The four of them came together in the music club of their university in 1996; for Gotoh, Kita, and Yamada, ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION was the first band they ever formed.
After a while, they began to perform at the school and in the local Yokohama area. Interestingly, their first songs were all written in English and, in fact, their first independent 6 track album (released in 2000) was entirely sung in English. The CDs were sold at concerts and over the internet.
In 2001, beginning with "YMD" they held many self-planned events at Yokohama's CLUB24.
Once "Konayuki," the first song in which they used Japanese lyrics, was completed, they sent copies to all the independent shows on the FM stations, and were consequently able to get their music played for the first time on FM radio.
After that, they released their second CD of original works, this time using Japanese lyrics. It achieved great success within the region and at all the Live Houses.
From this time on, starting at Shibuya, Shimokitazawa, Kichijouji and other places, they started putting on shows famed for their energy.
In 2002, they submitted a track to the Underflow Records Compilation CD. In November of the same year, they released "Houkai Amplifier," their first Mini Album to be produced professionally. This album, which would decide their future, debuted in the number 1 spot of Highline Records weekly charts, and also made it to the number 35 spot in the Oricon Indies Chart.
On April 4, 2003, "Houkai Amplifier" was re-released under Ki/oon Records. That summer, they appeared at FUJI ROCK (on the "ROOKIE A GO GO" stage), and at SUMMER SONIC '03 in Osaka.
Following their October 16, 2003 single "Kimi to Iu Hana," their first full album "Kimi Tsunagi Five M" was released on November 19.
From January 19 to February 25 2004, they went on the "five nano seconds" tour. All shows immediately sold out and were a massive success.
In 2004, their first proper single "Siren" and their second single, the iconic "Loop & Loop," were released, the former on April 14th and the latter on May 19th.
Their self-planned event ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION presents "NANO-MUGEN FEST" took place on July 1st at Nihon Budoukan and, that summer, they appeared live at festivals in areas all over the country. On August 4th, their new single "Rewrite" was released, followed by "Kimi no Machi Made" on September 23rd.
On October 20, 2004, their long-awaited new album "Sol-fa" was released and this really pushed the band to the forefront of the J-Rock scene. Then, on November 2nd, they started their second national tour: ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Tour Suihai No!
June 8 2005 saw the release of "NANO-MUGEN COMPILATION," an album composed of songs from various acts, both Japanese and English-language alike. Included was their first single after "Sol-fa": "Blackout." Later, the band released their first real single in over a year; "Blue Train."
In 2006, the band released another single "World Apart," followed by their third album, "Fanclub." A month later, they released their latest album "Feedback File," which includes live versions of some of their most popular tracks.
Their song "Haruka Kanata" was chosen to be a theme song for the anime series "Naruto," and the popular single "Rewrite" was selected as a theme song to the hit anime series "Fullmetal Alchemist." The song "Aru Machi no Gunjou" was used in the animated movie "Tekkon Kinkreet," and the song "After Dark" was used as a theme song for the animated series "BLEACH." The song "Maigo Inu to Ame no Beat" was used as the opening theme for the anime "The Tatami Galaxy".
ブルートレイン
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
君が吐く言葉は
凍てつく想いで胸を刺す心が
止めどない青さの行き先は
夢から醒めたような 現在(いま)
傷だけ塞いでも溢れる想いは
君が言う「リアル」とか
夢のない僕らの行き先は
夢から醒めたような 現在
此処で
剥き出しで走る夕
歪なレール上を転がるように
「何処まで?」君は言う
それすら消えて無くなってしまうまで
行きたい…
嗚呼、遥か遠く
訳もなくただ続く焦燥
剥き出しで走る夕
歪なレール上を転がるように
日々に潜む憂鬱
それすら消えて無くなってしまうまで
生きたい…
The lyrics to ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION's song Blue Train describe a feeling of aimlessness and uncertainty about the future, as well as a sense of longing for something more. The opening lines describe a "white voice" cutting through the darkness, with the words spoken by the singer piercing the listener's heart like frozen emotions. The "endless blue" of the future seems impossible to navigate, like a dream that has suddenly turned into reality.
