Translated by Gin

(Translator’s Note: Some may have not noticed this, but if you go into the Discography portion of YUI’s website and scroll down, you’ll find a link to a full-blown commentary on the Album. Each and every song is listed with credits. There’s a director’s commentary as well as a small paragraph for each song. There’s so much here I can’t translate it all at once, but I’ve managed to finish the director’s commentary. The link to the webpage is here.)

Director’s Comment

It’s impossible to measure the full extent of YUI’s talent with just her words and melodies. After hearing her sing, I don’t think anyone here doubts for a second that she was born to sing. However, she doesn’t think that you can make a song with just talent. Every musician puts a lot of hard work into their CD’s. The album’s title, “From Me To You”, comes from a 1963 Beatles work. She puts her own message into the title. I’ve participated in many works, but from when I met YUI at her audition until her debut, just her demonstrations have blown those away. Her music was inevitable. She weaves her worldview, “If there’s no music, one can’t live on” with her work everyday.

Track Commentary:

1. Merry・Go・Round
Lyrics: YUI
Music: YUI
Arrangement: YUI and northa+

This memorable song is the Album’s first track. Up to the very last minute, the song had the temporary title ‘Harajuku Song’. Since YUI was working on the tune and the arrangements all at the same time, we recorded the song in a “pre-professional” room below-ground. In the song, the speed increases suddenly when transitioning from the first melody to the second.　By the 2nd beat you’ve been ensnared by the rythm, and the 4th beat connects with the climax of the song. In the song, there is this rotating feeling of love that’s very much like a merry go round. It invokes the image of a heroine, singing while crying. While concealing YUI’s “Image of Harajuku”, the this song raises the curtain on the album with 8 beats.

(T/N: The last 5 sentences or so are VERY hard to understand. Please excuse me for the awkward and shaky translations.)

2. feel my soul
Lyrics: YUI
Music: YUI
Arrangement: Hideyuki Daichi Suzuki

Feel My Soul was the theme song for Fuji Broadcasting Co.’s Fukigen na Gene drama that played back in 2005 for a few months. Some have described it as a bitter, yet touching song, and as we all know it was YUI’s major debut. Just after, and I mean just, we’d completed the song’s general framework, the drama’s producer demanded lyrics, a new D melody, and a new pattern to the song’s interlude. We had to work hard to meet these demands. Following after the title, “Feel My Soul,” they made an arrangement that allowed you to “feel” that rush in the song. We had to do the song three times over before we got it to adequately fit with the drama’s melancholy spirit. After that it became a memorable hit indeed. (Feel My Soul was YUI’s Major Debut song. It released on February 23, 2005, and ranked #95 on the Oricon yearly charts.)

3. Ready to love
Lyrics: YUI, yukamatsumoto （ゆか松本）
Arrangement: Cozzi

This song is actually the work of Cozzi. She lives in Australia. It picks up on Tokyo’s subject. While listening to the demo tape, YUI herself said “This song is really cool”. She picked it up and wanted to write the lyrics for it. But Matsumoto-san had already written lyrics, so YUI refined them and we recorded under the title “Ready to Love.”

4. Swing of Lie
Lyrics: YUI
Music: YUI
Arrangement: Northa+

Somehow I felt the full extent of this song. The range and extent of the key was so wide it was problematic, and the melody was so sad that YUI couldn’t fully complete it. But somehow she was drawn in by it anyway. I think it was the line: “He said ‘I stopped lying,’ but the person he’d wounded hated him more.” The title, “Swing of lie,” is the keyword for lovers that were “in swing”, so to speak. It fully and truly expresses the kind of heartache the couple in the song is going through just before they break up. It also closely resembles the passions and love that just pass each other by when they should sit next to each other and dance. The violin and the viola finish the song so very well.

5. LIFE
Lyrics: YUI
Music: YUI
Arrangement: Northa+

This is only to a certain extent, but you know how in sports or video games, if the opponent or player you’re fighting can’t get any stronger, the game gets really boring really fast. It’s the same with life, hence YUI’s line: “Life isn’t simple. That’s why I can live on.” The song keeps building on itself from one chord to the next. Just after the modulation in the first part, the guitar’s riff becomes a distinct characteristic of the song. LIFE became the fifth ending of TV Tokyo’s nationally broadcast anime “Bleach”, as well as YUI’s third single. Thanks to this song we expanded our fan base quite a bit.

6. Blue wind
Lyrics: YUI
Music and Arrangement: Cozzi

You feel a lot of deep emotion when you listen to this song. Once again, Cozzi composed the song and YUI wrote the lyrics. Around the time this song was being composed, YUI was having some doubts about whether or not she was really singing for other people. She likens this song’s two choruses to be two different songs: one made by her and one created by those other people. It really was a sad time for her, but she overcame it little by little, and this song was built out of that.

