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Musical Lesson 100: Globe - Sweet Heart

Greetings all~ It has been a while since our last Musical Lesson. It’s been a little under 2 years! You might be wondering, what has Genki-Sensei been up to? I am currently working as a school psychologist in a special-needs preschool. I passed my psychology licensing exam (EPPP) a few months ago, so I will be a licensed psychologist by the end of Summer! While I haven’t been posting Musical Lessons, I have been sharing pics from my Instagram here on the blog. The pictures are not really connected with “Fun with Japanese,” the title of the blog, but I felt like I needed to post something to show that I’m still alive and active lol ^_^’’ I’m not sure how many of you are still following this blog, but I do appreciate any readers =)

This Musical Lesson is a big one, it’s Lesson 100!!! I originally had Lesson 100 and further lessons planned out… but with the start of my full-time internship and dissertation writing, I decided to leave the blog as is (I know, anticlimactic). By the time I was ready to return to the blog, the times changed and the zeal I had to translate and interpret Japanese music waned. This attitude is quite ironic considering the fiery passion of the most recent songs translated. The best way to explain it is that I internalized a lot of that fire into a nurturing inner flame. In my most recent Musical Lessons, I connect that flame with spirituality and faith. My spirituality and faith was tested greatly during these past 2 years... Especially now during this global pandemic, I need to rely more and more on this inner flame to stay positive and resilient for the people in my life; including the teachers, parents, and children I work with on a daily basis.

The main themes I was covering in previous lessons were “Love” and “Freedom.” I also attempted to bridge how love is connected to spiritual freedom in the context of music and Japanese culture. If you have been with me since the earliest Musical Lessons, you have seen how Buddhist philosophy is interwoven into Japanese culture, especially since Buddhism arrived in Japan in the 6th century, and is the most representative spiritual tradition in Japan (alongside Shintoism). While Japanese music may not explicitly refer to a form of spiritual practice, the words and the images the words convey can allude to spiritual practice (i.e., towards liberation or freedom). You can see this in action in songs like Brand New Day and Sayonara (the last Puffy song I translated). This spirituality can be embodied in a non-religious way, and can be used to express the beauty of love (as seen in Mauve ～color of love～), or in the appreciation of music (as seen in Melody).

For today’s Musical Lesson, I will continue with the themes of Love and Freedom. We had discussed previously that The Word Love has the power to set you free (according to the Beatles as least!) We will explore if this is always tue in today’s analysis of Sweet Heart by Globe. Look forward to the lesson ~

Thankfully the song is available on YouTube HERE. I found Romanji for the lyrics HERE. Since I was unable to find the Japanese lyrics, I scanned and uploaded the Japanese lyrics HERE. My English translations below.

Like this also, no matter when

The real rising thing was but one moment

Crying appearance, genuinely believed

Ignored the unceasing ringing phone

Tears flowed for a long time into the current

The scene of a long, drawn-out torrent of rain

In secret washed away the unaccustomed amusement.

More comfortable than being left out

TRUST & LOVE , a prolonged contradiction.

Heart’s graffiti easily erased

LABYRINTH OF RULES

Route to Paradise

Searched for Paradise, easily found

Many years wandered about, lost, and bewildered

Hidden away, transformed, and frightening

If had recognized, you disappeared from my side

No matter how far I search, even if inquire to anyone

That everyday is outcome of love

Being tested and the like, and no matter the hurt feelings

Being see-through, like feeling transparent

A vanishing, forgotten presence

Early memories vanish

Until recently, SWEAT HEART right near

Who in the world hid our picture...

Always in pictures

You are giving a gentle smile

Just now, heard the answering machine

Why are you angry? Distrusting?

You won’t speak personally

Personally... you won’t be able to be in touch

Without saying anything

Slip into the bed

Make clear your quietly sleeping breath

Even now the dawn is like this ambiance

Why do you close your eyes?

Why are you still waiting?

