Offensive melodies and lyrics in Visual Kei and Japanese music

We already have talked about offensive band appearances.
But what about the melodies and lyrics of the actually music?
Have ever felt something offensive to you? Melody wise or maybe even lyrical wise?

Actually @Rena noticed me on this track from HONMONO
It uses the Allahu Akbar, which well can be offensive…? Those who are Muslims, how do you feel about it, if a band would use it as their SE… is it okay or is it an absolute NO GO?? Of course please explain?

Another example is still

ANTI-FLAG from Calmando Qual “HEIL HEIL”
The lyrics themselves are kind of “harmless, has not really something to do with WW2” But playing this song while my parents are around… I still don’t do it.

Guess we’ll get the most obvious choice out of the way

Kiyoharu cosplaying an early-90s idea of autism was certainly a choice

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its not about cosplaying or looks but the melody of the song or lyrics.

How is a melody offensive?
Anyhow, my commentary on the offensive aesthetics transfers over to the lyrics. The lyrics aren’t particularly sensitive, but the music video pushes it over the top. My apologies if this wasn’t the content you were looking for lol

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Well… some melodies can be culturewise and if used in a wrong way or intentions it might can feel odd or so.

I guess this topic is looking at actual sensitive topics but there are melodies and lyrics that are offensive to ears that I would rather not recall.

I don’t see how “praise god” can be offensive but I have heard about muslim songs of prayer being sampled as a no-no.

The only offensive lyric I can think of had to do with a kpop song that had a Japanese word in it. I don’t think the word was even offensive.

Not a big fan of using my religion’s imagery as a base for cool design without any related meaning or intention, as I don’t think the Gazette is about to spread the Catholic faith in Japan any time soon.

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Its not about the mere “Allahu Akbar”. Its about the fact that they used the whole Adhan, the islamic prayer call in their SE.
The important and difficult part here are the words
I wrote last night something about our discord about it.
Besides the fact that the Adhan is the prayer call, which calls a Muslim to pray and whorship Allah. Using it outside of that purpose is accounted as offensive, because its disorts its actual purpose.

Another thing is what is part of the Adhan.

The shahada is an important part in Islam.
If you can you will say it when you die, you say it during each prayer and it’s also the one thing you say if you convert and become a Muslim
We also whisper the shahada into a newborn’s ears
So with a that you might understand why most Muslims will see it as offensive to use the adhan that has the shahada in it for merely for music

I am not the best Muslim, i dont pray most of the time, i will probably go to hell for the music i listen to.
But there is one thing i am sure of, every muslim will account it as offensive, if a band uses the prayer call in the way Honmono are doing it.

If they liked the melody, take it… change the words, and no one will cry about it.

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Seeing that topic I almost immediately thought about BUCK-TICK and their controversy after the release of “Six/Nine” back in 1995. Both the album and single versions of “Rakuen” had an excerpt from Quran (at about 2:30 into the track) and once people took notice they were pulled from the shelves, so they had to reissue both releases to remove that specific part

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It’s not that the uncensored versions were lost in time of course

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You should understand that japanese use all this because of inspiration, not because they want to be disrespectful to someone…

Sure, but not everyone can see things that way, and the reason Why something might be not liked by a group of people is what we also should try to understand.

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Well, they are artists, and if some people don’t understand that this is artist’s view - so, しょうがない。。

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it’s their job to educate and no be ignorant but ok

artist views can be also offensive or totally stupid. And even if you are an artist doesn’t mean you can say and do everything without any pardon.

anyway back to topic.

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Maybe I can offer something interesting because it’s relevant trivia for this topic!

Dir en grey’s first release was a demo tape called 業 / 蒼い月. It was recorded for promotional purposes and not listed for sale. 蒼い月 was featured again on MISSA with reworked lyrics. 業 was included on the PV compilation 「楓」~if trans・・・~ but wasn’t on an official album until THE UNRAVELING in 2013, at which point it was reworked almost entirely.

So what gives? 業 was supposed to be on MISSA, but the band decided to exclude it at the last minute due to the lyrics. Not only is the song lyrically extreme, it uses a bad word, namely kikeiji (奇形児). This translates roughly to deformed child, and has connotations to children born of defects due to nuclear fallout. It’s a word that is censored in the press, from what I’ve read. Here’s a rough translation of the lyrics:

    The scene we saw is now colored in blood.
    The wreck is covered with one arm of yours.
    I were gazing at the womb.
    And the deformed child which I got tried to love.

    Moonlight. PAST…

    Burn your lewdy state into your fallen balls.
    I were gazing at the womb.
    And the deformed child which I got tried to love.
    I binded myself firmly, and kept watching the same dream.
    I firmly binded myself, and kept watching the same fallen blue dream.

While we’re on this topic, 惨劇の夜 is much of the same story. The lyrics are so extreme that Kyo was pressured to change it at the last minute. 惨劇の夜 was supposed to open MISSA, but instead we got 霧と繭. 惨劇の夜 is usually what they played live. Here are the lyrics.

   Walking down the street, one girl
   Came into my view and she was staring at me.
   As I noticed, I called her.
   "Let's go somewhere together." She became very happy.
   You were very endearing and we hung out for a long time,
   But in time, tear flowed down your cheek.
   The dearness left over you made me have hatred overflowing.
   I wrapped my hands around your neck and exerted force.
   Your limp body, over and over again,
   I beat with my own hands.
   I sprout my seeds into your garden,
   But the red, wet bud shall not bloom.
   I cut up my arm and bled.
   Washing your blood with blood, I shed a tear.
   Afterwards, I put you inside a refrigerator,
   And buried you just like that under the ground.
   Telling myself many times how it was your fault.
   I do not need such thing as love.
   The fact of being unable to escape guilt that cannot be atoned,
   Has led me to death and I died with a white rope.
   The tragedy dyed in crimson did not have one thing that changed
   And the night of tragedy continues to open its curtain somewhere even now.

And then finally there’s embryo, a song with lyrics so extreme that the band only released the graphic ones on the album. The single version was only performed live once.

   Yes, it was 1983 in the summer My loving mother was always by my side
   Will you smile for me like always? It was a bright morning and she had a distorted look on her face

   Mother's neck was squeezed tight as she hanged from the ceiling Bye Bye Mother
   Tears in silence, the sorrow deeply sank in The flowers couldn't withstand any longer as they died away I am alone

   Without a Face Voice gasps for air
   Without a Face Voice distorts

   Rape me father, for I am now yours
   You can see mother looking down at us

   My Sweet Mother Please smile Laughing so hard my heart bursts
   Deadly Sweet Mother With hatred The nausea blooms Let's tolerate and wait while being raped

   It's already 1992 in the winter at night My father who I despised was always by my side
   And as always he rapes me again today I open my eyes widely and imprint his eyes

   I stab the concealed thing in him Firmly and deeply into his neck Bye Bye Father
   Naked mother blooms in the snow-covered garden Blood red flowers bloom I am alone

   My Sweet Mother Please smile Laughing so hard my heart bursts
   Deadly Sweet Mother With hatred The tears that come down my cheeks dry and the season die
   My Sweet Mother Please smile Laughing so hard my heart bursts
   Deadly Sweet Mother I am pregnant, the child cries Let's tolerate the nausea

Is that offensive enough for y’all?

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Wow. That truly is extreme.

kikeiji (奇形児) is also used in Mazohyst of Decadence, although it was censored when it was released on Gauze. Kyo does sing the uncensored word in their 1999 Osaka Jo Hall show.

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I can check in a few hours.