Kame and n
May. 8th, 2011 12:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
leecheelongOMG I just watched SCP (part of it, at least). And The Kamenashi confirmed something that I had been suspecting for a loooong time.
you might not believe me but I wrote this entry back in November 2010... it was a huuuge essay and I know I'm super wordy, hahahha.
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I’m not trying to say that he’s definitely N. But there’s a lot of hints? Maybe we can learn a little about him in the process.
Well, it’s been talked about to death before but here it is again. Kamenashi Kazuya has his name credited on the lyrics to 2 of his (many) solos. One from 2004, “Kizuna” and one from 2009 “Aishiteiru Kara” (though this was not solely by him, I believe?). His other songs have been written by ‘people’ under various pen-names, including the duet with Junno, “Special Happiness” which is written under K2 and his solos, “w/o notice”, “1582”, and “Sweet” which were written under someone named n. I don’t know that he has ever admitted to writing any of the lyrics until “Sweet”, but now he has. And n hasn’t written any other songs other than Kamenashi’s solos. So who is it? Kamenashi’s personal lyricist? Why don’t we just believe what the guy says.
Let’s talk about “Sweet”. Kamenashi says that “Sweet” was written pretty spontaneously, and therefore maybe it was the “true” him. But at the same time, he said that it made him think of drama characters. I don’t know but this sounded really contradictory to me. I know that he likes acting in dramas a lot, and he likes it when songs “stir up the imagination”, but how can a song written about a drama character show the “true” him? So I think that maybe… “Sweet” is like his fantasy or something that he came up with in his imagination. It reflects him in the sense that it shows his nature, his desires, and romantic thoughts very well, but I also think it might not be a thing that he can say is from firsthand experience. Especially since there were “parts of the lyrics written on the day of the recording” and he changed things around because the wording didn’t match. He says the song is “simple” so maybe it is just that. Simply a song, simply a story that he wanted to tell us.
The same thing I think can be said for “1582” and “w/o notice”. They’re really imaginative pieces and you can see in the performances that he’s not singing them as himself, but as a character of a story. It’s not that I don’t think he enjoys it. I have no doubt that he becomes engrossed in the whole performance aspect of it. He noted that this time, “Sweet” was created with consideration that it would be part of an album as if it were unusual; I’d infer that this means his previous solos were written with the intent to perform. So many of the songs written by n might have been really good songs with some strong imagery and feelings behind it, yet I never felt that any of them were very personal.
Let’s contrast this to “Kizuna.” He says, in a recent interview (as of 2010), that up until now his best and most confident work is still “Kizuna”, and that only the him from that time could have written it. (First of all, saying that implies a comparison, right? So that’s saying he has written other songs). Sorry I don’t really know much about “Aishiteiru Kara”, haven’t come across him talking about it. But when I look at the lyrics and style of these 2 songs, I find them to be very similar in theme, they are slow ballads, and simple verses. But they are the songs of his that have touched my heart the greatest. I also find them to be kind of abstract in nature, the theme being that “no matter what happens in the future, the feelings will not change” and that the past cannot be denied or forgotten. Sound about right? Furthermore, I’ve noticed that it’s just about the only 2 songs of his that do not in fact have any form of choreo/performance to it, he might have a small dancing/guitar prelude, but for the most part he just sits/stands there and sings. There’s nothing to really “dress up” the performance, it's all him.
Okay tangents aside, I think that the existence of “Kizuna” and his comments about it sort of reveal the reasons why he would credit his name to the lyrics. He’s not afraid to put his name on something that means a lot to him. I think that it’s precisely because the song is so close to him that he puts his name to it, even when he’s had help writing it (like with “Aishiteiru Kara”).
So what does this say about “Sweet”? Well, despite the nice and detailed imagery and setting/song, in the end it’s just a song. It doesn’t have anything to do with him! Despite the mention of memories, kissing happily under the starry skieson Mt. Fuji. Too bad, I guess.
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The Kame and n thing is old news, probably. But yeah, he said he doesn't like to put his name on songs that he doesn't really strongly associate with. Anyways, I'm still like 99.99999% sure that he wrote 1582. XDDD
Further expanding on that, he mentioned in the last Maquia article, that he likes to keep "secrets" about his life. As in, he will reveal his romantic views but keep the details secret. It would make sense that the songs he does credit seem really - vague in terms of anything concrete, like details/places/setting. I think it's because they really are 'personal' to him.
you might not believe me but I wrote this entry back in November 2010... it was a huuuge essay and I know I'm super wordy, hahahha.
-->
I’m not trying to say that he’s definitely N. But there’s a lot of hints? Maybe we can learn a little about him in the process.
