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.

HURRY UP MODE
BUCK-TICK Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

NIGHTLESS BABYLON Mediaをはおり
NIGHTLESS BABYLON safety zone
へ逃げこんで
NIGHTLESS BABYLON General 気取り
NIGHTLESS BABYLON Abnormal
かもし出す
Oh Lost in the night
Out on the street

Lost in the night
Out on the street
NIGHTLESS BABYLON Pleasure
さがし
NIGHTLESS BABYLON Top mode
をかきわける
NIGHTLESS BABYLON Slang とばし
NIGHTLESS BABYLON
Laughin voice をまきちらす
Oh Lost in the night
Out on the street
Lost in the night
Out on the street
Lost in the night
Out on the street
Lost in the night
Out on the street
あざやかすぎたのは無数の
JEAROUSY
つかみそこねたのは
つかのまの MERRY
ネオンをかくせ
いろどる SILOUETTES
わかってるさ"HURRY UP MODE"
あざやかすぎたのは
無数の JEAROUSY
つかみそこねたのは
つかのまの MERRY
ネオンをかくせ
いろどる SILOUETTES
わかってるさ"HURRY UP MODE"
<間奏中>
Lost in the night
Out on the street
Lost in the night
Out on the street
Lost in the night
Out on the street
Lost in the night
Out on the street
あざやかすぎたのは
無数の JEAROUSY
つかみそこねたのは
つかのまの MERRY
ネオンをかくせ
いろどる SILOUETTES
わかってるさ"HURRY UP MODE"
あざやかすぎたのは
無数の JEAROUSY
つかみそこねたのは
つかのまの MERRY
ネオンをかくせ
いろどる SILOUETTES
わかってるさ"HURRY UP MODE"
あざやかすぎたのは
無数の JEAROUSY
つかみそこねたのは
つかのまの MERRY
ネオンをかくせ
いろどる SILOUETTES
わかってるさ"HURRY UP MODE"
あざやかすぎたのは
無数の JEAROUSY
つかみそこねたのは
つかのまの MERRY
ネオンをかくせ

いろどる SILOUETTES
わかってるさ"HURRY UP MODE"

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of BUCK-TICK's song HURRY UP MODE portray the sensation of being lost in the maze of the night in a neon-lit big city. The verse focuses on the concept of "NIGHTLESS BABYLON," which can be interpreted as a city that never sleeps, a place where people can escape to find pleasure, slang, and security from the abnormality of reality. The repetition of "Lost in the night, out on the street" amplifies the feeling of being isolated and alone in the chaotic world of the city. The chorus, on the other hand, explains the frustration of jealousy and fleeting happiness that come with the fast-paced lifestyle. The lyrics emphasize the necessity of hiding and escaping the city's overwhelming atmosphere and assure that the only way out is to hurry up and move on with life.

Overall, the lyrics of HURRY UP MODE showcase BUCK-TICK's exceptional talent in composing urban and dramatic themes that are deeply woven into the Japanese subculture. The song perfectly conveys the emotional struggles of someone caught up in the captivating yet suffocating city life.

Line by Line Meaning

NIGHTLESS BABYLON Mediaをはおり
Dressed in media in the nightless city of Babylon

NIGHTLESS BABYLON safety zone へ逃げこんで
Take refuge in the safety zone of the nightless city of Babylon

NIGHTLESS BABYLON General 気取り NIGHTLESS BABYLON Abnormal かもし出す
The general and abnormal atmosphere of the nightless city of Babylon creates something

Oh Lost in the night Out on the street Lost in the night Out on the street
Feeling lost and wandering the streets at night

NIGHTLESS BABYLON Pleasure さがし
Searching for pleasure in the nightless city of Babylon

NIGHTLESS BABYLON Top mode をかきわける
Pushing through the top mode of the nightless city of Babylon

NIGHTLESS BABYLON Slang とばし NIGHTLESS BABYLON Laughin voice をまきちらす
Throwing around slang and laughing voices in the nightless city of Babylon

あざやかすぎたのは無数の JEAROUSY
The overwhelming bright lights are a source of jealousy

つかみそこねたのはつかのまの MERRY
What was nearly caught was just a momentary Merry

ネオンをかくせいろどる SILOUETTES
Hide the neon and colored silhouettes

わかってるさ"HURRY UP MODE"
I know that I need to be in "HURRY UP MODE"