The verses go on to explore the idea that even if you try to cover up your wounds, your feelings will still spill out. The singer finds it easy to talk about "reality" in abstract terms, but the future seems uncertain for those who have no dreams. The chorus repeats the idea of a "naked" evening that rolls along a distorted rails until it disappears, while the singer expresses a desire to keep going until everything fades away.
Overall, the song seems to be about the struggle to find meaning and purpose in life, and the fear of getting stuck in a directionless journey. The image of a train rolling along distorted tracks, disappearing into the distance, is a powerful metaphor for this sense of aimlessness.
Line by Line Meaning
闇を裂く白い声
A bright voice that cuts through the darkness
君が吐く言葉は
The words you say
凍てつく想いで胸を刺す心が
A frozen feeling that stabs at the heart
止めどない青さの行き先は
The destination of endless blue
夢から醒めたような 現在(いま)
A present that feels like waking up from a dream
傷だけ塞いでも溢れる想いは
Feelings that overflow even if wounds are healed
君が言う「リアル」とか
Things you call 'reality,' 'real life,' and such
言葉では易いさ
Things that are easy to say in words
夢のない僕らの行き先は
The destination of us who have no dreams
此処で
Here and now
剥き出しで走る夕
An evening that runs bare
歪なレール上を転がるように
Rolling on a distorted rail
「何処まで?」君は言う
You ask, 'How far will we go?'
それすら消えて無くなってしまうまで
Until even that disappears and is no more
行きたい…
I want to go there...
嗚呼、遥か遠く
Ah, far away
訳もなくただ続く焦燥
An inexplicable, unending anxiety
日々に潜む憂鬱
Depression lurking in daily life
生きたい…
I want to live...
Contributed by Alyssa J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@_car5323
A "white" [pure] voice tearing through the dark
The words you spit out
Icy shards of thought stabbing my chest
The final stop for this endless "blue" [naiveté]
Like waking from a dream to "now" (reality)
I plug the wounds but the thoughts still leak out
You say things like "real,"
Such easy words
The final stop for us with no hopes
Like waking from a dream to "now"
Here,
The sunset runs openly
Like tumbling down a warped rail
How far, you ask
Until it all finally runs out in the end,
I want to go on...
Over there, so far away
No real reason, just anxious to keep going
The sunset runs openly
Like tumbling down a warped rail
Melancholy lurks in every day
Until it all finally runs out in the end,
I want to live...
@jairofrancoguzman668
Romaji Lyrics:
Yami wo saku shiroi koe
Kimi ga haku kotoba wa
Itetsuku omoi de mune wo sasu kokoro ga
Tomedonai aosa no ikisaki wa
Yume kara sameta youna ima
Kizu dake husaidemo afureru omoi wa
Kimi ga iu [riaru] toka
Kotoba dewa yasui sa
Yume no nai bokura no ikisaki wa
Yume kara sameta youna ima
Koko de
Mukidashi de hashiru yuu
Ibitsu na re-ru jyou wo korogaru youni
[doko made?] kimi wa iu
Soresura kiete nakunatte shimau made
Ikitai
Aa, haruka tooku
Wake mo naku tada tsuzuku syousou
Mukidashi de hashiru yuu
Ibitsu na re-ru jyou wo korogaru youni
Hibi ni hisomu yuuutsu
Soresura kiete nakunatte shimau made
@rawrshacktsu8623
Yami wo saku shiroi koe
Kimi ga haku kotoba wa
Itetsuku omoi de mune wo sasu kokoro ga
Tomedonai ao sa no ikisaki wa
Yume kara sameta you na gensai (ima)
Kizu dake fusai demo afureru omoi wa
Kimi ga iu RIARU toka
Kotoba dewa yasui sa
Yume no nai bokura no ikisaki wa
Yume kara sameta you na genzai (ima)
Koko de mukidashite hashiru yuu
Ibitsu na reeru jou wo korogaru you ni
Doko made? Kimi wa iu
Sore sura kiete nakunatte shimau made
Ikitai Ikitai
Aa, haruka tooku
Wakemonaku tada tsudzuku shousou
Mukidashite hashiru yuu
Ibitsu na reeru jou wo korogaru you ni
