HEY I'm SUPER excited about my brand new ebook, Jazz Piano Improv Vol. 1! We're still in the launch process getting feedback and seeing how you all enjoy it, so for the time being, it's still at that 50% off launch sale price! It comes with the PDF of the book AND 40 backing tracks. Check it out! jazzpianoimprov.com/
@@supersentaifanboy it takes place during the 1st Mongol invasion of Japan. You a play a samurai named Jin Sakai who is trying to defeat the Mongols to protect his home after the samurai are nearly wiped out. The story, gameplay, and graphics were awesome, it's one of my favorite games.
Please, please, PLEASE check out Sky: Children of the Light. The OST to that game is one of the most incredible game OSTs ever made! *At least in my opinion*
It is so crazy to me that this was the first ever Japanese song to hit #1 on the worldwide billboard chart. It didn’t last long, but still it’s quite the accomplishment and I love that it happened.
As a Jpop composer myself I would love to add some details on song structure of this song and Yoasobi's writing in general. Jpop song is famous for its complex structure usually with a lot more changes in comparison to the western "verse and chorus" structure. A conventional model for a Jpop song is A - B - Chorus - A - B - Chorus - D - Chorus. You might have noticed that in oder to keep the whole song interesting, the biggest challenge is to always invent new interchanges between these sections. That's why it's usual to see key changes in the chorus when you listen to Jpop and vocaloid songs. In my experience the hardest part is the D to Chorus section because you're almost writing a new song, but the buildup and drop should be the strongest among the entire piece. Also from song writing point of view, the D section is where you put the deepest lyrics and tell the hidden thoughts, the music therefore goes down with it. What Yoasobi usually do in the D section (although in this song it's sort of a refrain to the B section) is dropping the key, so that the key raise in the coming chorus sounds even higher that before. Recently I've seen a lot of people talking about the disappearance of complex melody and key changes in western pop music. I think this might be a reason why Jpop artists might be a fresh air to the western listeners and I'm happy to see such exchanges happening.
"Recently I've seen a lot of people talking about the disappearance of complex melody and key changes in western pop music." Yeah, exactly, that's why we're here! And because of that I can also tolerate this "Kawaii" stuff, which is still a challenge for my old European ears 😁
What makes this different to a standard Western song structure? If we take A = Verse, B = Pre-chorus, D = Bridge/Middle-8 then it's just the same as a lot of Western pop music. The song in this video is obviously more complex but I don't understand how the standard structure you gave is anything special.
I have been saying for years that Jpop is better listening than Western pop. Not only is Jpop more musically complex but the performers have incredible technical skill and talent. Vocals are insane compared with what I call the ‘indie’ breathy lilt and monotone mumble rap. I prefer listening to jazz - including vgm jazz (eg. The Consouls) - and got my kids into jazz but they got me into Jpop.
Jpop in general tends to use key changes right before its final repeat of the chorus, which is why I find Jpop infinitely more interesting than modern pop
@@genderenigma8276 Yeah but it's usually, in a lot of cases, just going up, the move of first establishing that the chorus is in a key half tone higher, then going lower in the bridge so the same modulation feels higher is a genious move because it feels higher without actually requiring more of the singer
As someone who binged Oshi no Ko recently, Charles going through the key changes reminded me that it’s actually telling the story of the first episode through the harmonies (which is a whole nother level imo bc the lyrics are obvious but the harmony isnt) so it’s fun to see that connection that way now
Fun fact : the ending is doing almost the same thing but instead of painting ai's point of view, it's painting ruby's and aqua's (in the lyrics and in the harmony) Both songs are perfect for that anime, they couldn't have done it better
09:06 I would consider the sudden key change going downwards is the sudden death of Ai on the day of her performance in the most recognised venue in Japan
@@RaiosSephiig they don't know frieren then 😂 i'm a manga reader and the first time i got to know the lyrics of [YUUSHA] I was instantly amazed at how well it fits
I listen to a lot of J-Pop because the harmony is often so rewarding compared to western Pop music. Yoasobi are masters of integrating complex harmony into catchy pop melodies. Would love to see more of this analysis please!
