View Single Post
Old 2009.07.12, 07:59 PM   #45
frecklegirl
apple-princess
 
frecklegirl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Tokyo
Posts: 2,183
frecklegirl knows what you did last summerfrecklegirl knows what you did last summer
Default

Originally Posted by clakaz View Post
In my feeling, the original song have already this melancholic touch, but it's more like: cute woman singing a melancholic tale about the lover that got lost in city lights.
The strength in Shiina Ringo take is that the modernization isn't just a mere arrangement thing, or better saying, the new arrangement changes the mood and focus of the tale. The girl in this "new" history is way more pathetic than cute. The distance between the couple keeps increasing and she refuses to notice and when he, finally, break-up, she just asks for a last gift without a complain. I think that this is a kind of woman that some man (traditional) would consider a role model...
I dunno, I disagree. The lyrics don't change so how can the meaning behind them? Plus, when she asks for the cotton handkerchief, it is very much a dig at him. "Hey, I know you said you wanted to get me a gift, and now you're leaving me--so here's what I want, a cotton handkerchief to wipe my tears, JERK." She isn't complaining outright but she is very much making her feelings clear that she is annoyed about this (especially when she calls it "a last selfishness [from me]"--like, "oh, soooo sorry to inconvenience you as your long-distance girlfriend you're supposed to CARE ABOUT"); it's almost passive-aggressive.
frecklegirl is offline   Reply With Quote