[Utada Hikaru] Coming Back to the 23rd Thread♥

[jbrat2219]

Originally Posted by kang daesung

Wow, you just described everything it takes to makes a hit song in America!

That's sad

I hope once Utada finds her footing in the States she makes real music.

[Mirai Noah]

Hikki looks good in that picture. Happy birthday!

[Luv ~Venus~]

Originally Posted by kang daesung

Wow, you just described everything it takes to makes a hit song in America!

OMG so true and there's nothing with that either.

Originally Posted by njanjayrp

The quality of Hikki's PVs died with her marriage ^^

Wow dude. You couldn't be more of a jackass than that.

Originally Posted by jbrat2219

That's sad

I hope once Utada finds her footing in the States she makes real music.

I love how some people think that once a singer makes American-styled music, that their music becomes terrible. Oh yes. I luv the stereotyping. Makes the world a much better place.

[GRACE]

The most popular songs in America generally lack any sort of substance, I don't think it's a "stereotype," because it's true. They're good for a quick fix, but then they lose their spark after a while and you move onto the next big thing. I personally think it's because the English language is so hard to work with, in most other languages, you can preserve flow and beauty while still saying profound things because the language flows better. English, the mutated love child of more languages than you can count, doesn't often have that melodic flow, it's a very hard language.

[Yum!Fruit_Salad!]

Originally Posted by Luv ~Venus~

I love how some people think that once a singer makes American-styled music, that their music becomes terrible. Oh yes. I luv the stereotyping. Makes the world a much better place.

If it's generic, lyrically repetitive and uninteresting, do you really want to make American-styled music? Now, if the music wasn't generic and the lyrics were a tiny bit better, than there would be no problems. Not every American-styled song is like that (generic and all that), it's just unfornate Hikki happened to adopt that.

Stargate did Beautiful Liar? Ugh, I dislike them even more.

[FuNsTyLe]

Yes. Stargate has produced many hits, so Utada will probably gain popularity because of that. The sad part is that she will totally lose her distinct sound and image, and probably just be like any other generic sounding popstar

[jbrat2219]

Originally Posted by Luv ~Venus~

I love how some people think that once a singer makes American-styled music, that their music becomes terrible. Oh yes. I luv the stereotyping. Makes the world a much better place.

If you think that's what makes good music in general, I feel sorry for you. Not all American music is generic and not all of it is terrible. Like I said, I hope she makes real music when she's better established. Yeah maybe it takes a song like this for her to be a hit, but I don't want her to continue to make generic music blending in with everyone else when I know she's better than that.

[jknza2664]

All this disparaging of American pop music is a bit ridiculous. Yes, many popular songs in the US have shallow lyrical content and concern entirely unoriginal themes, but have any of you been paying attention to songs that chart highest on Oricon? I love J-pop, obviously, but the genre is notorious for lyrics that are completely devoid of any meaning, resorting instead to repeating to death empty phrases: LOVE WISH DREAM BELIEVE TAKE A CHANCE, etc. Of course, this is not to say there aren't exceptions: Ayu is one example of a J-pop artist with occasionally brilliant lyrics that border on poetry, but for every Ayu there is a Morning Musume, a Hey Say Jump, a Koda Kumi, an Arashi...

(Not to say these artists are bad - indeed I love me some Arashi and Kuu, but you really can't attribute lyrical genius to them)

There is no intrinsic obstacle to original thought in English either, it's just that many US pop artists choose not to be lyrically interesting. The argument that certain languages are harder pressed to have a certain flow, aesthetic, or power of expression is frankly ridiculous.

[dreamcrushed]

Originally Posted by GRACE

The most popular songs in America generally lack any sort of substance, I don't think it's a "stereotype," because it's true. They're good for a quick fix, but then they lose their spark after a while and you move onto the next big thing.

Well, that depends on how one defines "substance". There are many extremely popular songs in every language that fit this description (and I know you're not saying "only in America" do these things apply).