Hibi ni hisomu yuutsu
Sore sura kiete nakunatte shimau made
Ikitai Ikitai
@nataliehernandez6166
Lyrics via Google
A white voice that tears apart the darkness
The words you spit out
The mind that pierces my chest with freezing thoughts
The destination through endless blue
As if waking from a dream, is the present
The emotions that flow out even when I have sealed that wound
You say "that's reality", and so on
Those words are too easy
Our destination through our dreamlessness
As if waking from a dream, is the present
And Here
In my nakedness, I run through the evening
As if rolling through a distorted on-rails reality
"Until where?" you ask
Until just that is erased and my loss of integrity is put away
I want to go on
Ah, far, far away
Even without reason, my impatience persists
In my nakedness, I run through the evening
As if rolling through a distorted on-rails reality
My depression, hidden in the day
Until just that is erased and my loss of integrity is put away
I want to live on
@-Orb
Romaji Lyrics:
Yami wo saku shiroi koe
Kimi ga haku kotoba wa
Itetsuku omoi de mune wo sasu kokoro ga
Tomedonai ao sa no ikisaki wa
Yume kara sameta you na gensai (ima)
Kizu dake fusai demo afureru omoi wa
Kimi ga iu RIARU toka
Kotoba dewa yasui sa
Yume no nai bokura no ikisaki wa
Yume kara sameta you na genzai (ima)
Koko de mukidashite hashiru yuu
Ibitsu na reeru jou wo korogaru you ni
Doko made? Kimi wa iu
Sore sura kiete nakunatte shimau made
Ikitai Ikitai
Aa, haruka tooku
Wakemonaku tada tsudzuku shousou
Mukidashite hashiru yuu
Ibitsu na reeru jou wo korogaru you ni
Hibi ni hisomu yuutsu
Sore sura kiete nakunatte shimau made
Ikitai Ikitai
@_car5323
The Blue Trains were several long-distance sleeper trains with lines across Japan, much like in the West romanticized as an adventurous journey in the popular imagination. They lost popularity to faster, newer trains and aviation and were eventually forced into retirement. The song is about knowing the end of the line is approaching but sticking it through to the end. “Until it all finally runs out, I want to live.”
@_car5323
A "white" [pure] voice tearing through the dark
The words you spit out
Icy shards of thought stabbing my chest
The final stop for this endless "blue" [naiveté]
Like waking from a dream to "now" (reality)
I plug the wounds but the thoughts still leak out
You say things like "real,"
Such easy words
The final stop for us with no hopes
Like waking from a dream to "now"
Here,
The sunset runs openly
Like tumbling down a warped rail
How far, you ask
Until it all finally runs out in the end,
I want to go on...
Over there, so far away
No real reason, just anxious to keep going
The sunset runs openly
Like tumbling down a warped rail
Melancholy lurks in every day
Until it all finally runs out in the end,
I want to live...
@TEM4TEM
Thanks that was really interesting
@_thehalcyon
That's beautiful. Thank you for this
@willyjum
Thank you for the explanation and lyrics :) I replayed this song when I was younger just because of the instrumentals, but knowing the meaning now, I really appreciate the song more. I should wake up from reminiscing about the past and live my life.
@haxsvg9372
@Willyjum This Is The Way.
@hoangson32vn
OMFG I FINALLY FOUND THIS SONG,it's been sooooo longggg 😭😭😭, i listened to this everyday on that random japanese station when i was kid and dont know what's the title until now,more than 10 years,I FINALLY FOUND IT JESUSSSS,MY CHILDHOOD
@josephr.3014
congrats bro, actually it's the best
@darkangelrain33
Lol isn't that the best feeling 🤣🎆
@ske3llingt0n77
10 yrs? 🤔