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.
ORIENTAL LOVE STORY
BUCK-TICK Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kawasu kotoba sure chigai yorisoitada mitsumeau
Wasure wa shinai romance
Wakachiaeru yume mo naku kizutsukeau kotoba kari
Ano hi no maboroshi yo
Mo
Asai nemuri yume no naka tsukano manara dakiaou
Aa mou kore kiri oh
Furui suisaiga no naka de nureta hitomi ni jin da shoujo
Stay with me you can't stay here
Ushiro sugata
Stay with me i love you forever
Te wo furu kage
Stay with me you can't stay here
Sukoshi samui
Stay with me i love you forever
Subete hoho ni tsutau
Furui suisaiga no naka de nureta hitomi ni jin da shoujo
Stay with me you can't stay here
Ushiro sugata
Stay with me i love you forever
Te wo furu kage
Stay with me you can't stay here
Sukoshi samui
Stay with me i love you forever
Subete hoho ni tsutau
Stay with me you can't stay here
Kotoba mo naku
Stay with me i love you forever
Nani wo omou (sings something different though)
Stay with me you can't stay here
Yume no tsuzuki
Stay with me i love you forever
Subete hoho ni tsutau...
Stay with me you can't stay here
Stay with me i love you forever
Stay with me you can't stay here
Stay with me i love you forever
The lyrics of BUCK-TICK's "Oriental Love Story" capture the bittersweet essence of a passionate and ephemeral love affair. The first verse describes a moment of intense connection between two lovers who stare into each other's eyes, sharing untranslatable words and unforgettable moments. Despite the subtle differences between them, their romance is unforgettable, and it becomes a vital part of their identity. The second verse talks about their struggles as a couple, as they hurt each other with their words and lack of sleep. Nevertheless, they hold on to their dreamy memories and cherish them, knowing that they are moments they will never be able to experience again.
The chorus of the song is a plea for the lover to stay, despite the looming end of their affair. The repetition of "Stay with me" becomes a desperate act of love and a realization that their love story is almost over. The last verse captures the mix of emotions that the singer feels as their lover leaves them: the void left by their absence, the memories that are now just a dream, and the uncertainty of what the future holds. In the end, they know that their love will remain eternally tattooed on their hearts, and they will continue to carry it with them wherever they go.
Line by Line Meaning
Kawasu kotoba sure chigai yorisoitada mitsumeau
We exchange words of misunderstandings, but we cuddle up close and gaze into each other's eyes
Wasure wa shinai romance
We won't forget our romance
Wakachiaeru yume mo naku kizutsukeau kotoba kari ano hi no maboroshi yo
We argue without being able to understand each other's thoughts, it's just like that day when our dream shattered due to our painful words
Kareta mizuumi no (tori (kanji: han)) de kami wo hodoku ananta wo ima mo
We release our hair using the feathers of a dried up bird in the lake, even now
Asai nemuri yume no naka tsukano manara dakiaou aa mou kore kiri oh
Let's embrace each other in a shallow dream, ah, just for this moment
Furui suisaiga no naka de nureta hitomi ni jin da shoujo
In an old deserted house, a damp-eyed orphan girl
Stay with me you can't stay here Ushiro sugata
Stay with me, but you can't stay here, your back is facing me
Stay with me i love you forever Te wo furu kage
Stay with me, I love you forever, the shadow of your waving hand
Stay with me you can't stay here Sukoshi samui
Stay with me, but you can't stay here, it's a little cold
Stay with me i love you forever Subete hoho ni tsutau
Stay with me, I love you forever, everything flows through my cheeks
Stay with me you can't stay here Kotoba mo naku
Stay with me, but you can't stay here, without any words
Stay with me i love you forever Nani wo omou (sings something different though)
Stay with me, I love you forever, what are you thinking? (although the lyrics in this line are different)
Stay with me you can't stay here Yume no tsuzuki
Stay with me, but you can't stay here, the continuation of the dream
Stay with me i love you forever Subete hoho ni tsutau...
Stay with me, I love you forever, everything flows through my cheeks...
Stay with me you can't stay here Stay with me i love you forever
Stay with me, but you can't stay here, stay with me, I love you forever
Stay with me you can't stay here Stay with me i love you forever
Stay with me, but you can't stay here, stay with me, I love you forever
Contributed by Annabelle Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.