Friday, September 7, 2012

What Songs Look Like: Black Cherry

One of the treats of posting videos is that some of them are mini-movies, with a complete (if short) storyline. We know that songs can tell a complete story using lyrics, of course, but watching something unfold visually rather than aurally gives a new angle on things.

Black Cherry, by the j-rock group Acid Black Cherry, is a torch song (and we did a week of those last summer, if I remember rightly). It starts off as a pretty straightforward jazz tune, then kicks into high gear with a high-energy jazz-rock finale…with a twist. A few of the translated lyrics (courtesy of papersnow):
It's all right if you don't love me...since I don't love you, Make me wretched like this! Black Cherry, give it to me...Black Cherry, give me more. Even though the truth is I've always loved you, Our short history...it's just a petty fling on the way to something else, With this, finally, though...once in a while, remember me like this...

The video serves up these emo-angsty words as sung by a female vocalist who is the disputed object of two yakuza (organized crime members), complete with wacky minions. In a highly stylized clip meant to mimic old gangster movies, we don't even have to be able to read the placards to get the drift of the ill-fated card game.

Hats off (and other things, heh!) to A.B.C. and lead singer Yasu for this crazy vid of a great song. Bonus visual kei hairstyling tip: the drummer's spikey 'do is kept in place with white glue.
blog comments powered by Disqus