"Sakura no Saku Oto ga Shita" Lyrics and MV Breakdown (=LOVE)
Sakura ga Saku Oto ga Shita
"Sakura ga Saku Oto ga Shita" (桜の咲く音がした) is the lead song of =LOVE's 1st album "Zenbu, Naisho." The album was released in spring of 2021 after the 8th single "Seishun 'Subliminal'". This album was the first release after the graduation of Satake Nonno. It represents a period of change for =LOVE as a group, as they lose a member for the first time, becoming a group of 11.
The album name "Zenbu, Naisho" means "Everything, a Secret," referring to the feelings we hold back from others. The lead song "Sakura ga Saku Oto ga Shita" can be approximately translated as "It was the Sound of Sakura Blooming". Sakura trees bloom in early spring, so we can interpret it as describing the typical sounds of spring, such as the singing of birds. "Sound" could also be an abstract metaphor, as flowers of course don't really make sounds when they bloom. It could refer to the emotions around spring, a time of change and renewal. Sakura in particular often also represent transience, since they're in bloom for only a couple weeks each year.
The title is also likely a reference to Zen koans. These are seemingly nonsensical or contradictory stories that, when understood, lead to enlightenment. The most famous is the phrase "Listen to the sound of one hand clapping". In a similar way, the sound of sakura blooming is an impossible sound that when heard will lead to enlightenment.
The Lyrics: A Secret Rendezvous
The lyrics use the first-person pronoun "私", which typically indicates a female protagonist, so I will use she/her pronouns. There is no indication of the love interest's gender, but I will use he/him for clarity.
歩いてる 履き慣れないローファー
駅はもうすぐ
やっと少しだけ覚えてきた
朝は3両目が何となく好き
Walking in loafers that I'm not used to wearing
Almost at the station
I finally started memorizing a little bit
In the mornings, I like the 3rd car for some reason
We're introduced to the protagonist. We can tell she's a new student, probably a first-year high school student. She isn't used to her new uniform yet, as her shoes aren't worn in. She also still hasn't fully memorized the way to the station for her commute. Perhaps it's just her first week, which also gives us the time of year. School semesters in Japan begin in early spring, the season of sakura blooming.
In the final line, there's a reference to the 3rd train car. This is likely a reference to "Zurui yo Zurui ne", where that protagonist fell in love with someone in the 2nd train car on rainy days. Despite the difference in details, many consider this song to be a spiritual prequel of "Zurui yo Zurui ne". As you'll see, there's some continuity in the characters of the MV.
1人 外を眺め 立っている
重たそうに掛けてる エナメルバッグ
Standing alone, gazing outside
Shouldering a heavy-looking enamel bag
目と目が合った時
気まずくなったんだ
見てない携帯 スクロール
The moment our eyes met
It felt awkward
Not looking at my phone, scrolling
We're introduced to the love interest. She previously said that she likes the 3rd car "for some reason", but now we know the reason. This song is about her own realization of that reason.
The depiction of the moment their eyes meeting is a callback to the first single "=LOVE" and the line "The moment our eyes met, I believed in miracles". Entranced by this miracle, she finds herself staring at him, as her fingers unconsciously scroll her phone. The lyrics are written in a style that expresses an entranced stream of consciousness, with various of disjointed ideas.
桜 咲く音が聞こえ
日常 全てを彩り 景色を変える
見たことのない ハートの震え
電車の揺れが Ah 誤魔化してくれたんだ
Hearing the sound of sakura blooming
Everyday life, It colors all, It changes the scenery
Never seen before, A heart's tremble
The shake of the train, Ah, it messed with me
春の空は ねえ 雲が そう 広がり青を隠す
明日の次の そのもっと先で
青空見えたら いつか君に伝えたいな
日差しが2人を包んだ
In the spring sky, Hey, The clouds, Like so, Hide the expanse of blue
The day after tomorrow, and far beyond
When I see the blue sky, I hope to share it with you someday
Sunlight enveloped both people
The first chorus begins with the realization of the miracle. Sakura has bloomed, making a sound, coloring all of everyday life, and changing the scenery. Its impact on absolutely everything is a feeling also captured in "=LOVE" by the line "Everything is '=LOVE'". The sound of sakura here refers to first love, as it's something she's never experienced before.
As sakura bloom, the trees turn from green to pink. We've also seen in several other songs how love is represented by a change in color. The most notable is "Kono Sora ga Trigger", which would be released a couple years after this. We see the symbolic groundwork for "Kono Sora ga Trigger" here, with a reference to sharing blue skies with a loved one.
For now, the clouds have hidden the blue. Symbolizing how she doesn't dare express herself. Even though the clouds have spread, there's still a description of sunlight. The clouds could be purely metaphorical as described, but the sunlight could also be purely metaphorical. She describes the sunlight as enveloping "both people", rather than "us". I think she could be refering to two people in her imagination, rather than the two of them in the moment.