The performers are also so highly skilled too - insane vocal ability, crazy bass lines etc Western pop has been in a slump for about 2 decades. Back in the 70s and 80s we had stuff like Steely Dan and Queen which was far more musically complex and pleasing than today's pop
@@cooldebt great point, absolutely agree with you. Their singers and musos have amazing chops. They don’t get enough recognition in western countries (due to language barrier?) but they deserve to be noticed.
@@walrusgumboot I like to think the West is getting better though with non-English music. Recently could not get tickets to RADWIMPS here in Sydney (Australia) in October as it was already sold out AND they had to change to a bigger venue. There’s also the growing vgm jazz family (I’m a die hard Consouls fan) which kind of spills into Japanese jazz and Jpop so there is hope,
VOCALOID composers like Yoasobi's Ayase, supercell's ryo and a few others seem to be on a completely different level, and when they turn to composing music for actual live vocals, it tends to show! "Racing Into The Night / Yoru Ni Kakeru" is a great example, where Ayase originally wrote the song on VOCALOID, and then ended up using it on Yoasobi, with Ikuta singing it fantastically.
Vocaloid composer is a genius 🤯 Yama x hitoshizukuP, GigaP, ChinozoP, PinnochioP, Aqu3ra, Nayutalien, 40mP, Halyosy, Wowaka, so on and so on can't mention enough of most genius vocaloid composer slash producer
i discovered this song on the game project sekai and wowww i was blown away! it was the first time i had really listened to non-western pop and i just found it so much more exciting due to the brilliant vocal performances, lively melodies and awesome key changes :) these days i’m really into kpop and jpop and i really recommend people to give these styles of music a try!
Yoasobi is made up of singer-songwriter Ikura and producer Ayase and they're known for making music inspired by books, manga and shows, so whenever they make openings, the lyrics will always be extremely relevant to the piece of media they are depicting. The duo name means to play in the night, because both members have their own bands and projects, and at night, they team up and turn books into music! Really enjoyed this deep dive into the song's melody, your enthusiasm is captivating and it's great to see someone who isn't shy to dive into genres that most people don't go into like J-pop and put their heart and soul into analysis! Once again, amazing work Charles!
Oshi no Ko speaks to a lot of professional entertainers on a personal level. It was mainly written by an entertainer for entertainers. No wonder they worked extra hard on this.
Charles is the only human being I know who gets as excited about an unexpected chord change as I do. Even my musician friends don't understand why it's my favorite thing in music, That's part of why I love this channel.
I don't usually comment, but this was a brilliant analysis of YOASOBI and why they're so amazing! I highly recommend analyzing Racing Into the Night (Yoru Ni Kakeru) which is one of their most popular songs, so much to dissect and unpack, love your work, Cornell!
@@Dawsen2299 The thing is called transposition btw, just in case anyone wonder what it is. It's a common compositional technique actually, it's just that Western mainstream pop no longer uses it frequently today.
Japanese pop music, especially when its connected to anime or Japanese video games blows me away. Its so interesting & creative. Even when i dont love it, i appreciate it.
I’ve never played many video games (other than the first Tekken) but once I discovered The Consouls, I became addicted to vgm jazz. Their last Radio was anime tunes and it was brilliant
When it comes to games I'm just *almost* always get blown away by whatever Falcom Sound Team JDK pushes out (aside from some stinkers because it's a sound team and there's like 1 composer in there I don't really like) Trails in the Sky trilogy got some of my fav osts ever
Slow piano Maybe if the anime went dark and alot of sad moments and death moment or simply a finish to a loose end Then we maybe get the slow piano version like how alot of anime tend to do
Never realized there was so much complexity inside the chords, Ayase is a beast. By the looks of it the song can even be performed slower with a totally different mood.
Pretty amazing that you’re able to understand the song through the harmonies despite not knowing the meaning of the lyrics! The song is unique and definitely tells that story well.
