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.
Time goes on
L'Arc~en~Ciel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ima kono mama kono toki wo tometakute
Yawaraka na hibi tsutsumarete subete ga mabushisugita
Hajime kara wakatteta hazu na no ni
Toritome no nai kotoba dake ga munashiku hibiku
Ano kaze ni mau kareha-tachi kokoro ni furitsumotte
Itsu made mo anata ga kienakute
Hikitomenai yo ima koko kara subete ga kawaru
Kitto kimi ga erabu michi no saki ni wa mabayui hikari ga afureteiru
Kimi no tame nara doukeshi ni natte aruiteyuku yo
Sono egao kesenaide
Hajime kara wakatteta hazu na no ni
Tomadoi wa kisetsu wo tozasu kara
Yumemiteta no wa boku no hou sa
Subete wa shiroi awa no you ni ukande kieta
The lyrics of L'Arc~en~Ciel's song Time goes on expresses the desire to hold onto a fleeting moment, highlighted by an opening line that asks if one can still hear the bustling sounds of that time. The subsequent line expresses a wish to stop time and hold onto that moment forever. The second verse speaks of the way that days slowly blend together, forming a blindingly bright picture that obscures everything else. The third verse expresses the frustration of knowing something from the start, yet realizing only the empty words echoing throughout one's mind. The chorus speaks of wanting to hold onto a dream forever, even as the winds scatter a heart full of fallen leaves.
Throughout the lyrics, the theme is one of the fleeting nature of time, the need to hold onto significant moments in our lives, and the struggle to find meaning in a world that is always changing. The lyrics reflect on how our memories can be affected by the passage of time and how our perception of things can change as time goes on. In the end, the desire to hold onto these moments is expressed, and the hope is expressed that a path can be found that leads to a brighter future.
Line by Line Meaning
Ano zawameki mada kikoeru?
Can you still hear the commotion from back then?
Ima kono mama kono toki wo tometakute
I wish I could freeze time just as it is now
Yawaraka na hibi tsutsumarete subete ga mabushisugita
Wrapped in gentle days, everything became too bright
Hajime kara wakatteta hazu na no ni
Even though I should have understood from the beginning
Toritome no nai kotoba dake ga munashiku hibiku
Only empty words echo without being captured
Mada nemutte kono yumemi-tsuzuketai
I still want to continue this dream, while I'm sleeping
Ano kaze ni mau kareha-tachi kokoro ni furitsumotte
The falling dead leaves in the wind, they gather in my heart
Itsu made mo anata ga kienakute
I wish you would never disappear, forever
Hikitomenai yo ima koko kara subete ga kawaru
I won't hold back, everything will change from here on out
Kitto kimi ga erabu michi no saki ni wa mabayui hikari ga afureteiru
Surely, a bright light is overflowing beyond the path you choose
Kimi no tame nara doukeshi ni natte aruiteyuku yo
For your sake, I'll become a clown and keep walking
Sono egao kesenaide
Don't let that smile fade away
Hajime kara wakatteta hazu na no ni
Even though I should have understood from the beginning
Tomadoi wa kisetsu wo tozasu kara
Confusion shuts down the seasons
Yumemiteta no wa boku no hou sa
It was me who was dreaming all along
Subete wa shiroi awa no you ni ukande kieta
Everything floated and disappeared like white bubbles
Contributed by Declan A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.