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| Flame by Buck-Tick |
Song: Flame
Music: Imai Hisashi
Lyrics: Atsushi Sakurai
Album: One Life, One Death, 2000
There is always a time in our life that we fall in love. It may be in our childhood, in our teens, in our twenties, thirties and so on. But one of these always gives a deep impression. Most of the time, this impact occurs when we fall in love for the first time. Though it may end badly or sweetly or briefly, its memory cannot be easily erased. The song “Flame” characterizes the first time we experience love. The song focuses on the story of man who retells his own experience of falling in love for the first time; how it started and how it ended. His story can be experienced by everyone and that is how this song can be personal and nostalgic.
Flame is used as a metaphor of the first taste of love. It can be very delicate, yet passionate, warm, and soft just like a flame in the candle. Like a flame, it is fueled by a burning passion of the moment, while we experience the highs and lows of love. Though this love might be as intense as a burning sun or as calm as the receding waves on the shore, it is always cherished. Years may go by, and perhaps, we forget it. But we cannot deny that the flame still remains within us. It will be always a part of us and a part of our being.
Backstory: In relation to the writer
This song can be very interesting. As the second line goes, “the day I knew it was love, I removed the button closest to my heart”, it implies about a high school love. This can be apparent on the note of the translator:
“In Japan, there is a tradition in high school of boys giving away the second button on their school uniform to a girl that is in love with them. Giving the second button is significant because it is the one closest to the heart and so, is given in lieu of a verbal confession.”
Sakurai seemed to write about a nostalgic high school love he seemed to recall. Could it be a love that he experienced? Sakurai can be tight-lipped when it comes to his love affairs, but we all know that he is sincere when he is writing songs and can also be whimsical depending on the context. It seems that, this song “Flame” has more than a simple boy’s first high school love.
Back in the 90’s, Buck-Tick released the “Love Me“ book. It contained each of the band member’s stories through their own words. One of the stories is Sakurai’s. He was able to briefly talk about his life as a kid , his high school days and until he became a band member of Buck-Tick. Though he identified that his first love was with his teacher when he was a kid, there are lines that may lead us into the inspiration of the song. He wrote:
“I did date in high school though. But with that girlfriend it was the 'it somehow started, it somehow ended' kind of relationship.”
Somehow, it started. Somehow, it ended.
Just like a flame. :)
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Notes:
- This is my interpretation and opinion about the song, so it is not official. If you have any ideas and suggestions you'd like to share, please do comment below. This post is open for discussion. ^^
Credits:
- Video and subs: guitarchic11292
- Translation: nopperabou.net (Lola and w_b)
- Translation: marysue_complex
- Love Me Book Story of Atsushi Sakurai translation can be found here.
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