The modulation going down and back up near that last chorus is what I call the "Ayase Special" (Ayase is the composer in YOASOBI) and of course, Ikura (the vocalist in YOASOBI) can just pull it off and sing it perfectly. The same thing happens in "Yoru ni Kakeru" (or "Racing into the Night") where the key goes from Eb pretty much the whole song, into a couple bars in D, and finally ending with F. One person's interpretation I heard before was that it gives a bigger impact going from D to F compared to Eb to F for the ending of the song, hence why it first modulates down slightly before modulating even higher.
First of all, super awesome for all those who want to learn about this type of harmony. Here's some notes: 4:19 - While complex, this exact harmony is super super common and, being an anime fan, I find myself improvising a lot with this progression. 9:01 - If you like these modulations, you should really check out some of Zun's famous touhou songs like 'Necrofantasia' or 'UN Owen Was Her?' if you have not yet.
I'd love to see him react to some of the even more wacky Touhou songs with key changes like Tiny Tiny Clever Commander, The Traditional Old Man and the Stylish Girl, and The Fantastic Tales of Tohno
The way this song stays in Minor during Ai’s lies but switches to Major once she starts expressing her feelings!! such a nice detail added to help tell the story!
Yeeeeeesssss! I have been OBSESSED with this song since it came out! Their live performance of it is also amazing. So happy to see you break this one down. It's truly an epic track that is accessible to a bunch of different audiences
@@13_cmi it's pretty hit or miss for me. Some of it I love, other stuff is extremely basic and unoriginal. IDOL is an example of the complexity that piques my interest. Other recent examples include "Gradation" by Kana-boon and "Fiction" by Polkadot Stingray (I love all their stuff tbh)
I love j-pop and j-rock largely because of their use of harmonic maximalism, all the different lines working together in such unique ways make my brain happy
This song includes the perspectives of 3 different entities: Ai, the Idol, the other members of her group who are jealous of her popularity, and the fans who are overly obsessed with her "perfect" image (which they demand of her) and learning all, her secrets. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the key changes are related to the expression of those different voices.
I never listened to this style before but this song almost made my brain explode with how beautiful and complex it was. I happened to find the perfect video explanation to really appreciate it. Thank you
As a trained musician, I appreciate the music, yes. But more than that, I just love how happy Charles sounds when talking about this :) Passion, enthusiasm
PLEASE do a piano cover of this song, it sounds so cool!!!! 2:58 I love how you play the piano slowed down so that we get a chance to hear the melody and really observe how cool it is
Charles really brings out the deeper beauty of the song. Those few lines are the best cover of the song that I have ever heard. I really love the way Charles played out. The dynamics, the melody, the harmonic arrangement are so perfectly balanced. I could never think of this song to be that expressive!
Really like when you write down the score, it makes following the chords' progression so much easier. Thank you for your work and your positive energy!
That beautiful key change down half step you were talking about, really brings out the emotions of the character in that moment. If you look at that moment, it's almost as if she dropped all pretense and spoke truthfully from the depths of her heart for a moment. Given the story and the lyrics and all she was facing, this is truly genius. It captures that feeling even for those who don't know what the story is about.
As someone very into the anime/manga, the key changes really show the progression of Ai. She is on the ride, become brighter, until she is snuffed out in the falling key. But the song ends on a desperate, brighter light supported by her children. But all of it is tinged in darkness, in something sinister. The light will burn any who come too near.
YESSSS it's my favorite group ever! The harmony complexities plus the very interesting lyrics based on short novels, the incredible voice or Ikura and the quality instrumental production of Ayase just puts them on another whole level. So jealous for those who saw them live in CA just a couple weeks ago.
Hey Charles the composer of Yoasobi, Ayase started as a vocaloid producer. I'd recommend analyzing some vocaloid stuff such as 神っぽいな and 愛して愛して愛して. Vocaloid pop is like a genre in of itself, a lot of features from this song are common in the genre. Check it out, I think it'll tickle your fancy.
Please do a cover of this song.... It sounded so magical and beautiful when you played it. Soulful, sorrowful and hauntingly beautiful. Suggest you watch episode 1 of Oshi No Ko before doing so to add depth of colour and character to your interpretation. Can't wait!!