同じ制服 着ているけれど
何も知らない
先輩なのか 同級生なのか
ヒントはないのに ボーッと考えてしまう
I'm wearing the same uniform
But I know nothing
Are you a senior, or in the same grade?
Even without a clue, I end up wondering in a daze
We learn that they go to the same school as they have the same uniform. Entranced, her mind can't help but wander as she starts imagining what type of person he is. He's either in an upper grade or in the same grade, which suggests to us that she is indeed a first-year student.
クラスの女子に人気 ヘアオイル
いつもより温度高め ストレート
Popular with girls in class, Hair oil
It was hotter than usual, Straightened hair
ドアが開いたら
今日もいるのかな
誰も知らない 待ち合わせ
When the door opens
I wonder if you'll be there today as well
No one knows of my rendezvous
The first part here conveys just how jumbled her thoughts are, with her stream of consciousness. Her mind drifts to things popular with the girls. She probably has a feeling he must be popular with girls. She's then reminded of hair oil, which is probably also something popular with the girls in her class. Suddenly, she feels hotter than usual, which is something love can do. She then recalls her straightened hair. Her hair iron this morning was hotter than usual, perhaps also something popular with the girls in class. The fixation on hair also hints to us that while all these thoughts rush through her mind, she's staring at his hair.
These lines are likely a reference to a song from =LOVE's sister group ≠ME. ≠ME's song is called "Kimi no Oto Dattanda", which means "It was Your Sound". The song also uses sound as a symbol of love but from a boy's perspective. There's a line that goes "A bit more than usual, I added wax in my hair" as the protagonist prepares to see his love interest. It's the same situation here. This morning, our protagonist was doing trendy things with her hair in preparation for her secret "rendezvous". It's a date that she had been planning in her imagination without telling anyone. This is the kind of emotion described by the album title "Zenbu, Naisho."
ずっと不思議だった
みんなは知ってて 私は知らない色
突然 パッと 現れたカラー
感情のパレット 君でいっぱいで
It always seemed strange
The hue everyone knows, unknown to me
Suddenly, in a flash, the color appears
A palette of emotions, filled with you
春の風は そう 強く ねえ 吹き付け 気持ち乱す
目が合った時 どう思ったの
いつもの各停 特急に変わった気がした
The spring breeze, Like so, Strongly, Hey, Blowing, Messing up my feelings
When our eyes met, what did you think?
The usual local train, It's like it turned into an express
Again, there's the concept of color symbolizing love, something that's recurring throughout several =LOVE songs, eventually culminating in "Kono Sora ga Trigger". As we've seen in other songs, the Japanese word for color, "iro" (色), also means lust or sensuality.
She probably felt the "spring breeze" as the train door opened with his entry. She describes the bewilderment caused by this "breeze" as if the slow local train transformed into an express train.
ある日 花が咲きました
花の咲かない街でした
それはそれは眩しくて綺麗でした
パステルでビビッドな
初めてのこの気持ちは きっと…
One day, a flower bloomed
It was in a town where flowers didn't bloom
My goodness, it was radiant and beautiful
Pastel and vivid
This first-ever feeling is surely…
The bridge of the song describes the bloom with a series of contradictions. How could a flower bloom in a place where flowers don't bloom? How could a color be pastel and vivid at the same time? Like the Zen koans, it's about as puzzling as wondering how blooming sakura could make a sound. She's starting to understand it though. This is her enlightenment.
会いたかったんだ ずっと
心の底から惹かれる 特別な人
君に出会って やっと気付いたよ
開いた桜には｢恋｣と名前を付けよう
I've wanted to see you for so long
Charmed to the bottom of my heart, Someone special
After having met you, I finally realize
The unfolding flower, let's name it "love"
Here, she finally recognizes that she has fallen in love. This part of the bridge is again reminiscent of "=LOVE" and the lines "Sorry that I took the long route, I could finally meet you, 'my ideal', It's you in particular, '=LOVE'".
好きになったんだ
好きが咲いたんだ
それは 日常 全てを彩り 景色を変える
見たことのない ハートの震え
電車の揺れが Ah 誤魔化してくれたんだ
I've fallen in love
Love has bloomed
With that, Everyday life, It colors all, It changes the scenery
Never seen before, A heart's tremble
The shake of the train, Ah, it messed with me
春の空は ねえ 雲が そう 広がり青を隠す
明日の次の そのもっと先で
桜が咲く音 君にも聞こえたらいいな
日差しが2人を包んで 抱きしめた
In the spring sky, Hey, The clouds, Like so, Hide the expanse of blue
The day after tomorrow, and far beyond
The sound of sakura blooming, I hope you hear it too
Sunlight enveloped both people and embraced them
With that realization, everything changed. The colors of the trees have changed. The seasons have changed. Her school has changed. And of course, she herself is changing as she grows through adolescence. There is some way to go though, as she still hides the blue behind the clouds.
