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".
laika
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Por encima de los espirales del rompecabezas anillos
Andando a cuatro patas Sin aliento
Ladrando raspantemente
Puntos y líneas que no conecte
Aullidos urgentes
Las lágrimas se caen, ¡Alguien conteste por favor!
Marcas negras que se ve como partes de la tristeza caída que ha
sido remendados y cosidos
Pero aún así En la oscuridad profunda
Aulle como si usted rasgan sus interiors aparte si no es suficiente
Perro callejero Callejón sin salida
Quítese el collar Es sólo una ilusión
¿Qué quiere usted? ¿Qué busca usted?
No hay contestación aquí ya no más.
Pero aún así En la oscuridad profunda
Si no es suficiente
Aulle como si usted rasgan sus interiors aparte, en lo más hondo del alma
Puntos y líneas que no conecte
Aullidos urgentes
Las lágrimas se caen, ¡Alguien conteste por favor!
Pero no hay contestación en cualquier parte.
Las partes de la tristeza caída me duelen como si me hubieran estrangulado pero
En las partes de la tristeza que caen, marcas blancas parecen aparecer.
Pero aún así En la oscuridad profunda
Si no es suficiente
Aulle como si usted rasgan sus interiors aparte Perro callejero
The lyrics of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION's song "Laika" depict the story of a stray dog, lost in a dead-end street, howling desperately for someone to answer. The first verse describes the dog walking on all fours, panting, and barking hoarsely. The second verse elaborates on the dog's desperation, as it cries for help while no response is coming from anywhere. The chorus contains a metaphorical meaning, as the dog, a stray animal, represents a member of society that feels abandoned and forgotten. It is stuck, isolated, and unable to break free from its frustrating situation, no matter how hard it tries.
The following verses reveal the dog's suffering and deep emotional pain. The "parts of the fallen sadness" that have been "patched up and sewn" indicate that the dog has been through some traumatic experiences before ending up in the dead-end street. The last verse, however, brings a glimmer of hope, as "white marks" appear on the dog's wounds, possibly indicating that it has found some solace or help. Nevertheless, the dog still howls and cries, unable to escape its emotional torment.
"Laika" is a powerful song about the struggles of being lost, forgotten, and unimportant in the world. It highlights the importance of empathy and human connection in society, and the need to reach out and help those who are suffering. The song is a reminder to be kind and compassionate towards even the most neglected and forsaken members of our society.
Line by Line Meaning
Perro callejero Callejón sin salida
A stray dog stuck in a dead end street
Por encima de los espirales del rompecabezas anillos
Above the spirals of the puzzle rings
Andando a cuatro patas Sin aliento
Crawling on all fours breathlessly
Ladrando raspantemente
Barking hoarsely
Puntos y líneas que no conecte
Points and lines that don't connect
Aullidos urgentes
Urgent howls
Las lágrimas se caen, ¡Alguien conteste por favor!
Tears falling, please answer!
Pero no hay contestación en cualquier parte.
But there is no answer anywhere.
Marcas negras que se ve como partes de la tristeza caída que ha sido remendados y cosidos
Black marks that look like parts of the fallen sadness that has been patched and sewn
Pero aún así En la oscuridad profunda
But still, in the deep darkness
Aulle como si usted rasgan sus interiors aparte si no es suficiente
Howl as if tearing your insides apart if it's not enough
Quítese el collar Es sólo una ilusión
Take off the collar, it's just an illusion
¿Qué quiere usted? ¿Qué busca usted?
What do you want? What are you looking for?
No hay contestación aquí ya no más.
There is no answer here anymore.
Si no es suficiente Aulle como si usted rasgan sus interiors aparte, en lo más hondo del alma
If not enough, howl as if tearing your insides apart, in the deepest part of your soul
Las partes de la tristeza caída me duelen como si me hubieran estrangulado pero
The parts of the fallen sadness hurt me as if I had been strangled, but
En las partes de la tristeza que caen, marcas blancas parecen aparecer.
In the parts of the falling sadness, white marks seem to appear.
Contributed by Lily W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.