YOU GOTTA LOOK MORE INTO YOASOBI!! They started by telling stories of written works/comics in their songs, and it's a vocaloid composer and a pop singer duo! i love them 🤩
I discovered this song two days ago, and I was so overwhelmed by the harmony that I didn't know where to start analyzing it from, so this video couldn't have had better timing. Fire content as always, Chuck! By the way, you've been workin' out lately, huh? Those arms be poppin'!
This type of composition is actually very Ayase-like. If you listen to a lot of YOASOBI songs, these key changes will not be very surprising to you anymore because this is how Ayase usually builds up his songs. Yoru Ni Kakeru & Kaibutsu are examples.
You can easily slow this down and make a piano cover of it and it’s going to be a gut wrenching emotional song that tugs at the heartstrings. EDIT: Just finished it and honestly I can imagine the slowed down piano version to be playing during a retelling of the story at the end of the entire series (once the manga finishes and the anime adapts it).
I WAS LITERALLY SCREAMING AT HOW COOL THE ARMONY IS!!!! I knew it was good but seing it in sheet music and being explained the things i dont know made it so much better!!!
As a music theory dilettante (just good enough to understand what you mean), you didn't just explain what chords were played and why they work but you brought us into your world. Getting a glimpse into how you experience music was amazing, thank you so much.
I never watched this anime but hearing your piano version at the key change part made me cry so hard. the melody itself reminds me some melancholy traditional Japanese folk song. and the tension build up and release is so touching. Idk why I cry but I just did. 😭
After I watched the performance I got really interested in who is their bass player, as she is clearly a talented artist. I found out that she has her own solo stuff and it is second to none. Her name is Yamamoto Hikaru. Just check her songs Zero or Noise for example.
A video about YOASOBI? Niiiiice. I love your analyses, Charles! Thanks for the video! YOASOBI's music is riddled with key changes, which I'm a huge fan of. Yoru ni Kakeru (Racing Into the Night), Kaibutsu (Monster), Seventeen, Ano Yume o Nazotte (Tracing That Dream), Tabun (Probably)... there's plenty. Love YOASOBI so much.
Japanese music is so complete and, most of the time, so complex and full of emotion that it brings tears to my eyes, even if it's an upbeat song. That's why I usually don't listen to Western music anymore.
This is why I mix Japanese pop and rock into my daily listening… it’s such a breath of fresh air because they incorporate more colored harmony, jazz concepts, and honestly the different language structure hits as well (my wife is Japanese so I’ve been blessed to learn a bit).
If Charles was interested in this sort of harmony, with much of Jpop and rock having this jazz influence ( from the Meiji period of western culture entering Japan ) then he should give the indie math rock band Tricot a listen. Especially the album "T H E"
It's also really cool how the intro rap section almost foreshadows the modulations; the bII used is enharmonic to A Major, the same chord the song uses as a "pichardy third"
it's absolutely wild that YOASOBI not only managed to tell Ai's story with the lyrics of the song, but also in its basic musical composure. anyone watching this video knowing what happens in oshi no ko most assuredly has shivers running down their spine
1:23 And that is why I love jpop. It is creative, invludes a lot of instruments, and piles up harmonies even though it does not need to. That is the epitome of artistic creativity: Using resources because it enhances the final result, not because it provides a return of investment.
I wonder why Japanese artists expect that the audience will appreciate such intense musicality and technical proficiency while Western pop seems to be dumbed down to the level of a kindergarten song?
