The band's former name, Planet, most likely came from a Supercar song of the same name. Their current name also derives partially from a song name. Koide thought of Japanese singer Chocolat's song "Base Ball and Elvis Presley", and suggested the name "Base Ball". Guitarist Yuasa thought it would be better if they added one more word to it, and the rest of the band agreed. They eventually settled on the word "bear".
Members
Yūsuke Koide (小出 祐介, Koide Yūsuke, born December 9, 1984 in Tokyo) - Vocalist & guitarist, primary songwriter and the leader of the band. He likes movies, music, and reading. He likes old school hip hop and his favorite artists include XTC, Happy End and Perfume. He is also a fan of drama actress and idol Meguru Ishii.
Shōhei Yuasa (湯浅 将平, Yuasa Shōhei, born April 16, 1984 in Chiba Prefecture) - Guitarist and unofficial dancer. Shōhei was on the swim team when he was in high school and worked as a lifeguard before the band became famous. He occasionally does yoga. He likes drinking and eating. His favorite artists are Thee Michelle Gun Elephant and Sly & the Family Stone.
Shiori Sekine (関根 史織, Sekine Shiori, born December 8, 1985 in Saitama Prefecture) - Bass guitarist and chorus. Shiori is the only female member of Base Ball Bear and had no experience playing bass guitar before joining the band. Shiori had a leading role as Nozomi in the movie Linda Linda Linda. She is a fan of Ultraman and likes cooking (especially desserts). She also likes manga and is a fan of Namie Odama. Her favorite artists include Jethro Tull, Caravan, Keiichi Suzuki, Yui and GO!GO!7188.
Daisuke Horinouchi (堀之内 大介, Horinouchi Daisuke, born January 17, 1985 in Tokyo) - Drummer and chorus. He has a younger sister. His favorite hobbies are lifting weights and watching pro wrestling and soccer. His favorite artists are The Police, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Frusciante, and Nile Rodgers.
History
Koide originally gathered the band members in 2001, with the purpose of performing at their high school's fall festival. The band's name at the time was "Planet" and they played covers of songs by the band Supercar. Afterwards, all of the band members decided to continue with the band as a hobby.
In April 2002, the band began sending demo tapes to record labels and were advised by Toshiba EMI to change their name, eventually choosing "Base Ball Bear," the name under which they performed their first gig at Shimokitazawa Garage that July. Throughout the rest of the year, they continued playing in the Shibuya and Shimokitazawa areas of Tokyo as their fan base began to grow.
In November 2003, Base Ball Bear signed with Blitz Pia Records, an indies label. They immediately release their first mini-album Yūgata Generation on November 26. The band released their first single, Yume is Vision, in April of the following year. It was the first of the band's songs to be accompanied by a music video and they colloborated with Yūki, a Japanese fashion magazine model and Base Ball Bear fan, to create it. The band spent the rest of 2004 practicing and writing new songs, some of where were featured on compilation CDs.
The band released their first full-length album, High Color Times, on March 16, 2005, and started playing concerts to sold-out crowds in larger venues. Also, Shiori Sekine was cast in one of the lead roles in the film Linda Linda Linda, which features some of the band's music.
Base Ball Bear signed with EMI Music Japan in January 2006, and immediately released an introductory album, Band B ni Tsuite, on January 12. (They had released another version of Band B ni Tsuite on October 14, 2005, but the new release included one new song and other remastering.) They played on the Nyakunyaku Nannyo (若若男女) Summer Tour with Chatmonchy and Snowkel and released their first major album, C, on October 29.
Their first solo tour "Live by the C" took place in the spring of 2007. Over the course of the year, they released four more singles, as well as their second major album, Jūnanasai. Their live performances included the Rock in Japan Festival, another round on the Nyakunyaku Nannyo Summer Tour, and the B-Pop High School Tour.
In 2008, the band went on a solo tour called "17-sai Kara Yattemasu Tour" (Starting from 17 Tour) that ran from the middle to the end of March. Their first single of the year, Changes, was released on May 8, 2008 and was the ending theme to the Production I.G anime series Toshokan Sensō. There are many live shows scheduled during the summer, including the the third round of the Nyakunyaku Nannyo Summer Tour and the Higher Ground 2008 festival in July, and the Rock in Japan Festival in August. Base Ball Bear is also planning a two-day show at Shibuya C.C. Lemon Hall in late September.
Stairway Generation
Base Ball Bear Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
akashiro de tojitai no yo"
"kodoku to iu na no kaze
seishun to wa byoukidane"
"tsumiageta kokoro no kabe ga
me no takasa nara seisan o"
"karafuru ni owaru yori
shizuru furu na ima o"
"kyoumi nai" to kurikaeshite wa
dare yori mo kitto tsuyogatteru boku wa
stairway generation
kaidan o agare agare
soshite kikoemasu ka? tsunagaremasu ka?
anata to one way
lost in new generation
boku wa doko ni? boku wa koko ni iru.
kikoemasu ka? kanjitemasu ka?
boku no koe o
agaru shika nai you da stairway
kodoku to iu na no kaze
juukyuu de owari ja nai no kai?
takai basho nobottara
sabishisa wa fukitobu no kai?
tsumiageta kokoro no kabe ga
takasugi de yoku wakannai
oikuraka harau kara
mitomete wa kurenai ka
ki ni suru na to iwarete mo na
hyaku ga aru nara hyaku ga hoshii boku wa
stairway generation
kaidan o agare agare
soshite kikoemasu ka? tsunagaremasu ka?
