Every once in a while I come up with a pretty good topic (I think) and most of the time, I'm just a waste of space. I think I'm due for a good topic, and I'm just curious what you guys think of some songs when you're not listening to the lyrics.

This should be pretty easy since most of us don't understand Japanese; our first impressions are purely based on the kind of mood we get from the song.

I always thought many pillows songs were happy and upbeat, but then, after discovering this website, I discovered that it's pretty much the exact opposite of what I thought.

One of the pillows' strongest atributes is their ability to convey emotions through music alone (they give a shit) whereas a chinese-only speaker could listen to Fallout Boy all day and not get any idea of what the song is about.

Often I will listen to a pillows song and discover by reading the translation that I didn't need the lyrics at all.

yeah. before i learned any japanese, i connected with the pillows because of teh sheer emotion in songs such as hybrid rainbow, fool on the planet, carnival, etc.

their serious songs are from the heart, not the head.

Yeah, I know this, but I was asking for specifics and such like:

Man, when I listen to One Life, a feeling of nostalgia kinda sweeps over me, like how it's used in FLCL, because you can totally tell that Naota just wants to get the hell out of Mabase and I can totally relate to it, and One Life's rips and chorus just totally make me feel that way, and then when I saw the lyrics, it's just like wow and stuff.

[quote="sheerheartattack"]I always thought many pillows songs were happy and upbeat, but then, after discovering this website, I discovered that it's pretty much the exact opposite of what I thought.[/quote]

You goddamn summed it up for me..... I looked at so many of their songs differently when I know what the lyrics mean.

I often feel like Pillows songs convey the exact opposite of the lyrics, emotionally.

[quote="Joyeuse"]I often feel like Pillows songs convey the exact opposite of the lyrics, emotionally.[/quote]
robotman

[quote="lo-fi boy"][quote="Joyeuse"]I often feel like Pillows songs convey the exact opposite of the lyrics, emotionally.[/quote]
robotman[/quote]
I always thought the way they performed robotman was pefect with the lyrics, or at least pretty good. Sawao seems to bring this angst and at some points, a kind of monotone feel to the lyrics. And Sato's single pounding beat that occurs in the song goes perfect too.

[quote="Blank"]Yeah, I know this, but I was asking for specifics and such like:

Man, when I listen to One Life, a feeling of nostalgia kinda sweeps over me, like how it's used in FLCL, because you can totally tell that Naota just wants to get the hell out of Mabase and I can totally relate to it, and One Life's rips and chorus just totally make me feel that way, and then when I saw the lyrics, it's just like wow and stuff.[/quote]

I think right after I starting listening to all the songs by themselves, I still would get the feeling I did when I was watching FLCL and the music and the scene were blending beautifully into each other. Like the first time I heard "bran-new lovesong" played at the beginning I just fell in love. But I believe soon after that it was just the music itself that was so wonderful, sad, kickass, or just awesome. Maybe I paint my own sort of picture with the music, even if its on a sub-conscious level. Like sometimes when I listen to "last dinosaur" I try to think of the most kick-you-in-the-balls-awesome music video or just something that represents the energy of the song so well. I think now after reading the lyrics to their songs, that some leave more of an impression or evoke more feeling than they once did. I don't think that I really have fell in love with songs that I didnt like before because of the lyrics, however.
I agree 100% that the pillows are able to put such feeling into there music, that I don't even need to know the lyrics.
I have always felt that "Another Morning" is a good representation of this, although I could go on forever about the emotions of almost any other song of theirs.
.....shit, I have no fucking clue how they do it so well.

I seem too have a tendency too feel from a song with the exception of a few the same kind of emotion the lyrics are hinting at.

Maybe I interpret the lyrics differently, but alot of Pillows stuff I feel is optomistic and upbeat turns out too be when I read the lyrics. Sorta when you combine the words with the lyrics.

sick vibration

i dont really know how to describe that feeling that comes over me. i can kinda describe it as a kinda.....optimistic feeling (like what song of thiers doesnt covey that feeling) but more like "everythings alright" and just from the title....that life is pretty much a pretty sick (as in awesome) vibration that we all sorta follow through. thats what i think.

this is a pretty good topic by the way. pretty original. i never thought of listening to thier music that way. nice one blank.

"beautiful unusual side"

Good Morning Good News, for example. The song sounds upbeat, but I seem to recall the lyrics being sort of down.

One of the most simply glorious moments lyrically by the pillows is the last line of Crazy Sunshine's chorus:
"Nanimo fuan janai..." <"I've got no worries">, then it blasts back into the intro chords/or solo.

It's just...heavenly.

And I don't think the feel of ROBOTMAN and its lyrics are opposites. There's some genuine disappointment and desperation in the vocals.

[quote="GoldenRhino"]here's some genuine disappointment and desperation in the vocals.[/quote]

I don't get the people that say ROBOTMAN sounds upbeat. The song sounds almost frantic and crazed. Sawao sounds very distant and cold "like a robot", if that makes sense.