Their debut single Blurry Eyes released in 1994 was used as the opening theme for the animated TV show DNA². In late 1996, L'Arc~en~Ciel gained worldwide attention for the first time after the release of their fourth album, True. This album includes the single the Fourth Avenue Cafe, which was used as an ending theme for the popular animated TV show Rurouni Kenshin. However, drummer sakura was arrested for drug possession and consequently all L'Arc~en~Ciel merchandise was removed from store shelves. The release of their single the Fourth Avenue Cafe was canceled and the song was immediately removed from the TV series.
sakura left the band in 1997, and former DIE IN CRIES drummer yukihiro replaced him for the REINCARNATION tour that year, subsequently serving as a support member for their first single after the incident, 虹 (Niji). Eventually, yukihiro officially joined the band and released the album HEART in 1998.
After the release of their eighth album REAL in 2000, L'Arc~en~Ciel went on a hiatus, releasing only compilation albums aside from their 2001 single, Spirit dreams inside -another dream-, the theme for the CG-animated Final Fantasy movie. During this time, each member engaged in solo projects: yukihiro with the band acid android, ken and former L'Arc~en~Ciel drummer sakura with SONS OF ALL PUSSYS, HYDE as a solo artist, and tetsu as TETSU69. On March 31st, 2004, L'Arc~en~Ciel released SMILE, their first album in four years.
On July 31st, 2004, L'Arc~en~Ciel performed their first concert in the United States at Otakon, a Japanese animation convention. They performed for an audience of more than 12,000 in Baltimore, Maryland.
They are best known outside of Japan for the song READY STEADY GO, which served as the second opening theme for the animated series Fullmetal Alchemist, and Link for the show's respective theatrical film. These songs earned them substantial Western popularity and attention to their album, SMILE, which was released in the United States by American label Tofu Records.
After more than a year since SMILE, the band released AWAKE on June 22nd, 2005, which was accompanied by ASIALIVE, L'Arc~en~Ciel's first tour to take them to South Korea and China, as well as the Japanese AWAKE tour.
The year 2006 marked the band's 15th anniversary since their debut. It was celebrated with the release of a box set of books titled L'Arc~en~Ciel BOX, re-releases of their first 15 singles along with the albums ark and ray, and the L'Anniversary live concerts held on November 25th and 26th. They also finally released the Fourth Avenue Cafe, the single canceled nearly 10 years prior, as part of their 15th anniversary celebrations.
The year 2007 saw increased activity for the band, with the release of four new singles, four DVD releases, the new album KISS, and the beginning of two back-to-back tours. The first was TOUR 2007-2008 THEATER OF KISS in Japan, followed by L'7 ～trans ASIA via PARIS～. The latter tour took them through Shanghai, Taiwan, Paris, Seoul, Hong Kong, and a return to Japan for shows in Tokyo and Osaka. At the end of this tour it was announced that the band would not tour again until their 20th anniversary in 2011. The band, however, says they're not on hiatus.
2008 saw the release of two new single from the band, DRINK IT DOWN released in April, and the double A-side NEXUS 4 / SHINE in August. Since then, HYDE has begun a new solo project with former OBLIVION DUST guitarist K.A.Z as VAMPS, with the release of a self-titled album and successful tours in Japan and the United States. With the legacy of 11 albums and 35 singles, L'Arc~en~Ciel continue to gather more and more fans throughout the world who eagerly await their return to renewed band activities.
NEXUS 4
L'Arc~en~Ciel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Machi wa muchitsujo sosogu ame wa ACID RAIN
Atsu e no kobuseke mo naku
Mayou wa bokura wa yumemi teru ELECTRIC SHIP
Itsu kuru ka shire nai akogare no toki
Kusuburu kanjou wa tada damatte matte rare nai
Bokura wo michibiku
Sabitsui ta hane wa mada kuchihate cha i nai
Yatsu yori atsui hoe agaru tamashii
Saa mezamero NEXT AGE
Musuu ni zoushoku suru TRAP
Hitotsu mi sure ba waraitobasa re tari
Mirai wa kasou teki kuukan e kekkyoku tashika na mono kono omoi dake sa
Nagameru bakari no moeagaru honoo
Bou ni furu chansu wo tada damatte matte rare nai
Miage ta nara yozora wo kirisai te kake noboru JET
Bokura wo michibiku
Shinjiru mama hashire kitto mada maniau
Haneagaru SPEED kesshite nogasa nai
Saa tobinore NEXT AGE
Tsuuka shi tara bure tatte mi dashi teyarusa
Zero kara no jiyuu wo torikon da saikyou no MONSTER
Maki agatta gouon ni magire te
Mou tobikoshi ta kodou ni awase te SAY 3 2 1 GO !
Kimi ga miage ta nara takaku kake noboru ze
Bokura wa tabidatsu saa tobinore SPACE AGE
YOU VIRTUAL GENERATION !
