Arashi covers a wide range of music, including R&B, hip hop and various forms of pop music. Aside from being a popular idol group in Japan, the group is widely known across Asia and to J-pop fans all over the world.
Johnny's & Associates (or Johnny's) announced the group's debut on September 15, 1999 through a press conference aboard a cruise ship off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. Arashi, the Japanese word for storm, was chosen by Johnny's to represent the group's thrust of "creating a storm throughout the world." Arashi is currently the only debuted group in Johnny's that is written entirely in Kanji. Their debut single, "A・RA・SHI", became the theme song for the 8th World Cup of Volleyball hosted by Japan in 1999. They gained widespread exposure when they sang their debut single at the cup's opening on November 2, 1999. At the debut event a day later, an estimated 80,000 fans showed up at the Yoyogi National Hippodrome to see the group's live performance.[1] The single went on to become a major hit, selling almost a million copies. From March 25 to April 30, 2001, the group embarked on their first nationwide tour, the Arashi Spring Concert 2001. The tour took place in Sendai, Osaka, Nagoya, Hokkaido, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Kanazawa, Toyama and Tokyo with an unprecedented 26 performances. March 2002 saw the group's return to Hawaiʻi, with a series of fan tours, as a part of Johnny's Stand Up Hawaiʻi! Campaign.[1]
By 2006, the group's singles and albums were being released outside Japan. Their album, Arashic, was released not only in Japan, but in Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand as well. In Korea, the album proved so successful, the first 10,000 copies of the album were sold out on the first day, and it even topped the non Korean sales charts on the third week of July.[2] On July 31, 2006, the group embarked on their Jet Storm Tour, which aimed to promote the album. The one-day tour covered Taiwan, Thailand and South Korea, countries which later became part of their Asia tour (The Thailand concert, Thai-J Pop Concert, was canceled due to a military coup).
The concert in Korea was decided because about 1,500 Korean fans gathered at the Incheon International Airport during the group's Jet Storm press conference.[3] The concert, held on November 12, 2006, made Arashi the first group from Johnny's Entertainment to perform an individual concert in South Korea.[4][5] The group proved popular to Korean fans when their concert tickets were sold out in an hour, as some 150,000 people rushed to book tickets online.[6] Aside from their concert performances, the group represented Japan in the 2006 Asia Song Festival, also held in South Korea.[3]
On February 21, 2007, the group released their first single of the year 2007, "Love so sweet", the theme song for the high-rating television drama Hana Yori Dango 2 which peaked at the number one spot on Oricon's daily and weekly charts. Their nineteenth single, "We Can Make It!", released on May 2, 2007, also charted number one on Oricon's daily and weekly charts, before falling out of the Top 10 in its second week, only to return back to the Top 10 on its third week. On April 2007, the group performed in one of their largest concerts to date: Arashi Around Asia in Dome, which was a continuation of their Triumphant Homecoming concert, aimed to celebrate the successful Asian tour held in January 2007. A huge number of fans balloted for the January concerts so it was decided that they will hold a dome version of the concert. Arashi Around Asia in Dome was held in Kyocera Dome in Osaka, and at the Tokyo Dome, with a combined total capacity of 100,000 people, and had an attendance of over 200,000.[1].
Their ninth studio album, Time released in July, continued the group's string of number one releases, selling over 190,000 copies in its first week and even reaching the number two spot on the United World Rankings. Also in July, saw the premiere of the TBS drama production of the manga, Yamada Taro Monogatari starring members Kazunari Ninomiya and Sho Sakurai. The theme song of the series, "Happiness", was sung by the group and also debuted at the top spot of the Japanese single charts. The year proved successful for the group, with all of their singles at the Top 30 of the annual Oricon charts, with "Love so sweet" ranking 4th in single sales overall.