SWEET DREAMS

No matter what, not vanishing

A restful dream

A comfortable phrase

SWEET AND SOUR

Please don’t go and vanish

Memories of a distant day

Promise of a distant day

SWEET HEART stay the same

Even after a year, a gentle and lovely dream

Please, it’s okay not to like (me)

Please don’t be apart from another different person

The beating of my heart is too loud

Too painful damaged heart

SO outrageous, even the quiet unhappiness

Too intense, your pursued circumstances

The short hand and the long hand of a clock

When they overlap, again the loneliness

Memories of early cat chest

Vanished, forgotten, recalled

Everyday walk the same rail

Vacantly enjoy the same dream

SWEET HEART

Love is both of our feelings

Around too sorrowful, play with it

It’s supposed to heal slowly but

Without knowing why, can’t sleep quickly

SWEET HEART

LOOKING AROUND

TOMORROW

SWEET HEART

HEALING ALL YOUR SORROW

Break through the stagnation

Why don’t we walk alongside the riverbank?

When no one is around, why when alone

Not shedding tears, if cry again need to rely on someone

Why are you sometimes afraid

To tell the difficult words to me?

I will hold your tender, cute feelings

Even now I feel them

HEART BEAT too loud

The beat of your heart, the noise of society also

HEART BREAK, a too painful state

Injured state, even if minor message

HEART SICK, a sad smiling face

Silently vanishing, also silent conclusion

HEART STRINGS, a wound too deep

The long desired affection

Met with excessive sympathy.

Ooooo Ahhh x 4

SWEET HEART stay the same

Even after a year, a gentle and lovely dream

Please, it’s okay not to like (me)

Please don’t be apart from another different person

~ Lines to Note ~

The first difficult phrase to translate comes in the beginning with たってたほん (tatteta hon). This is all in hiragana, so kanji and meaning of the line isn't directed. 'Tachimasu' usually refers to standing or rising up, and the verb conjugation indication that this was a continuous action of the past. 'Hon' can refer to to a “book; volume,” “main; head,” or “real; regular.” This line was translated as “The real rising thing was.”

The next difficult word to translate is 慰め (nagusame). This word can be translated as comfort, consolation, or amusement. Like many Japanese words, the feeling of 'nagusame' is a combination of all the meanings, so translating as either comfort or amusement doesn't fully express the meaning.

The next word 楽 (raku) carries the same conundrum. The word can be translated as comfort, ease, at peace, without trouble, relaxation, etc. While an English word translation gives an idea of the word, the feeling of the word is more broad and is used in the word for music 音楽 (ongaku) and paradise (楽園). When used twice in 楽楽 (raku raku), it denotes something done “easily or comfortably.” The word ‘raku’ can be also be used in the word 'rakugaki,' which is translated as graffiti.

The character 楽 (raku) is also used in the song for words used to denote paradise 楽土 (rakudo) and 楽園 (rakuen). 'Rakudo' is a combination of comfortable/peaceful and soil/earth; so a worldly paradise. “Rakuen” is a combination of comfortable/peaceful and garden. Rakuen is the term to used to describe Eden, or the Heavenly Garden in Islam; so it is a heavenly paradise.

The phrase that was a little difficult to translate was 成り行きの恋 (nariyuki no koi). The word 'koi' refers to romantic love that is often short, intense, and similar to what we can call a crush in the West. Now 'nariyuki” refers to “a course (of events); development; progress; outcome; or result.” The phrase was translated as “outcome of love,” but a “progression of a crush” could be an alternative translation.

One word I wanted to point out is the word 傷つく(kizutsuku), which can refer to a physical would or injury, or injured feelings.

Another word is 早すぎる (hayasugiru), which means “premature, untimely (e.g., death), and too early.”

Another phrase I wanted to point out is 変わらずにいて (kawarazeni ite). The phrase literally means to exist without changing. It was translated as “stay the same” to remain more colloquial.

The phrase 深すぎる求めすぎた状況 (fukasugiru motomesugita jyoukyou ). Was tough to translate. The word 'fukai' can mean “deep, profound, dense/thick, close (relationship), intense/strong, or late. The word 'motomeru' means “to want/wish for, to request/to demand, to seek / to search for / to pursue. And 'jyoukyou' means the “state of affairs (surrounding someone), situation, or circumstances. The grammar to show excess is used after 'fukai' and 'motomeru,” so the situation or circumstance is excessively deep/profound and excessively desired (whether it is actively pursued or just wished for is uncertain). The phrase was translated as “Too intense, your pursued circumstances.”

