The band members are 櫻井敦司 (Sakurai Atsushi) (vocals), 今井寿 (Imai Hisashi) (guitars, noises, electronics, vocals), 星野英彦 (Hoshino Hidehiko) (guitars, chorus), 桶口豊 (Higuchi Yutaka) (bass) and ヤガミ・トール (Yagami Toll) (drums).
BUCK-TICK's music has changed and evolved hugely over the course of their career. Their early work is what the Japanese call "positive punk". It used simple rhythms and chords, with the songs mostly in major keys and using some English words in the lyrics. Starting with 1989's TABOO, they experimented with a darker sound, which grew more mature with 狂った太陽 in 1991. darker than darkness style 93 delved into a harsher industrial rock sound which continued all the way up through Mona Lisa OVERDRIVE in 2003. With 2005's 十三階は月光, they deliberately adopted a "goth" concept, which they combined with a retro straight rock sound for the albums 天使のリボルバー (2007) and Memento Mori (2009). Their next album, 2010's RAZZLE DAZZLE, then incorporated many instances of dance-rock.
Some elements that persist throughout their music are resounding, jangling guitar chords, throbbing, prominent bass lines, harsh roars of electronically distorted noise, and ambivalent melodies that wander between major and minor keys, as well as Sakurai's distinctive rich baritone voice. Jrockrevolution described the band's style as having gone "from the bubbly sounds of pop to the buzz of electronic cyberpunk to lustful velvety goth to the smooth style of hard rock and back again". Sakurai, who is the main lyricist of the band, is famous for the erotic decadence of his lyrics, but he also often addresses existential psychological themes. His lyrics is also described as "dance in a daydream about reality". Imai, the main composer, has written many songs that read like science fiction stories, involving genetic engineering and computer hackers, but more recently has branched out into love songs.
As Josephine Yun describes them, in 'A Concise Report on 40 of the Biggest Rock Acts in Japan', "BUCK-TICK's music is smashed-together nuances of everything from Depeche Mode and New Order to U2 and The Knack. While wry, it can float and be nebulously melodic. [...] Masked in eye makeup, Atsushi looks and sounds possessed. BUCK-TICK was (and continues to be) and anomaly in the Japanese music scene, a tangle of goth rock diluted with synth and electronica. It's unhappy, dirty music, the musical equivalent of exploded soot and smoke."
BUCK-TICK and their members have performed with, for example, KMFDM, Soft Ballet, Luna Sea, Sheena Ringo, and The Yellow Monkey. The band members have also participated in different side-projects, such as Schaft, Schwein (Sakurai and Imai with Raymond Watts (PIG) and Sascha Konietzko (KMFDM)), and The Mortal.
アンブレラ
BUCK-TICK Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
彼が出会った水玉模様 愛しの君アンブレラ
黒いフリルさ 一人蝙蝠 雨上がりの堕天使
夕陽に映る影の移動は 宙返りのアンブレラ
嗚呼 光の渦 風の色
嗚呼 綺麗だ 君に見せたいよ
背中に生えた折りたたみ式 広げて真っ直ぐ飛んだ
嗚呼 熱い 燃える 灼けそうだ
嗚呼 みつけた 君に見せたいよ
嗚呼 光の渦 風の色
嗚呼 止まらない 君に逢いたいよ
3つ 数えたら 行こう 3 2 1 GO!
ほら わかるか? あれが太陽 欲しがってた あれが太陽
真夏の朝陽に黒い花が咲く
嗚呼 熱い 燃える 灼けそうだ
嗚呼 もどれない 君に逢いたいよ
嗚呼 光の渦 風の色
嗚呼 綺麗だ 君に逢いたいよ
3つ 数えたら 行こう 3 2 1 GO!
