Flipper's Guitar were a Tokyo-based Japanese pop duo formed by Keigo Oyamad… Read Full Bio ↴Flipper's Guitar were a Tokyo-based Japanese pop duo formed by Keigo Oyamada (小山田圭吾, better known as Cornelius) and Kenji Ozawa (小沢健二, nephew of famed conductor Seiji Ozawa) in 1987. The band was influenced by the chirpy sound of British 80s pop groups like Haircut 100, The Style Council and Aztec Camera, as well as the fashionably eclectic sounds of early 90s Britain, from indie dance to acid jazz. The sonic experimentation of Brian Wilson was also evident in some tracks, Oyamada was later to state that his greatest influences were "the three Bs - Beck, The Beatles and the Beach Boys".

The group were an important part of the Tokyo Shibuya-kei scene in the 1990s, and Oyamada went on to produce work for Pizzicato Five and his one-time partner Kahimi Karie. The band were never shy to wear their influence on their sleeves, and their song titles often either namechecked their Anglo idols — Goodbye Our Pastels Badges, Haircut 100, Colour Field — or aped them — The Quizmaster from Doctor Head's World Tower treads the line between inspiration and plagiarism of Primal Scream's "Loaded".

Following the demise of the band in 1991, the two members pursued solo careers. Ozawa released the album "The Dogs Bark But The Caravan Moves On" under his own name, and Oyamada recorded under the name of Cornelius.

Haircut 100
Flipper's Guitar Lyrics

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テレビを眺めてチョコレートをほおばってる間
もう何もかもあきらめてるはずなのに今日は
目を見てささやいた優しげな言葉
見えすいてるしゃくに触わる
クソタレな気分蹴とばしたくて
髪を切るさバスルームでひとりきり大暴れ
ピストルならいつでもポケットの中にあるから

明るい食堂をティーワゴン滑り出してく間
もう君のこと忘れてるよ仕方ないこと
でもいつかまた僕らは電話をするだろう
ありふれてる話をする
クソタレな気分蹴とばしたくて
髪を切るさバスルームでひとりきり大暴れ
ピストルならいつでもポケットの中にあるから

テーブルのオレンジ囓じって
手袋脱ぎ僕は待つだろう

いつか僕らは目隠しするだろう
あきあきする噂をする
クソタレな気分蹴とばしたくて
髪を切るさバスルームでひとりきり大暴れ
ピストルならいつでもポケットの中にあるから
鏡のぞく僕の顔を
ハサミが切る切り裂いてく

ほらバスルームで続くのさ
One hundred!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Haircut 100" describe the desire to escape from reality and the monotony of life through a series of actions, such as watching TV, snacking on chocolate, and cutting one's hair aggressively in the bathroom. The singer acknowledges the futility of giving up on everything, yet their spirits are lifted by a kind message from someone. To shake off the feeling of being a loser, the singer cuts their hair recklessly, imagining themselves with a pistol in their pocket to gain control. The scene is a metaphor for a cathartic release of pent-up emotions.

As the song progresses, the singer describes taking a wagon from a cheerful dining room, gradually forgetting the person who had made them feel better, and dropping trivial remarks. Eventually, they imagine themselves blindfolded, bored and waiting. The song concludes with the image of the singer's reflection in the mirror as they continue their solo rampage in the bathroom, cutting their hair with scissors, and exclaiming "one hundred!"

Overall, the song captures the restless spirit of youth, the need to break away from the mundane, and the impulse to find some control and meaning in life, even for a fleeting moment.

Line by Line Meaning

テレビを眺めてチョコレートをほおばってる間
While mindlessly watching TV and munching on chocolate,

もう何もかもあきらめてるはずなのに今日は
Even though I should have given up on everything, today

目を見てささやいた優しげな言葉
Those soft, kind words you whispered while looking me in the eye

見えすいてるしゃくに触わる
They reveal your true intentions, striking a nerve with me

クソタレな気分蹴とばしたくて
I feel like kicking away these shitty sensations

髪を切るさバスルームでひとりきり大暴れ
So I'll cut my hair and go wild all alone in the bathroom

ピストルならいつでもポケットの中にあるから
And if I have a pistol, it's right there in my pocket

明るい食堂をティーワゴン滑り出してく間
While gliding out of a bright dining hall on a tea wagon

もう君のこと忘れてるよ仕方ないこと
I've already forgotten about you, it's just unavoidable

でもいつかまた僕らは電話をするだろう
But someday we'll talk on the phone again, won't we?

ありふれてる話をする
We'll exchange common, everyday words