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".
Re:Re:
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
途切れない明日も過ぎて行って
立ち止まって振り返って
とめどない今日を嘆き合った
記憶だって 永遠になんて
残らないものとおもい知って
僕はずっと掻きむしって
どうか なくさないでよって
高架下 過ぎる日々を
後悔してんだよって そう言い逃したあの日
繋ぎ合った時もあった
ほどけない感情持ち寄って
それが僕のすべてだった
それもたった今 失くしたんだ
形だって 時が経って
変わりゆくものとおもい知って
僕はずっと掻きむしって
塞がれた今日を恨んだ そして
どうかなくさないでよって
高架下 過ぎる日々を
後悔してんだよって そう言い逃したあの日
君を待った 僕は待った
途切れない明日も過ぎて行って
僕は今日も掻きむしって
忘れない傷をつけているんだよ
君じゃないとさ
The lyrics of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION's song Re:Re: is about the feeling of regret and longing for the past. The singer is expressing his sorrow for the moments that have slipped away and can never be regained. The first two lines of the song, "I waited for you, and I waited," serve as a metaphor for those fleeting moments that have passed. The singer feels as if he has been waiting for something his entire life, but time keeps moving forward and those moments keep fading away. He looks back and regrets all the things he could have done differently, but now it's too late.
The chorus of the song, "Please don't lose it," represents the singer's desire to hold onto those memories and feelings, but the reality is that they are slipping away. The line "I'm regretting it, that day I said I was regretting it" is a direct representation of the singer's regret for not being able to express his feelings at the time. The song speaks to the universal feeling of loss and regret, something that everyone can relate to.
Overall, the song Re:Re: is a touching and melancholy reminder that we should cherish the moments we have, as they are fleeting and will never return. It's a beautiful tribute to the human experience and an acknowledgement of the struggles we all face.
Line by Line Meaning
君を待った 僕は待った
I waited for you, I kept on waiting
途切れない明日も過ぎて行って
Innumerable tomorrows have passed
立ち止まって振り返って
I stopped and looked back
とめどない今日を嘆き合った
I grieved over endless today
記憶だって 永遠になんて残らないものとおもい知って
I know memories don't last forever
僕はずっと掻きむしって心の隅っこで泣いた そして
I scratched and cried in the corner of my heart
どうか なくさないでよって高架下 過ぎる日々を後悔してんだよって そう言い逃したあの日
I regret the days passing under the elevated road, I said I don't want to lose you, and escaped that day
繋ぎ合った時もあった
There were times when we were tied together
ほどけない感情持ち寄って
We brought unbreakable emotions
それが僕のすべてだった
That was everything to me
それもたった今 失くしたんだ
I just lost all of that
形だって 時が経って 変わりゆくものとおもい知って
I know everything changes over time
僕はずっと掻きむしって塞がれた今日を恨んだ そして
I scratched and regretted the sealed-up present
どうかなくさないでよって高架下 過ぎる日々を後悔してんだよって そう言い逃したあの日
I regret the days passing under the elevated road, I said I don't want to lose you, and escaped that day
君を待った 僕は待った
I waited for you, I kept on waiting
途切れない明日も過ぎて行って
Innumerable tomorrows have passed
僕は今日も掻きむしって忘れない傷をつけているんだよ
Today, I am still scratching and making wounds that I will never forget
君じゃないとさ
It's just not you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Masafumi Goto, Takahiro Yamada
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind