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)

Toki Ga bousou Suru
椎名林檎 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

デジタルの示す文字があたしを疲れさせる
髪も濡れたまゝ震えて居るのに
開け放たれた窓は何を期待しているの

受話器は沈黙を破ってはくれない

何度も空耳のベルが鳴り身体を起こすけど
無神経に朝は訪れる

時が暴走する

開け放たれた窓を閉めつつ外を覗く

受話器は沈黙を破ってはくれない

何度もうとうとと船に乗り悪夢に魘される
許可無く月が白くなる
時が暴走する

何度も空耳のベルが鳴り身体を起こすけど

何度もうとうとと船に乗り悪夢に魘される

何度もぐるぐる同じことが頭を巡るけど

無神経に朝は訪れる
時が暴走する

Overall Meaning

These lyrics are from the song "Toki ga Bousou Suru" (時が暴走する) by Shiina Ringo. The song addresses feelings of exhaustion and restlessness in the face of a digital world that constantly bombards the singer. The first verse talks about how the digital characters and notifications on screens tire her out, while she is shivering with wet hair. She wonders what the open window is expecting or hoping for. The phone remains silent, refusing to break the silence.

The second verse mentions the repeated false alarms and waking up, but mornings arrive without sensitivity. Time seems to be going out of control. As she closes the open window and peeks outside, the phone still refuses to break the silence. The following lines describe getting on a ship and being haunted by nightmares while half-asleep. The moon turns white without permission, signifying the passage of time running wild.

The repetition of the false alarms, dreams, and the circular thoughts that constantly occupy her mind signify a sense of monotony and a lack of control. Despite this, mornings still arrive without any concern for her restlessness, further emphasizing the unstoppable ticking of time.

Line by Line Meaning

デジタルの示す文字があたしを疲れさせる
The characters displayed by the digital screen exhaust me

髪も濡れたまゝ震えて居るのに
Even though my hair is wet, I am trembling

開け放たれた窓は何を期待しているの
What is the open window expecting?

受話器は沈黙を破ってはくれない
The telephone receiver does not break the silence

何度も空耳のベルが鳴り身体を起こすけど
The imaginary ringtone rings many times, waking up my body

無神経に朝は訪れる
Morning arrives tactlessly

時が暴走する
Time goes into a frenzy

開け放たれた窓を閉めつつ外を覗く
While closing the open window, I peek outside

受話器は沈黙を破ってはくれない
The telephone receiver does not break the silence

何度もうとうとと船に乗り悪夢に魘される
Repeatedly falling half-asleep, haunted by nightmares on a ship

許可無く月が白くなる
The moon turns white without permission