After working together in the noise rock band Leitoh Lychee, Miho Hatori and Yuka Honda formed Cibo Matto around 1994. While recording tracks for their first album, Viva! La Woman, they collaborated with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's Russell Simmons and others, on a side project called Butter 08. The album was released in 1996.
They later enlisted band members Sean Lennon, Timo Ellis and Duma Love to help record their Super Relax EP and final full-length album, Stereo Type A. While Viva! La Woman had strong hip-hop and trip-hop elements, Stereo Type A leaned more more towards their rock, pop and Latin side. The group continued to play live concerts until disbanding near the end of 2001. Yuka Honda went on to release solo albums and continued to collaborate with Sean, while Miho Hatori moved onto bossa nova, teaming up with guitarist Smokey Hormel to form Smokey & Miho, then joining Gorillaz for their self-titled first album and eventually releasing her own solo album.
In 1997, the band guest-performed on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer's second season premiere in the fictional club The Bronze, performing "Spoon" and "Sugar Water".
Since the break-up in 2001, their songs have been played in many different places, including the video game Jet Set Radio Future. "Birthday Cake" was featured in the Kids in the Hall's feature-length film, Brain Candy.
The band announced their reunion on March 18, 2011, to perform as part of a benefit concert for victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The concert, which took place on March 27 at Columbia University in New York City also included Yoko Ono, John Zorn, Sonic Youth, and Mike Patton, among others. Following on the success of this show, a second was added, this time featuring the Plastic Ono Band and Patti Smith along with Cibo Matto. They've since performed at the Hollywood Bowl on June 26 in another benefit with Yellow Magic Orchestra. Cibo Matto then went on their formal US reunion tour titled "Yeah Basically Cibo Matto." The tour's first part was from June 21 to June 26 at the Hollywood Bowl and the second part was July 12 to July 20 with stops in NYC, Chicago, Toronto, Washington, D.C. and Boston.
Cibo Matto released Hotel Valentine, their first album in 15 years, on Valentine's Day 2014 through Chimera Music, a label founded by Sean Lennon. They are touring the United States with Salt Cathedral and their current drummer Yuko Araki, as well as guest musicians on some songs.
Sugar Water
Cibo Matto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm on a concrete way
The wind is blowing to the north-northwest
It smells like sands of the southern island
When a black cat crosses my path
A woman in the moon is singing to the earth
La la la, la la la la la la
La la la, la la la la la la
La la la, la la la la la la
La la la, la la la la la la
I'm riding on a camel that has big eyes
The buildings are changing into coconut trees
Little by little
When a black cat crosses my path
A woman in the moon is singing to the earth
A woman in the moon is singing to the earth
La la la, la la la la la la
La la la, la la la la la la
La la la, la la la la la la
La la la, la la la la la la
La la la, la la la la la la
La la la, la la la la la la
La la la, la la la la la la
La la la, la la la la la la
We are taking sugar water shower
Shower
The song "Sugar Water" by Cibo Matto is a psychedelic trip through space and time that combines various sensory experiences like smell, sound, and touch to create a dreamlike ambiance. The opening line, "The velocity of time turns her voice into sugar water", sets the stage for a surreal journey through the singer's mind as different stimuli trigger a flood of sensory impressions. The contrast between the hardness of the concrete way and the softness of the sugar water highlights the idea that the passage of time can dissolve even the most distinct qualities of things, transforming them into a flow of sweetness.
The reference to the woman in the moon singing to the earth adds another layer of mystical symbolism to the song. The moon has always been associated with the feminine, while the earth represents the masculine, and this duality is reflected in the notion of a woman singing to a man. The act of singing can be seen as a form of communication, and in this case, it suggests a desire for connection and understanding between two seemingly different entities. The refrain "la la la" creates a sense of unity between the woman in the moon and the singer on earth, as if they're both singing the same tune, albeit in different realities.
Overall, "Sugar Water" paints a picture of a world that's constantly in flux, where the boundaries between different states of existence are blurred, and the senses are heightened. The song is an ode to the power of imagination and the transformative potential of music to transport us to other realms.
Line by Line Meaning
The velocity of time turns her voice into sugar water
As time passes, the woman's voice becomes sweet like sugar water.
I'm on a concrete way
I am traveling on a paved road.
The wind is blowing to the north-northwest
The direction of the wind is from the north-northwest.
It smells like sands of the southern island
The aroma is similar to that of the sand on a southern island.
When a black cat crosses my path
A superstition that a black cat crossing someone's path is considered unlucky.
A woman in the moon is singing to the earth
An imaginary woman residing in the moon is serenading to the people on earth.
La la la, la la la la la la
A nonsensical musical interlude representing the humming of a tune.
I'm riding on a camel that has big eyes
While singing the song, the singer imagines herself riding on a camel with large eyes.
The buildings are changing into coconut trees
The surrounding architecture transforms into palm trees bearing coconuts in the singer's imaginative world.
Little by little
Gradually, as time progresses.
We are taking sugar water shower
The singer and others are showering in water mixed with sugar, possibly symbolizing pleasure and luxury.
Shower
A one-word phrase likely used as an echo or fill for the music.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: MIHO HATORI, YUKA HONDA, MATTO MORICONE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cr0ss183
i accidentally found this song and i already love it. amazing work
@angelig7782
SAME, i was in a study hall earlier today and found this in my feed. I love it sm now
@Gobble_de_Goop
This music video is amazing. It's like a palindrome in videographic form ❤
@kc1915
Same!!!
@PrincessOfTheYew
What is BtVS
@spookynutsack
what is accidentally
@candlize01
It's hard to believe this song and video came out in 1996. It's nearly 15 years old, but sounds like it could have come out yesterday. So fresh and timeless! This band was great!
@PtheTinTHE
26 years later the same can be said!
@orlandoduarte6392
@@PtheTinTHE true
@rashan2424
Are you still alive?