The band was originally conceived as a one-off studio project by Hosono, the other two members being recruited session musicians - the idea was to produce an album fusing orientalist exotica (cf their cover version of Martin Denny's Firecracker) with modern electronics. However , the first album (with its cutting-edge production) was very popular, and the studio project grew into a fully fledged touring band and career for its three members.
Making abundant use of new synthesizers, samplers, digital and computer recording technology as it became available, their popularity and influence extended beyond Japan. Generally, the band was highly regarded as electronic pioneer and continues to be remixed and sampled by modern artists. The members have also worked with European synth/new romantic artists, such as David Sylvian of the band Japan. The single Bamboo Houses is one such example (Sylvian/Sakamoto).
The band stopped working together by 1984, the three members returning to their solo careers. They released a one-off reuinion album, Technodon, in 1993.
The early 2000s saw Hosono & Takahashi reunited in a project called Sketch Show. On the occasions when Sakamoto joined them in concerts, they called themselves Human Audio Sponge (HAS). The band played Rydeen at the 2007 Live Earth concert in Kyoto, Japan. They released two new singles that summer under the band name of HASYMO, an updated version of Rydeen and the new song Rescue.
Read more here.
The Madmen
Yellow Magic Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hear the madmen call
Walk in the forest, what do I see
A wooden house in the trees
I can feel people here and there
But I can't see a wall anywhere
Every time I look away
Every time I look away
Every time I look away
I hear the madmen call
Hear the madmen call
Hear the madmen call
I walk on looking for something new
A lake comes into view
I can feel the spirits call
I look around, but there's no wall
Every time I look away
Every time I look away
I hear the madmen call
I cross the lake to the other side
A spirit hands me a meteorite
I throw it down and walk some more
But I don't see no wall at all
Every time I look away
Every time I look away
Every time I look away
Every time I look away
I hear the madmen call
Hear the madmen call
Every time I look away
I'm swallowed up again
Every time I look away
I'm staring at a wall
Every time I look away
Look away
Every time I look away
I hear the madmen call
The song "The Madmen" by Yellow Magic Orchestra is a poetic journey through a forest, where the singer experiences strange and surreal encounters that both fascinate and terrify him. The opening lines "Hear the madmen call, hear the madmen call" set the tone for the song, as if warning the listener that what is to come is not entirely sane or rational. The singer walks through a forest and comes upon a wooden house in the trees, sensing that people are there but unable to see any walls. This juxtaposition of the tangible and the intangible, of what can be seen and what can only be felt, creates a sense of unease and confusion.
The singer continues his journey and comes across a lake, which he feels is calling out to him. Again, there is a sense of something otherworldly at play, with the singer perceiving spirits but unable to locate any tangible evidence. Finally, he is handed a meteorite by a spirit and throws it down, only to find himself unable to see any walls. This repetition of the phrase "Every time I look away, I hear the madmen call" adds to the sense of confusion and unease, suggesting that the singer's experiences are not entirely under his control and that there are mysterious, invisible forces at work.
Overall, "The Madmen" is a haunting and dreamlike song that explores themes of perception, reality, and the mysterious workings of the mind. It is a testament to the imaginative powers of Yellow Magic Orchestra and their ability to craft a complex, evocative world through music.
Line by Line Meaning
Hear the madmen call
The singer is beginning to hear crazed individuals calling out to them.
Hear the madmen call
The calls from the madmen continue.
Walk in the forest, what do I see
In the forest, the singer comes across a wooden house among the trees.
A wooden house in the trees
The artist sees a house constructed from wood on a high point in the trees.
I can feel people here and there
The artist senses the presence of others around them.
But I can't see a wall anywhere
Despite looking for one, the singer cannot find any walls in the area.
Every time I look away
Whenever the singer turns their gaze somewhere else,
Every time I look away
This action is repeated.
Every time I look away
Again, whenever the artist shifts their gaze elsewhere,
Every time I look away
The same thing continues to happen.
I hear the madmen call
The crazed individuals continue to call out to the singer.
Hear the madmen call
Reiteration of the madmen's calls.
I walk on looking for something new
Continuing his journey, the singer searches for something different.
A lake comes into view
The singer sees a body of water ahead of them.
I can feel the spirits call
The singer senses the call of supernatural beings.
I look around, but there's no wall
Despite looking all around, the artist cannot see any walls.
Every time I look away
Whenever the artist shifts their gaze elsewhere,
Every time I look away
The same thing is recurring.
I hear the madmen call
The calls from crazed individuals persist.
I cross the lake to the other side
The artist traverses the body of water in order to reach the other side.
A spirit hands me a meteorite
A supernatural being places a space rock in the artist's hand.
I throw it down and walk some more
The artist discarded the meteor and continues on their journey.
But I don't see no wall at all
Despite searching, the singer fails to find any walls.
Every time I look away
Each time the artist takes their eyes away,
Every time I look away
The same thing is repeated.
Every time I look away
Again, whenever the singer shifts their view elsewhere,
Every time I look away
The same thing continues to occur.
I hear the madmen call
The crazed individuals continue to call out to the artist.
Hear the madmen call
The chorus reiterates the calls from madmen.
Every time I look away
Whenever the singer turns their gaze somewhere else,
I'm swallowed up again
The singer loses direction and gets consumed by surroundings again.
Every time I look away
The same thing persists whenever the artist shifts their focus elsewhere.
I'm staring at a wall
The confusion and madness lead to the artist now appearing to see a wall in front of them.
Every time I look away
Again, whenever the artist turns their eyes elsewhere,
Look away
They are instructed to shift their gaze elsewhere.
Every time I look away
This same thing occurs.
I hear the madmen call
The calls from crazed individuals continue to manifest.
Writer(s): Peter Barakan, Haruomi Hosono Copyright: Medium Inc.
Contributed by Nathaniel C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@user-nw9og6ie7m
mad manいつ聞いてもサイコーです。時を超えた名曲なので、もっと評価されてもいいと思います。
@user-mq3fr6hu3k
細野さんの曲全てに共通している特徴だけど、攻めてても上品さが崩れない
@timez32
これ本当はMUDMANなんですよね。
スピリチュアルな歌なんだ。
@6lobeta
1983年の昔でこのビートは信じがたい。クラフトベルグのヨーロッパ特急なみにRAWでかつ未来いっているドラム。
@user-zp3kv9gu8l
細野さんの発音は素晴らしい❗
ベースはとにかく上手い‼️
@ZGOBL
Hosonoism in its pure form. Love it !
@user-bp3ic9sc3b
サービスの中で一番好き、あっさり
として歯切れ良く終わる感じが。
@user-hg7xj5rk4d
ベースがとにかくカッコいいしうまい。散会コンサートでも同水準でした。
@user-ry5wn9gm9k
これほんとすき
@rudao335
ベースがかっこいい