7. I can’t say
Lyrics: YUI
Music and Arrangement: Cozzi

This song is Cozzi’s fourth work. No doubt more people will get excited about her work because of this song. Also, YUI often says things like “I like what I like,” and “The good ones are good,” and she sticks to her guns no matter what other people say. You can feel that strong sense of individuality in this song. The initial lyrics were that of a love song. Although she uses simple words, the rhyme of the song is so amazing that you can easily sympathize with the singer’s feelings.

8. Simply white
Lyrics: YUI
Music: YUI
Arrangement: Northa+

We always have a thought of things that we start on, but don’t finish. They tend to pile up rather quickly, and that’s what YUI sings about in this song. YUI cleaned out her desk when she moved to Tokyo: there were a lot of old things from her past. She remembered herself during those times and smiled wryly. But she said: “You get tired of them because they don’t go anywhere.” This title, “Simply White”…I guess it’s about those times when you can’t think of anything and your mind is blank…but does that really fit? Well, “Simply Red” wouldn’t really fit, you know…

9. Just my way
Lyrics: YUI, yukamatsumoto
Music: YUI
Arrangement: Northa+

We had great success with this number at the summer festival. We had a little break while recording the song, so YUI strummed her guitar, made up some lyrics on the spot, and sang them. She loved that, I think. The initial lyrics for “Just my Way”, written by yukamatsumoto, talked about those times when you’re leaving your house, but you can’t find your keys, so you can’t leave the house! And you’re making a lot of people wait because of it! YUI added some lyrics relating that to love later on. You find the right people by chance, so to speak… This is the first time we’ve made a song this way. Maybe there’s a change in the wind for us. “Sound” becomes Rock”! I want a copy of those “Guitar Kids!” (T/N: NO idea what they’re talking about here…)

10. Tomorrow’s way
Lyrics: YUI
Music: YUI
Arrangement: hideyuki Daichi suzuki

Tomorrow’s way was written as the theme song for the Shochiku film “Hinokio.” We saw the movie and talked to the director about it, afterwhich YUI went and wrote down several different tunes. After seeing the movie YUI felt the message of the movie was: “Real life is hard, but we still try to overcome it.” The song’s cords are amazing. YUI’s compositions are very well thought-out.

11. I know
Lyrics: YUI
Music: YUI
Arrangement: hideyuki Daichi suzuki

YUI released “I know” in her Independent single “It’s Happy Line,” which went on sale in December 2004. Only 2000 CD copies were made, but YUI continued to hand-sell the song at her Tenjin Station street performance until her debut. It’s quite a nostalgic work. (laughs) Very precious, you know…

12. Tokyo
Lyrics: YUI
Music: Cozzi
Arrangement: YUI, Cozzi

Tokyo is about YUI’s trip from Tokyo to Fukuoka in September of 2004. YUI and Cozzi listened to the first draft of this song one holiday morning, and YUI pulled out a few melodies and tunes she liked. YUI also said that she linked the melody with the very feelings she was feeling on that day. Just after YUI finished the lyrics, we gathered the staff and they watched YUI as she performed for the recording. Yes, we recorded the song just like that. There was a lot nervousness on both sides, if I remember correctly. But we also felt a lot of resolve and determination. We only added the piano and the raw guitar for the final release. It was a bit of a painful time for YUI…

13. Spiral & Escape
Lyrics: YUI
Music: YUI
Arrangement: Ikoman

When I listened to this song, I think I tasted a strange, mysterious feeling, one of “sitting in a dark corner and musing about the past.” YUI got a request to write a song for the album release, “Just for fun,” so she took up the request. And this song marks the arrival of our arranger “Ikoman.” It was a while before he’d noticed YUI’s music when I offered him the job. He said there was “pressure,” but at the same time he loved the offer. He looked forward to the difficulty of the song, and he exceeded our expectations wonderfully.

Everybody who works here instantly gains confidence in what YUI writes and makes. “Kindness without sacrifice isn’t worth anything,” and with that we wrap up the album commentary.

Bonus commentary:

It seems another message about the Album has been posted on YUI’s website, right under the first one. The page is here.

Here’s the first paragraph:

To all the people chasing their dreams:

YUI’s first album has been completed!

Has there ever been a truly “perfect” album? Without relying on fancy decorations or ornaments, YUI has created this amazing album using only her guitar and her voice. She refuses to dress up or put on flashy clothes for the media, and, no matter what other people might think, she’ll shine on without losing her simplicity or herself. If you keep listening to these songs, you’ll understand her feelings, her nature. You’ll laugh, cry, and be encouraged by them. It’s like those feelings when you talk to your friends: you want to say things, and your friends kindly understand you and sympathize with you. You slap each other on the back to encourage one another. That’s the kind of album she’s created here.
(Note: This part of the translation is incomplete)

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After listening to the album and reading the great commentaries, what do you think?
Feel free to post your thoughts and comments in the forum! ^^