The group's success in 2007 sparked renewed interest, with two major announcements in February 2008. The first was the announcement that the group will be doing a concert tour of the five major domes in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sapporo. The tour, titled ARASHI Marks 2008 Dream-A-live, consists of 10 performances, from May 16 in Osaka to July 6 in Sapporo. The only other Johnny's artists who have done a five dome tour are SMAP and KinKi Kids.[7] The second announcement was from the Japanese television network TBS, announcing that the group will host a variety show dealing with social and cultural topics on its primetime line-up as a part of its programming strategy after concerns about falling ratings. The show which is entitled Himitsu no Arashi-chan ("Arashi-chan's secret"), will air 10:00 JST, starting on April 10, and will be produced by Saori Hirata. It will the be the first variety show hosted by the group to be aired in primetime.[8] As a publicity campaign for the show, the group appeared in a TBS Tokyo Friend Park Special on March 31, which became the most-watched non-drama primetime program that night, registering a viewership rating of 19.7%. [9] Arashi will be only the third musical group (after SMAP and Dreams Come True) to perform at Tokyo's National Stadium in their first major outdoor concert on September 5, 2008 as the start of the group's second Asian tour, that will include Taipei, Seoul, and Shanghai; Johnny & Associates' first concert in China.[10][11]
2008 has proven to be a successful year for the group with their 23rd single, truth/Kaze no Mukou e, topping the Oricon Singles chart for the entire year with One Love following next in second. They are the first artist since 1989 to bag the Top 2 placings on the charts. Their 24th single, Beautiful days, also scored a placing as the 10th best selling single of the year.
Arashi is composed of
* Satoshi Ohno (大野智?)
* Sho Sakurai (櫻井翔?)
* Masaki Aiba (相葉雅紀?)
* Kazunari Ninomiya (二宮和也?)
* Jun Matsumoto (松本潤?)
Satoshi Ohno, the oldest member of Arashi, is the reluctant "leader" of the group after winning against Sho Sakurai in a round of rock-paper-scissors with the other members on a Japanese variety show. The exact same pattern of him unwillingly 'winning' against Sho has been seen repeating many times ever since. He is the oldest person in the group and Ohno sings the lead vocals. Although he has stated that he wanted to avoid becoming the leader the most, Arashi members have once stated in an interview that Ohno is a new-age idol, who leads his group by not leading at all. Aside from leading the vocal work, he is known to be the best dancer and has the greatest control when it comes to singing in Arashi. Back when Arashi first debuted and before he was elected leader, Ohno was told by Johnny's to be the "Dance Leader". He choreographs several of their dance moves, which the other members sometimes find quite hard to follow. Other artistes from the same company openly expressed their admiration for Ohno's dancing; among them are Imai Tsubasa of the duo Tackey & Tsubasa, Kokubun Taichi of TOKIO, Yuuri Chinen of the newly-debuted group Hey! Say! JUMP, and other juniors. He is also one half of the Arashi skit duo Ohmiya SK, partnering Kazunari Ninomiya. Out of all the members, he has appeared in the fewest dramas, preferring to do stage plays or focus on his art. He performed his first solo concert on January 29, 2006. He became the first artist in Johnny's who held an art exhibit, which was entitled, "Freestyle".
Sho Sakurai sings most of the rap parts (known to fans as "Sakurap"), the lyrics of which he also writes. Sakurai was the first in the group to perform in a solo concert, The Show, on January 14, 2006. He is currently a Monday co-host of NTV's News Zero, on which he became the first idol to host an election special.[1][12] Sakurai is arguably the best-educated member of the group, having graduated from Keio University, a prestigious Japanese university. During the early years after Arashi's debut, Sho was appointed by the Johnny's to be the "Study Leader". Although he lost in a round of rock-paper-scissors, hence excusing him from being the group's leader, the other four of Arashi have made many remarks that Sakurai is the one who possesses leadership qualities.
