INDEX
Kazumasa Tanaka as the forefront Japanese singer
-What did you keep in mind while recording the song this time?
Tanaka: I always try to do something I haven’t done before so that it doesn’t repeat what I’ve done in the past, but I always find it difficult to put out a song that’s never been released. I do a lot of image training while writing the lyrics, but on the song recording day, I still didn’t know how to approach the song, so I felt quite nervous.
Tanaka: Until the recording, I was singing in non-sense English, so you are singing like an American artist. On the day of the rehearsal, I was finding out what I wanted to sing. Gradually, I began to see my own songs as a Japanese person. That is very rewarding.
-As Takano mentioned before, Tanaka’s singing has a lot to do with the groove of GRAPEVINE. I heard GRAPEVINE values sessions in songwriting, and that they re-arrange the songs after pre-production. It seems the vocals are also a kind of instrument, working together to build the rhythm, more so than other bands.
Tanaka: That is also why we write songs in nonsense English in the first place, and in the end, pre-production itself is a grand session. We decide on the tone and arrangement during the session, and unless we continue to play the songs in a certain way, we can’t get a good image of what we want. So, as you say, that’s how the songs are born.
-So you write songs in plain English so that they can be easily adjusted to the band’s sessions.
Tanaka: Yes. Some people sing tentative songs in “la-la-la,” but I can never do that. Even if the melody or rhythm changes, it’s all “la-la-la”, right? It’s impossible for me. If it were me, I would probably only use “la-la-la-la” when writing lyrics.
-You must have been involved with many singers recordings, so what do you think of Tanaka’s uniqueness?
Takano：He is a good singer, so he records quickly. He mentioned creating something that does not exist in this world, but I think the fans already know what to expect. Depends on the singers, but Tanaka has no hesitation. There were moments when he sang a little differently, but once he made up his mind, he just went for it. I think that’s what makes him so cool.
Unprecedented Emotional Candor: Lyrics That Lay It Bare
-The lyrics are more straightforward than in the past, and I think that the lyrics are more expressive of emotions than in the past.
Tanaka: You’re right. In the past, what I wanted to say and what I was thinking were put into fiction in a fable-like way. It’s not like Shakespeare, but I was trying to make a story about social issues and the beautiful and dirty parts of human beings.
Tanaka: But this time, I thought it would be better to be more bare. I guess you could say that I was called to do so by the arrangement of the song. Some of the songs, like “Little Sparrow,” are strangely arranged, while others, like “Ub (You be on it),” are more solid, and there are many songs with strong guitars. I think that kind of bare feeling was called by those songs. So, rather than writing a story, I thought it would be better to write something a little more emotional and direct. I guess it was my mood, mode, and so on, but I felt the songs pushed me more.
-How would you describe Tanaka as a lyricist?
Takano：I am not in a position to say anything about his lyrical talent. I always think he is wonderful. As Tanaka was saying, I received a line from him saying, “I’m going to make a mess this time” (laugh), and many words jumped out at me.
-I see.
Takano: I also really like the way Tanaka’s words explode in a live performance, and the way the lyrics and the song grow together. I think there are aesthetics to singing in the same way, but with GRAPEVINE, the songs grow. Even when we play old songs, they are completely different from the previous ones. Tanaka is a live performer, or rather, he writes lyrics with that aspect in mind, so when we play old songs now, they sound different, and I think that is one of the charms of GRAPEVINE.