The phrase 渋滞を抜け出し (juutai wo nukedashi) is interesting to translate. The word 'juutai' is mostly referred to traffic congestion (or to delay or stagnation) and 'nukedashi' means “to break free and slip out,” which makes sense in this context of the sentence, but makes less sense when interpreted literally in the song. The line was translated as Break through the stagnation” to reflect the congested thoughts of the male singer.

The phrase つらい言葉 (tsurai kotoba) is also another difficult phrase to translate. 'tsurai' can refer to more emotional hardship that is painful and bitter, tough or difficult situations, and also can refer to cruel, harsh, or cold things. 'Kotoba' mean “language, words, or speech.” The phrase was translated as “difficult words,” but “painful expressions” could also work.

The line 心臓の鼓動　世間の雑音も (shinzou no kodou. Seken no zatsuonmo) was interesting to translate. 'Shinzou no kodou' literally means “heartbeat,” which was stated in English in the line prior to this one. The word 'seken' means world, society, the public and the word 'zatsuon' means “(unpleasant) noise / static or noise / or gossip or irresponsible criticism. The final particle of 'mo' indicates that this unpleasant noise is an addition to the sound of the heart. The line was translated as “The beat of your heart, the noise of society also.”

The last phrase I will take note of is 求めすぎた愛情 (motomesugita aijou). The verb 'motomeru' refers to a broad range of desire; from “to want or to wish for,” / “to request or to demand,” “to seek, to search for, to pursue (pleasure), or to hunt (i.e, for a job). This verb is conjugated with the addition of 'sugita,' which means that this desire was in excess. What is desired is 'aijou,' which means “love; affection.” The difficulty in translating this phrase is the extent the singer is active or passive in this pursuit of affection. The phrase was translated as “The long desired affection,” but “The long pursued affection” can also work and invokes a different level of effort (which can impact how this line resonates with an English speaker).

~ Analysis ~

To start things off, I think its important to mention that there are two distinct voices in this song. There is the male and female singer; however, their gender isn't emphasized through their words. I will refer to the singers as male and female so it is easier to understand who I am referring too. Technically, the female could have sung the male's lines, and vice-versa, and essentially the song would be the same. As usual, I will analyze section by section followed by more in depth themes.

The song begins with some fast paced techno beats followed by the male singing in line with the tempo. He starts the song with “Like this also, and no matter when” which indicates that how he feels in the beginning of the song is a continuation of some prior experience of feeling (which we will learn later on that it is the feeling of heart break). The singer continues and mentioned that something was rising and building, but it was only for a moment (likely the relationship referred to later). It appears that the singer's trust was shattered, as they truly believed someone's crying appearance. The male is so distraught, he ignores the unceasing phone calls coming in. The male is deeply saddened by these turn of events and cries a stream of tears for a long time. The male compares their tears to a heavy down pour of rain, indicating that this sadness and tears were building up prior to his current sadness. Next the singer provides some details about their predicament. The male indicates that he was engaging in behavior that he didn't particular enjoy, but being left out or ostracized by the group was the worse option. So the singer made the easier or more comfortable choice of washing away the uneasy decisions in secret. The male singer than states TRUST & LOVE (spoken in English), are prolonged contradictions. This is likely a projection of his own inner conflicts.

As mentioned above in ~Lines to Note~ the word 'raku' is used frequently in the song and denotes ease and comfort. Next the male singer continues on and mentions that the graffiti (rakugaki) on their heart is easily or comfortably (raku-raku) erased. This represents some inner turmoil as this writing on the heart is supposed to be enjoyable, but the singer still erases it. He then states LABYRINTH OF RULES (in English) and then connects this to a route to paradise. The 'raku' that motivates his willingness to tolerate peers is the same 'raku' that is paradise on earth (rakudo), and the same 'raku' that is paradise in heaven (rakuen). Likely due to this simplistic understanding of comfort and ease, the singer erroneously states that they easily or comfortable (raku-raku) find heaven.

The male singer continues and indicates that they spent many years wandering about, lost and bewildered. The singer retreated into their shell, changed from who they were previously, and is now frightened. This change comes in part due to the disappearance of some partner. No matter where the singer searches or who they ask, this persona cannot be found and the singer is told this is the general outcome of love. The singer then is challenged and tested, and experiences injury and hurt feelings. They soon feel like a see-through, vanishing presence. Even their early or premature memories start to vanish. This SWEAT HEART the singer had also vanished and it appears their picture together has disappeared.

