Back in the '70's, drummer Munetaka Higuchi and guitarist Akira Takasaki played together in a pop-rock band called Lazy. In an effort to pursue their musical aspiration even farther, they split from the successful group and launched Loudness in May 1981. The duo was joined by former Earthshaker vocalist Minoru Niihara, who was devoted to soul music at the time, and Takasaki's childhood friend Masayoshi Yamashita as the bassist.
The band went into the studio in August and three months later, the band's debut album, The Birthday Eve, hit the stores. It was as if the relentlessly wild arming by Takasaki in the intro of the opening track was an omen of things to come, as this album ended up making a historical impact on the Japanese rock scene.
Exceeding industry experts' expectations, a debut concert held at Asakusa International Theater attracted a sold-out show with an audience of 2,700. Watching the legendary concert which lasted more than 100 minutes, they were forced to realize that they could no longer say "hard rock is not marketable".
Their second album, Devil Soldier, was released in July 1982 and their third, The Law Of Devil's Land, followed in January 1983. Since there were no acclaimed Heavy Metal engineers in Japan at the time, an American, Daniel McClendon was tapped for these albums. Due to his contribution, the albums surpassed the quality of what was normally expected from an ordinary Japanese rock band. The style and technique had been established.
In July 1983, the band conducted their first American tour, followed by a European tour a month later. Enjoying the great response, the band felt confident on launching fully into a worldwide market.
In September, the 4th album, Disillusion, was recorded in Britain. It was a dream come true for the band to make an album abroad. Julian Mendelsohn, known for his work with Yes' "90125", was tapped as an engineer.
An A&R from Atlantic Records was impressed by the band's show held in the US between July 1983 and May 1984 which led to the band being signed with the label for an international record deal. Such an achievement was the first in Japanese music history. From August '84, they went into a studio in Los Angeles with renowned producer Max Norman, known for his work with Ozzy Osbourne among others, to record their first worldwide release, what was to later become Thunder In The East.
The record came out in January '85 and it went all the way up to No.4 on Japan's domestic chart. The band embarked on a US tour in April and a month later the album ranked its highest at No.74 on the US Billboard album chart. The record was on the chart for 19 consecutive weeks since its first entry on March 2. Those chart records hold an exceptional record which is still yet to be broken.
In August , they joined Mötley Crüe on their US tour as an opening act. On August 14, they became the first Japanese band in history to play at the prestigious Madison Square Garden in New York. In December, the band went into the studio to record its second release from Atlantic again with Max Norman.
Shadows of War was released in March '86. An American version of the record, Lightning Strikes, topped the band's previous effort on the charts and ranked No.64 on the Billboard chart. As the band kept touring all over the US, they earned a reputation as a great live band. In those days, when a heavy metal fan in Los Angeles would run into Japanese tourists, they would brag about how much they loved Loudness. Back then, LOUDNESS was a comparable figure to today's two biggest exports from Japan, MLB's Ichiro and Hideki Matsui.
The album Hurricane Eyes, released in August 1987, was produced by Eddie Kramer, one of the most renowned and respected producers in rock history. Everything released after "Thunder In The East" contained English lyrics but this time they decided to make a Japanese version for their fans back home. In May 1988, the mini-album, Jealousy, was released exclusively for the domestic market. At that point, Loudness was already an international act but their Japanese fans remained special to them.
Despite their continuing success, Niihara left the band in December 1988. The news came as a shock not only to the Japanese rock community but worldwide as well.
After countless auditions, the remaining band members came to the conclusion that they would never be able find a Japanese singer that could match Niihara's ability. Consequently, they hired former Obsession vocalist, Mike Vescera, in September 1989. The result was the album Soldier of Fortune, followed by On The Prowl in February 1991, which was a compilation of self-covers from the band's earlier works and additional new songs.
Vescera left soon after the release of Slap In The Face in October 1991. Yamashita also left and the second era of Loudness came to an end in 1992.
With Masaki Yamada of EZO coming on board, the band kicked off its third era. Bassist Taiji Sawada from X Japan also joined. X Japan was one of the major forces in the domestic rock scene since the early 90's and with him on board, Loudness was able to acquire a whole new fan base. June 1992's album, Loudness, debuted at No.2 on the domestic chart. The third-era lineup of Loudness toured extensively until January '93. However, Sawada and Higuchi decided to leave shortly after the tour. Loudness, for the first time in its history, was on the verge of falling apart.
Yamada, who once decided to leave, returned and the 4th era of Loudness began in 1994. With a former bandmate of Yamada, EZO's Hirotsugu Homma joining the band, they made Heavy Metal Hippies which Takasaki played bass on. During December's concert at Club Citta, the band formally announced that Naoto Shibata (Anthem) was brought on board. Finally, the lineup of the 4th era Loudness was complete.
With a new lineup, the band embarked on a domestic tour starting April 1995. A live album that captured the aggressive feel of the tour, Loud 'n' Raw, was released. Every member of the audience was credited on the cover sleeve, showing appreciation to their loyal fans. A show in Hong Kong was a great success.
In February 1997, the band flew to San Francisco to record Ghetto Machine, released in July. In response to the great demand from their Asian fans, the band flew back to Hong Kong in December and performed once again.
In August 1998, the band flew back to San Francisco to record Dragon. One month later, band embarked on a domestic tour entitled "LOUDNESS CLUB GIG'98 DRAGON" which kicked off in PENNYLANE 24 in Sapporo.
In May 1999, they held the "RISING DRAGON EURO TOUR'99" which included stops at Great Britain, Holland, Belgium, and Germany. In Holland, the band performed on the main stage of "DYNAMO OPEN AIR '99", the biggest outdoor heavy music festival in Europe which attracts more than 50,000 people every year.
