていく水面にて
言葉も忘れ苦悩しようもんか
知りたいのは真実(ほんとう)だけ

事実は小説よりも奇なり
明日は我が身

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "SG ~Superficial Gossip~" by 椎名林檎 delve into the themes of curiosity, superficiality, and the human desire for knowledge and truth.

In the first verse, the singer questions the lack of discernment and the absence of noble aspirations in society. They ponder where the desire for progress and civilization has gone, as it seems to be inversely proportional to the natural inclination to indulge in base desires such as sex and jealousy. The singer expresses a longing to understand what drives people's motives beyond mere surface appearances, rather than being interested in their tricks or deceptions. The lyric "割り高広告黙ってろってんだ" refers to the disdain for expensive advertisements and a plea for silence.

The second verse continues the exploration of human nature, asserting that cheap and innocent despair may be preferable to superficiality. The singer suggests that unhappiness might lead one to reveal their true selves and strip away lies and secrets. Rather than being interested in mere bait or deception, the singer urges others to resist exaggerating their own cuteness and instead show their true selves, even if it is not immediately visible. The line "鏡よ鏡、映して本性を" alludes to the desire for self-reflection and the unmasking of one's true nature.

Throughout the song, there is a juxtaposition between the superficial and the genuine, as the lyrics touch upon the struggle to uncover truth in a world that may be driven by deception and the thirst for profit. The singer's yearning is ultimately centered on the pursuit of truth and genuine experiences. The lyrics suggest that facts and reality are more fascinating than fiction, and the singer contemplates the uncertainties and challenges that lie ahead, affirming that tomorrow could bring personal growth and enlightenment.

Line by Line Meaning

何でもいいのさ
Anything is fine

分別ない願望は何処?
Where is the desire without discretion?

文明の進歩へ
Towards the progress of civilization

反比例していく自然
Nature that goes in inverse proportion

いつだって泳ぎ回る欲
Desire that always swims around

性と嫉妬が満ち干けば
When sex and jealousy ebbs and flows

知りたいのは仕掛けじゃない
What I want to know is not the tricks

割り高広告黙ってろってんだ
I'm telling all the expensive advertisements to shut up

捏造して金儲けか
Fabricating for the sake of making money

恥ずかしがっている
Feeling ashamed

ヒトを視たいのに
Wanting to see people