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.

The World Is Yours
BUCK-TICK Lyrics

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毒を咬み怯えてる
破滅へのあこがれ Woo～
約束の終末に淡い夢探せば Ah～
Don't laugh Baby バカげてた......
笑い泣き叫ぶさ夜の中
メガロマニアの影
踊りだす月夜に
痛い程縛られて...

エロ･グロに溺れﾄる
狂い咲く花びら Woo～
モノクロの結末に
赤い血を流せば Ah～
Don't cry Baby ボロボロさ
息を止め物憂い闇の中
メトロポリス空に
舞い上がる月夜に
怖い程酔いしれて
CRAZY NIGHT CRAZY MAN
CRAZY MOON You are crazy
CRAZY LOVE CRAZY EYES
CRAZY DREAM I'm a crazy

Don't touch Baby お別れさ
やがて夜は全て呑みこんで
メガロポリスの果て燃え尽きる
月夜にもう二度と目覚めない
CRAZY NIGHT CRAZY MAN
CRAZY MOON You are crazy
CRAZY LOVE CRAZY EYES
CRAZY DREAM I'm a crazy
CRAZY NIGHT CRAZY MAN
CRAZY MOON You are crazy

CRAZY LOVE CRAZY EYES
CRAZY DREAM I'm a crazy

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to BUCK-TICK's song "THE WORLD IS YOURS" depict a world of chaos, destruction, and insanity. The first verse talks about being trapped by the poison of the world, and how even though one may yearn for destruction, they still hold onto a faint hope for a better future. The line "Don't laugh Baby バカげてた......" roughly translates to "Don't laugh, baby. I was being foolish..." which could be interpreted as a moment of self-awareness or realization.

The second verse paints a picture of indulgence and madness, with lines like "エロ･グロに溺れﾄる" (drowning in erotic-grotesque imagery) and "狂い咲く花びら" (blooming flowers gone mad). The singer is lost in monotony and melancholy, only finding release in the terrifying euphoria of the moonlit night.

The chorus repeats the word "crazy" multiple times, almost as if it's a mantra for the character to break free from the restrictions of reality and embrace their inner madness. The final lines "CRAZY NIGHT CRAZY MAN / CRAZY MOON You are crazy / CRAZY LOVE CRAZY EYES / CRAZY DREAM I'm a crazy" seem to acknowledge and embrace the insanity within oneself, making it clear that the only way to survive in this chaotic world is to become just as wild and irrational as it is.

Line by Line Meaning

毒を咬み怯えてる
Biting poison and trembling

破滅へのあこがれ Woo～
Dreaming of destruction

約束の終末に淡い夢探せば Ah～
Searching for a faint dream at the promised end

Don't laugh Baby バカげてた......
Don't laugh, baby, I was being silly...

笑い泣き叫ぶさ夜の中
Laughing, crying, shouting in the night

メガロマニアの影
The shadow of megalomania

踊りだす月夜に
Starting to dance in the moonlit night

痛い程縛られて...
Bound painfully...

エロ･グロに溺れﾄる
Drowning in erotic and grotesque

狂い咲く花びら Woo～
Blooming flower petals in madness

モノクロの結末に
At the monochrome conclusion