Double Planet Episode 3

Double Planet
Episode 3 : "The True Nature of Lyrics, the Fate of Words"
Satoru Aono (Furuta Jun & Kanda Yota / Radio Shonan personalities)

High schools have been closed for a while due to the impact of the coronavirus.

I'm on vacation and I've been playing the guitar all the time.
Yes, ever since the guitar I bought online arrived, I've been playing it almost every day.
This might give the impression that Aono has become incredibly skilled. Don't worry, I'm still far from it. The road to becoming a guitarist is tough. I've managed to learn to play two chords by trial and error, relying on a tutorial book I found in a used bookstore. C chord and Am chord are all I know right now.

I have a classmate who's in the light music club. His name is Tachibana.
He was practically a ghost member of the club, rarely showing up for activities, and generally a pretty haphazard guy.

It was after school when we received the announcement that high school would be closed for a while.
As I was getting ready to leave, he approached me, radiating an air of pride.

"Aono, listen to this. I've decided to form a band."

Tachibana often says, "Do this for me." But that's irrelevant.

Wait, Tachibana is forming a band?
Can the irresponsible Tachibana really handle being in a band?
Wouldn't that cause trouble for the band members?
You should quit being in a band!
You're not that type of person!

A barrage of words rushed through my mind.
To put it simply, it was just "jealousy."
I was incredibly envious of Tachibana for forming a band.

"I'm going to do vocals and juggling."

I had absolutely no idea what juggling was all about. Were they planning to do some kind of street performance while singing?
But asking would be a defeat. Any further conversation would have made me incredibly jealous, so I deliberately acted coldly and parted ways.

My passion for music was at an all-time high, so Tachibana's casual declaration of "I'm starting a band" really got to me. After all, I'm a lone wolf. The word "band" just sounds sweet to me.

So, I think the only stance left for me is to perform as a singer-songwriter.
The typical pattern is becoming incredibly skilled at guitar and then becoming a singer-songwriter.

Wait a minute.

A singer-songwriter is someone who also writes their own songs.

...Isn't that a bit too much?

Wouldn't it be easier to just master juggling?
What good does it do to admire Tachibana!?

It seems I need to compose the music by myself.
This hurdle is as high as Mount Everest.

I'm starting to think that we can no longer afford to take things step by step.
If I waited for my guitar skills to improve, I'd never even catch up to Tachibana.
It's not that I want to live my life like Tachibana, but I need to be a little more reckless.

It's lyrics, so let's try writing some lyrics.

I pulled out an unused notebook from the closet and decided to try writing some lyrics.

I'm thinking about the lyrics.

lyrics…….
Wait, lyrics?!

What should I write in song lyrics?

My favorite blue mechanical pencil won't budge an inch.
I was lost in a labyrinth in no time at all.
I wanted to write lyrics, but I've completely lost touch with the concept of lyrics.

[Tips on writing lyrics]

I pinned my hopes on a search engine.
The idea that emerged was, "Let's start by thinking about a theme we'd like to turn into a song."

teeth?
theme?!

[Lyrics Theme]

Of course I searched for it.
It came out right away.

·love affair
·support
·love
・Dreams, goals, etc.

Potential themes kept popping up one after another.
But all of these themes seem far too grand for me right now.
I don't feel like I can write love songs, especially since I've never been in a relationship with someone of the opposite sex.

This is a problem.
Maybe there's no theme I can write about right now.

I wrote down those honest feelings in an email,
I sent a message to the radio program "Love & Music".

Radio name: Satoru Blue

"I'm Satoru Blue, the high school student who asked you about guitars before."
I've gotten lost in the labyrinth again.
Actually, I'm thinking of trying to write lyrics for the very first time in my life.
But I don't really know what topic to choose or how to write about it.
Kanda-san, do you remember the first lyrics you ever wrote?

Furuta : "Another high school student named Satoru Blue sent me an email."
Kanda-san, do you remember the lyrics you wrote first?

Kanda: "I remember it very well."
I wrote it for the first time during class in my second year of high school.
I had just gone through a breakup and was feeling really down, so before I knew it, I was writing it (laughs)."

Furuta : "When you say 'I realized it,' does that mean it was more like you were being compelled to write it by something rather than by Kanda's own will? (laughs)"

Kanda: "Yeah, that's about right."
I wasn't even thinking about writing a song, but I was so shocked that before I knew it, the melody and lyrics came to me at the same time.
If it had been like, "Let's write! Let's create!", I probably wouldn't have been able to write either.
If you keep thinking you have to make it like "Satoru Blue," you'll never actually get around to it.
Even if I could manage it, it would probably only be the melody. Lyrics are proving difficult."

Furuta: "Is there a better way?"

Kanda: "I think it's okay to start by imitating others."
Also, try putting yourself in situations that are different from your usual ones.
Instead of trying to write lyrics right away, it's a good idea to try putting your feelings into a short essay first.
Before I start writing lyrics, I also jot down my thoughts in a kind of poem, even if it's just in bullet points. I pick out words from that and turn them into lyrics. That's one way to do it too."

"to be continued"

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