Well, it’s been talked about to death before but here it is again. Kamenashi Kazuya has his name credited on the lyrics to 2 of his (many) solos. One from 2004, “Kizuna” and one from 2009 “Aishiteiru Kara” (though this was not solely by him, I believe?). His other songs have been written by ‘people’ under various pen-names, including the duet with Junno, “Special Happiness” which is written under K2 and his solos, “w/o notice”, “1582”, and “Sweet” which were written under someone named n. I don’t know that he has ever admitted to writing any of the lyrics until “Sweet”, but now he has. And n hasn’t written any other songs other than Kamenashi’s solos. So who is it? Kamenashi’s personal lyricist? Why don’t we just believe what the guy says.
Let’s talk about “Sweet”. Kamenashi says that “Sweet” was written pretty spontaneously, and therefore maybe it was the “true” him. But at the same time, he said that it made him think of drama characters. I don’t know but this sounded really contradictory to me. I know that he likes acting in dramas a lot, and he likes it when songs “stir up the imagination”, but how can a song written about a drama character show the “true” him? So I think that maybe… “Sweet” is like his fantasy or something that he came up with in his imagination. It reflects him in the sense that it shows his nature, his desires, and romantic thoughts very well, but I also think it might not be a thing that he can say is from firsthand experience. Especially since there were “parts of the lyrics written on the day of the recording” and he changed things around because the wording didn’t match. He says the song is “simple” so maybe it is just that. Simply a song, simply a story that he wanted to tell us.
The same thing I think can be said for “1582” and “w/o notice”. They’re really imaginative pieces and you can see in the performances that he’s not singing them as himself, but as a character of a story. It’s not that I don’t think he enjoys it. I have no doubt that he becomes engrossed in the whole performance aspect of it. He noted that this time, “Sweet” was created with consideration that it would be part of an album as if it were unusual; I’d infer that this means his previous solos were written with the intent to perform. So many of the songs written by n might have been really good songs with some strong imagery and feelings behind it, yet I never felt that any of them were very personal.
Let’s contrast this to “Kizuna.” He says, in a recent interview (as of 2010), that up until now his best and most confident work is still “Kizuna”, and that only the him from that time could have written it. (First of all, saying that implies a comparison, right? So that’s saying he has written other songs). Sorry I don’t really know much about “Aishiteiru Kara”, haven’t come across him talking about it. But when I look at the lyrics and style of these 2 songs, I find them to be very similar in theme, they are slow ballads, and simple verses. But they are the songs of his that have touched my heart the greatest. I also find them to be kind of abstract in nature, the theme being that “no matter what happens in the future, the feelings will not change” and that the past cannot be denied or forgotten. Sound about right? Furthermore, I’ve noticed that it’s just about the only 2 songs of his that do not in fact have any form of choreo/performance to it, he might have a small dancing/guitar prelude, but for the most part he just sits/stands there and sings. There’s nothing to really “dress up” the performance, it's all him.
Okay tangents aside, I think that the existence of “Kizuna” and his comments about it sort of reveal the reasons why he would credit his name to the lyrics. He’s not afraid to put his name on something that means a lot to him. I think that it’s precisely because the song is so close to him that he puts his name to it, even when he’s had help writing it (like with “Aishiteiru Kara”).
So what does this say about “Sweet”? Well, despite the nice and detailed imagery and setting/song, in the end it’s just a song. It doesn’t have anything to do with him! Despite the mention of memories, kissing happily under the starry skies
------
The Kame and n thing is old news, probably. But yeah, he said he doesn't like to put his name on songs that he doesn't really strongly associate with. Anyways, I'm still like 99.99999% sure that he wrote 1582. XDDD
Further expanding on that, he mentioned in the last Maquia article, that he likes to keep "secrets" about his life. As in, he will reveal his romantic views but keep the details secret. It would make sense that the songs he does credit seem really - vague in terms of anything concrete, like details/places/setting. I think it's because they really are 'personal' to him.
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no subject
Date: 2011-05-08 10:50 pm (UTC)He noted that this time, “Sweet” was created with consideration that it would be part of an album as if it were unusual; I’d infer that this means his previous solos were written with the intent to perform.
I've always thought this too, actually. And you've pointed out so many interesting things. Songs like 1582 and w/o Notice were polar opposites of each other and so drastically different from the simplcity of Kizuna and Aishiteru Kara. I agree with you that were character based, not Kame-based.