anata to one way
lost in new generation
boku wa doko ni? boku wa koko ni iru.
kikoemasu ka? kanjitemasu ka?
boku no koe o
agaru shika nai you da stairway
stairway
The song "Stairway Generation" by Base Ball Bear expresses the desire to escape a conventional and monotonous life. The lyrics start by saying that the singer wants to close their eyes in an "akashiro" (bright white) world instead of a "shirokuro" (black and white) one. They want to feel the wind of youth instead of a lonely breeze. The singer then talks about the height of the wall they built around their heart, suggesting that it is difficult to connect with others. They question whether it is better to climb higher and higher towards the unknown or to accept their current state of life. Despite feeling unsure, the singer declares that they will climb the stairs of life with courage and determination.
The chorus highlights the idea of a "Stairway Generation," those who are moving forward and climbing up towards their future. The singer wants to know if they will be able to hear and connect with others along their path. They question if they are alone or if there is anyone out there who is also climbing up towards the same goal. The chorus implies that the singer wants to be heard but feels like their voice is not reaching others. The word "stairway" is used as a metaphor for life and represents the idea that we are all constantly climbing up towards our dreams while trying to find connections with others.
Overall, "Stairway Generation" is a powerful and relatable song that expresses the desire to break free from the monotony of daily life and climb towards a better future while connecting with others.
Line by Line Meaning
shirokuro de owaru yori
I'd rather close with a bright white rather than black and white
akashiro de tojitai no yo
I want to close with a bright red
kodoku to iu na no kaze
The wind called loneliness
seishun to wa byoukidane
Youth is an illness
tsumiageta kokoro no kabe ga
If the wall of the built-up heart
me no takasa nara seisan o
Is taller than one's eyes, it will be a harvest
karafuru ni owaru yori
I'd rather end colorfully
shizuru furu na ima o
Live in the present without regrets
kyoumi nai to kurikaeshite wa
Repeatedly saying 'how boring'
dare yori mo kitto tsuyogatteru boku wa
I'm surely more pretending to be tough than anyone else
stairway generation
The stairway generation
kaidan o agare agare
Climbing the stairs
soshite kikoemasu ka? tsunagaremasu ka?
Can you hear me? Can we connect?
anata to one way
With you, it's one way
lost in new generation
Lost in the new generation
boku wa doko ni?
Where am I?
boku wa koko ni iru.
I'm here.
kikoemasu ka? kanjitemasu ka?
Can you hear me? Can you feel me?
boku no koe o
My voice
agaru shika nai you da stairway
It seems I can only go up, stairway.
juukyuu de owari ja nai no kai?
Is 19 the end?
takai basho nobottara
If I climb to a high place
sabishisa wa fukitobu no kai?
Will my loneliness be blown away?
takasugi de yoku wakannai
I don't really understand the tall cedar
oikuraka harau kara
But I shake it off because it's troublesome
mitomete wa kurenai ka
Won't you approve?
ki ni suru na to iwarete mo na
Even if I'm told not to worry
hyaku ga aru nara hyaku ga hoshii boku wa
If there are 100, I want 100
Contributed by Peyton E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mochiguman2434
“白黒で終わるより 赤白で閉じたいのよ”
“孤独という名の風邪 青春とは病気だね”
“積み上げた心の壁が 目の高さなら清算を”
“カラフルに終わるより シズルフルな瞬間(いま)を”
「興味ない」と 繰り返しては 誰よりもきっと つよがってる 僕は
Stairway Generation 階段を あがれあがれ
そして 聞こえますか? 繋がれますか? あなたと one way
Lost In New Generation 僕はどこに? 僕はここにいる。
聞こえますか? 感じてますか? 僕の声を
あがるしかないようだ Stairway
孤独という名の風邪 19で終わりじゃないのかい?
高い場所登ったら 寂しさは吹き飛ぶのかい?
積み上げた心の壁が 高すぎでよくわかんない
おいくらか払うから 認めてはくれないか
気にするなと 言われてもな 100があるなら 100が欲しい 僕は
Stairway Generation 階段を あがれあがれ
そして 聞こえますか? 繋がれますか? あなたと one way
Lost In New Generation 僕はどこに? 僕はここにいる。
聞こえますか? 感じてますか? 僕の声を
あがるしかないようだ Stairway
@smknnm
この曲はテンション低いときに聞いても高いときに聞いても心地いいから不思議
@user-cj1rs4kl6z
めちゃくちゃわかります！
@surarin01
めっちゃわかる！ｗ
@user-io2lo4xb4y
*ﾟ∀ﾟ)*｡_｡)ﾜｶﾙﾜｶﾙwww
@gengengogo
このコメントすき
@user-us9kl1iv4w
めっちゃ分かります！笑
@welle_ca
何度聴いてもイントロ聴くだけで心臓キュってなるくらい好きな曲です。最高。
@user-nk7hi1ox6p
めちゃくちゃいい曲だと思う もっと再生回数が伸びることを願います・・・
@user-bz7qh4zi1v
学生の時好きだったベボベ。もう卒業してから10年経つ。久しぶりに聞きにきたけどやっぱり良くて、なんでもっと人気出なかったのかがほんと不思議
@theirateranter
This is the best gintama opening and it also helped me to discover this band.