Mr.Children is one of the most popular bands in Japan. They made their major debut in 1992 with the release of their first album, "EVERYTHING", but it wasn't until one of their singles was used as a drama theme song, like their fourth single "Cross Road", that they started getting noticed. They got their big break in 1994 with the release of their fifth single, "innocent world", which made record sales and earned the Japan Record Award in 1994. Their fourth album, "Atomic Heart", which was released in the same year, is still their top selling album to date. Since then, all their singles have been number one hits in the Oricon charts like "Tomorrow never knows" and "Namonaki-uta", and many of them became million sellers, and they've produced other noteworthy albums.
In 1997, they took a long vacation, and came back to the Japanese music scene the next year with the single "Owari-naki-tabi."
Their sound is essentially a blend of light pop and classic rock. But due to the band's inclination to experiment with various music styles, their sound is constantly evolving. They have delved into various types of rock as well as jazz, blues, folk, country, and dance. Despite this constant change, however, their music has progressed successfully, proving them to be a versatile band that can last.
The main force behind the band is their singer and songwriter, Kazutoshi Sakurai, who composes almost all of their songs. The rest of the band include Kenichi Tahara on guitar, Keisuke Nakagawa on bass, and Hideya Suzuki (Jen) on drums and backing vocals. They also have supporting musicians on keyboards, guitar, brass instruments (trumpet and saxophone), and computer programming for their tours because they usually embellish their recordings.
It must be noted that a good part of what makes Mr.Children's songs unique is Sakurai's remarkable vocal ability. His vocal range is higher than the typical male range, and he sings with a noticeable Western style. Also, it is because he is influenced by the great classic rock artists of the '60s and '70s (in particular, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones) that the band's music usually has a classic rock feel. But being the vocalist of the band doesn't prevent him from sometimes sharing guitar solos with Tahara, or playing them by himself. He also plays the piano and harmonica proficiently.
Tahara and Nakagawa are the quietest members of the group, often choosing to remain in the background when the band appears on TV shows. Jen seems to be the most extroverted member who takes his top off onstage at any opportunity. He also always matches Sakurai's sense of humor. They are all very talented musicians who make vital contributions to the band.
On December 31, 2004, their song "Sign," was again awarded the Japan Record Award, ten years after the first.
Mr. Children has a long-time association with the Toys Factory record label.
Prélude
Mr.Children Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
今日はどんな一日だった？
全部が思い通りにいくはずないって
知ってて聞いてんだ
明日はどこに行こう？
ねぇmy friend. where do we go?
七色の光を放ってた夢が
前奏曲が聞こえてくる
さぁ 耳を澄ませてごらん
停留所で僕は待ってる
君も一緒に乗らないか？
胸の高鳴りにその身をゆだねよう
燻りをわだかまりを捨てに行こう
深く考えないことが切符代わりだ
首を縦に振る
ただそれだけで昨日が過ぎてしまった
そんな自分を嫌にならない為の言い訳を
自分に繰り返しやり過ごしているのなら
夢幻を振りまいて 今その列車は走り出す
汽笛を轟かせて 躯体を震わせて 光の射す方へ
悩んでたことなんて 今はとりあえず棚の上へ
要らないぜ 荷物なんて
何も持たないで飛び乗れ！
Hey you その昔は英雄になれると勘違いしてた
テーブルでスタンバってたって何も運ばれちゃこないのに
そこで何してるの？
ねぇmy friend. what's going on?
