ELLEGARDEN is a punk rock group that formed in December of 1998 in Chiba, J… Read Full Bio ↴ELLEGARDEN is a punk rock group that formed in December of 1998 in Chiba, Japan. It includes drummer Hirotaka Takahashi, vocalist Takeshi Hosomi, guitarist Shinichi Ubakata, and bassist Yuichi Takada. As of May 2, 2008, Ellegarden's leader Ubukata Shinichi announced an indefinite hiatus of the band. All previously decided shows (including shows not yet announced) up until early September 2008 will still be performed. Though they are on hiatus, the vocalist, Hosomi, has repeatedly stated that they will not be breaking up anytime soon, and will be back on the stage performing again in the future.

Soon after the hiatus began, an official announcement was made on the website declaring that all activities of the band had been indefinitely suspended

They are also referred to as ELLE.

ELLEGARDEN has a sound strikingly similar to some American Pop Punk bands, and sings in both Japanese and English. Their English lyrics (mostly written by Hosomi) are usually grammatically correct and generally very well pronounced. In the Summer 2006 issue of American J-rock magazine purple SKY (p.24), Takeshi was quoted as saying his English skills were improved by the time he spent working as a computer engineer in first Oakland, California, and later in Japan where he had English speaking co-workers.

ELLEGARDEN has been compared to famous artists of similar style, most notably Sum 41 (ELLEGARDEN was the band's opening act on February 2005 during the Sum 41 Japan Tour 2005), Blink 182 and Good Charlotte. Their popularity comes from the sounds that they bring and the strong emotions they express. Despite these similarities however, they have a wide range of sounds that don't quite fit into a single style, but encompass a decent range of rock sounds.

In 2006 ELLEGARDEN performed in numerous Japanese Summer Music Festivals, such as FUJI ROCK, SUMMER SONIC, NANO MUGEN FES and RISING SUN ROCK FESTIVAL.

Their final tour of 2006 features the American band Allister - the bands became friends during SXSW 2006.

It is difficult to get their tour and live tickets because they become sold out in a very short amount of time.

With the international release of their newest album "Eleven Fire Crackers", Ellegarden is quickly growing in popularity - no doubt aided by their recent U.S. gigs.

In 2018, Ellegarden announced their first tour in 10 years, ending their hiatus. The tour, titled "THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN", is to begin in August at Shinkiba Studio Coast, the same venue as their send-off concert.

Punk
ELLEGARDEN Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I am someone you have never seen
That is just too bad for your eyes
When I am someone you have never felt
I'm too bad for your touch

I'm standing here looking for chicks
Looking for chicks who will take me
My credit card are all expired

Looking for chicks who say,"I will pay it"

You said that I'm wrong, but I know I am not
You said that I'm wrong, but I know I am not
You said that I'm wrong, but I know I am not
You said that I'm wrong, there's no way I can be

When I am someone you have never kissed
That is just too bad for your lips
When I am someone you have never loved
Oh, that's too bad for you, bitch

I'm standing here looking for chicks
Looking for chicks who can take me
My credit card are all expired
Looking for chicks who say,"I will pay it"

You said that I'm wrong, but I know I am not
You said that I'm wrong, but I know I am not
You said that I'm wrong, but I know I am not
You said that I'm wrong, there's no way I can be

I'm not I'm not There's no way I can be
I'm not I'm not There's no way I can be

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of ELLEGARDEN's song "Punk" revolve around a rebellious and carefree attitude towards societal norms and expectations. The opening lines "When I am someone you have never seen/ That is just too bad for your eyes/ When I am someone you have never felt/ I'm too bad for your touch" indicate a desire to break away from conventional notions of beauty and acceptability. The singer of the song is not concerned with conforming to the standards set by others and is unapologetically individualistic. The following lines suggest that the singer is on the lookout for companionship, particularly from someone who can accept them for who they are, rather than their financial status.

The chorus, which has a repetitive pattern, highlights the singer's self-assuredness and conviction in their beliefs. The repeated lines "You said that I'm wrong, but I know I am not" signify a rejection of authority and a desire to assert oneself, even in the face of scrutiny. The concluding lines "I'm not, I'm not/ There's no way I can be" reaffirm the singer's sense of self and their refusal to conform to societal expectations.

Line by Line Meaning

When I am someone you have never seen
I am not the same person you have encountered before

That is just too bad for your eyes
Your inability to see the new me is your loss

When I am someone you have never felt
My new identity is not what you have experienced

I'm too bad for your touch
You cannot understand or accept the new me

I'm standing here looking for chicks
I am searching for females

Looking for chicks who will take me
I want women to accept me for who I am

My credit cards are all expired
I am currently broke or financially unstable

Looking for chicks who say, "I will pay it"
I want women to help me out financially

You said that I'm wrong, but I know I am not
You may have judged me, but I am confident in my decisions

There's no way I can be
I refuse to conform to your expectations

When I am someone you have never kissed
You have never experienced intimacy with who I am now