Johnny's WEST - Chameleon
What a time to be alive, when you can watch a Lyrics video on YouTube from a Johnnys' group, amazing huh? So, I'll share it here! LOL, it's so weird, I can't get used to it, plus they left us a challenge IN ENGLISH!!
Click to viewSo, this is a song from West's new single to be released in January next year, the 13th I think? I watched the YouTube Version of the main song, and I think it was okay, I don't remember much, except for the can hitting Akito's face LOL, oh I'm listening to it now... yeah it's fine I guess..., but this song!! Chameleon, this time it's a lyrics video but with the members and it's great! I love it! And the music was good but the lyrics were what talked to me, such an amazing message, I love it to bits, so, even though this is unreleased and I'm not sure if it's the whole song, and I'm surely able to make this translation better, and probably I'll try revising later, sorry about mistakes, I had to give this a try, because, like I said, lyrics talked to me! Got kanji from here: Source: https://www.lyrical-nonsense.com/lyrics/johnnys-west/chameleon/
Released lyrics from here, the part missing from the YT video is so worthy, and here we go trying to update this. The lyricist of this song is the same for recent releases as JUMP's MANTRA and NEWS' 朧月, both great songs. The composer is also part of this unit called Jazzin'park which has worked before with WEST, Kisumai, and Kinpuri. The lyricist here, Kurihara Satoru has also worked with West a lot before in songs such as W trouble, Big Shot!!. So, let's see how this ends~
ジャニーズWEST( Johnny's WEST )
カメレオン
Lyricist：栗原暁(Jazzin'park)
Composer：久保田真悟(Jazzin'park)・栗原暁(Jazzin'park)
澄ました顔しているカメレオンは嫌いだ
そんなに変わり身が早いなんてずるいや
一人変わってみたって同じ顔ぶれ
教えてあげたところで気付けぬ遠吠え
もう 幸せ探しに疲れたからって
誰かを指差す権利なんてないだろう
今朝 鏡に閉じ込めたエゴは
玄関あければそっとまた顔を出した
世間は 光しか見ないふりして 誤魔化して
でもね 汚れた涙も痛みも
私のものだから
誰かのように生きろと言われても
息ができない できない
ため息で曇った鏡なんて
本当の姿(ジブン)映せない
ただ泣くのを我慢してばかりじゃ
涙枯れちゃう 枯れちゃう
広げすぎた傷口隠しても
痛みなど消えやしない
見せかけじゃもう 生きてけないや
やれ これみよがし あいつよりはマシ
口にしたとこで 自己嫌悪の嵐
自分には期待 なんてしない
誰かに擬態 一体誰のスパイ
カラフルに飾る時代に
モノクロに語るアイロニー
振りかざされた正義に
ユーモアなんてあるわけ無いさ
世間は欠陥品と決めつけ 粗探しして
私は はぐれた心とカラダを
つなぎとめたいだけなんだ…
誰かのように生きろと言われても
息ができない できない
ため息で曇った鏡なんて
本当の姿(ジブン)映せない
ただ泣くのを我慢してばかりじゃ
涙枯れちゃう 枯れちゃう
広げすぎた傷口隠しても
痛みなど消えやしない
見せかけじゃもう 生きてけないや
君の声を聞かせて
本当の色を教えて
まだ見えない 真っ白な未来
壊したい？
守りたい？
簡単にユメ語れと言われても
覚悟できない できない
むやみに誰か傷つけてばかりじゃ
居場所なんて見当たらない
ただ泣くのを我慢してばかりじゃ
涙枯れちゃう 枯れちゃう
広げすぎた傷口隠しても
痛みなど消えやしない
見せかけじゃもう 生きてけないや
(English translation)
カメレオン
Chameleon
Lyricist：Kurihara Satoru (Jazzin'park)
Composer：Kubota Singo (Jazzin'park)・Kurihara Satoru (Jazzin'park)
I hate that demure look that the chameleon puts on,
such a quick way to adapt to the changing circumstances is unfair.
Even if I try to change since I'm one person, it's the same face,
I can't notice the backbiting until I am told.
Just because I'm tired of looking for happiness
I don't have the right to point at someone, right?
The ego trapped in the mirror this morning,
as I opened the door, softly, it showed its face again.
Pretending that there's just light in this world, even if it's deceiving,
but it's because dirty tears and pain
are my thing.
Even if I was asked to live like someone else
I couldn't breathe, I couldn't do it.
A mirror fogged by sighs
won't show your true reflection.
Then, it's just about putting up with crying
tears will dry out, dry out.