The MV: Parallel Paths
The Blu-ray version of the MV includes a prologue and an epilogue, which aren't available on Youtube. In this breakdown, I'll describe the Blu-ray contents in detail for your context. The MV consists of multiple storylines so I will be analysing them one at a time.
The Dance Scene
The song starts with a moment of absolute silence. As the first note sounds, the choreography depicts the members removing earplugs from their ears. The music of the song itself represents the sound of sakura blooming.
As they enter the final chorus, the protagonist of the lyrics discovers her love. At this point, the costumes transform. The pastel green dresses made of stiff fabric with clean-cut hems turn into loose pink dresses with wavy hems. The members themselves represent the blooming sakura.
At the end, the choreography has the members reaching out as if to catch a falling sakura petal. They hold the petal to their ear, listening for its sound.
Story One: Sound
> A black screen appears with the song title in white text. The soft, methodical sound of scales being played on a keyboard fills the silence.
> The scene opens with a closeup of Hitomi's hand, playing the keyboard. She presses one of the keys but it doesn't make a sound.
> The camera cuts to a wide shot revealing the shopping centre around Hitomi, Maika, and Emiri. They are setting up their instruments, preparing for their performance. There are posters and flyers around them, promoting their band, "Nekoze."
Hitomi: Huh?
Emiri: What's wrong?
Hitomi: There's no sound.
Emiri: Which sound?
Hitomi: It's not a specific sound…
> Emiri circles around the keyboard, crouching down to check the wires
Emiri: It's not that sound there…
Maika: It's seriously not making a sound?
Hitomi: Yeah.
Emiri: The wires are good though…
Maika: Don't worry about it. There's no audience yet. Let's take it easy.
> Hitomi presses the key once more, but as she presses down on the key, the scene ends. Cut to Prologue of Story Two.
In the Blu-ray exclusive prologue, Hitomi can't get the keyboard to make a sound. Perhaps like in the lyrics, this will be the story of how she finds her sound. Maika offers some words of wisdom that apply not only to the keyboard, but also to love and to growing up. There's no need to rush to find your sound.
The following scenes are included in the Youtube MV.
In flashbacks, we see that Hitomi has been writing lyrics. They are the lyrics of this very song. It suggests that Hitomi herself is the protagonist of the lyrics.
We see the other members acting as students, picking up flyers of Nekoze. The flyers are promoting their live performance and a new song. The new song must be this one.
It's May 1st, the beginning of spring and of the school year. Since the band already has previous songs, perhaps they aren't first-year students. Perhaps Hitomi was writing of her past, when she first entered the school.
In another flashback, there's a shot of a white board in the band practice room. The girls were excited for their upcoming performance in three days. As an Easter egg, we see each girl has a nickname: Maipoyo for Maika, Hitopoyo for Hitomi, and Miripoyo for Emiri.
In further flashbacks, we see scenes of Hitomi crying, heartbroken, as she writes the song. If she is the protagonist of the lyrics, then perhaps the protagonist never had the courage to reveal her "blue sky". Just as sakura bloom for only a short time, her chance at love has now disappeared. Maika comforts her, perhaps saying something similar to what she said in the prologue.
We cut back to the present. Hitomi finds the problem with the keyboard. As the ribbon is removed, the song itself is modulated, shifting the tonic. The "tonic" is the note that acts as a focus of the music. The tonic shifts from D# to E, matching how her ribbon was stuck in the E key.
With a change in hair style and the removal of the ribbon, she's found her sound again. It tells us that love is not necessarily romantic. Perhaps she's found the love for her friends in the band, or for the music she plays. Love can be found everywhere.
Story Two: Sakura
> As Hitomi presses down on the broken key in the Prologue of Story One, cut to a closeup of Nagisa’s ear. An unknown sound seems to pull her attention. She turns her head suddenly, as though hearing something distant behind her. The scene cuts to a wide shot, revealing her walking along a sakura-lined path to the train station. She is lagging slightly behind Iori and Kiara. Song birds chirp softly around them.
Iori: Nagisa!
Nagisa: Hey, didn't you hear a sound just now?
Iori: What sound?
Nagisa: Like an airy sound.
> Nagisa jogs forward, catching up with the others.
Iori: Huh? It wasn't the wind?
Nagisa: It was a sound I'd never heard before.
Kiara: That's scary!
Iori: Ah, it's the sound of love!
Nagisa: What are you saying?
Iori: Because your mind is full of love!
Nagisa: Hey!
