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.
天使は誰だ
BUCK-TICK Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
救いも無ければ 意味も無いね 神様
囁くリボルバー キミは暗闇 天使の孤独 リボルバー
ライ麦畑でイキっぱなしのジーザス
もう 世界中 I LOVE YOU 無差別 ロザリオ
堕天使の群れ 傷で埋め尽くす
― オレは夜で オレはSHOOTING STAR ―
恍惚リボルバー キミは暗闇 太陽が眩しかった
動機が欲しいか 理屈は抜きだ ジーザス
さあ 夢幻だ 一晩中 貪る命さ
御覧よ あれが 貪る命だ
世界が点滅して 拍手喝采の
あれがラストショウ
闇に這う天使たち 愛の太陽浴びて融けちゃいたい
キミ 時々 気が振れる 愛 愛 LOVE LOVE
― オレは夜で オレはSHOOTING STAR ―
さあ 無限だ‥‥
さあ 無限だ‥‥
さあ 無限だ‥‥ 一晩中 貪る命さ
無限だ‥‥ 一晩中 貪る命さ
夢幻だ ALL NIGHT LONG 貪る命さ
御覧よ あれが 貪る命だ
世界が点滅して 拍手喝采の
あれがラストショウ
罪と罰で あげようか
オレは夜 オレはシューティングスアタ
闇に這う天使たち 愛の太陽浴びて融けちゃいたい
キミ 時々 気が振れる 愛 愛 LOVE LOVE
闇に這う天使たち 愛の太陽浴びて融けちゃいたい
キミ 時々 気が振れる 愛 愛 LOVE LOVE
堕天使 人で無しルシファー 林檎食べてトロけちゃった
キミ 時々 気が振れる 愛 愛 LOVE LOVE
堕天使 人で無しルシファー 林檎食べてトロけちゃった
キミ 時々 気が振れる 愛 愛 LOVE LOVE
愛 愛 LOVE LOVE
愛 愛 LOVE LOVE
愛 愛 LOVE LOVE
愛 愛 LOVE LOVE
"Buck-Tick's" song 天使は誰だ (Who is the Angel) is an intense and mysterious representation of the human psyche. The song is marked by dark and dramatic lyrics about angels, guns, and the meaning of life, which is to prove that love conquers all. With an ominous melody and lyrics full of both despair and hope, it is a song that is questioning the power structures of society, religion and the meaning of life in general.
The song starts with "Who is the Angel that took John with a revolver of despair. There's no salvation or meaning in this, oh God." This line's first half suggests the notion that the temptations of our inner demons cause us to act against the moral codes imposed by religion and society. The second half suggests that life tends to be meaningless or we can't find the answer to the meaning of life, and the only way out is by invoking the divine intervention, whether it's a God or Angel to save us.
The lyrics then shift to talking about Jesus and the darkness, still concerning the theme of religion. The chorus is an affirmation of love, and the power it holds. It is repeated several times, suggesting it is the answer to the questions raised in the opening verse. The song ends with the repetition of the chorus, once again affirming the importance of love.
Line by Line Meaning
嘆きのリボルバー ジョンを奪った天使は誰だ リボルバー
Who was the angel that took John with a revolver of lamentation?
救いも無ければ 意味も無いね 神様
If there is no salvation, there is no meaning, God.
囁くリボルバー キミは暗闇 天使の孤独 リボルバー
A whispering revolver, you are in the darkness, the revolver of an angel's loneliness.
ライ麦畑でイキっぱなしのジーザス
A Jesus who keeps living in a field of rye.
もう 世界中 I LOVE YOU 無差別 ロザリオ
I already love you the whole world, indiscriminate rosary.
堕天使の群れ 傷で埋め尽くす
Crowds of fallen angels fill the wounds.
オレは夜で オレはSHOOTING STAR
I am the night, I am a shooting star.
恍惚リボルバー キミは暗闇 太陽が眩しかった
An ecstatic revolver, you are in the darkness, the sun was shining brightly.
動機が欲しいか 理屈は抜きだ ジーザス
Do you want a motive? Reasoning is not necessary, Jesus.
さあ 夢幻だ 一晩中 貪る命さ
Now, it's a dream, a life consumed all night long.
御覧よ あれが 貪る命だ
Look, that's a life consumed.
世界が点滅して 拍手喝采の あれがラストショウ
The world flickers, and that's the final show with cheers and applause.
闇に這う天使たち 愛の太陽浴びて融けちゃいたい
Angels crawling in the darkness want to melt basking in the sun of love.
キミ 時々 気が振れる 愛 愛 LOVE LOVE
You sometimes feel swayed, love, love, LOVE LOVE.
無限だ‥‥ 一晩中 貪る命さ
It's infinite... a life consumed all night long.
夢幻だ ALL NIGHT LONG 貪る命さ
It's a dream, ALL NIGHT LONG, a life consumed.
罪と罰で あげようか オレは夜 オレはシューティングスアタ
Shall I give you punishment and sin? I am the night, I am shooting star.
堕天使 人で無しルシファー 林檎食べてトロけちゃった
A fallen angel, Lucifer, who is inhuman, melted after eating an apple.
愛 愛 LOVE LOVE
Love, love, LOVE LOVE.
Contributed by Brayden N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@user-qy4gi9jq7f-mudai
BUCK-TICKを上回るバンドは皆無！！永遠に聴くし、永遠に魔王様！ありがとうございます！
@user-fz9ou6wk6f
Liveパフォーマンスが凄い！目が離せないカッコ良すぎる！すべてがハマる
@user-ki1wp9kt8i
櫻井さんの指先、しぐさ、本当にしなやか。きれい。
@user-ql4yb9nn4m
26年前に❤になり私もミ−ハ−だったから離れちゃった😢櫻井さん居なくなってから26年ぶりに聞いたら離れた事めっちゃ後悔😢めっちゃ格好良い❤BUCK-TICK位だよ‼️年重ねる度に進化するの❤🎉
@yask5756
この曲をもう一度ライブで見たかった
@user-ie5gw5lh1c
もう櫻井さんに会えないなんて
信じられない…
心が砕けそうだ
@KID_A3158
櫻井さん ありがとうございました…
ちょっと（かなり）寂しいけど前を向いて頑張って生きていきます！
本当に本当にありがとうございました！
@user-gq5pu9ow6j
ダメだBUCK-TICK無しでは生きて行けない。
@user-qy4gi9jq7f-mudai
大丈夫ですか？
@user-gq5pu9ow6j
@@user-qy4gi9jq7f-mudai はじめまして、お返事下さいまして有り難う御座います。感謝します。何とか受け止めようと踏ん切りがついてきました。あっちゃんの歌詞通りになってしまった。でもBUCK-TICK聞いたりユーチューブ観ると涙が出てしまいます。