The album Eyes of the Mind was released in the United States in 1981. They then released the album Mint Jams in 1982, followed by Four by Four in the same year, which is a collaborative album with some of Fourplay members including Lee Ritenour, Harvey Mason, Nathan East and Don Grusin. Their first foreign concert was held in the United Kingdom in 1983. The group has toured Europe, South America, Australia, and Southeast Asia.
In 1989, 神保彰/Akira Jimbo and Tetsuo Sakurai left the band following several years of musical differences. They named their own band, Jimsaku. For the replacement, the group chose Yoshihiro Naruse (bass) and Masaaki Hiyama (drums).
In 1993, the group once again change its members. Noriaki Kumagai came to replace Masaaki. Then from 1997 神保彰/Akira Jimbo returned to Casiopea, this time as a part-time member, recording more albums and again contributing some of the compositions.
In 2006, Issei Noro, the group's leader, decided to freeze all activities of the band until further notice.
On April 20, 2012, it was announced that Casiopea would return with Kiyomi Otaka on keyboards, replacing Minoru Mukaiya, who led his own music production team Mukaiya Club. This iteration is known as Casiopea 3rd.
During the 2010 decade Casiopea 3rd resumed album releases, and both Casiopea 3rd and Inspirits held a joint concert as a result of having a common bandleader in Issei Noro.
During the Covid-19 crisis, Issei Noro released a song thanking all those on the frontlines.
Asayake
Casiopea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tokeru ashimotto, somerunai wo chiyuu
Wakemonaku tada
Omoi gakenaku, omoi hatenaku
Te no hira ni shimou ka
Takaku toge wo nigiru
Kaze nukeru wo naze
Koe ga kadachiyu made
Nagesha kareru made
Kore, kowareru made...
Asayake no naka
Tomadoi mo sezu, nodou wo furuasu
Wakemonaku tada
Kotoba ni dasazu, tamerai mo naku
Komiageru namida ii
Miagidasure ga ore
Toki wo narasu wo kae
Kaze nukeru wo naze
Koe ga kadachiyu made
Nagesha kareru made
Kore, kowareru made...
Ano sora ni no kouka, aoi kage wa
Ima wa, boku no machi ni mo, mou darete iru...
Aa... kimi ni, ienakatta...
Aa... kimi ni, ienakatta...
Toki wo narasu wo kae
Kaze nukeru wo naze
Koe ga kadachiyu made
Nagesha kareru made
Kore, kowareru made...
The lyrics to Casiopea's song "Asayake" are about waiting for the sunrise and reflecting on the emotions that come with it. The opening verse, "Asayake wo matsu/Tokeru ashimoto, somerunai wo chiyuu" describes the anticipation of the sunrise and the light that slowly melts away the darkness. The lines "Wakemonaku tada/Omoi gakenaku, omoi hatenaku" convey the emotions that are difficult to put into words, as one waits for the light to come.
The chorus repeats the lines "Toki wo narasu wo kae/Kaze nukeru wo naze/Koe ga kadachiyu made/Nagesha kareru made/Kore, kowareru made..." which roughly translates to "Turn back time/Change the wind/Until my voice wears out/Until I break down/Until it shatters..." These lines express a desire to reverse time, change events, and erase pain.
The final verse adds another layer of reflection, as the singer sees a blue shadow in the sky and realizes that there are likely others in their city who are also waiting for the sunrise. The song ends with the lines "Aa... kimi ni, ienakatta...", which means "Ah... I couldn't tell you..." possibly referring to missed opportunities or unspoken feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Asayake wo matsu
Waiting for the morning glow
Tokeru ashimoto, somerunai wo chiyuu
Melting footsteps, freedom within the uncolored
Wakemonaku tada
Just restlessly
Omoi gakenaku, omoi hatenaku
Without apprehension, without end
Te no hira ni shimou ka
Shall I put it in the palm of my hand?
Takaku toge wo nigiru
Gripping the thorns high
Toki wo narasu wo kae
Change the sound of time
Kaze nukeru wo naze
Why does the wind pass through?
Koe ga kadachiyu made
Until the voice breaks
Nagesha kareru made
Until the bow is worn down
Kore, kowareru made...
Until it breaks...
Asayake no naka
In the midst of the morning glow
Tomadoi mo sezu, nodou wo furuasu
Without hesitation, shaking off the fear
Wakemonaku tada
Restlessly as always
Kotoba ni dasazu, tamerai mo naku
Without putting it into words, without hesitation
Komiageru namida ii
The overflowing tears are fine
Miagidasure ga ore
The unfocused gaze is mine
Ano sora ni no kouka, aoi kage wa
The influence of that sky, the blue shadow
Ima wa, boku no machi ni mo, mou darete iru...
Now, it has appeared in my town too...
Aa... kimi ni, ienakatta...
Ah... I couldn't say it to you...
Toki wo narasu wo kae
Change the sound of time
Kaze nukeru wo naze
Why does the wind pass through?
Koe ga kadachiyu made
Until the voice breaks
Nagesha kareru made
Until the bow is worn down
Kore, kowareru made...
Until it breaks...
Contributed by Cameron A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jimmyramirez7377
My schools rock band played this the other night , the talent it took to play this and how good it sounds is unworldly
@MikeMichaels1987
No way? Wow, I'm impressed. If it was recorded, please post it.
@sourcreamdepot647
Do you go to north springs high school? Our rock band went crazy on this song this week!
@jimmyramirez7377
@Sourcreamdepot 64 yo they did, everyone played their hearts out
@AlFredo-sx2yy
@Jimmy Ramirez so the question still stands, was it recorded? xD
@mono666
@Al Fredo no it wasn't
@Pixxit679
The whole band was on fire that day, Tetsuo's riff will never get old
@KingusDingus
Quick! Put em out!
@windy1954
1979年に当時ヤマハのエレクトーン講師だった母を含めた講師数名によるリサイタルが郵貯ホールであって、そこにヤマハを介してデビューしたてのカシオペアがバックバンドとして演奏してました。自分は出演者の家族ということで彼らの楽屋に入れてもらい写真を撮ったりサインもらったり握手してもらったりしたんだけど、その後急速にメジャーになったんで二度とそんな機会は無くなりましたね～。
@user-hy1xx3sb3h
うらやましいの一言です(*^_^*)