One thing that I love about this song is how the song perfectly encapsulates having frequent para-social interactions. Especially as someone who's gender-diverse. You have that section of a 'fan' who is asking very personal questions: 今日何食べた？好きな本は？遊びに行くならどこに行くの？translates to: "What did you eat today? What's your favourite book? If you love (romantic) someone, who would you love?" And her response is: "I never ate, it's my secret. I have to lie." And a lot of the rest of the song deals with lying or being ambiguous/intentionally leaving out information in a para-social interaction. Like, you want people to see you as a human, but you don't want them to know your deepest personal secrets. And then the ending says "I love you, this isn't a lie"
Hello Japanese person here, your knowledge about music theory and everything is insane. I needed to stop the video every few seconds to understand what you found in the harmony. I've been interested in music production lately, so I am binging as many music theory videos on TH-cam as I can. I want to add something at 9:00 where the modulation goes one halfstep down instead of up. As you might already know, in this section She (Ai Hoshino) is depicting her sadness and frustration of being a icon with no real "love" towards her fans, or anybody in her life (until now). She says: "誰かに愛されたことも（"That I was loved"）、誰かのこと愛したことも ("That I loved")。。。ない（it never happened", down modulation)。そんな私の嘘が ("That this lie that I said" that I love you (anybody))、いつか本当になること("Someday comes true")。。。信じてる（"I believe", representing hope and thus modulating an entire note of the scale up). This song by Yoasobi is really a masterpiece. Never did I expect Ikura to take on this style of singing, but she nailed it in every aspect.
Yeah, it’s probably hard to hear if one doesn’t understand Japanese, but the down modulation happens *mid-verse*, which adds to this feeling of the bottom dropping out.
This song is a masterpiece in every aspect, lyrically, musically and production wise and all of them working so well together. I'm not Japanese, but I am learning the language, the lyrics go so deep into the Ai's story in the show and side story 45510, the music is perfectly accompanying the lyrics' tone ... My mind is blown.
Did NOT expect this and I'm pleasantly surprised! I'd love to see more videos like this in the future ❤ (I recommend looking at Eve's songs, I've been a fan of them for years now)
Saw the video, and instantly bought a book for myself, so i could at least support you somehow for what incredible things you are doing. You always help me with your creativity and you are an awsome musician! Hope i will learn more from you in the future aswell!
Yessssssssss the perfect crossover! As somebody who makes anime opening style covers commonly I use a lot of harmony like this and harmony derived from gospel/jazz! It was so cool to see this broken down! I also got to analyze it myself when I covered it! 😁😁😁😁😁😁
This song...❣❣ The struggles of idols who always shine brilliantly in public, in the media, and on stage, and idols who erase their true selves and fall into loneliness in order to continue to be idols. This is a song that precisely expresses the dual nature of idols and pop stars. How is it expressed? By manipulating tonality, the duality of "light and shadow" is depicted using black and white keys. Of course, the content of the lyrics as well. amazing !! from JPN girl.💁♀🍣⛩♨
You give me the feeling of your first language being music, and as if English is only around to help you to give the music to us. Even my husband is into your videos, and he is not usually interested in something like this at all. I know hardly anything compared to you but you make this all so accessible.
11:12 I really like it (especially with music that is fast or has a lot of cluttering sounds that make it very hard for me to hear the melody) when you play sections of the melody on the piano (instead of just the chords). You writing out the music and showing it on the screen is so helpful in understanding the chord changes you talk about.
I dont fully appreciate what you are saying Charles, but with my little understanding of music theory and casual songwriting experience, Yoasobi is really the most amazing and impressive artist I have ever come across. I was stunned by the quality of their music the first time I heard them and immediately became a fan. This took it a notch further because I thought their style would make it hard to fit a rap in but they did 😂 The songwriting along with Ikuta’s (the singer’s) out of this world vocal control is a recipe for success like this!
You know what I love about this channel is that I not only get top notch Education but also I get introduced really awesome music. Thanks for the Great work Charles, as always❤
I really hope someone does a cocktail bar piano cover of Idol. I never noticed how warm those chords sound when let to rest and resonate, it's so beautiful
Thank you for explaining this so well!!! Ever since I first listened to Idol, I've been trying to find some analysis of the key changes and I'm so stoked that you did that in this video
its even more impressive when you watch the anime. spoiler: the main characther on the video dies on the first episode, on her career peak, and after being a parent and having a family she always wanted. her life is cut short, and so the really soothing and nice melodies are cut short in the song. its a legendary song in my opinion.
12:49 Man I enjoy every second of your videos ❤ How enthusiastically you explain how marvelous songs are always makes me share the joy of understanding the complexity and intention of the way how songs are made. The knowledge, the ear, the cinematography (this is really well edited, changing angles and switching focus between the song or the narration etc.) and your clear and enjoyable accent really makes this video a treat.
