Teaching Tunes Tuesday: Ulfuls

What is Teaching Tunes Tuesday? Where I take 10 vocabulary words from either a Spanish or Japanese song and tell you what they mean so we can both increase our knowledge of the languages. There will be lyric videos, followed by official videos.

I bet this week I’ve uncovered a band even you J-Rock/Pop lovers haven’t heard of. Well, maybe not all of you. I was introduced to this song by a friend who spent a few years over in Japan and say this song was the bomb diggety back in the day. Meet the band Ulfuls, bringing us this week, GUTS DAZE.

I loved the throwback to samurai costume in this video. People actually thought it was cool to wear their hair like this. Who knows, maybe the style will make a comeback in the near future. At least it was good news for balding men, right?

So there isn’t an lyric version of this song—at least not that I could find on YouTube. (Read them here.) So instead we’ll start with the music video version and end with a live version for kicks and giggles.

THE VOCABULARY

tamashii (たましい) – spirit
otoko (おとこ)  – man
yowaki (よわき) – bear
nakute mo (なくても) – without
choudai (ちょうだい) – give me
umarete (うまれて) – born
shinu (しぬ) – to die; death
houben (ほうべん) – expedient
kibishiku (きびしく) – messy
modoru (もどる) – to turn back; to return

Gattsu daze! What does that mean? You’ve gotta have guts! Guts to stay alive, to live your dreams. Guts! So now when you’re confronted with something difficult, I want you to skip along singing ♫Gattsu daze!♫

Woot! That’s 10 more words than we knew of nihongo before today. Goal to learn more Japanese: CHECK!

Funny note about the band’s name: Ulfuls. Derived from a wrong reading of the word soulful. The Japanese would read it something like SOO-U-RU-FU-RU. Either way, gattsu daze!

Teaching Tunes Tuesday: Reik

What is Teaching Tunes Tuesday? Where I take 10 vocabulary words from either a Spanish or Japanese song and tell you what they mean so we can both increase our knowledge of the languages. I’ll do a lyric video followed by an official video (if available).

I came across this band while watching español videos randomly. Honestly, I’m not sure how I found it, but I really love this song Creo en Ti. And apparently so does everyone else. It’s a blasted $1.29 on everywhere. $.99 is still my limit for certain songs folks. I’ll wait and see how long I can hold out, especially since I can just watch the video over and over again. 😀

THE VOCABULARY

cada – each
cruzar  – to cross (seen as cruce)
cielo – sky
piel – peel; skin (I think in this case peel)
detener – to stop (seen as detuvo)
fantasmas – ghosts; phantoms
acabar – end; terminate (seen as acabo)
apagar – turn off; turn out (seen as apago)
rescribiste – rewrote
caída – fall

What does Creo en Ti mean? I believe in you. Awwww… And what does Reik mean? I’m not really sure. Google translate tried to direct me to Lithuanian, where it just means should. So you should listen to Reik to increase your Spanish fluency. Ba-dum-chi!

Diez palabras mas people! That’s 10 more words on our journey to Spanish fluency. And now you can go and sing this song to the ladies (and probably the guys too) and at least sound like you’re probably saying something romantic (which you are). Goal to learn more Spanish: CHECK!

Teaching Tunes Tuesday: Akeboshi

What is Teaching Tunes Tuesday? Where I take 10 vocabulary words from either a Spanish or Japanese song and tell you what they mean so we can both increase our knowledge of the languages. There will be lyric videos, followed by official videos.

Let me introduce to you Akeboshi, a band probably very familiar to you anime fans out there, especially when it comes to Naruto. I quit watching Naruto after discovering the manga was far less frustrating to read than the anime was to watch. Good gracious the anime goes sloooooooow. (Which reminds me, I need to catch up on my Naruto reading).

Anyway, Akeboshi is a good band to listen to for Japanese learning because the enunciation is pretty good and like a good J-band they throw in a few English words, so if you want to memorize the song it’s that much easier. This is one song I actually do know all the words to by heart.

A note: When it comes to learning languages this way, don’t always trust the fansubs of songs, nor the lyric searches you find online. You may notice some of the spellings don’t match what the speaker is saying (for example mikaduki should be mikazuki). If you’re ever translating yourself and a word doesn’t make sense, there’s a good chance it’s been wrongly translated. Be aware!