Masaki Aiba is the tallest member of the group, with a distinctive breathy voice. He was once hospitalized after fainting due to the collapse of one of his lungs and was forced to stop playing the saxophone due to the operation he had to undergo. Aiba interacts with various wild animals as a co-host of the TV show, Tensai! Shimura Doubutsuen. He also excels in sports, especially basketball. He has been known to have considerably short attention span and often jumps between topics during talks and interviews, thus earning himself his reputation as the endearing, flaky member of Arashi. Sometimes Aiba makes some mistakes with Japanese, particularly in reading kanji. He can be seen making various reading mistakes in talk shows and live performances. During the earlier years following Arashi's debut, Aiba was appointed the "Image Leader" of Arashi.
Kazunari Ninomiya, nicknamed Nino, is the first member of the group to crossover to American films as he starred in Clint Eastwood's critically acclaimed Japanese language film, Letters from Iwo Jima. Along with bandmate Jun Matsumoto, he is one of Japan's leading young actors and have been said to be able to "act with his eyes". Ninomiya stated that he is left-handed but has been forced to write with his right hand by his parents when he was a child. He plays the guitar, piano, composes songs and write lyrics. However, he is usually seen with a game console in hand instead and had publicly admitted that he was an otaku when he was an elementary school student. During Arashi's early years, Johnny's appointed Ninomiya as the "Performance Leader".
Jun Matsumoto, nicknamed Matsujun, is the youngest member of Arashi. Matsumoto is known for his starring roles in dramas such as Bambino, Hana Yori Dango, Hana Yori Dango 2, Kimi wa Petto, and Gokusen. He is the first Japanese male to grace the cover of Marie Claire Japan. Ohno has labeled him the "concert master" because of his take-charge attitude and attention to detail during their live performances. During the years after their debut, he was appointed by the Johnny's as the "Comedy Leader". By now he has more or less lost the comedic image and has even gained the nickname DoS from the other members (S standing for 'Sadist' and Do means 'extreme' in Japanese Kanji). Jun is one of the three idols who are considered elites in the Johnny's because he was called to join the company by Johnny Kitagawa himself, without having to go through auditions. Matsumoto won the GQ Man Of The Year Award under the Singer/Actor category.
Aside from their music careers, Arashi members have also appeared in movies, special variety programs, commercials, stage plays, and various television dramas. Currently, they are also the hosts of two variety programs, Arashi no Shukudai-kun and Himitsu no Arashi-chan as well as a game show, VS Arashi.
Arashi discography
To date, Arashi has released ten albums (which includes eight studio albums and two compilation albums) and twenty-four singles. The group's latest single is "Beautiful days", which is the theme song for the Japanese television drama, Ryūsei no Kizuna. This is Arashi's 13th straight number one release and their 21st number one overall.
Studio albums
* 2001: Arashi No.1 Ichigou -Arashi wa Arashi o Yobu!-
* 2002: Here We Go!
* 2003: How's It Going?
* 2004: Iza, Now!
* 2005: One
* 2006: Arashic
* 2007: Time
* 2008: Dream"A"live
* 2010: Boku no Miteiru Fuukei
* from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
いつまでも
Arashi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
元気で暮らしてと いつもの場所 ふたり無理に笑いながら
未知の上はしゃぐ 踊る未来の粒
真っ白な想い出を 胸にしまった日の約束
君と生きた毎日 ただ君だけを愛した日
たぶん僕のすべてが君のそばにあった
どんなときも忘れないように こうやって時を止めたい
こんなに辛くて忘れたいよ あなたの声 優しい手
諦めたくて逃げたいほど情けなくて いつも一人
音が急に鳴る 君のための歌が
カバンの中あふれてる ふたり好きだったメロディー
君が泣いた訳を ただ探して恋した日
たぶん君のすべては僕のためにあった
もう帰れない場所が こんな風に過ぎ去ってく
どんなときも忘れないように こうやって時を止めたい
離れてくなんて 思わなかった ふたりのすべて いつまでも…
ごめん僕もう先を急ぐ(Oh)
二人共持つ街の記憶(Oh)
溢れ出る様波の如く(そう)
山を彩る秋の如く
(街の記憶)
現在(いま)も光って 未だ光ってしまって...
