It’s #SongLyricsSunday! The prompt this week is about sizes: big, small, tall, and short. I tried to find a song in a different language at first, but my heart eventually picked a Morning Musume. song that was released over fifteen years ago. As you may or may not know, I am a big Morning Musume. fan, especially between the years of 2004 to 2018, as I really love everything about the group: the members, the songs, the costumes, the lyrics, the sister groups, and etc. I have featured this top-selling Japanese idol group many times on this blog.
This week’s pick is one of the weirdest releases from the Morning Musume. discography, according to fans when it was released. What is the song? “Chokkan 2 ~Nogashita Sakana wa Ookii zo!~”. Why did fans not like it when it was released? Continue on to find out.
The Song That Became the A-Side at the Last Minute
“Chokkan 2 ~Nogashita Sakana wa Ookii zo!~” (Intuition 2 ~The Fish That Got Away Was Big!~) is Morning Musume.’s 28th single, released in 2005. When the 28th single was announced, the song “Koi wa Hassou Do the Hustle!” was supposed to be the A-side originally. However, when the group sang the song, Tsunku saw that fans didn’t really particularly enjoy “Koi wa Hassou Do the Hustle!”. Instead, he saw that fans loved “Chokkan ~Toki to Shite Ai wa~”, which was a track off their sixth album Ai no Dai 6kan. So, the producer quickly wrote a sequel to “Chokkan”, making it a song for the fans.
Based on the great success of the spring tour, I have included “Chokkan ~Toki to Shite Ai wa~” in the setlist of this autumn tour. It was obvious from the tour video that this autumn tour was really exciting.
I don’t know what it was, but I wrote it myself, these lyrics jump into my head: “The fish that got away was big …” Maybe because I’m watching it in a video.
Although I feel like I’m complaining about something in this era, I thought this time “Well, this excitement may be a message from the fans.. I have to get more people to know…”
In this world, the thing that escaped might not be in future festivals. Nature, time, energy, love…
Tsunku’s notes on the single
So, why did fans get upset over the release of this single? The answer was that the label pumped up excitement for a new song and then did a last-minute switch-a-roo to a “cheap-sounding” sequel. When the new single was announced in the late summer of 2005 as “Koi was Hassou Do the Hustle!”, fans were excited, especially when they hear a glimpse of the new single at the autumn concert.
Yet October 2005, Tsunku and the record label announced that “Koi wa Hassou Do the Hustle!” was merely just a b-side, as the real a-side was “Chokkan 2 ~Nogashita Sakana wa Ookii zo!~”. Fans just felt used and thought the label was setting the group up for failure with cheaply made, recycled songs.1
So Why Do I Like It?
When I first heard this song in 2005, I really didn’t think much about Morning Musume’s “Chokkan 2 ~Nogashita Sakana wa Ookii zo!~”. I thought it was less-than-stellar. I just ignored it and focused on other songs that were released during the same time by Morning Musume.’s sister groups and soloists.
However, when I listened to this song last year during the “stay-at-home” orders, my view of the song changed. Instead of focusing on the melody, I turned my attention to the lyrics. Life lessons and messages are sprinkled throughout the song, giving inspiration to those who listen. When I listened to the lyrics, I could relate to the messages found inside and I used these lyrics to pump myself in positivity and encouragement. I found the lyrics to be well-written.
Tsunku has always been a lyricist whose words are something I can relate to. Love, hope, encouragement, and happiness: Tsunku has it all in Hello! Project (and Morning Musume.) tunes. “Chokkan 2 ~Nogashita Sakana wa Ookii zo!~”. is one of these examples as it a tune that talk about building up your self-esteem and not fret about failure, but learn from them.
How about you? What do you think of Morning Musume.’s “Chokkan 2 ~Nogashita Sakana wa Ookii zo!~”? Listen to the song below as well as take a look at the lyrics. Afterwards, tell me what you think in the comments!
The Lyrics For Morning Musume’s “Chokkan 2 ~Nogashita Sakana wa Ookii zo!~”
Here is the English translation for the song, all credits go to Projecthello.com:
The fish that got away was big
Even though the first meeting was so important
The fish that got away was delicious
There’s no way that it’ll come again
Don’t push and pull,
Continuing as yourself is fine
Because you’re pushing and pulling,
The results will backfire
That’s right, that’s right, that’s right totally
That’s right, that’s right, that’s right totally
That’s right, that’s right, that’s right totally, just like that
In the best condition
it’s a careful service
(That’s right, that’s right, that’s right totally)
While you’re choosing
You’re passing over someone first
(That’s right, that’s right, that’s right totally, just like that)
Time is money
You don’t go and say that?
(That’s right, that’s right, that’s right totally)
After it’s gone
You start to really want it
That’s right, that’s right, that’s right totally
That’s right, that’s right, that’s right totally
That’s right, that’s right, that’s right totally, just like that
Believe in intuition (That’s right x7)
Let’s give thanks (That’s right x7)
The time while you’re being scolded is a flower
Let’s learn from our mistakes
The fish that got away was big
Even though the first meeting was so important
The fish that got away was delicious
There’s no way that it’ll come again
Don’t push and pull,
Continuing as yourself is fine
Because you’re pushing and pulling,
The results will backfire
That’s right, that’s right, that’s right totally
That’s right, that’s right, that’s right totally
That’s right, that’s right, that’s right totally, just like that
After you’ve “been dumped”
you start your next love
(That’s right, that’s right, that’s right totally)
Even if you feel the chagrin
you can’t get even
(That’s right, that’s right, that’s right totally)
The forgetful, the loner
There are a lot of times
(That’s right, that’s right, that’s right totally)
Early and late
You get hungry and sleepy
That’s right, that’s right, that’s right totally
That’s right, that’s right, that’s right totally
That’s right, that’s right, that’s right totally, just like that
I’ll send you sincerity (That’s right x7)
It’ll take time, but (That’s right x7)
Friends, lovers, co-workers
The skilled and various seniors
The fish that got away was big
Even though the first meeting was so important
The fish that got away was delicious
There’s no way that it’ll come again
That’s right x7 Totally That’s right x3
That’s right x7 Totally That’s right x3
The fish that got away was big
Even though the first meeting was so important
The fish that got away was delicious
There’s no way that it’ll come again
The fish that got away was big
Even though the first meeting was so important
The fish that got away was delicious
There’s no way that it’ll come again
The Rules
If you want to participate, here are the rules:
- Post the lyrics to the song of your choice, whether it fits the theme or not.
- Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due.
- Make sure you also credit the singer/band and if you desire you can provide a link to where you found the lyrics.
- Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
- Ping back to this post will eventually work, as long as you are being patient, but you can also place your link in the comments if you don’t like to wait.
- Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
- Feel free to suggest future prompts.
- Have fun and enjoy the music.
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References
[1] http://melonormachine.blogspot.com/2005/11/morning-musume-chokkan-2nogashita.html
Morning Musume is full of energy and they wear some great outfits.
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