MONKEY MAJIK is a band formed in Sendai, Japan in 2000. The band consists o… Read Full Bio ↴MONKEY MAJIK is a band formed in Sendai, Japan in 2000. The band consists of two canadians brothers, Maynard and Blaise Plant, and two Japanese members, drummer Takuya "Tax" Kikuchi and bass player Hideki "DICK". MONKEY MAJIK's music is energetic pop-rock with lyrics in both English and Japanese. One of the Plant brothers, Maynard (blanc.), came to Japan in 1997 as an English teacher and speaks fluent Japanese. He then later invited his brother, Blaise Plant, to Japan to form a band due to the interest of music that they shared. They have 7 original albums, 3 Mini-albums, 16 singles and 3 compilation albums.

The band's first big hit was the single Around The World, the theme song of the TV drama Saiyuuki-Journey to the West. In 2007 they worked on a number of collaborations with other J-pop artists, including hip-hop duo m-flo ("Picture Perfect"), SEAMO ("卒業、そして未来へ。") and the 吉田兄弟 ("Change").

The album 空はまるで (Sora wa Maru de), was released July 25, 2007. 空はまるで is MONKEY MAJIK's fourth original full-length album. The first press of the album includes two bonus tracks from the MONKEY MAJIK × MONKEY MAGIC single. The song 空はまるで was used as the Yokohama Type image song and became the first song in Japanese History to reach #1 on USEN Request Chart before being released.

On September 2008, they released another album, TIME and the album opened its first week at #2 on the Oricon Chart. They also made a collaboration with 土屋アンナ for the song GINGER that was featured in her album, NUDY SHOW! and was used for the Asahi Ginger Draft commercial song.

In 2009 they released two singles: アイシテル and 虹色の魚 / Open Happiness / MONSTER. Early 2010 they released the single SAKURA and a new compilation titled MONKEY MAJIK BEST ～10Years & Forever～ containing songs from thank you to the newest single. The compilation also contains a song titled Fast Forward which was used as the opening theme for the anime Nurarihyon no Mago.

Later 2010, they announced the 6th album and a brand new single. The new single titled ぬらりひょんの孫オープニングテーマ EP contains the tracks Sunshine and Fast Forward, both used as opening themes for Nurarihyon no Mago and the single was released November 24, 2010. The album, titled westview was released in February 2, 2011. They released a compilation album titled RARE TRACKS in March 2, 2011, containing b-sides from singles and random songs used to movies and animes.

The band took a break after the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, and in October 26 they released their 15th single: Headlight, followed by the 16th single in early 2012, HERO. In March 7 the band released their 7th original album: Somewhere Out There.

カモメ
MONKEY MAJIK Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sukoshi omoi nimotsu o seoi
Mayoi nagara bokura wa aruku
Nani ka nozomi nani ka kirisute
Nokorimono ni kitai o yose ta

Kamome, kamome, kagonotori yo
Tokihanata reru hi o matsu yo
Iku beki michinori o mitsume

Sono saki ni te nobashi

Kuyamu koto ni, kimi wa osore te
Saki ni susumu koto sae deki zu
Chikaratsuki te taore te mo nao
Kono hoshi no monogatari wa tsuzuku

Kamome, kamome, kagonotori yo
Mae dake misue tobitateyo
Iku beki michinori wa kimi ga
Fumishime te iku mono

Come on in where we hide out
I've seen it all before no no
Take a moment to breathe on a little at a time

Ima yori mo mirai no boku ni, ate ta tegami wa todoku ka na
Iku beki michi wa iku beki ka, tazune te mi tai kedo

Kamome, kamome, imaya kimi o
Saegiru mono nado nai kara
Iku beki michinori no hate ni
Ima tsubasa hiroge te

Ima oikaze ni nori

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "カモメ" or "Kamome" in English by MONKEY MAJIK are about a journey and the uncertainties that come with it. The first few lines translate to "Carrying a little bit of luggage, we walk while feeling lost. We let go of some desires and cling to what's left, hoping for the best." This creates an image of a couple or group of friends who are venturing somewhere new, but they are unsure of what the future holds. They have to abandon some of their hopes but keep what's important to them.

The chorus then repeats the phrase "Kamome, kamome, kagonotori yo" which means "seagull, seagull, caged bird." This part represents being free and breaking free of anything that may be holding the group back. The lines "Take a moment to breathe on a little at a time" and "I've seen it all before no no" suggest that the members have experienced similar situations before and are taking calculated steps to move forward. The song ends with the line "Ride the tailwind" or "Ima oikaze ni nori" in Japanese, which refers to taking advantage of the momentum of events and the positive effects that it can bring.

Line by Line Meaning

Sukoshi omoi nimotsu o seoi
We carry a little bit of baggage with us

Mayoi nagara bokura wa aruku
We walk while still feeling lost

Nani ka nozomi nani ka kirisute
We abandon some hopes and desires to move forward

Nokorimono ni kitai o yose ta
We cling onto expectations for what remains

Kamome, kamome, kagonotori yo
Oh gull, oh caged bird

Tokihanata reru hi o matsu yo
We wait for the day to be released

Iku beki michinori o mitsume
We gaze at the road we must take

Sono saki ni te nobashi
reaching out our hands to grab hold of it

Kuyamu koto ni, kimi wa osore te
You fear what you might regret

Saki ni susumu koto sae deki zu
Unable to move forward from where you are now

Chikaratsuki te taore te mo nao
Even if you're exhausted and fall, you still have strength within you