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)
Torikoshi Kurou
椎名林檎 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
あんた程の 男等居らぬ
燃盛る様 爪 熔けにけり
あんただけは 奪はれたくない
お願ひ 何處にも行かないでよ
ねえ 後生だから傍に置いてよ
あんた故の 乙女心さ
如何でも宜し 詰まる処は
あんたの眼で 奪はれたのさ
お願ひ 誰にも云はないでよ
ねえ 後生だから秘密にしてよ
どんな科白の効力に参つたつもりも無いわ
女の私を信じたきや黙つて「ついて」来い
えゝい儘よ 廻り諄いぞなもし
こんなことにまう 口は使わぬ
The lyrics to 椎名林檎's song とりこし苦労 are written in a traditional Japanese style that portrays the feelings of a woman who has fallen in love with a man who she desires to be with, but who does not reciprocate her feelings. The woman takes a bold stance and says that she will cast aside her shame and will not be swayed by others. She compares her emotions to a burning fire that is melting away her nails, but there is only one person that she does not want to lose. She pleads with him not to go anywhere and to stay by her side for the rest of her life.
The woman expresses her desire to keep her long hair and her maidenly heart for the man she loves. She tells him that it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, as long as he loves her and takes what he wants. She asks him not to tell anyone about their relationship, as she wants it to remain a secret. She believes that there is nothing she can say that will change the man's mind, but she asks him to believe in her and to follow her.
Overall, the lyrics represent the emotions of a woman who is deeply in love and is willing to go to great lengths to keep the man she loves close to her.
Line by Line Meaning
えゝい儘よ 恥ぢも棄て去らむ
I'll act as I please and discard any sense of shame
あんた程の 男等居らぬ
There are no men like you
燃盛る様 爪 熔けにけり
My nails melt as I experience overpowering feelings of passion
あんただけは 奪はれたくない
I don't want anyone else to take you away from me
お願ひ 何處にも行かないでよ
Please don't go anywhere
ねえ 後生だから傍に置いてよ
Hey, let me keep you by my side for the rest of my life
えゝい儘よ 髪 伸びにけり
I'll let my hair grow wild as a reflection of my emotional state for you
あんた故の 乙女心さ
Because of you, I'm experiencing complex feelings of being a young woman
如何でも宜し 詰まる処は
Anything is fine with me, as long as I have your eyes on me
あんたの眼で 奪はれたのさ
I was captivated by you when I looked into your eyes
お願ひ 誰にも云はないでよ
Please don't tell anyone about this
ねえ 後生だから秘密にしてよ
Hey, let's keep this a secret for the rest of our lives
どんな科白の効力に参つたつもりも無いわ
I don't care about the effectiveness of any lines intended to woo me
女の私を信じたきや黙つて「ついて」来い
If you believe in me as a woman, then follow me in silence
えゝい儘よ 廻り諄いぞなもし
I'll act as I please and ignore any nagging from others
こんなことにまう 口は使わぬ
I won't use my mouth to criticize myself for such behavior
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ringo Sheena
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
楊析
今朝は妙なメイルを拝受しました
其処に出生の意志が載つて居り
現在は酸素を押し返さうと必死です
まう亡骸は消去完了
何處にも桃源郷は無いと云ひます
僕は両の肢から認知しました
此処に「半分の意味」を見出して 現在は
酸素を吸ひ切つてしまふ準備中です
亡骸に弁護は不要
何處にも桃源郷が無いのなら
お造り致しませう
生むで廃棄する勇氣
空を斬つてゆく庖丁
今日 胎盤 明日
僕を食しても植わらない理由は
「渾て獨りぼつちだから」
偖はこんな輪廻と交際をする業が
お嫌ひなのでせう 当然です 未だ
何の「建設も着工」してゐない 白紙に還す予定です
お顔を さあ拝見させて下さい
Gabo Ultra Instinct
Sheena Ringo is so incredibly underrated... she should be way more famous in the West
Senchi3
God, when the organ comes in at 3:46 I just get chills every fucking time. What an incredible song.
Fauxie Dao Jia
Masterpiece, the song and the album both.
Fauxie Dao Jia
@Aquarian Angel yeah, just need the upload to stick. I think last year or year before I tried and failed with this track. Fingers crossed.
deerlikely
@Aquarian Angel knocks vigorously on wood
KeMarcus Depay
This song is so scary and perfectly emulates the fear of life and death in context to bringing a new born baby into the world. Amazing song on an amazing album.
aldeayeah
1:44 that pulsating SFX is the heartbeat of a fetus その音は胎児の心臓の鼓動です
Raki Alhazmi
awesome lyrics, makes me love the album even more
Shaheer Ali
this might just be the greatest song ever
gojiberri ♡
Happy birthday sheena ringo!!!