"At the end of the '80s, singer-songwriter Kenichi Asai 浅井健一 was reportedl… Read Full Bio ↴"At the end of the '80s, singer-songwriter Kenichi Asai 浅井健一 was reportedly worrying whether to continue his motorcycle gang or start a rock band. If he hadn't decided on the latter, the motorcycle world would have been the beneficiary, but Japan would never have met one of its quintessential rebel heroes.

Moving to Tokyo from his native Aichi Prefecture, Asai would eventually become one of Japan's best-known rock 'n' roll bad-boys. He founded influential garage rock unit Blankey Jet City in 1990, and after an eight-year run, left to form first the Sherbets, then all-star band Ajico (with brooding soul singer UA), and now Jude (pronounced "yuh-dah"). After the larger ensembles of the Sherbets and Ajico, Jude marks a return to the barebones rock trio format of Blankey Jet City.
While Asai is already onto his third band since Blankey Jet City broke up at the end of the '90s, his distinctive imprint is stamped on all three projects. A listen to Jude -formed only this March with bassist Keiichi Watanabe and drummer Junji Ikehata -reveals much of the same reverb-drenched guitar work and reedy, quavering vocals that informed his work with the Sherbets and Ajico.

In only six months of Jude's existence, Asai's prolific songwriting produced a body of new material large enough to support two albums. So Asai's independent record label Sexy Stones did exactly that, simultaneously releasing Dirty Animal and Charming Bloody Tuesday this October.

The albums show an Asai in a number of his favorite guises, variously appearing as greasy biker and sinewy lover-boy. It's the latter incarnation that he adopts for the oddly likeable song "Silvet," the video for which is currently on rotation on MTV. But it's only one of the many poses the inexhaustible Asai strikes. His bag of tricks also includes a repertoire that runs from country and western to psychobilly to Jon Spencer-style skronk-rock.

Like Bob Dylan's voice, Asai's thin vibrato is undoubtedly an acquired taste, but if you stick around in Japan long enough, as with Dylan, you may find this peculiar figure beginning to grow on you."

taken from Metropolis Japan Today

Rush
Kenichi Asai Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Windy and Black
merry go round school
そういう呼び名のスクール
Windy and Black
merry go round school
ちょっぴりおしゃれなスクール

全校生徒　一人

給食は　ウイスキーコーク
教室は　世界全部
Windy and Black
merry go round school
Uh　これから始めよう起立して
Uh　すべては風から知れよ

Windy and Black
merry go round school
そういう呼び名のスクール
先生は　カゲロウ
一年中　夏休み
Good morning
前にならえ
Uh　よそ見をしないで真っすぐ
Uh　すべては風から知れよ

Creamy Groovy
Wonder school
Creamy Groovy
Wonder school
New High school　Wonder school

New High school　Wonder school
New High school　Lonely school

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Kenichi Asai's song RUSH depict the unconventional and carefree environment of a school named "Windy and Black" or "Creamy Groovy Wonder School". The school is described as having only one student who drinks Whiskey and Coke as part of their school meal. The classrooms are depicted as being the entire world. The teachers are deemed as being like "Kagerou" which means mayfly, and the school seems to have summer holidays throughout the year. The song starts off by urging the students to stand up as all knowledge can be gleaned from the wind. This haphazard and free-spirited school is captured in the lyrics which portray a mystical and strange world where the ordinary rules of society do not apply.

The song's message seems to be about embracing the unconventional, and following your true desires, similar to the ethos of the school depicted. The lyrics encourage the listener to look to the wind to guide them, rather than societal norms, and to let go of their inhibitions. They encourage the listener to focus on the journey, rather than the destination, with the repeated line "Rush it, rush it all", further emphasizing this message.

Line by Line Meaning

Windy and Black
The school has a windy and dark feeling.

merry go round school
The school has a playful and unpredictable atmosphere.

そういう呼び名のスクール
The school is commonly referred to as 'Windy and Black' or 'merry go round school.'

ちょっぴりおしゃれなスクール
The school has a slight fashionable feel to it.

全校生徒　一人
The singer feels alone even with all the other students around.

給食は　ウイスキーコーク
The school serves whiskey and coke for lunch.

教室は　世界全部
The classroom seems to encompass the entire world.

Uh　これから始めよう起立して
The singer is encouraging everyone to stand up and begin something new.

Uh　すべては風から知れよ
Everything worth knowing can be learned from the wind.

先生は　カゲロウ
The teacher seems to be fading away like a heat haze.

一年中　夏休み
The singer feels like he is on summer vacation all year long.