Kame to me has always been a romantic in every essence of the word. He's a dreamer - and oddly idealistic. I was watching the CTKT eppie where KoKameDa went to the farm place and Kame's poetry and the way he said 'I'd love to read a book out here!' reminded me of his insistence to always 'look cool'. Like a daydreamer, I think he's drawn to things that are picturesque. Reading outside in an wide open field, taking a long bath in candle light, people-watching from his balcony and watching nature shift around him - it all kind of has a manga-ish feel to it. I'm not sure how much of this was influenced by the the nature of his job as an idol, but I think this idealistic life is what Kame -or at least his romantic side- strives for.
Ofc, this is a complete 180-degree shift from practical!working!Kame and this is where his love for acting comes into play, I think. It's not a secret that he loves performing and jumping into new roles and I think he uses his solos as an outlet for that. 1582 and w/o Notice... I think those are manifestations of his dreamer-side - manga-like characters he's drawn to and wants to try out, and thus the penname 'n' because Kame is not himself in those solos; he's just a character.
Kizuna and AK, however, are purely him. They have the same romantic feel to them but, like you pointed out, they're vague. They're filled with emotion but lack concrete examples which makes sense considering how private Kame is. And they're the only solos where Kame doesn't adopt a different stage persona - which I agree is done purposely. Kame's always mentioning how he tries to stay true to himself in the entertainment world, how he doesn't want to get lost in it, and I think Kizuna and AK are an example of that. No fancy costumes or flashy effects, just him standing in a plain tshirt and singing his heart out, because the song is about him and not a character. Hence the credit goes to his name.
So yeah, I'm also pretty sure 1582 was written by him. Maybe not without any assistance but I do definitely believe his romantic side is capable of it, especially when fuelled by his love of roleplaying. dhsfjkh I love how fascinating he is. So complex and mysterious... and thus I blame him for my tl;dr comment. XD;;
no subject
Date: 2011-05-09 04:24 am (UTC)Kame definitely has a very romantic outlook on life, and I think apart from that, he has this huge desire to experience everything, even things that aren't that realistic. So he will watch movies or go on trips to explore all sorts of places, meet with all sorts of different people, and accept many different types of jobs. And in dramas and the lives, there's even more opportunity - he can be all sorts of people - who are not Kamenashi Kazuya. what I gathered was, the reason why he didn't put his name on some lyrics was because it was a world he created in which Kamenashi Kazuya was irrelevant - even though he was technically the one performing the song.
Sometimes I think and then realize how amazing it is that someone who has such a wild imagination is actually motivated enough to work so hard at the logistical stuff as well and be successful at both. I always feel like being a dreamer versus being pragmatic are two opposite personality types. In fact many people only see that practical side of Kame anyway, even though he's actually both.
(I actually wrote this last year when everyone was accusing him of being the only KAT-TUN member who didn't write his solo on the album. so ummm... I was kind of mad at the time? XD) I'm glad you read it and thought it made sense ♥ and yes, Kame will bring out the tl;dr in all of us, since it's impossible to describe him simply - everything about him is a contradiction :)
no subject
Date: 2011-05-12 05:17 am (UTC)also, it's hard to get me to shut up about Kame once I startXD ♥A huge THIS at your second paragraph. He carries so many polar traits, it's confusing. XD I'm pretty sure he's had trouble adjusting with both his pragmatic and dreamer sides (and others, such as KT, had troubling adjusting to/understanding him) but he's learned how to balance the two. Hence his talk of the 'switch button' and his emphasis on he has many faces but they're all the real him. I can see why people misread him, with all his complexities.
(... ppl will find anything to complain about :/ *sighs* everything about him is a contradiction --> trufax. XD ♥)
no subject
Date: 2011-05-22 04:53 pm (UTC)Haha although I didn't complain about why kame didn't write his own solos, I did question why though to myself. But after reading your essay I think you make a point there and I'm so glad I found out that 'n' could be just him in another form of character. Which I think its amazing! Cuz whether is kame himself or 'n', the fact that they write great lyrics is just amazing!
To be honest, I didn't even noticed the 'n' appearing most of the time in kame's solo as i always know its not his name and that's it i go full-stop and just listen to the song, gosh, I fail and a kame fan T^T , until i read this that I shud watch out for more kame's solos next time. XDDD
Thanks so much! XD
no subject
Date: 2011-05-22 04:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-23 07:21 am (UTC)awww I was the same way and didn't pay much attention to who wrote his songs until all the criticism came last year XD after that I looked up the lyricists for his solos. I don't think it makes us really fail fans though XD well, as always I'm looking forward to his solo this year too ><
thank you for reading <3
no subject
Date: 2011-05-23 12:04 pm (UTC)and yay for not being a fail fan! XD
yeaps now that i know that 'n' is him, I'm more excited now. XD