SMAPの解散は，やはり衝撃でした。一般人には裏事情など知る由もないものの，元メンバーのその後の動向についても，腑に落ちない点が多くあります。所属していた大手事務所に対する忖度や思惑がやはりあるのではと，素人なりに勘ぐってしまいます。そんな中，これまでに見られなかった手法でファンへのアプローチを展開している元メンバーの挑戦は，ある意味，既存の体制を変えるような革命的な動きといえるのではないでしょうか。
草なぎ剛さんと香取信吾さんのユニット，SingTuyo（しんつよ）の新曲「KISS is my life.」がリリースされました。聴いてみての第一印象は，まるでSMAP時代のシングル曲のようだ，というものでした。
The split-up of SMAP, actually, amazed me. There is no way for ordinary people to know what happens behind the show-biz world. Even so, when I try to see how the former members are doing, I have a feeling that the way how they are treated is not fair. I tend to be suspicious that there could be some consideration or hesitation of some people for the big agency the members belonged to. In such a situation, the former members’ challenging move, which is something never seen before, in approaching the fans could be a revolutionary action that could happen to break down the old system.
The musical unit of two, Kusanagi Tsuyoshi and Katori Shingo, has released their new song “KISS is my life.” the other day. My first impression was that it sounds like a single of SMAP.
もともと，SMAPの楽曲には数えきれないほどの大物が関わっています。自分が興味のある範囲で見るだけでも，元ピッチカート・ファイブの小西康陽さんや，オリジナル・ラブの田島貴男さん，さらには椎名林檎さん，はてはエリック・プラクトンなど，その人選は驚きの連続でした。アルバムによっては，その当時の新進気鋭のアーティストを取り上げていることも多く，シングル曲の「Joy!!」ですら，作詞・作曲は津野米咲（つの まいさ）さんで，当時まだ２１歳，メジャーデビューして１年足らずのガールズバンド，「赤い公園」のギタリストでした。今回の作詞作曲は，まだ２０歳の「ぼくのりりっくのぼうよみ」さんということで，この方自身が，動画サイトへの投稿を通じて音楽活動を始めたという，今の時代を象徴するような経歴の持ち主のようです。
So many big names had something to do with the tunes of SMAP. Seeing just within the range of my interest, there had been such as Konishi Yasuharu , a former member of Pizzicato Five, Tajima Takao from Original Love, besides Shiina Ringo, and even, really unbelievable, Eric Clapton. The selection of creators in each album were really amazing for me. In some albums, they employed up-and-coming artists at that time, even the single “Joy” was made by Tsuno Maisa, the guitarist of a girl’s band called “Akai Kouen”, she was only 21 years old and it had only been one year since the band made their major-label debut. This time, the creator in both words and music is a 20 years old artist “Boku no ririkku no bou yomi” who is a kind of symbols of some people typical in this era, because he started his career by submitting his works to a video sharing site.
SingTuyo - KISS is my life.
「新しい地図」のホームページで見たムービーにはさらに感心しました。まず，巨大な唇あたまのスーツ姿の男が女性に振られるシーンで始まり，所在無げに町をさまよい歩くこの唇男は，落ち込んでいる小さな子どもや元気のない学生を励まそうとして失敗を繰り返しながら，次第に周りの注目を集め，勇気を与える存在になっていきます。最後に唇男は，そのかぶりものをついに脱ぐのですが，その正体は・・・。何度もくすくす笑いながら，あたたかい気持ちになりました。
とてもポジティブなこの歌詞を聴いていると，この曲は，彼ら自身への，そして元SMAPファンへの即効性のある応援歌に思えます。
I was still more impressed when I saw a video on their own site called “Atarashii Chizu”. At the beginning, a man who has a weird looking head in the shape of huge lips is turned down by a lady, he then wanders around the town aimlessly, during that, however, the lips head man tries to encourage a little girl who looks depressed or a student in low spirits repeating failure, but in the end, he successfully attracts people’s attention and finally becomes someone who can give them courage. At the ending, the man takes off the head covering and the face under it is……. The video made me chuckle many times and it was also heartwarming.
Listening to the very positive lyrics, I can’t help feeling that this song is a cheering song, which has an immediate effect, to themselves and, at the same time, to their fans.
