THEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT (also known as TMGE or in Japanese: ミッシェル・ガン・エレフ… Read Full Bio ↴THEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT (also known as TMGE or in Japanese: ミッシェル・ガン・エレファント) was a garage rock band formed in Tokyo, Japan. Its music is known for the loud guitars of Abe Futoshi and lead singer Chiba Yusuke's loud, gravelly yet melodious vocals. Other members of the band include Kuhara Kazuyuki (drums) and Ueno Koji (bass). The band was formed in 1991, while the band members were students at Tokyo's Meiji Gakuin University. Their name came from a combination of the name of Billy Childish's offbeat band Thee Headcoats and a former bassist's mispronunciation of the name of The Damned's album, Machine Gun Etiquette.

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/

アウト・ブルーズ
Thee Michelle Gun Elephant Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

聞こえない谷まで
ぶらりとゆくだろう
アウト・ブルーズ!
アウト・ブルーズ!
なんでもない街まで
だらりとゆくだろう
アウト・ブルーズ!
アウト・ブルーズ!

まきちらして
だらしなくアウト・ブルーズ!

そうでもない国まで
ふらりとゆくだろう
アウト・ブルーズ!
アウト・ブルーズ!
まきちらして
だらしなくアウト・ブルーズ!
アウト・ブルーズ! ブルーズ!

アウト・ブルーズ!

どうでもない谷間で
ぐらりとくるだろう
アウト・ブルーズ!
アウト・ブルーズ!
まきちらして
だらしなくアウト・ブルーズ!
アウト・ブルーズ!

アウト・ブルーズ!
アウト・ブルーズ!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Thee Michelle Gun Elephant's song "アウト・ブルーズ" (Out Blues) are short and repetitive, conveying a sense of aimlessness and detachment. The phrases "聞こえない谷までぶらりとゆくだろう" (I will casually go to the valley where I can't hear anything) and "なんでもない街までだらりとゆくだろう" (I will lazily go to an ordinary town) suggest a carefree attitude towards life, as if the singer is drifting through different places without a specific purpose or destination. The repetition of "アウト・ブルーズ" throughout the song further emphasizes this sense of detachment and aimlessness.

The lines "まきちらしてだらしなくアウト・ブルーズ" (Scattering and carelessly out of blues) paint a picture of someone who is throwing away responsibilities and obligations, embracing a free-spirited lifestyle. This could be seen as a rebellious act against societal norms or a desire to escape from the pressures and expectations of everyday life. The repeated refrain of "アウト・ブルーズ" at the end reinforces the idea of living outside the bounds of conformity and routine.

Overall, "アウト・ブルーズ" expresses a sense of freedom and nonchalance, capturing the spirit of someone who embraces a carefree and aimless existence, detached from societal expectations.

Line by Line Meaning

聞こえない谷まで
Inaudible, as if wandering off into a valley

ぶらりとゆくだろう
Casually going about, aimlessly

アウト・ブルーズ!
Out blues!

なんでもない街まで
To an insignificant town

だらりとゆくだろう
Slouching, lazily strolling

アウト・ブルーズ!
Out blues!

まきちらして
Scattering around

だらしなくアウト・ブルーズ!
Messily, with no care, out blues!

そうでもない国まで
To a not-so-interesting country

ふらりとゆくだろう
Casually wandering, nonchalantly

アウト・ブルーズ!
Out blues!