The song now transition to the female singer, who offers a more nuanced and up-beat perspective. She comments how the male is always gently smiling in his pictures. She also comments on the answering machine, indicating the the male is purposefully closing himself off. She calls him out and asks directly why he is angry, and why he is distrusting. She basically calls him out for his negative tone lol. She indicates that the male singer is not speaking directly or personally from his perspective. Without being personal or direct, he won't be able to be in touch with people or reality. As a side note, being indirect with speech and communication is considered typical Japanese mannerisms (as compared to the U.S and the West where we are more direct with our thoughts and feelings).

Next, without using excess words or language, she invites the male to slip into bed. She recognized his quiet, sleeping breaths. She asks why he closes his eyes to the ambiance of the dawn. What is he still waiting for? (BTW, the song doesn’t hint that these two singers have a sexual relationship).

Next the female singer mentions SWEET DREAMS (in English). She indicates that they don't ever vanish. They are like restful dreams, a comfortable phrase, like SWEET AND SOUR (in English). Next the female singer tells the male singer not to vanish. She tries to have the male singer recall memories of some far away distant day, and memories of some far away or distant promise. She then asks for SWEET HEART (in English) to stay the same. Even after a year passed, the dream is still gentle and lovely. Even if the male singer doesn't like her, she does not mind. She wants the male singer to not be apart from their special someone, even if it is a different person.

The song transitions back to the male singer, still amp’d up. The male singer indicates that the beating of their heart is too loud. He indicates how his heart is too damaged; even the unhappiness he is quiet about is outrageous. Next the male singer provides one detail about their pain, in that their partner or sweetheart desires or longs for intense circumstances (basically, the sweat heart might be extremely needy). The male singers needs aren't being met, so he feels lonely when ever the hand of clocks meet (which is all the time). The singer recalls memories of a cat, who had vanished (possibly some of his past memories with this partner). Everyday he walks along the same rail and vacantly enjoy the same simple dream. Next the singer point out to SWEET HEART (in English) that love is both of their feelings. The feelings are too sorrowful for the male singer, so he plays with it. It is supposed to heal slowly. Unsure the reason why, the male singer can't sleep quickly. The male singer ends his singing with his continuous search for his SWEET HEART, and wanting to HEAL ALL YOUR SORROW. This indicates that the male singer is still retaining some positive attitude and dedications towards this sweetheart.

The song transitions back to the female singer. Further aware of his repetitive and stagnant thoughts, she invites him to walk alongside the river bank. She points out how he does not shed tears, even when he is alone. She mentions that when he cries, he needs to learn to rely on someone. She asks the male singer why he is sometimes afraid to tell difficult words to her. The female singer holds the male singer's tender and cute feelings, and even now feels their vibrant feelings.

Feeling and experiencing these emotions, the female singer's HEART BEAT is too loud. She points out how the male singer's heart beat is also loud, and likewise the unpleasant noise of society is also loud. She then points out how HEART BREAK is a very painful state. Even if it is an injury, it is a small message we can learn from. She again validates the feeling of HEART SICK, and the male singer's sad smiling face. Furthermore, she understands the feelings of wanting to silently vanish, and the silent conclusion the male singer reached. Next she mentions how HEART STRINGS are a deep wound. There is the long desire for affection, and instead of affection being returned, there is excessive sympathy towards the male singer.

The song concludes with the female singer repeating for SWEAT HEART to stay the same. She again acknowledges that their dream is gentle and lovely. Moreover, she again urges the male singer not to be apart from someone, even if it is not the female singer.

On to deeper themes~ I will discuss three main topics. The first being trauma. The second topic is the importance of relying on someone. The third topic is how this song relates to over arching themes of love and freedom.

First off trauma. Ohhhhh boy, the male singer is really going through a lot of pain and suffering. Earlier they were crying up a storm, and at times they can't even shed a tear because they are being defensive. It appears that this man experienced some form of passionate love (koi) with someone that they considered a sweetheart. Problem is, this sweetheart appears to be very needy and did not strive to satisfy the needs of the singer. As such, the singer had to change themselves to be present for the sweetheart. This forced change made them feel like a contradiction and they learned to secretly wash away conflicting feelings. What's tragic is after all this effort, this apparent sweetheart suddenly disappears from the singer's life. In response, the male singer becomes even more detached from their self and feels a vanishing and forgotten presence. In the midst of all this pain and sadness of heartbreak; in the end, the male singer wants to heal all of the sorrow of the sweetheart, and not even their own sorrow. Talk about trauma. :'( Yikes.

