Continuing with the old material. This is an excerpt from an interview about the release of the single LOVE & TRUTH, which was tied up to the movie Closed Note, starred by Erika Sawajiri and Yuuko Takeuchi.
Perhaps one of the strongest ballades from her early works. The way she perfomed with a string section at Budokan was really impressive and give me the chills to this day.
Original transcript: Akabaneouji
Translation: Kikino
Correction: Spring-san
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I thought if I included strings into the tearful melody it would make it sound more beautiful and heartrending, but playing electric guitar in there was something that I did spontaneously. I thought that such strength would fit the movie. I think it became a completely new type of rock ballade. When I’m singing I feel like my heart is screaming. And even though I’m screaming, the message won’t reach. It can’t reach. It’s a song that crushes your feelings to death, right?
Just normally singing the main melody was difficult because there were unique chord progressions and feelings. Moreover, I also had troubles in the chorus. I think I might have exceeded myself (Haha). It is mixed within the strings so you won’t really hear it, it feels like it advances and yet it doesn’t. I wanted to give the feeling of stamping. I had to do the recording over many times.
The emotion within people’s hearts… is love isn’t it? It takes many forms, it exists in many ways. It’s something we can’t see, so there are things even I don’t realize. But, there is love there too for sure. Love has been born. It’s a truth that I want to cherish, I want to be aware of it. What I wanted to transmit the most was the verse that says “I have decided to accept everything from the past” The time I spend with the one I love from now on is the embodiment of this desire to accept everything about their past. When I felt that I wanted to sing that idea on a genuine and simple way I also thought about the title. The words “love and truth” were the first to come to mind. It’s just… the lyrics are about unrequited love, but I wrote it thinking about the movie. Not only about the protagonist, this experience happens to a lot of people, and the thoughts of the movie are deep, so I wish you could hear the song while watching the movie. I’m sure everyone who is experiencing an unrequited love will understand.
Regarding the B-side of the single, Jam.
I imagined a live performance. It became a pretty messy song (Haha) I wanted to make a song about the how I also want to play music the way indie bands do, and not losing to them by not being able to have fun while doing it. You might say, it’s a little naughty? (Haha).
Love songs are okay too, but I still have fun being naughty on stage. I think music jams are more life sized.
