“Tiki Bun”
Coupled with “Shaba Daba Doo” and “Mikaeri Bijin”
Release date: October 15, 2014
Oricon Weekly placement: 2nd
Members: Ayumi Ishida, Erina Ikuta, Haruka Kudo, Haruna Iikubo, Kanon Suzuki, Masaki Sato, Mizuki Fukumura, Riho Sayashi, Sakura Oda, Sayumi Michishige
With so much focus put on formation dances, it’s been quite a while since Morning Musume introduced a catchy move in their choreography waiting to be imitated, like, say, the ninja-star gesture of “Renai Revolution 21.” The idols pantomime a DJ in “Tiki Bun” to presumably allude to its nonsensical title, which reads like a poor man’s attempt at beat-boxing a scratching routine. The group collectively lean on one ear of their imaginary headphones and furiously run their nonexistent LP back.
The cutting and scratching actually connects well with the sample-happy production. Microscopic pieces of filtered vocals are meticulously cut and arranged, similar to the manner of the piano riffs of “Toki Wo Koe, Sora Wo Koe,” but also like a more fine-point take on techniques showcased in an UK garage or a French house single. The breakdown of “Tiki Bun” in particular reminds me of something like the vocal splicing of Daft Punk’s “Face to Face” or, if you want to think domestically, Perfume’s “Nee.”
The DJ gesture is also an extension of the main musical gag of “Tiki Bun.” “To myself, who runs away from everything without doing anything — tiki bun, tiki bun,” the idols sing during the last verse, and the titular line punctuates the lyric as they rewind the record for a do-over. They also freely take advantage of the lack of meaning behind the titular phrase, standing in as if it’s a censor for an expletive for instance in the next line: “That person who takes only the good parts — tiki bun, tiki bun,” they mutter about a nuisance of a rival.
However playful “Tiki Bun” may seem, Morning Musume tackle the single with the same level of seriousness and conviction as they have with their previous singles. “Tiki Bun” is yet another classic Colorful-era song about self-progress and the group’s well-defined code of ethics. “Even if it goes up in flames, I won’t be afraid/ If everything you say isn’t a lie, then that’s fine/ You’re the one who created it anyway,” they sing in the chorus with all the members linked arm to arm. They might talk smack or throw a fit on the side, but they reason it’s only what every person does.
More than the scratching gestures or the meaninglessness of tiki bun, what comes across the silliest in “Tiki Bun” is how dramatic they jump from idea to idea while they discuss their topic of progress. A segue doesn’t seem to be a necessary tool for Morning Musume, and their perspective wildly shifts as they cover different personal problems. They caution themselves about wanting what they can’t have — a petty offense compared to the rest of their issues — and then suddenly bicker about the egotistic nature of the entire human species. “The ocean, the sky, the mountains, they are all crying,” they sing in disappointment.
If “Tiki Bun” is not your first Morning Musume single, this should be nothing new. We recently encountered this lack of a segue shifting in perspective from the personal to the world at large in “Egao Wa Kimi No Taiyousa” with how the small gestures can impact the whole of humanity. This similar lack of divide between big and small as well as the essential to the trivial built character for the group’s classics such as “Love Machine,” “Renai Revolution 21,” and “The Peace.” “Tiki Bun” simply follows tradition by thinking out loud about the good of humanity without a concern for wit or poise.
However, even after going through 60-plus singles for this blog, and spending several months with their music, I remain speechless whenever I encounter this specific defining feature of Morning Musume songs. The natural beat of a conversation not only escapes them but seem to also hold them back to say what they want to say and say it how they wish to say it. Hyperbole doesn’t seem to exist for this group because for them, every experience exists in the same plane of significance. Their aside about the rising human population in “Tiki Bun” was one of the audacious lyrics that inspired me to begin this blog, so I can freak out in length about how ridiculous they sound singing it yet how they make it work. Years after encountering it, I’m still astonished at what they’ve done.
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