Originally Posted by GRACE

I personally think it's because the English language is so hard to work with, in most other languages, you can preserve flow and beauty while still saying profound things because the language flows better. English, the mutated love child of more languages than you can count, doesn't often have that melodic flow, it's a very hard language.

I disagree with your general point about English being hard to work with. As a general point with these "most other languages", the sounds which they employ aren't all conducive to "flow and beauty" either; making a generalization about "most other languages" really isn't the wisest thing to do. All modern languages are in some ways mutilated love children of former "live" languages. I'm thinking you have the Romance languages in mind; am I correct? Even in those cases, I wouldn't agree with your point about "flow and beauty".

Oh, and WORD to jknza's post. *applause*
And LOL @ the "skinny beauty" tag. Here we go again.

[GRACE]

Originally Posted by dreamcrushed

Well, that depends on how one defines "substance". There are many extremely popular songs in every language that fit this description (and I know you're not saying "only in America" do these things apply).

That's true, there are some. I won't make the blanket statement that there aren't ANY songs with substance, but I will say, generally, it's not about what they're saying as to how it sounds.

Originally Posted by dreamcrushed

I disagree with your general point about English being hard to work with. As a general point with these "most other languages", the sounds which they employ aren't all conducive to "flow and beauty" either; making a generalization about "most other languages" really isn't the wisest thing to do. All modern languages are in some ways mutilated love children of former "live" languages. I'm thinking you have the Romance languages in mind; am I correct? Even in those cases, I wouldn't agree with your point about "flow and beauty".

I know the POINT isn't "flow and beauty" my POINT is that other languages flow so much better than English. The way other languages work is vastly different than English. For example, in the Japanese language, the only consonant sound that a word can end in is "n." The rest of the words end in vowel sounds, which lends itself so much easier to rhyme.

NO language on Earth is as warped, confusing, and all around mutated as the English language. That's a fact. The English language has so many rules and so many exceptions to those rules that it's very complicated to work with. We take for granted how we just know English, but even we can't name the "right" ways to use it in most occasions. Therefore, it makes poetry, song lyrics, much much more difficult.

[Yum!Fruit_Salad!]

What's with the 'skinny beauty' tag?

[dreamcrushed]

Originally Posted by GRACE

I know the POINT isn't "flow and beauty" my POINT is that other languages flow so much better than English. The way other languages work is vastly different than English. For example, in the Japanese language, the only consonant sound that a word can end in is "n." The rest of the words end in vowel sounds, which lends itself so much easier to rhyme.

And I guess you missed my point about generalizing "most other languages". That's all I'll say about this.

Originally Posted by GRACE

NO language on Earth is as warped, confusing, and all around mutated as the English language. That's a fact. The English language has so many rules and so many exceptions to those rules that it's very complicated to work with. We take for granted how we just know English, but even we can't name the "right" ways to use it in most occasions. Therefore, it makes poetry, song lyrics, much much more difficult.

I disagree. English is pretty warped, but neither of us has the standing to make an assertion like this "NO language on Earth..." And who is "we"? Go do some research before you write something like this. Especially the last line -- I don't really have enough space here to show how incorrect this is.

There are reasons for the existence of these "rules" and people not knowing how to use it the "right" way: the relationship between spoken and written language, social hierarchy, the general changes of language over time -- the list is almost endless.

[GRACE]

Originally Posted by dreamcrushed

And I guess you missed my point about generalizing "most other languages". That's all I'll say about this.



I disagree. English is pretty warped, but neither of us has the standing to make an assertion like this "NO language on Earth..." And who is "we"? Go do some research before you write something like this. Especially the last line.

Other languages have set rules, and VERY few exceptions to them. English has rules that need to be broken all the time in order to function. I suggest you do some research.

[rikku411]

Originally Posted by GRACE

I know the POINT isn't "flow and beauty" my POINT is that other languages flow so much better than English. The way other languages work is vastly different than English. For example, in the Japanese language, the only consonant sound that a word can end in is "n." The rest of the words end in vowel sounds, which lends itself so much easier to rhyme.