Now this is where the female singer comes in. She provides a more objective viewpoint on the experiences of the male singer. The easiest way to understand and interpret the female singer, is by seeing her in the role of a therapist, or spiritual friend. From this perspective, in becomes abundantly clear that the questions she asks and the recommendations she makes is to help the male singer recover from his trauma. She calls him out when he ignores phone calls. She point out how he isn't direct with his language. She herself is direct with her words and asks why he is angry and distrusting. She is fully aware of ruminating thoughts and tries to get him unstuck by asking him to tak walks and challenges his thoughts. Moreover, she demonstrates a lot of positive regard for the male singer (great quality for a therapist or spiritual-friend lol). She acknowledges his smile in the midst of his sadness. She finds his feelings to be tender and cute (and somewhat innocent when you consider his trauma). She empathizes with him, and experiences the same too-loud heartbeat. However, she is mature enough to know that heartbreak is a painful lesson that we need to use it to grow. She is trying to reach the male singer and validate that his tender feelings for love and affection are not inherently wrong, and he should not change his dream or this part of himself. He needs to continue onward for love and affection, but it does not have to come solely from her. She wants him to be more connected with others, and likewise not feel like a translucent, vanishing presence or ghost. Hence its important for him to learn how to rely on others. At the very least, he needs to pick up phone calls or hear his answering machine!

The last topic I wanted to bring out is how this song relates with our theme of love and freedom. In our last Musical Lesson, I stated we would examine what would happen if we decline to accept the extended hands of spiritual friends, guides, teachers, etc. In this song, the male singer stated they spent many years wandering about, lost, and bewildered in their search for paradise. It appears that the male singer had good intentions towards his sweetheart (wanting her to be happy, free of sorrow, etc). These strong positive feelings are often associated with “love.” In this song, the singer felt 'koi' for his sweetheart, which is an intense passionate love. This intense passionate love of koi isn't freedom; and in actuality, it can chain us down and limit our comprehension of love. This is what happened to the male singer. The comfort and ease he felt from this passionate love, he incorrectly associated it with the peace and love of paradise. Hence why in the song, he sings he easily or comfortably found heaven. He didn't find heaven, he actually got wrapped up in his own illusion of heaven (which is not freedom). Wrapped up in his thoughts, he wandered for years searching for this comfort and ease... all the while carrying the burning stake of heartbreak with him. It is very sad to hear the struggles the singer had to go through... this is why I use the word trauma. Trauma impacts the way we perceive (or mis-perceive) reality. Likewise, if we experienced trauma in our pursuit of love, our perception or limited experience of love can chain us instead of freeing us.

What is the love that can free us? I would argue it is the selfless love of the female singer towards the male singer. She does not care if the male singer likes her, she just want him to open up and be able to rely on others. Moreover, she simply wants him to have SWEET DREAMS. She does not want his gentle and lovely dreams to vanish. She even reminds him of memories and a promise of a distant day. This attitude of care reminds of the singers from Negai, who also present a selfless love. I would argue that love with the quality of freedom would uplift us, and would bring peace and harmony to our lives. Songs such as Peace & Happiness and Be Love invoke those feelings. Even in Sweet Heart, I would argue when the female singer invokes these uplifting feelings when she is singing about heart break and heart strings. While the heart as an instrument may generate feelings of profound sadness when out of tune, but when strung by the right person, it lifts our spirits and brings greater faith and harmony to our worldly and heavenly endeavors.

Whoosh! I can talk on and on about this, but I will refrain. I think its important to develop a broad understanding of love, across various cultures, East and West. While love has the power to free us, it also has the ability to chain us. It is important to reflect and understand our own personal journey, and all the trauma and triumphant we experienced along that road. Don't be afraid to reach out to others if you need help or support! Hope you all are staying safe and healthy~ ^_^''

~ Poetry ~

Beautiful music

Tapping the very same well

Coloring our world