BUCK-TICK is a Japanese rock band, originally formed by Imai Hisashi in 198… Read Full Bio ↴BUCK-TICK is a Japanese rock band, originally formed by Imai Hisashi in 1983 in Gunma, Japan, with its current line-up lasting since 1985. They are commonly credited as one of the founders of the visual kei movement. As of yet, they have released twenty-three original studio albums and one of self-covers, nearly all reaching the top ten on the charts. Their most recent album, "異空 -IZORA-", was released on 12th April 2023.

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.

GLAMOROUS
BUCK-TICK Lyrics

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水の中のベッドに君を誘う
数え切れないクリスタル飲み込んで
君はとってもけなげに
何かを探してるけど...
帰れない二人がいるだけ
扉を突き抜けたら
光のシャワーの中へ...
溶けて消える二人に眩暈を...

ねえぼんやり君の目
見つめていられるのなら
目覚めを知らない夢の中
ねえ確かに聞こえた
天使の囁く声が
さよならおやすみ君の中
血を流す事もなく涙も無い
深い海の闇になる抱き合って
君は微笑み浮かべて
何かを探し続けて
やがては疲れ果て眠れる
瞼を焦したなら
光のシャワーの中へ...
溶けて消える二人に眩暈を...
ねえぼんやり君の目
見つめていられるのなら
目覚めを知らない夢の中
ねえ確かに聞こえた
天使の囁く声が
さよならおやすみ君の中

扉を突き抜けたら
光のシャワーの中へ...
溶けて消える二人に眩暈を...
ねえぼんやり君の目
見つめていられるのなら
目覚めを知らない夢の中
ねえ確かに聞こえた

天使の囁く声が
さよならおやすみ君の中

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "GLAMOROUS" by BUCK-TICK describe a dreamlike state in which the singer is inviting their lover to a bed in the water, surrounded by countless crystals that they swallow. The lover is searching for something, but the two of them cannot return home, trapped together in this surreal scene. As they break through a door, they are enveloped in a shower of light, melting and disappearing together, causing them to feel dizzy. The singer longs to continue gazing into their lover's vague eyes, knowing that they are in a dreamlike state, a place they are reluctant to leave. Despite the surreal and otherworldly nature of the song, the melody and lyrics evoke a sense of calm and beauty.

The lyrics are poignant, stunning and exquisite. The words undoubtedly elevate the beauty of the song while providing a sense of motion which helps to illustrate the surreal landscape envisioned by the composer. The sense of loss is also quite prominent in the lyrics, as the couple continues their endless search for something. They are trapped in this otherworldly dimension, unable to break free or find what they seek. The lyrics could be interpreted as a longing for escape, from the stress and routine of everyday life, into another world where they can be together without any worries.

Line by Line Meaning

水の中のベッドに君を誘う
I invite you to a bed underwater

数え切れないクリスタル飲み込んで
I have swallowed countless crystals

君はとってもけなげに何かを探してるけど...
You were searching for something in a very innocent way, but...

帰れない二人がいるだけ
Only the two of us can't go back

扉を突き抜けたら光のシャワーの中へ...
When we break through the door, we will be in a shower of light...

溶けて消える二人に眩暈を...
We, who melt away and disappear, experience dizziness...

ねえぼんやり君の目見つめていられるのなら
Hey, if I could just gaze into your vacant eyes

目覚めを知らない夢の中
In the dream where we don't know when we'll wake up

確かに聞こえた天使の囁く声が
I surely heard the whispering voice of an angel

さよならおやすみ君の中
Goodbye, goodnight, deep inside of you

血を流す事もなく涙も無い深い海の闇になる抱き合って
Holding each other, we become the darkness of the deep sea without blood or tears