In July 1999, their album Engine was released which became the last of the 4th era Loudness.
In 2000, Takasaki considered a reformation of Loudness to its original members and the news was formally announced in May. The band went into preproduction soon after. An album with the original lineup, Spiritual Canoe, hit the stores in March 2001. As the band embarked on a domestic tour, fans went crazy to see the four guys getting back together again and perform.
The band went on to record the albums Pandemonium soon after 'Spiritual Canoe' in 2001, Biosphere in 2002, Terror, Rock Shocks and Racing in 2004, Heavy Metal Hippies and The Battleship Musashi in 2005, and Breaking The Taboo in 2006. In 2008, Loudness drummer Minetaka Higuchi was diagnosed with Hepatocellular Carcinoma in April of that year while recording the album Metal Mad and couldn't tour with them as a result.
On November 30 2008, Munetaka passed away. In 2009, Loudness planned to release the album The Everlasting using the unique style of Munetaka in their drums for it. From a translated blog of guitarist Akira Takasaki: "From the vast amount of data (of drums recorded by Munetaka in the past), we will extract Munetaka's great groove and sound. On top of that, we're putting a new riff and rhythm. The new album will be based on Munetaka's groove at its maximum. I'm writing guitar riffs that would sound like nothing but Loudness. I'm trying to make it a gigantic rock album that would satisfy Munetaka, as he was always complaining 'This isn't loud enough' or 'This needs to be more heavier.'
Upon the album's release, they introduced a new drummer, Masayuki Suzuki. The band went on tour in 2009, presenting only material from their first four albums and announced a new album titled King of Pain, which was released in May 2010. Also in 2010, Loudness featured at the Bang Your Head!!! festival in Germany and did a brief European tour.
In 2011 Loudness celebrated their 30th Anniversary with a return to the US for a series of tour dates.
In My Dreams
Loudness Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The rain falling on my emptiness
In my dreams I'm a long way from home
I walk through the gates of loneliness
I thought the love we had was in vain
And just another story
My frozen tears like the wind against the rain
In my dreams, in my dreams
In my dreams, without you
In my dreams shadows fall on my face
And every corner is a different place
In my vision I would knock on your door
I'd lost all that I was searching for
I thought the Sun had come to an end
And you were gone forever
A change of heart like the echoes in the dark
I fade into the sea
In my dreams I was turning to stone
Until you opened up my eyes... wow... wow
The lyrics of Loudness's song In My Dreams tell the story of someone who is experiencing heartbreak and loneliness. The first few lines indicate that the person is walking alone in the rain, feeling empty inside. They feel like they are far away from home and in a place of loneliness that they have never experienced before. The lyrics also suggest that the person is struggling to come to terms with a failed relationship, feeling like they have lost everything they were searching for.
As the song progresses, we learn that the person's tears are freezing like the wind against the rain, amplifying their pain even more. They keep repeating the phrase "in my dreams" which reinforces the idea that they are only able to find solace in their dreams, as in reality they are lost and alone. The person believes that the love they had was pointless and that it had come to an end. They feel like they have been left behind and are unable to move on from the relationship. But then towards the end of the song, there is a change in the lyrics. The person talks about 'turning to stone' but then someone opens their eyes, and they recognize the power of the pull of the relationship they had with the one they love.
In conclusion, Loudness's song In My Dreams perfectly portrays the pain and struggle of losing someone you love. It is an emotional journey that is all too familiar to those who have gone through heartbreak. The song's lyrics are filled with melancholy, and the music complements the lyrics well.
Line by Line Meaning
In my dreams I was walking alone
The singer feels isolated and lonely even in their dreams.
The rain falling on my emptiness
The rain symbolizes the singer's sadness and the emptiness they feel inside.
In my dreams I'm a long way from home
The singer is far away from where they feel they belong, both physically and emotionally.
I walk through the gates of loneliness
The singer feels trapped in their loneliness and it has become a familiar place for them.
I thought the love we had was in vain
The singer believes that their past relationship was meaningless and had no real depth.
And just another story
The singer sees their past relationship as just another tale that they will tell in the future.
My frozen tears like the wind against the rain
The singer's tears are so cold and lonely that they feel like they are just adding to the storm of emotions they are experiencing.
Slipping from my eyes
The singer's tears are just flowing out involuntarily.
In my dreams, in my dreams
The singer feels like their dreams are a safe space for them to feel their emotions without judgment or shame.
In my dreams, without you
The singer feels like a part of them is missing without their ex-partner in their dreams.
In my dreams shadows fall on my face
The singer feels like their dreams are still marked by the sadness they feel in their waking life.
And every corner is a different place
The singer feels like their dreams are constantly changing and taking them to different symbolic locations.
In my vision I would knock on your door
The singer dreams of reconciliation with their ex-partner.
I'd lost all that I was searching for
The singer feels like they have lost their sense of purpose and goals now that their relationship has ended.
I thought the Sun had come to an end
The singer feels like their life is over now that they have lost their partner.
And you were gone forever
The singer believes that their ex-partner is lost to them forever and they will never be able to reconcile.
A change of heart like the echoes in the dark
The singer's feelings and desires have changed without warning and it has left them feeling disoriented and alone.
I fade into the sea
The singer feels like they are disappearing and becoming lost in their overwhelming emotions like a drop disappearing into the ocean.
In my dreams I was turning to stone
The singer feels like their dreams are becoming more and more static and unchanging, turning into a nightmare almost.
Until you opened up my eyes... wow... wow
The singer feels like their ex-partner is the only one who can save them from their emotional numbness and bring them back to feeling again.
Contributed by Harper L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.