NO language on Earth is as warped, confusing, and all around mutated as the English language. That's a fact. The English language has so many rules and so many exceptions to those rules that it's very complicated to work with. We take for granted how we just know English, but even we can't name the "right" ways to use it in most occasions. Therefore, it makes poetry, song lyrics, much much more difficult.

And you know Hikki said it's easier for her to work with English when it comes to lyrics, haha.

I know that a ton of Japanese songs tend to focus on rhythm instead of rhyme because of the very fact that most words end in a vowel. In English, though, I see both, but rhyming tends to be more diverse cause everything doesn't end in similar sounds.

I thank God that I learned English as a first language, haha. It really is complicated.

I can't say whether poetry or lyrics in English are harder than other languages, but I know that other languages can express something in less words than English can sometimes take. But I guess a skilled writer shouldn't have a problem. As for flow, I guess flow is left up to the person listening to it. I think both Japanese and English flow well.

[dreamcrushed]

Originally Posted by GRACE

Other languages have set rules, and VERY few exceptions to them. English has rules that need to be broken all the time in order to function. I suggest you do some research.

I fear I'll become a broken record if I reply to this. But thanks for responding my initial post to you.

[GRACE]

Hikki probably feels more comfortable in English because, being born in America, she probably learned it from an early age and was comfortable with it in the way most Americans are. Or were, before the texting and internet age began and the death of the English Language began.

Originally Posted by dreamcrushed

I think I'm becoming a broken record. Thanks for replying!

I will take this post as a surrender and a recognition of my victory, thank you for playing.

[rikku411]

Originally Posted by GRACE

Hikki probably feels more comfortable in English because, being born in America, she probably learned it from an early age and was comfortable with it in the way most Americans are. Or were, before the texting and internet age began and the death of the English Language began.

That's true. She has the best of both worlds in a sense then, hehe. But I guess a good amount American pop artists today don't make that much effort to get a song that means something and sounds good. It's like it's only about selling and getting it stuck in someone's head.

That's why I admire the artists that can get songs stuck in my head that actually mean something. I hope Hikki comes through for us in that way, haha.

[dreamcrushed]

Originally Posted by GRACE

Hikki probably feels more comfortable in English because, being born in America, she probably learned it from an early age and was comfortable with it in the way most Americans are. Or were, before the texting and internet age began and the death of the English Language began.



I will take this post as a surrender and a recognition of my victory, thank you for playing.

I actually edited my post to be a bit more diplomatic towards you, but it really wasn't needed. But I think if you actually take me up on my suggestion, you will see that you have a lot to learn. Your comment about the "death of the English language" says how much this is needed. No, thank you for playing!

[jbrat2219]

Originally Posted by rikku411

That's true. She has the best of both worlds in a sense then, hehe. But I guess a good amount American pop artists today don't make that much effort to get a song that means something and sounds good. It's like it's only about selling and getting it stuck in someone's head.

That's why I admire the artists that can get songs stuck in my head that actually mean something. I hope Hikki comes through for us in that way, haha.

Thank you! That's all I want, too!

[kang daesung]

Originally Posted by GRACE

That's true, there are some. I won't make the blanket statement that there aren't ANY songs with substance, but I will say, generally, it's not about what they're saying as to how it sounds.



I know the POINT isn't "flow and beauty" my POINT is that other languages flow so much better than English. The way other languages work is vastly different than English. For example, in the Japanese language, the only consonant sound that a word can end in is "n." The rest of the words end in vowel sounds, which lends itself so much easier to rhyme.

NO language on Earth is as warped, confusing, and all around mutated as the English language. That's a fact. The English language has so many rules and so many exceptions to those rules that it's very complicated to work with. We take for granted how we just know English, but even we can't name the "right" ways to use it in most occasions. Therefore, it makes poetry, song lyrics, much much more difficult.

GRACE, you need to take a linguistics class before you say these kinds of things. Cuz you're pretty much incorrect on the things you're trying to present as fact.