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.
Black Cherry
BUCK-TICK Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
広げる傷 まるでストリッパー 血の色の Fruit
BLACK CHERRY おいしそうな Baby
とても素敵だよ 口づけたい
BLACK CHERRY 剥き出しの Baby
堕落の淵へ俺は沈んじまう
夢中で喰らう まるで犬みたい 涙さえ流す
BLACK CHERRY 頭から Baby
爪先にかけて 口づけたい
BLACK CHERRY ズブ濡れな Baby
堕落の淵で俺は溺れちまう
お前に解るかい 狂おしい想いが
お前に見えるかい 卑しい俺が
素晴らしいこの瞬間 夢の様なひととき
素晴らしいこの瞬間 夢の様なこのひとときを
BLACK CHERRY おいしそうな Baby
とても素敵だよ 口づけたい
BLACK CHERRY 剥き出しの Baby
堕落の淵へ俺は沈んじまう
BLACK CHERRY 頭から Baby
爪先にかけて 口づけたい
BLACK CHERRY ズブ濡れな Baby
堕落の淵で俺は溺れちまう
お前に解るかい 狂おしい想いが
お前に見えるかい 卑しい俺が 卑しい俺が
The lyrics of BUCK-TICK's song BLACK CHERRY depict a desire filled with obsession and self-destruction. The use of fruit symbolism, such as the opening line "you are a Queen, with a love that's nothing but remnants, spreading the wounds with your bony fingers, like a stripper with bloody fruit," suggests an image of a woman as an object, both tempting and deadly. The repeated phrase "BLACK CHERRY" addresses the object of the singer's desire, portrayed as a tasty yet dangerous fruit that will lead the singer down a path of corruption.
The lyrics continue with the singer proclaiming their hunger for the object of their obsession, likening themselves to a dog and even shedding tears. In the chorus, the singer declares their desire to kiss the object of their obsession, from the top of their head to the tips of their toes, oblivious to the depth of their descent into darkness. The final verse seems to address the object of their desire, asking if they can understand the madness that the singer feels for them, and if they can see the singer, with all their base desires and unworthiness.
Overall, the lyrics of BLACK CHERRY paint a picture of obsessive desire, with imagery that is both alluring and repulsive, wrapped up within a driving rock melody.
Line by Line Meaning
お前は Queen なけなしの愛 痩せっぼっちの指で
広げる傷 まるでストリッパー 血の色の Fruit
You are a queen, spreading out your love with delicate, bony fingers, like a stripper revealing a wound, a red fruit of blood.
BLACK CHERRY おいしそうな Baby
とても素敵だよ 口づけたい
BLACK CHERRY 剥き出しの Baby
堕落の淵へ俺は沈んじまう
Black Cherry, oh delicious baby, so lovely, I want to kiss you. Black Cherry, baby exposed and fallen, I sink into the depths of debauchery.
お前は Honey 溢れ出す蜜 俺は跪いて
夢中で喰らう まるで犬みたい 涙さえ流す
You are honey, overflowing with nectar, and I kneel before you, devouring you like a mad dog and even shedding tears.
BLACK CHERRY 頭から Baby
爪先にかけて 口づけたい
BLACK CHERRY ズブ濡れな Baby
堕落の淵で俺は溺れちまう
Black Cherry, baby from head to toe, I want to kiss you all over, while you remain completely wet, I drown in the depths of debauchery.
お前に解るかい 狂おしい想いが
お前に見えるかい 卑しい俺が
Do you understand my insane desires? Do you see the wretched me?
素晴らしいこの瞬間 夢の様なひととき
素晴らしいこの瞬間 夢の様なこのひとときを
This wonderful moment, this dreamlike moment, this wonderful moment, this dreamlike moment.
BLACK CHERRY おいしそうな Baby
とても素敵だよ 口づけたい
BLACK CHERRY 剥き出しの Baby
堕落の淵へ俺は沈んじまう
BLACK CHERRY 頭から Baby
爪先にかけて 口づけたい
BLACK CHERRY ズブ濡れな Baby
堕落の淵で俺は溺れちまう
Black Cherry, oh delicious baby, so lovely, I want to kiss you. Black Cherry, baby exposed and fallen, I sink into the depths of debauchery. Black Cherry, baby from head to toe, I want to kiss you all over, while you remain completely wet, I drown in the depths of debauchery.
お前に解るかい 狂おしい想いが
お前に見えるかい 卑しい俺が 卑しい俺が
Do you understand my insane desires? Do you see the wretched me? The wretched me.
Contributed by Alyssa N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.