HEY I'm SUPER excited about my brand new ebook, Jazz Piano Improv Vol. 1! We're still in the launch process getting feedback and seeing how you all enjoy it, so for the time being, it's still at that 50% off launch sale price! It comes with the PDF of the book AND 40 backing tracks. Check it out! jazzpianoimprov.com/
Could you do an analysis on some of Emma-Jean Thackeray's music? She has an incredible album named 'Yellow.'
I really want a video on the soundtrack for the game Ghost of Tsushima. It is such a beautiful soundtrack
@@supersentaifanboy it takes place during the 1st Mongol invasion of Japan. You a play a samurai named Jin Sakai who is trying to defeat the Mongols to protect his home after the samurai are nearly wiped out. The story, gameplay, and graphics were awesome, it's one of my favorite games.
@@supersentaifanboy I don't know that one
Please, please, PLEASE check out Sky: Children of the Light. The OST to that game is one of the most incredible game OSTs ever made! *At least in my opinion*
It is so crazy to me that this was the first ever Japanese song to hit #1 on the worldwide billboard chart. It didn’t last long, but still it’s quite the accomplishment and I love that it happened.
Ue o muite? aka Sukiyaki?
weird it sounds like any other song you find on OSU. didnt think this was that big
it was #1 on billboard excl. US, not exactly worldwide, still a huge achievement though
@@be7th the billboard global chart only started in 2020
@@bigbroiswatchingyou2137 my brother that is literally worldwide, i hate to break it to you but the US is not the center of the world
As a Jpop composer myself I would love to add some details on song structure of this song and Yoasobi's writing in general.
Jpop song is famous for its complex structure usually with a lot more changes in comparison to the western "verse and chorus" structure. A conventional model for a Jpop song is A - B - Chorus - A - B - Chorus - D - Chorus. You might have noticed that in oder to keep the whole song interesting, the biggest challenge is to always invent new interchanges between these sections. That's why it's usual to see key changes in the chorus when you listen to Jpop and vocaloid songs. In my experience the hardest part is the D to Chorus section because you're almost writing a new song, but the buildup and drop should be the strongest among the entire piece. Also from song writing point of view, the D section is where you put the deepest lyrics and tell the hidden thoughts, the music therefore goes down with it.
What Yoasobi usually do in the D section (although in this song it's sort of a refrain to the B section) is dropping the key, so that the key raise in the coming chorus sounds even higher that before.
Recently I've seen a lot of people talking about the disappearance of complex melody and key changes in western pop music. I think this might be a reason why Jpop artists might be a fresh air to the western listeners and I'm happy to see such exchanges happening.
"Recently I've seen a lot of people talking about the disappearance of complex melody and key changes in western pop music." Yeah, exactly, that's why we're here! And because of that I can also tolerate this "Kawaii" stuff, which is still a challenge for my old European ears 😁
@estate0007 at least you didn't start with nightcore like I did 😅
What makes this different to a standard Western song structure? If we take A = Verse, B = Pre-chorus, D = Bridge/Middle-8 then it's just the same as a lot of Western pop music. The song in this video is obviously more complex but I don't understand how the standard structure you gave is anything special.
The hardest part is the D indeed 😉
I have been saying for years that Jpop is better listening than Western pop. Not only is Jpop more musically complex but the performers have incredible technical skill and talent. Vocals are insane compared with what I call the ‘indie’ breathy lilt and monotone mumble rap. I prefer listening to jazz - including vgm jazz (eg. The Consouls) - and got my kids into jazz but they got me into Jpop.
Yoasobi loves changing key right before the last chorus, they do it in all their songs and it's amazing.
Jpop in general tends to use key changes right before its final repeat of the chorus, which is why I find Jpop infinitely more interesting than modern pop
@@genderenigma8276 Yeah but it's usually, in a lot of cases, just going up, the move of first establishing that the chorus is in a key half tone higher, then going lower in the bridge so the same modulation feels higher is a genious move because it feels higher without actually requiring more of the singer
@@genderenigma8276
>which is why I find Jpop infinitely more interesting than modern pop
I'd say more. It's objectively better.