君と生きた毎日 ただ君だけを愛した日
たぶん僕のすべてが君のそばにあった
当たり前の毎日 二度と逢えぬこの日を
どんなときも忘れないように こうやって時を止めたい
君と生きた毎日 ただ君だけを愛した日
当たり前の毎日 二度と逢えぬこの日を
それは現在(いま)なお僕襲う(Oh)
あの歌また記憶解く(Oh)
溢れ出る様波の如く(そう)
山を彩る秋の如く
(街の記憶)
身勝手になって 胸に仕舞ってみたって
現在(いま)も光って 未だ光ってしまって...
The lyrics to Arashi's song "Itsumademo" beautifully express a love that was not able to be fully expressed before farewell came. The first verse reveals the struggles of trying to fully communicate one's true feelings before it's too late, and the second verse reminisces on the happy memories and promises of the past. The use of the word "unknown" in the following line gives way to the fear of the future, yet the mere fact of being with the one you love is able to bring about feelings of joy and hope.
As the song progresses, it delves deeper into the pain and the longing that is felt after separation. The third and fourth stanzas express how overwhelming it is to miss the sound of the other person's voice, to the point of wanting to forget them completely. However, it is not possible to forget and memories come flooding back like waves crashing upon the shore. The lyrics of the chorus reappear, emphasizing how the everyday moments shared with the loved one were precious and how even though it's impossible to return to those moments, the desire to stop time remains.
Line by Line Meaning
大好きな気持ち ホントのこと 伝えきれずもうさよなら
I couldn't convey my true love for you and now we have to say goodbye.
元気で暮らしてと いつもの場所 ふたり無理に笑いながら
We're forced to smile even though we both know it's time for us to live our separate lives.
未知の上はしゃぐ 踊る未来の粒
We're excited and dancing towards a future that is full of possibilities.
真っ白な想い出を 胸にしまった日の約束
The promises we made on the day when we put our white memories in our hearts.
君と生きた毎日 ただ君だけを愛した日
The days that we spent together, and I loved only you.
たぶん僕のすべてが君のそばにあった
Perhaps everything I had was by your side.
当たり前の毎日 二度と逢えぬこの日を
Our usual everyday, that we can never see again.
どんなときも忘れないように こうやって時を止めたい
I want to stop time like this so that I'll never forget, no matter what happens.
こんなに辛くて忘れたいよ あなたの声 優しい手
It's so painful, and I want to forget your gentle voice and touch.
諦めたくて逃げたいほど情けなくて いつも一人
I feel so pathetic that I want to give up and run away, but I'm always alone.
音が急に鳴る 君のための歌が
Suddenly, the song for you rings out.
カバンの中あふれてる ふたり好きだったメロディー
The melodies that both of us loved are overflowing from my bag.
君が泣いた訳を ただ探して恋した日
The day when I fell in love as I searched for the reason why you cried.
たぶん君のすべては僕のためにあった
Perhaps everything you had was for my sake.
もう帰れない場所が こんな風に過ぎ去ってく
The place we can't return to is passing by in this way.
離れてくなんて 思わなかった ふたりのすべて いつまでも…
We never thought we would drift apart, the two of us, always and forever.
ごめん僕もう先を急ぐ(Oh)
I'm sorry, but I have to hurry ahead.
二人共持つ街の記憶(Oh)
The memories of the city that we both share.
溢れ出る様波の如く(そう)
Overflowing like waves.
山を彩る秋の如く
Like the autumn leaves that color the mountains.
(街の記憶)
(The memories of the city.)
現在(いま)も光って 未だ光ってしまって...
It's still shining even now, and it will always shine.
それは現在(いま)なお僕襲う(Oh)
Even now, it attacks me.
あの歌また記憶解く(Oh)
That song unravels more memories.
身勝手になって 胸に仕舞ってみたって
Even if I become selfish and try to lock it away in my heart.
現在(いま)も光って 未だ光ってしまって...
It's still shining even now, and it will always shine.
Contributed by Landon E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.