探し物は見つかったの？
それともニセモノをつかまされて泣き寝入りかい？
信じていれば夢は叶うだなんて口が裂けても言えない
だけど信じてなければ成し得ないことが
きっと何処かで僕らの訪れを待っている
悲しみを追い越して なおもその列車は走ってく
暗闇を切り裂いて 風をおこして 目指してたその向こうへ
良識やモラルなんて 今はとりあえず棚の上へ
要らないぜ 客観視なんて
息絶えるまで止まらないで！
長いこと続いてた自分探しの旅も
この辺で終わりにしようか
明日こそ 誰かに必要とされる
自分を見つけたい
Hey you 日が暮れる
明日はどんな一日にしようか？
前奏曲が聞こえてる
さぁ 耳を澄ませてごらん
憧れを連れ回して 今日もその列車は走ってる
汽笛を轟かせて 躯体を震
"Hey you, the sun is setting. How was your day today? I'm listening even though I know that everything doesn't always go as planned. Where shall we go tomorrow? Hey, my friend. Where do we go? Even if the dream that was once shining in seven colors has withered away, don't lower your head. The prelude is playing. Come on, listen closely. I'm waiting at the bus stop. Would you like to join me? Let's surrender to our racing hearts and leave behind the smoke and obstacles. Not thinking too deeply is the ticket fare. Just nodding your head is enough to pass yesterday. If you're making excuses to keep yourself from hating your own self, then throw those excuses away because the train laced with reveries has departed, shaking its body as the whistle roars. And we need nothing but to jump on without any luggage. Hey, in the old days, you thought you could become a hero, but even if you stand on the table, nothing will be served. So, what are you doing there? Hey, my friend. What's going on? Did you find what you were looking for? Or were you deceived by a counterfeit and spent sleepless nights crying? Even if you can't say that dreams come true just by believing, there are things that can't be done without faith, waiting for us somewhere. We'll just pass the sorrow and still, the train carries on, cutting through the darkness and stirring up the wind, heading towards the light we aimed for. Common sense and morals can stay on the shelf, not needed. And all we need is to ride until the end without stopping. Even if the journey of self-discovery has been going on for a long time, let's end it around here. Tomorrow, I want to find someone who needs me. Hey, the sun is setting. What kind of day shall we make tomorrow? The prelude is playing. Come on, listen up. The train is still running, carrying our dreams with us. The whistle roars, shaking our bodies."
The lyrics of "Prelude" by Mr.Children mainly talk about moving on and letting go of the past. It talks about the importance of faith, believing in dreams, and taking risks without letting fear hold us down. The prelude mentioned in the lyrics might refer to the beginning of something new, or the starting point of a journey. The song encourages the listener to be positive, keep moving forward, and never give up on their dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey you??????
Hey you, the sun is setting
????????????
How was your day today?
????????????????
We know that everything won't go as planned
?????????
But we still keep listening
??????????
Where should we go tomorrow?
??my friend. where do we go?
Hey my friend, where do we go?
???????????
Even if our dream, shining with seven colors, becomes smaller
????????????????
Let's not lose hope
??????????
I hear the prelude
????????????
So, listen closely
??????????
I'm waiting at the station
???????????
Won't you come with me?
???????????????
Let's surrender to the excitement in our hearts
???????????????
Let's discard the past and negative emotions
???????????????
Not thinking too deeply is like our ticket
??????
Just nod your head
?????????????????
Just that, yesterday has passed
??????????????????
If we're making excuses to avoid hating ourselves for that
??????????????????
We keep telling ourselves
???????????????????
Scattering our illusions, the train begins to run now
??????????????????????
Blowing the whistle, shaking our bodies, towards where the light shines
?????????????????????
The things we were worried about are temporarily put aside
???????????
We don't need any baggage
????????????
We can just jump on without carrying anything!
Hey you??????????????????
Hey you, we used to misunderstand that we could become heroes
??????????????????????????
Even if we stand at the table, nothing will be served
?????????
What are we doing there?
??my friend. what's going on?
Hey my friend, what's going on?
???????????
Did we find what we were looking for?
???????????????????????
Or did we get lost in something fake and silently give up?
????????????????????????
We can't say that if we believe, our dreams will come true
??????????????????
But there are things that we can't achieve without believing
??????????????????
Surely, something is waiting for us somewhere
??????????????????????
Beyond our sadness, the train keeps running
???????????????????????????
Cutting through the darkness, stirring up the wind, heading towards our goal
?????????????????????
Our sense of reason or morals are temporarily put aside for now
????????????
We don't need objectivity
?????????????
Don't stop until we breathe our last!
???????????????
The journey of searching for ourselves that has gone on for so long
????????????
Let's end it around here
??????????????
Tomorrow, maybe we'll be needed by someone
????????
We want to find ourselves
Hey you??????
Hey you, the sun is setting
??????????????
What kind of day should we make tomorrow?
?????????
I hear the prelude
????????????
So, listen closely
?????????????????????
Today too, the train runs, bringing our longing with us
??????????????????????
Blowing the whistle, shaking our bodies, towards where the light shines
???????????????????
If we face ourselves, we can become stronger than today
???????????????????
Let's empty ourselves before trying to fill ourselves with something else
Contributed by Claire O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.