Hi-Standard are a Japanese punk rock group who formed in 1991. Since then, … Read Full Bio ↴Hi-Standard are a Japanese punk rock group who formed in 1991. Since then, they have become a popular and influential part of Japanese underground music. The release of their hugely popular "Making the Road" sparked sold-out Japan shows and US/European tours with punk bands such as NOFX, WIZO, and No Use for a Name. Although Hi-Standard were Japanese born, all of their major releases were sung in English. Live footage of the band shows them talking to the crowd in their native Japanese and then immediately changing to English for the songs.

Style
Although classed as a 'punk rock' band, lyrically they were not angry or politically charged like many other punk bands. Many songs were about meeting a new girl, lost love, or the transition from teenage years to adulthood. The song "Teenagers are all assholes" from their final LP "Making the road" talks about how there is no justification for violence, with lyrics such as "Don't torment your friends and neighbors/Someday you'll see you are small/There is no good reason to assault somebody/If you wanna beat someone/Beat yourself". Musically they were very similar to many other popular punk-rock bands that were big in the 90's, such as NOFX, Millencolin and The Vandals; most of their songs were very fast and catchy, with a few slower songs scattered here and there. "Making the road" was probably their most musically diverse release, featuring some very fast, hard songs (Just Rock, Crows) mixed in with slower songs (Endless Trip, Dear my Friends) and even a gentle piccolo-driven instrumental (Tinkerbell Hates Goatees). The band was considered to be very talented musically, with the fast, tight, powerful drumming and creative guitar work often standing out.

Hiatus
After recording five albums, the band entered a hiatus in August of 2000, shortly after playing "Air Jam 2000". Ken Yokoyama began working on other projects, including BBQ Chickens and Ken Band, which is now simply known as Ken Yokoyama. Yokoyama revisited the bands original label Pizza of Death Records, which has since signed many punk and alternative rock bands. Akihiro Nanba's newest project is Ultra Brain. According to CDJapan, Nanba proclaims their debut album, Neo Punk, to be the birth of neo-punk [1]. Akira Tsuneoka now provides the drums for the group, Cubismo Grafico. Although the band has never officially called it quits, as time goes on it is looking more and more unlikely that they will play together again, especially now that each member has gone on to different projects. However, fans still hope to one day see a reunion show.

Discography
Growing Up (1996) Fat Wreck Chords
Angry Fist (1997) Fat Wreck Chords
Making the Road (1999) Fat Wreck Chords
Love Is a Battlefield (EP) (2001) Fat Wreck Chords
Last of Sunny Day (2000) Japan.
The full-length Last of Sunny Day contains songs from their prior releases and original songs. The band have an additional single "The Kids are Alright" available only in Japan
Hi-Standard perform punk covers of American songs "California Dreamin'", "Green Acres", Have you ever seen the rain?" and "Fools Rush In"

Bonus Track
Hi-Standard Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When we met I fell in love
On the beautiful summer day
Her big boobs in her bikini
Took my heart away

When we first were making love
Her hole was tight and wet
But tonight found out she's a bitch

And only wanted sex

Now I miss my girl
Kick me out and lock the door
The fault of my cock:
It was too small for her

Just one thing she doesn't know
I stole her underwear
And now that's all I have left of her
Please come back to me

Every night, jacking off, trying on her underwear
Oh will my sexy girlfriend please come back to me?
Every night, jacking off, trying on her underwear
Oh will my sexy girlfriend please come back to me?

Please come back to me
Please come back to me

Overall Meaning

It's important to begin by acknowledging that the lyrics of Hi-Standard's "Bonus Track" are crass and offensive. The song is about a man who meets a woman on a beautiful summer day and falls in love with her based on her physical appearance, specifically her "big boobs in her bikini." They begin a sexual relationship, but the man discovers that the woman is only interested in sex and is not a kind or caring partner. He laments that he misses her despite her poor treatment of him, and reveals that he stole her underwear as a memento of their time together.

The song perpetuates harmful and objectifying attitudes towards women, portraying them as mere sexual objects to be pursued and possessed by men. The use of derogatory language and graphic descriptions of sexual acts is unnecessary and disrespectful. The man's entitlement to the woman's body is evident in his anger towards her for not being satisfied with his penis size and in his theft of her underwear.

It's also important to note that this song is not representative of punk rock or the DIY music scene, which has historically valued inclusivity and progressive social values. Hi-Standard's lyrics are an outlier to the genre's ethos of promoting social justice and equality. In conclusion, "Bonus Track" is a deeply problematic song that offers nothing of value and should not be celebrated or condoned.

Line by Line Meaning

When we met I fell in love
I was smitten with her when we first met.

On the beautiful summer day
It was a gorgeous day when we first met.

Her big boobs in her bikini
Her shapely figure was what initially attracted me to her.

Took my heart away
I was immediately swept off my feet.

When we first were making love
During our first sexual encounter.

Her hole was tight and wet
She was very aroused and ready for sex.

But tonight found out she's a bitch
Recently, I discovered that she wasn't a nice person.

And only wanted sex
She was only interested in a physical relationship.

Now I miss my girl
I regret losing her.

Kick me out and lock the door
She ended our relationship and now wants nothing to do with me.

The fault of my cock:
I blame my penis.