ほら わかるか? あれが太陽 欲しがってた あれが太陽
真夏の朝陽に黒い花が咲く
ほら わかるか? あれが太陽 一瞬だろ? あれが太陽
真夏の朝陽に黒い花が散る
The lyrics to "アンブレラ" or "Umbrella" by BUCK-TICK tell the story of a lonely person who calls themselves a bat hanging upside down in the rain. They are describing themselves as a fallen angel with polka dots and a love for their umbrella. The person feels like a bat in the dark, but the light and wind around them are beautiful, and they want to show their lover the beauty of it all. The second verse describes the person's desire to fly like Icarus, with an umbrella that unfolds from their back, and how they want to stay with their lover forever. The song continues with a countdown of three to go, as the person wishes for their lover to see the sun they desire so much. The ending repeats the image of a black flower blooming in the scorching sun on a summer morning.
The song seems to be about a person who is struggling with loneliness and their own identity. They describe themselves as a bat, an angel, and even Icarus. They find beauty in the darkness and the elements around them, but seem to be missing a connection with someone else. The umbrella becomes a symbol of hope and protection, something they love and cherish. The ending, with the black flower blooming in the sun, suggests that even in the scorching heat of loneliness, something beautiful can still emerge.
Line by Line Meaning
底は雨降り 一人蝙蝠 逆さ吊りの堕天使
At the bottom, there is rain falling, a solitary bat, a fallen angel hanging upside down
彼が出会った水玉模様 愛しの君アンブレラ
He met you, my beloved umbrella with polka dots
黒いフリルさ 一人蝙蝠 雨上がりの堕天使
With black frills, a solitary bat, a fallen angel after the rain
夕陽に映る影の移動は 宙返りのアンブレラ
The movement of the shadow reflecting in the sunset is that of a somersaulting umbrella
夜明けにフワリ 一人蝙蝠 イカロス気取りで飛んだ
At dawn, you floated like a solitary bat, pretending to be Icarus and flying
背中に生えた折りたたみ式 広げて真っ直ぐ飛んだ
Opening the folding blade attached to your back, you flew straight forward
嗚呼 光の渦 風の色
Ah, the whirl of light and the color of the wind
嗚呼 綺麗だ 君に見せたいよ
Ah, it's beautiful, I want to show it to you
嗚呼 熱い 燃える 灼けそうだ
Ah, it's hot, it's burning, it looks like it's going to be charred
嗚呼 みつけた 君に見せたいよ
Ah, I found it, I want to show it to you
嗚呼 止まらない 君に逢いたいよ
Ah, I can't stop, I want to see you
3つ 数えたら 行こう 3 2 1 GO!
When we count to three, let's go! 3 2 1 GO!
ほら わかるか? あれが太陽 欲しがってた あれが太陽
Look, do you understand? That's the sun, the one we were longing for, that's the sun
真夏の朝陽に黒い花が咲く
A black flower blooms in the midsummer morning sun
嗚呼 もどれない 君に逢いたいよ
Ah, I can't go back, I want to see you
嗚呼 綺麗だ 君に逢いたいよ
Ah, it's beautiful, I want to see you
ほら わかるか? あれが太陽 一瞬だろ? あれが太陽
Look, do you understand? That's the sun, it's only for a moment, that's the sun
真夏の朝陽に黒い花が散る
Black flowers scatter in the midsummer morning sun
Contributed by Zoe Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
長塚響平
もう31年BUCK-TICKファンなんだなーって、この曲達を聴いているとその事に誇りが持てる。
b-tサイコー。
sarrou Marbeu
And the song is so nice and light and different from their usual aura but they sang so well like pure talent much ?
仲村立
頭と心に染み入る絵本だと思う。刺さるは言い過ぎだけど…
楽曲の域を突き抜けた作品。
鈴木大輔
あっちゃんの声が美しすぎる☆☆☆
Cherrie Marshall
This kind of sounds like a song from the fifties, I like it
Yumix
この歌 大好き😍
7679796967679679
後期の曲の中だとこれが凄く好き。
中田よしこ
歌詞が優しい、桜井さんの歌も優しい
Chika
あっちゃーん！！！素敵…
宮本加奈子
この唄 大好きです 可愛い❤️