Tereto – Soutaiseiriron | 2009 – Words in Japanese Song

テレ東 [Teretō]
相対性理論 [Sōtaiseiriron]
Words & Music : 真部脩一 [MABE Shūichi]

This time, I’m introducing another band from the alternative scene. Soutaiseiriron (which means “theory of relativity”) is an alternative band formed in 2006, releasing their music through independent labels and keeping a low profile in media appearances outside of live shows. However, from the start, they’ve garnered attention, collaborating and performing with many well-known musicians. Their sound engineer is Zak, who also worked with Fishmans.
“Teretō” is a track from the 2009 album Hi-Fi Anatomia.
“テレ東 / Teretō” is short for “テレビ東京 / Terebi Tōkyō” (=Television Tokyo), a Japanese TV broadcasting station. There are six major TV networks in Japan, including NHK (similar to the BBC), but Teretō is known as a slightly smaller, less prestigious company. Even during serious events that dominate the other five networks, Teretō often continues airing its regular programming, such as anime or economic news, which has become a popular topic online. Many fans love this aspect of Teretō.
But anyway, the details about Television Tokyo don’t really matter. It’s not like Soutaiseiriron wanted to make a promotional song for Teretō. Their music often focuses on oddly specific and quirky subjects like this.

チャンネルをテレ東に
chaneru o teretō ni
リモコン持ったら速やかに
rimokon mottara sumiyaka ni
フルカラーのまたたきが
furukarā no matataki ga
ブラウン管からあふれだす
buraunkan kara afure dasu

チャンネル [chaneru] : channel
リモコン（りもこん） [rimokon] : remote control
持つ（もつ） [motsu] : hold
速やかに（すみやかに） [sumiyaka ni] : quickly
フルカラー（ふるからー） [furukarā] : full-color
またたき [matataki] : flicker
ブラウン管（ぶらうんかん） [buraunkan] : CRT (cathode-ray tube)
あふれだす [afure dasu] : overflow

(translation) “Change the channel to Teretō
Quickly grab the remote control
Full-color flickers
Overflow from the CRT”

By 2009, CRT televisions were already obsolete, though.

チャンネルはそのままに
chaneru wa sono mama ni
一旦つけたらそのままに
ittan tsuketara sono mama ni
水曜の退屈を
suiyō no taikutsu o
いかしたテレビが満たしてく
ikashita terebi ga mitashiteku

そのまま [sono mama] : as it is
一旦（いったん） [ittan] : once
つける（つける） [tsukeru] : turn on
水曜（すいよう） [suiyō] : Wednesday
退屈（たいくつ） [taikutsu] : boredom
いかした [ikashita] : cool, stylish
テレビ [terebi] : TV
満たす（みたす） [mitasu] : fill

(translation) “Keep the channel as it is
Once you turn it on, leave it as it is
A cool TV show
Fills the Wednesday boredom”

The adjective “いかした / ikashita” is an old slang meaning “cool” or “nice.” These days, a similar term “いけてる / iketeru” is more commonly used with the same meaning.

伝えたい言葉は I LOVE YOU
tsutaetai kotoba wa i love you
口をついて出る I WANT YOU
kuchi o tsuite deru i want you
愛の言葉は I LOVE YOU
ai no kotoba wa i love you
きみに届けたい I NEED YOU
kimi ni todoketai i need you

伝える（つたえる） [tsutaeru] : convey
言葉（ことば） [kotoba] : words
口をつく（くちをつく） [kuchi o tsuku] : slip out
出る（でる） [deru] : come out
愛（あい） [ai] : love
君（きみ） [kimi] : you
届ける（とどける） [todokeru] : deliver

(translation) “The words I want to say are I love you
The words that slip out are I want you
The words of love are I love you
The words I want to deliver to you are I need you”

The perspective shifts here, but I think there may be a connection to the idea of TV stations conveying messages, or perhaps to TV announcers and their announcements.

チャンネルをテレ東に
chaneru o teretō ni
ダンスチューンは緩やかに
dansu chūn wa yuruyaka ni
オーディオはステレオに
ōdio wa sutereo ni
結婚するなら六月に
kekkon suru nara rokugatsu ni

ダンス [dansu] : dance
チューン [chūn] : tune
緩やか（ゆるやか） [yuruyaka] : gentle
オーディオ [ōdio] : audio
ステレオ [sutereo] : stereo
結婚（けっこん） [kekkon] : marriage
六月（ろくがつ） [rokugatsu] : June

(translation) “Change the channel to Teretō
The dance tune plays gently
The audio is stereo
If you get married, do it in June”

“The lyrics feel chaotic, almost as if various shows are playing on the same channel.”

あいつきっと爽やかに
aitsu kitto sawayaka ni
レモンを齧って爽やかに
remon o kajitte sawayaka ni
プロポーズ決めたくて
puropōzu kimetakute
気の利くセリフを探してる
ki no kiku serifu o sagashiteru

あいつ [aitsu] : that guy
きっと [kitto] : surely
爽やか（さわやか） [sawayaka] : refreshing
レモン [remon] : lemon
齧る（かじる） [kajiru] : bite
プロポーズ [puropōzu] : proposal
決める（きめる） [kimeru] : decide
気が利く（きがきく） [ki ga kiku] : clever
セリフ [serifu] : line, phrase
探す（さがす） [sagasu] : search

(translation) “That guy surely
Bites a lemon refreshingly
Wanting to nail the proposal
Searching for a clever line”

Perhaps they’re watching a commercial? Or maybe a drama?

夢見がちな午後の I LOVE YOU
yumemigachi na gogo no i love you
ふいに沸いて出る I WANT YOU
fui ni waite deru i want you
きみに届けたい I LOVE YOU
kimi ni todoketai i love you
きみに伝えたい I NEED YOU
kimi ni tsutaetai i need you

夢見がち（ゆめみがち） [yumemigachi] : dreamy
午後（ごご） [gogo] : afternoon
ふいに [fui ni] : suddenly
沸く（わく） [waku] : spring up

(translation) “A dreamy afternoon I love you
Suddenly springs up I want you
I want to deliver to you I love you
I want to convey to you I need you”

Around 2 p.m., there are usually melodramas on TV. These are what we call soap operas. The ‘I love you’ here sounds like a quote and comes off as a bit ironic, don’t you think? Well, I’m not sure though.

合言葉は I LOVE YOU
aikotoba wa i love you
届けたい I NEED YOU
todoketai i need you

合言葉（あいことば） [aikotoba] : password

(translation) “The password is I love you
I want to deliver I need you”

It feels like leaving the TV on aimlessly, with no real purpose, just letting the programs play. There’s a detached, observational tone here, almost as if viewing things from outside the TV screen.

The charm of Soutaiseiriron lies in the sweet, girlish voice of vocalist Etsuko Yakushimaru, which has gained a sort of cult following.
And, of course, the melody is unique. If you listen to the melody alone, it feels somewhat like Japanese folk music. This impression comes from its use of the pentatonic scale (to simplify, the five-note Do-Re-Mi-So-La scale) and the lack of syncopation in its rhythm. This contrast between Yakushimaru’s voice and Zak’s sound creates a unique charm.
The one composing this music was Shūichi Mabe, who played bass and composed for the band at the time. He eventually left the band, but I think the music he created was the core of Soutaiseiriron’s appeal.