The song NEXUS 4 by L'Arc~en~Ciel is a futuristic song which talks about the hustle of modern life, where people are surrounded by numerous distractions and technological advancements. The lyrics talk about being stuck in traffic, surrounded by rain that feels like acid, and the quest for a dream like an electric ship that they can't quite grasp. The lyrics bring up the feeling of wanting to achieve something and yet, feeling lost. The song brings the idea of there being an electric ship is something to aim for, a dream to hold onto even if it is hard to reach.
The song also talks about the idea of being trapped and stuck in a world where everything is constantly changing. It brings up the struggle of being able to trust things that are constantly changing and people who are putting up a facade. The singer mentions how both the past and the future hold a lot of unknowns and that it is the feeling of being in-between, caught in this nexus, that is the most difficult. The lyrics talk about striving towards something, building upon something that has already been achieved, growing stronger and leaping forward while keeping our eyes fixed on the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Ate naku tadayou traffic jam
A traffic jam that seems to have no end
Machi wa muchitsujo sosogu ame wa ACID RAIN
In the city, the rain that pours incessantly is acid rain
Atsu e no kobuseke mo naku
No longing for the warmth anymore
Mayou wa bokura wa yumemi teru ELECTRIC SHIP
Lost, we dream of an electric ship
Itsu kuru ka shire nai akogare no toki
The time of unfulfilled desire that cannot be predicted
Kusuburu kanjou wa tada damatte matte rare nai
Growing emotions cannot be contained and must be expressed
Miage ta nara yozora wo kirisai te kake noboru JET
Looking up, slice through the night sky and climb aboard a jet
Bokura wo michibiku
Guiding us
Sabitsui ta hane wa mada kuchihate cha i nai
Rusted wings are not yet useless
Yatsu yori atsui hoe agaru tamashii
A soul hotter than anything else will howl
Saa mezamero NEXT AGE
Now, awaken to the next age
Musuu ni zoushoku suru TRAP
A countless number of traps
Hitotsu mi sure ba waraitobasa re tari
One misstep and you could be laughed at
Mirai wa kasou teki kuukan e kekkyoku tashika na mono kono omoi dake sa
The future is an imaginary and uncertain space, this feeling is the only sure thing
Nagameru bakari no moeagaru honoo
A flame that only burns by gazing at it
Bou ni furu chansu wo tada damatte matte rare nai
Opportunities that fall into our laps cannot be wasted in silence
Shinjiru mama hashire kitto mada maniau
Believe and run, surely we can still make it
Haneagaru SPEED kesshite nogasa nai
Take off at full speed, without hesitation
Saa tobinore NEXT AGE
Now jump into the next age
Tsuuka shi tara bure tatte mi dashi teyarusa
If it's pressure, stand up and show them what you've got
Zero kara no jiyuu wo torikon da saikyou no MONSTER
The strongest monster who has conquered freedom from zero
Maki agatta gouon ni magire te
Lost in the roar that rose up
Mou tobikoshi ta kodou ni awase te SAY 3 2 1 GO !
Now matching the already leaping heartbeat, say 3, 2, 1, go!
Kimi ga miage ta nara takaku kake noboru ze
If you look up, you can climb high
Bokura wa tabidatsu saa tobinore SPACE AGE
We're embarking, now jump into the space age
YOU VIRTUAL GENERATION !
You virtual generation!
Contributed by Eva A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ciel7001
NEXUS4のPVはほんと大好き！
高いビルの頂上で4人が演奏してて、サビに向けて空が明るくなる。
ラルクっていうバンドが本当に最高で、まさにてっぺんだ！この4人が演奏すれば暗い世界も明るく出来るんだ！って表してくれてる気がして、このPV見る度にラルクを好きでいられて本当によかったって思います！
@saytam6402
ラルクの中でもトップクラスで好きな曲。
ラストのサビの盛り上がり最高
@user-wv5ln1oj3h
てっちゃん肝座りすぎやろ、、笑
@tpianer8030
『見上げた～なら～』
この曲のギターソロもカッコイイけど、ドラムソロも好きよ🥁
@user-ds4qw9xi2p
"見返してやるっ"て気概が強くて素敵な曲だと思います☺️✨💕
そしてその気持ちを乱暴にではなく
美しく表現出来るのはHydeさんとL'Arc-en-Cielならではです
@RoesRoyal
ツアーで初めて生で聞けたのが嬉しくてリピートし続けてる
@user-mp2uk8zq6p
ラルクのバラード系も大好きだけど、こういうハイテンポな曲も大好き👍
@kyotan3139
それぞれの音の入り方がラルク加入順なのが面白い
@dontcry4033
たまたまかな？
@newsmile5134
2:49 ここのユッキーのドラム好き