[reixminako]

Originally Posted by Zeke.

I do not understand Japanese, so the main draw for me to listen to Ayu, as well as any other foreign artist, is the sound. If I'm in the car and want to listen to a song, I'm not going to recall specific lyrical translations and think "well I don't know exactly where she's saying it but in general I know she's speaking of in this song so I'll listen to it." I listen to the music, and treat her voice as an instrument. For example, take Sending mail... there is HEAVY emotion in that song. The way the music is composed and arranged during certain parts of the song, I knew the emotions she was trying to convey prior to reading the lyrics, and after reading the lyrics, it just increased my love for the song.

Ittai itsu made ittai doko made
Tsuyosa o mote tara

Anata no soba de tada anata no soba ni ite
Waratte irareru yurusareru nee
Sonna hi ga kuru no?

This part is full of hope. It's a depressing kind of hope, where you can feel she is in pain, but still holds onto the hope that one day, things will change.

Tsukiakari ga yasashiku tsutsumu
Konna yoru demo samishisa kakuse nai

Then this part, immediately after the chorus, is filled with hopelessness. The way the music is constructed makes you feel as if everything is lost. That no matter how hard she tries, she cannot "hide her loneliness".

So if a song is poorly constructed, and just a bore to listen to, but has amazing lyrics that I can not connect with WHILE listening to the song due to language barriers, why the Hell would I choose to listen to that song just because I know the lyrical translation is very good?

You are saying I am small minded because I am focused on the music, but sounds to me you are just as small minded focusing on the lyrics. Lyrics can enhance a track, but they certainly do not make one. Honestly, you are out of line calling me 'small-minded', as when I go about listening to Ayu's music, specifically her more intricate songs, I literally feel as if my mind is expanding while I try and pick apart the layers and focus on different instrumentations in the music each and every time I listen.

I never said that I'm completely focused on the lyrics. That really would be small-minded of me. I just got the sense that you don't care about the lyrics, which I think are just as important as the music, not just the forefront as you yourself put it. I think it's great that you get so much enjoyment out of the music, but it seems to me that you're using your lack of understanding for Japanese to sort of dismiss the lyrics. But whatever. I'm trying not to judge you anymore as we obviously can't see eye-to-eye on this, lol.