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/

ダニー・ゴー
Thee Michelle Gun Elephant Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

狂い咲く坂道笑い出す口笛
どこからか聞こえては消えてゆく
色ひからびた空を焼きつける

なだらかな坂道吐き捨てた口笛
どこからか聞こえては埋め尽くす
色ひからびた空に焼きつける

振り返らず錆びた風は続くだろう

狂い咲く坂道笑い出す口笛
どこからか聞こえては消えてゆく
色ひからびた空を焼きつける

振り返らず錆びた風は続くだろう
ざらつくダニー
かき鳴らしていくんだろう

ダニー・ゴーダニー・ゴー
ダニー・ゴーダニー・ゴー
ダニー・ゴーダニー・ゴー
ダニー・ゴーダニー・ゴー
ダニー・ゴーダニー・ゴー
ダニー・ゴーダニー・ゴー
ダニー・ゴーダニー・ゴー
ダニー・ゴーダニー・ゴー
振り返らず錆びた風は続くだろう

ざらつくダニー
かき鳴らしていくんだろう

Overall Meaning

The song "Danny Go" by Thee Michelle Gun Elephant is about embracing life and moving forward without dwelling on the past. The first two stanzas describe a steep hill with a withered sky, and a gentle slope with a similar sky, where a whistle is heard and then disappears. The singer of the song is encouraged to keep going and not look back, as the rusty wind will continue to blow.

The chorus repeats the words "Danny Go" multiple times, creating a sense of urgency and encouragement to keep moving. The final stanza refers to a rough, gritty sound, possibly that of a guitar or an engine revving, that will continue to push forward.

The overall message seems to be one of perseverance and determination in the face of difficulty, and not allowing oneself to be held back by regret or nostalgia. The imagery and symbolism used in the lyrics add to the song's emotional impact.

Line by Line Meaning

狂い咲く坂道笑い出す口笛
A wildly blooming hillside with a laughing whistle

どこからか聞こえては消えてゆく
Heard from somewhere and then disappearing

色ひからびた空を焼きつける
Burning into the discolored sky

なだらかな坂道吐き捨てた口笛
A gentle hillside with a spit-out whistle

どこからか聞こえては埋め尽くす
Heard from somewhere and then filling up

色ひからびた空に焼きつける
Burning into the discolored sky

振り返らず錆びた風は続くだろう
Without looking back, the rusty wind will continue

ざらつくダニー
Scratchy Danny

かき鳴らしていくんだろう
Will probably continue scratching and ringing

ダニー・ゴーダニー・ゴー
Danny go, Danny go

振り返らず錆びた風は続くだろう
Without looking back, the rusty wind will continue