Hysteric Blue!
Hysteric Blue was a pop-punk band consisting of Tama (vocals), Naoki (guitar), and Takuya (drums). They debuted in 1998, and unfortunately disbanded in early 2004 due to the rape case of Naoki. Tama is currently in a band called The Screaming Frogs.
My introduction to Hysteric Blue was a typical one– I thought I was listening to a Judy and Mary song. In the summer of 2003, I was a big fan of Judy and Mary. I bought a compliation album just because there was one of their song I haven’t heard of in it. In the same album, a Hysteric Blue “Grow Up” was also featured, so I became interested in them right away. Of course, my first impression was that they sounded like Judy and Mary.
The more I listen to them, the more I realized that they were really different. Tama can sing in different voices. “Ashita” is a great example of this; she started out in a somewhat “normal” voice and suddenly shift to her cutesy voice, remaining that way for the rest of the song. There are other songs that shows the cute, energetic side of the Tama’s voice, such as “Chokkan Paradise”, while more serious songs like “Ame Agari” portrays a completely different version of her.
Some of the songs show such great emotions. While I don’t understand the lyrics, as they are in Japanese, I really love “Daisuki”. There is just so much emotion in her voice, especially during the chorus. Towards the end, there is just so much power in the song that I can really feel.
As I listen to some of my favorite Hysteric Blue songs, I think how I miss them and wish they would still be around (or that The Screaming Frogs do “proper” music and become more popular). I just got into Japanese music a few years ago, and Hysteric Blue was one of the first bands I really liked. Although I change favorites and obsessions a lot, I always loved Hysteric Blue. Their stuff is pretty hard to find, but I will continue “discovering” them and collecting their products whenever I can.
Here's one of their songs, Chokkan Paradise.
My introduction to Hysteric Blue was a typical one– I thought I was listening to a Judy and Mary song. In the summer of 2003, I was a big fan of Judy and Mary. I bought a compliation album just because there was one of their song I haven’t heard of in it. In the same album, a Hysteric Blue “Grow Up” was also featured, so I became interested in them right away. Of course, my first impression was that they sounded like Judy and Mary.
The more I listen to them, the more I realized that they were really different. Tama can sing in different voices. “Ashita” is a great example of this; she started out in a somewhat “normal” voice and suddenly shift to her cutesy voice, remaining that way for the rest of the song. There are other songs that shows the cute, energetic side of the Tama’s voice, such as “Chokkan Paradise”, while more serious songs like “Ame Agari” portrays a completely different version of her.
Some of the songs show such great emotions. While I don’t understand the lyrics, as they are in Japanese, I really love “Daisuki”. There is just so much emotion in her voice, especially during the chorus. Towards the end, there is just so much power in the song that I can really feel.
As I listen to some of my favorite Hysteric Blue songs, I think how I miss them and wish they would still be around (or that The Screaming Frogs do “proper” music and become more popular). I just got into Japanese music a few years ago, and Hysteric Blue was one of the first bands I really liked. Although I change favorites and obsessions a lot, I always loved Hysteric Blue. Their stuff is pretty hard to find, but I will continue “discovering” them and collecting their products whenever I can.
Here's one of their songs, Chokkan Paradise.