> Nagisa shoves Iori playfully. Kiara surprised, runs over to Iori.
Kiara: Ah, wait! It's going to fall off.
> Kiara reaches out, catching the key chain charm. She hands it back to Iori.
Iori: Thanks!
> Nagisa is now walking far ahead of them.
Iori: You'll be together in the morning though! Do you really need to be on the same train going home?
Nagisa: Nothing wrong with that! Since we're going the same direction home anyway.
> The three girls dash down the path. The camera cuts to branches of bright pink sakura blossoms against the backdrop of a light gray sky.
In the Blu-ray exclusive prologue, the sound appears for Nagisa as it disappears for Hitomi. They have two contrasting roles in the story. It seems that just as the lyrics describe, Nagisa has been taking the same train to and from school with a love interest. Also like the lyrics, the sky is overcast and gray.
The following scenes are included in the Youtube MV.
Nagisa looks for her love interest on the train. Eventually, she finds him, but he's not looking back. At this point, it seems like it's still a one-sided love. She enters the train with determination. It seems like she's going to make her move. Iori and Kiara are there to see her off, providing moral support.
Epilogue
> The camera opens with a shot of the train tracks from an empty platform. Nagisa's train can no longer be seen.
> Cut to Iori and Kiara sitting side by side on a platform bench with bright smiles. There is the sound of train whistles in the distance.
Iori: We really care for her don't we?
Kiara: She really is troublesome.
Iori: Isn't she lucky?
Kiara: So lucky. Did you know there was a girl who gave up on him for Nagisa's sake?
Iori: You mean the train boyfriend?
Kiara: Yeah. This girl took the same train, and started to like him at the same time.
Iori: Who was it?
Kiara: The girl in Class 2, who plays in a band.
Iori: Ah, I think I know who. It's the girl with the ribbon!
Kiara: Yeah, yeah! I don't think she's worn it recently though.
> Suddenly, Kiara’s phone buzzes. She pulls it out, and opens the message.
Kiara: It's this girl! This girl!
> A close-up of Kiara's phone shows a text conversation between her and Oba Hana. We see previous messages where Kiara and Hana had been talking about visiting a new cafe near the station. Hana’s latest message includes a photo of Nekoze playing at the mall, captioned: "Wow, they're so good!"
Iori: But that girl looks perfectly happy!
Kiara: It seems like she cried a lot.
Iori: That's to be expected.
Kiara: Do you want to go there? It's nearby.
Iori: Let's go! Let's go!
> The two stand up and dash off, presumably to the new cafe. As they leave, the camera lingers on the bench. Iori’s flying squirrel key chain charm is lying there, forgotten. Moments later, Iori silently reappears. She spots the keychain, quickly grabs it, and runs off again. The faint sounds of train crossing bells echo in the background.
> The credits rolls with various still shots. There's a shot of the pathway to the station surrounded by sakura, with the sound of song birds chirping. There's a shot of a sloping path overlooking the seaside, with the sound of the ocean wind and sea birds calling. There's finally a shot of an empty music practice room at school, with a cloudy sky out the window. Nekoze's instruments are set up and waiting. Distant sounds of students practicing in neighboring rooms can be faintly heard.
The Blu-ray exclusive epilogue unites these two stories. The girls are in the same grade but different classes. By coincidence, they both fell for this boy at the same time on the same train, but their paths were different. Hitomi didn't clear the clouds in time, while Nagisa did. They represent two potential futures of the protagonist of the lyrics. Likewise, many fans consider two previous =LOVE songs to represent potential futures of this MV.
The first is Hitomi's future represented by the song "Seishun "Subliminal'", where she was the center. This song could be represented in the credits scene as the path to the seaside, the setting of "Seishun "Subliminal'". "Seishun "Subliminal'" begins with the protagonist learning that her one-sided love interest has broken up with his girlfriend, giving her another chance. Additionally, both MV narratives are similar in that they depict a discovery of love between friends, rather than between lovers.
The second is Nagisa's future represented by the song "Zurui yo Zurui ne", where she was the center. Here, the song is represented in the credits scene as the path to the train station, where "Zurui yo Zurui ne" took place. In "Zurui yo Zurui ne", a grown-up Nagisa reflects on a past love during her days as a student. On a meta level, "Zurui yo Zurui ne" also represents an alternate path of =LOVE as a group where Hitomi didn't exist. It was the first song released after Hitomi went on hiatus, when for a short period of time, other members took over the role of center.
Finally, there's the symbol of the flying squirrel charm. I think it represents childhood whimsy. As the girls grow up and find love, the charm is forgotten on the park bench (or so we think). It's as if they've left their childhood behind. Iori runs back for it in the end though. It conveys to us that as the sakura blossoms come and go, life will continue changing, but we can try to always hang onto a piece of childhood.
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