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".
Butterfly
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
細長く意味もない日々を削る
積もった過去とか退屈とか
燃えないゴミの日に出して
そのまま
宛先のない手紙みたいな
行き場も居場所もない僕らの
燃えないゴミの日に出して
そのまま
半透明で不確かな膜が
僕らの世界を包んでは
5メートルの現実感を
いつかなくして
見失っていって
暗闇の先の霞むような光
負から正の走光性
荒んだ僕は蝶になれるかな
折れる
消えかけた鈍い痛みまで
出来るなら捨てないでおいて
そのまま
半透明で不確かな膜が
僕らの世界を包んでも
5メートルの現実感を
忘れないでいて
ずっと繋いでいって
諦めの悪い世界が呼ぶ僕らを
ガラス製の欲望で
覗いた先に何がある
暗闇の先の霞むような光
負から正の走光性
荒んだ僕は蝶になれるかな
折れる
The song "Butterfly" by ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION is a reflection on the monotony and meaninglessness of life, represented by the metaphor of a sharp knife that whittles away at elongated, purposeless days. The past, boredom, and other accumulating detritus are discarded like unburnable waste on designated days. The singer likens themselves to a letter without an address, wandering without direction or a sense of belonging. Dreams and aspirations have been ingrained and their existence obscured by the passage of time, making them also disposable like the trash. The world the singer inhabits is described as being encapsulated by a semi-transparent and uncertain film that obscures the reality that is beyond its five-meter diameter. The singer contemplates becoming a butterfly, a creature that is associated with beauty, fragility, and transformation, but is also aware of their own fragility, comparing themselves to broken but unforgotten things.
The lyrics are a bittersweet reflection on the difficulties and disillusionments of modern life, and the singer's longing for change and transformation. The metaphor of the knife and the trash provides a powerful image of the fleetingness and disposability of everyday experiences, while the butterfly represents a hope for growth and metamorphosis. The theme of uncertainty and lack of direction is emphasized by the recurring image of the semi-transparent film that obscures the world. Overall, the song is an insightful commentary on the human desire for purpose and meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
尖ったナイフみたいな心で
With a sharp and knife-like heart
細長く意味もない日々を削る
We shave away long and meaningless days
積もった過去とか退屈とか
We toss accumulated past and boredom
燃えないゴミの日に出して
Putting them out on non-burnable garbage day
そのまま
As they are
宛先のない手紙みたいな
Like a letter with no recipient
行き場も居場所もない僕らの
For us who have no destination or place
摺り込まれた夢や希望は
Our dreams and hopes, which have been rubbed off
燃えないゴミの日に出して
Putting them out on non-burnable garbage day
そのまま
As they are
半透明で不確かな膜が
A semi-transparent and uncertain membrane
僕らの世界を包んでは
Envelops our world
5メートルの現実感を
A five meter sense of reality
いつかなくして
We'll lose it someday
見失っていって
And lose sight of it
暗闇の先の霞むような光
A hazy light beyond the darkness
負から正の走光性
A cathode-to-anode light emission
荒んだ僕は蝶になれるかな
I wonder if my rough self can become a butterfly
折れる
It breaks
消えかけた鈍い痛みまで
Even the dull pain that's fading away
出来るなら捨てないでおいて
If possible, don't throw it away
そのまま
As it is
半透明で不確かな膜が
A semi-transparent and uncertain membrane
僕らの世界を包んでも
Even though it envelops our world
5メートルの現実感を
A five meter sense of reality
忘れないでいて
Don't forget
ずっと繋いでいって
Keep it connected forever
諦めの悪い世界が呼ぶ僕らを
The world that doesn't give up calls us
ガラス製の欲望で
With a glass-made desire
覗いた先に何がある
What lies ahead if we peek inside?
暗闇の先の霞むような光
A hazy light beyond the darkness
負から正の走光性
A cathode-to-anode light emission
荒んだ僕は蝶になれるかな
I wonder if my rough self can become a butterfly
折れる
It breaks
Contributed by Layla A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.