THE VOCABULARY

keitai (ケイタイ) – cell phone
muchuu (むちゅう)  – daze; trance
mikazuki (みかずき)– crescent moon
mendou (めんどう) – trouble; difficulty
omoi (おもい) – thoughts; feelings; emotion
tsuku (つく) – to tell; to breathe
aeru (あえる) – to meet
arifureta (ありふれた) – common
chirakatta (ちらかった) – messy
mahou (まほう) – magic

Yellow Moon. You know what that means, but what’s he singing about? Yellow moon, now, count to three and open your eyes. Shadow moon, you are still dreaming. Look me in the eye as you turn away and tell me “yes” or “no”? …And a bunch of stuff about feelings. 😉 Like most songs, right? Poor lost (or losing) love… *sigh*

Okay, now that we’re 10 words more fluent in nihongo, and since we’re so much smarter, let’s watch the real video (which is the same as the lyric video only sans lyric. Goal to learn more Japanese: CHECK!

Teaching Tunes Tuesday: Allison

What is Teaching Tunes Tuesday? Where I take 10 vocabulary words from either a Spanish or Japanese song and tell you what they mean so we can both increase our knowledge of the languages. Usually I do a lyric video followed by the official video, but I couldn’t find the official video. Come on, Vevo, get on the ball with this!

This week we’re featuring a song by Allison. This is one of their softer songs, so if you’re looking for a band to rock out to, you’ve still got them. It’s just sometimes slower songs it’s easier to understand the lyrics if you’re trying to learn the español like me. Dime Que often gets stuck in my head, so enjoy!

THE VOCABULARY

verdad – truth
sentir  – to feel; to sense
(you may see it as sentías or sientes)
¿Y ahora qué? – And now what? (phrase)
dime – tell me
acabado – finish (in this case finished)
orgullo – pride
brisa – breeze
creer – to believe
azul – blue
frente – front

What does Dime Que mean? Well, it’s technically the beginning of a phrase, so it means tell me that. But what they’re saying with this song is essentially: Go ahead and tell me that there isn’t an ocean between us, or that things haven’t gotten cold between us, etc. etc. He’s lamenting the loss of something in his relationship. Kind of a sad song, yet still beautiful somehow.

Okay, now that we’re 10 words more fluent in español, let’s go out and conquer el mundo!!! (The world, now you’re 11 words more fluent.) Goal to learn more Spanish: CHECK!

Teaching Tunes Tuesday: The Pillows

What is Teaching Tunes Tuesday? Where I take 10 vocabulary words from either a Spanish or Japanese song and tell you what they mean so we can both increase our knowledge of the languages. There will be lyric videos, followed by official videos.

This week we’re featuring a song by The Pillows, one of the best bands EVVVVEEEERRRR! No seriously, I have major fangirl love for the Pillows, first introduced to me via FLCL—the super spicy of anime. Seriously, don’t watch this show until you’ve been heavily steeped in anime culture, or it won’t settle well.

I always say Asian Kung-Fu Generation is my favorite band, but if we’re being honest, the Pillows and Ajikan are battling head to head for that position. I love them both equally, like my children, and will give the one who impresses me most candy. So eternal battles are always going on for the #1 spot with these two. Onto the music—of which the only lyrics I could find were dual in Japanese romaji and español. It’s like learning two languages at once. Winning!

THE VOCABULARY

koe (こえ) – voice
sakaratte (さからって)  – against
yoru (よる)– night
nobasu (のばす) – to extend, stretch (as nobashite)
hodokete (ほどけて) – unwound, took apart
barabara (ばらばら) – scattered; disconnected
okage (おかげ) – favor
doukashi (どうかし) – somehow
kanau (かなう) – to come true
tsuyoi (つよい) – strong

What does Funny Bunny mean? Exactly what you think. But what’s the point of the song? I think it’s a kind of nostalgic song, at least the guy is thinking about a girl whose dreams are coming true, but she’s left him and he’s hoping they can go back to that good day they had when it was windy. Something like that.

Okay, now that we’re 10 words more fluent in nihongo, and since we’re so much smarter, let’s watch the real video (which is the same as the lyric video only sans lyric. Goal to learn more Japanese: CHECK!