Even if you hide a wound that is too wide
the pain won't go away.
It's enough, I can't go through life pretending anymore.
I'll be showy, it's better than to be that guy
once I said that a self-hatred storm breaks
I don't have expectations for myself,
camouflaging into someone, who's the spy then?
In an era of the colorful display,
the irony of talking in monochrome
there's nothing funny about imposed justice.
The world arbitrarily decides what's a defective item and search for faults
but I just want to keep my stray heart and body together.
Even if I was asked to live like someone else
I couldn't breathe, I couldn't do it.
A mirror fogged by sighs
won't show your true reflection.
Then, it's just about putting up with crying
tears will dry out, dry out.
Even if you hide a wound that is too wide
the pain won't go away.
It's enough, I can't go through life pretending anymore.
Let me hear your voice,
show me your true colors.
A pure-white future that is yet to come
do you want to destroy it? or protect it?
Even if it's said that is easy to talk
I can't be ready, I can't
I'll just hurt someone thoughtlessly,
I can't find a place where I belong.
Then, it's just about putting up with crying
tears will dry out, dry out.
Even if you hide a wound that is too wide
the pain won't go away.
It's enough, I can't go through life pretending anymore.
December 8, 2020
[T/N]:
This is jazzy, it has a little rap, it's beautiful!! Check the song, check the lyrics, I can't stress it enough, I don't know, maybe I'm a chameleon myself, or tried to be one for so long, it's agonizing!! So much than when I heard Shige singing his part I wanted to reply to him, 'sure, for you, it's so easy!!' LOL, Sorry Shige, maybe it's your pretending face, I don't know you~ And then I get to thinking, I don't know them much but they seem like a bunch of extroverts and to choose such a song~ it's strange~
About notes, I don't like to write them before something is released because this is also sort of a draft...but I love the way the lyrics and emotions are shown in their faces, I like how sometimes it's like a dialogue, from member to member, and it could be all the same person.
As usual, it was difficult to put pronouns here, but I did my best. I don't know, the part with let me hear your voice, show me your true color, just spoke to me and this is the result!
- When it says 'to point at someone' I guess it's clear it's like saying to blame someone
- the mirror imageries are beautiful and so on point!!
- the sort of chorus is amazing! tears will dry out, I'm sorry this is not even notes!! I'm just pointing out my fave moments lol.
- I'll be showy, as in I'll show my true self, I cannot address this enough, it was terrifying to me to show my true self. I'm still in doubt about the spy part whether it ended well...
- I can't be ready, as in I can't be prepared
Edit: about the two new stanzas after the release, this song is still amazing, I have a couple of short notes, and I arranged the translation just a tiny bit,
- About the colorful and irony part, I think this first part of the stanza is a contrast with the second part, talking about imposed justice, I feel so identified with this, maybe it's because this song's message really hits deep. I chose "imposing" since it's about proclaimed principles onto the person, that could turn something colorful into monochrome, and in my case it made me recalled a lot of the self-imposed principles and rules I suffered from.
- I couldn't keep the order in the second new stanza, the stray heart, and body, and it kind of loses the punch, haha, because in Japanese it keeps the meaning hidden till the last part of the sentence~
I really like this song, and as I wrote just below, the people working with WEST in these songs worked great, I think they can really make WEST shine and show a different side. I'd love to know which member is singing these two stanzas, I really like them~
About this attempt of translation, I'm really affectionate to it, I made it with deep engagement, so I'm really sorry about mistakes and I'm really biased here but I can't interpret its words differently ~ Maybe later I'll check this again.
Wow to this song and to the one writing this.
So, this won't be long, I'll just leave a spoiler LOL, did you find the chameleon??!!
[Spoiler (click to open)] December 8, 2020
It's not mine!! I couldn't find it till I had some help, lol, it's like the best incentive to keep watching a PV and amazing lyrics + music + voices...
So, I'm glad I liked a new West song again, and I hope this single has a couple of songs with this amazing work behind it.
Am I avoiding talking about something else?? Well, yes and no, I'll have a post soon, I think, a sort of healing one ~
I wrote this post a long time ago, haha, but I still love the song and about the other songs in this single, well, I really like 4年7ヶ月, and well, I'm still listening to it, but Candy Shop is really interesting too, especially vocally. But overall, I think I like this single, I guess I'll know better later, recently there's so much to listen and Stones first album has been such a big distraction lately~
December 5, 2020
pic.twitter.com/y3pETKVt9O
- 湯船 (@haiyo___n) December 3, 2020
So cute!
See ya!