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.

Stereoman
ELLEGARDEN Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm all alone thinking of yesterday's blues
I don't like to do
But I ain't got nothing else to do

I've got a friend
He's here now
He lives in my head
When I'm all along I talk to my stereoman

I just can't let go
It makes me sick

The only heaven I know is heaven in the sound
All I can do is close my eyes
The only heaven I know
My stereoman is fine
He takes me everywhere I go

I'm doing this to pick up the things I dropped off
I had it all
Or maybe I just thought I had it all

I just can't let go
Would you hear me out
Tell me if I'm wrong
It only makes me sick

The only heaven I know is the heaven in the sound
All I can do is close my eyes
The only heaven I know
My stereoman is fine
He takes me everywhere I go

It's over my friend
The storm is gone and I still think of you
Yeah I still think of you
You're older, grown up
You won't believe I still think of you
But I still think of you
I just can't let go
It makes me sick

The only heaven I know is the heaven in the sound
All I can do is close my eyes
The only heaven I know
My stereoman is fine
He takes me everywhere I go

The only heaven I know is the heaven in the sound
All I can do is close my eyes
The only heaven I know

My stereoman is fine
He takes me everywhere I go

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to ELLEGARDEN's song "Stereoman" are about being alone and having nothing to do but think about the past. The singer has a friend named "Stereoman" who lives in their head and helps them escape their thoughts. The only comfort the singer finds is in music and the sound that takes them to a kind of heaven. The singer struggles with letting go of their past and it makes them sick. They ask their listener to hear them out and tell them if they're wrong. In the end, the singer admits that they still think of someone from their past and they can't let go.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm all alone thinking of yesterday's blues
Feeling lonely, reminiscing about past sorrows

I don't like to do
Not enjoying current activities

But I ain't got nothing else to do
Feeling bored with no other options

I've got a friend
Mentally personifying a character within themselves

He's here now
Referring to the presence of their 'friend' within their thoughts

He lives in my head
Indicating a figment of imagination

When I'm all alone I talk to my stereoman
Mentally conversing with their imagined friend

I just can't let go
Unable to move past something

It makes me sick
Causing emotional distress and discomfort

The only heaven I know is heaven in the sound
Finding comfort and happiness in music

All I can do is close my eyes
Allowing oneself to get lost in the music