Their first major label release, wonder style, was released in 1995, and produced in London, United Kingdom, by Chris Brown, who previously engineered albums and tracks for Radiohead and Pink Floyd. Their breakthrough album, however, was 1998's Gear Blues which sold more than 500,000 copies, a huge number in the Japanese recording industry. Gear Blues was released in the United States in 2000 by Alive Records, but the band's success in that country never reached the level that they had in Japan, although they had moderate success in Europe. With the release of Gear Blues, the band stopped using lowercase letters in their name, and became known as THEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT, with capitalized letters. The band announced that they would break up on October 11, 2003, after their Last Heaven tour of Japan.
After breaking up, the members have all continued activities in other bands. Chiba Yusuke recorded two albums and several smaller releases while in ROSSO, and has participated in projects of smaller scale, such as Midnight Bankrobbers, RAVEN and THE MIDWEST VIKINGS. In 2006, he and drummer Kuhara Kazuyuki got together again and formed The Birthday. As for the other TMGE members, bassist Ueno Koji was part of the three-piece rock band Radio Caroline for several years before suspending activities in 2009, and helped record the HIATUS' album Trash We'd Love. While not as active after the breakup as some of the other members, guitarist Abe Futoshi has among other things appeared in a band called KOOLOGI.
On July 22nd, 2009, it was announced on the band's official homepage that Abe Futoshi had passed away due to an acute epidural hematoma, a condition often caused by a blow to the side of the head. Abe was 43 years old.
Members:
Chiba Yusuke (チバユウスケ) – Vocal, guitar
Abe Futoshi (アベフトシ) – Guitar
Ueno Koji (ウエノコウジ) – Bass
Kuhara Kazuyuki (クハラカズユキ) – Drums
Official Webpages:
http://www.rockin-blues.com/
http://www.universal-music.co.jp/tmge/
http://columbia.jp/~michelle/
Velvet
THEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
[uddo furoa] yureru
[haineken] owari ni natte
[monkii gaaru] kuchibue
Namerakana [shatsu] wo kiteru ano ko to
Taorekonda mama nemuri ni ochireba
Dakishimeteiyou [veruvetto]
[ruuru] ga nai no ga tatta hitotsu no [ruuru]
Hontou wa sasore dake ga tatta hitotsu no [ruuru]
Yume nante minai de kanashikunaru dake dakara
Dakishimeteiyou [veruvetto]
[toranpetto] wa nageku owarinaki [hebun]
Namerakana [shatsu] wo kiteru ano ko to
Taorekonda mama nemuri ni ochireba
Yume nante minai de [veruvetto]
The lyrics of "Velvet" by THEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT convey a sense of nostalgia and longing for simpler times. The opening lines of the song, "surendaa souru rokabirii / uddo furoa yureru / haineken owari ni natte / monkii gaaru kuchibue," loosely translate to "a blender, a soul rockabilly / a wood floor swaying / a half-finished Heineken / the monkey girl whistling." These images evoke a sense of a bygone era, a time when the singer was perhaps younger and freer.
The next lines, "Namerakana shatsu wo kiteru ano ko to / Taorekonda mama nemuri ni ochireba," describe a girl wearing a soft, easy-going shirt who the singer falls asleep next to after collapsing. The following lines repeat the phrase "yume nante minai de kanashikunaru dake dakara / Dakishimeteiyou veruvetto," which translates to "because dreaming makes me sad, let's just embrace velvet," suggesting that the singer is seeking comfort and escape from the burdens of reality.
The lines "ruuru ga nai no ga tatta hitotsu no ruuru / Hontou wa sasore dake ga tatta hitotsu no ruuru" can be interpreted as "there's only one rule, which is that there are no rules / in truth, the only rule is to be true to oneself." The song concludes with a repetition of the phrase "Yume nante minai de veruvetto," emphasizing the singer's desire to live in the moment and find solace in the beauty and simplicity of the present.
Line by Line Meaning
[surendaa souru rokabirii]
Plastic soul rockabilly
[uddo furoa] yureru
Udo froa is shaking
[haineken] owari ni natte
Heineken is coming to an end
[monkii gaaru] kuchibue
The monkey girl whistles
Namerakana [shatsu] wo kiteru ano ko to
I'm with that girl wearing a soft shirt
Taorekonda mama nemuri ni ochireba
I fell asleep while lying down
Yume nante minai de kanashikunaru dake dakara
Dreams just make us feel sad, so
Dakishimeteiyou [veruvetto]
Let's embrace each other, velvet
[ruuru] ga nai no ga tatta hitotsu no [ruuru]
Not having rules is the only rule
Hontou wa sasore dake ga tatta hitotsu no [ruuru]
The truth is that there is only one way
Yume nante minai de kanashikunaru dake dakara
Dreams just make us feel sad, so
Dakishimeteiyou [veruvetto]
Let's embrace each other, velvet
[toranpetto] wa nageku owarinaki [hebun]
Trumpet cries endlessly
Namerakana [shatsu] wo kiteru ano ko to
I'm with that girl wearing a soft shirt
Taorekonda mama nemuri ni ochireba
I fell asleep while lying down
Yume nante minai de [veruvetto]
Don't dream, velvet
Contributed by Gianna P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.