As someone who binged Oshi no Ko recently, Charles going through the key changes reminded me that it’s actually telling the story of the first episode through the harmonies (which is a whole nother level imo bc the lyrics are obvious but the harmony isnt) so it’s fun to see that connection that way now
Fun fact : the ending is doing almost the same thing but instead of painting ai's point of view, it's painting ruby's and aqua's (in the lyrics and in the harmony)
Both songs are perfect for that anime, they couldn't have done it better
09:06
I would consider the sudden key change going downwards is the sudden death of Ai on the day of her performance in the most recognised venue in Japan
09:56
The calming down melody here might be the final words that Ai was thinking how to illustrate her love to her kids
11:05
Here would be the kids following their mum's path of being idols with traits of Ai's characteristics in their career
❤
holy fucking shit, binged it and you are right
remember that yoasobi songs always derived from a story. you are not only listening to music, you are being told a story.
Unfortunately, people missed that on Frieren.
@@RaiosSephi may I know why?
@@linuskyle People claim that it does not vibe with Freiren’s story
@@RaiosSephiig they don't know frieren then 😂 i'm a manga reader and the first time i got to know the lyrics of [YUUSHA] I was instantly amazed at how well it fits
@@shiro5003 I think they expect similar tone with Anytime, Anywhere by milet
I listen to a lot of J-Pop because the harmony is often so rewarding compared to western Pop music. Yoasobi are masters of integrating complex harmony into catchy pop melodies. Would love to see more of this analysis please!
The performers are also so highly skilled too - insane vocal ability, crazy bass lines etc Western pop has been in a slump for about 2 decades. Back in the 70s and 80s we had stuff like Steely Dan and Queen which was far more musically complex and pleasing than today's pop
@@cooldebt great point, absolutely agree with you. Their singers and musos have amazing chops. They don’t get enough recognition in western countries (due to language barrier?) but they deserve to be noticed.
@@walrusgumboot I like to think the West is getting better though with non-English music. Recently could not get tickets to RADWIMPS here in Sydney (Australia) in October as it was already sold out AND they had to change to a bigger venue. There’s also the growing vgm jazz family (I’m a die hard Consouls fan) which kind of spills into Japanese jazz and Jpop so there is hope,
@@cooldebt oh that’s great to hear. Positive there is a change. Thanks for the Consouls recommendation, will check it out
Would love to see a breakdown of Gesu No Kiwame Otome. Lots of interesting stuff in their music.
VOCALOID composers like Yoasobi's Ayase, supercell's ryo and a few others seem to be on a completely different level, and when they turn to composing music for actual live vocals, it tends to show!
"Racing Into The Night / Yoru Ni Kakeru" is a great example, where Ayase originally wrote the song on VOCALOID, and then ended up using it on Yoasobi, with Ikuta singing it fantastically.
Vocaloid composer is a genius 🤯 Yama x hitoshizukuP, GigaP, ChinozoP, PinnochioP, Aqu3ra, Nayutalien, 40mP, Halyosy, Wowaka, so on and so on can't mention enough of most genius vocaloid composer slash producer
i discovered this song on the game project sekai and wowww i was blown away! it was the first time i had really listened to non-western pop and i just found it so much more exciting due to the brilliant vocal performances, lively melodies and awesome key changes :) these days i’m really into kpop and jpop and i really recommend people to give these styles of music a try!
fr Odds and Ends is top tier shit
Kenshi Yonezu also come from vocaloid, his producer name is Hachi back then
@@pzzza ooooooh, didn't know about that! Nice!
I would die for a video of you just playing through this uninterrupted
yesssss i was just gonna comment this
In that case you should check out Animenz piano cover for this song, it’s absolutely amazing
100%. I always want Charles to play more than just a snippet of anything!
Yeah, the original is catchy but nothing special personally; the piano rendition is much nicer lol
100%, we need more proof that you're actually a musician, Charles ;) . Jokes aside totally agree!
Yoasobi is made up of singer-songwriter Ikura and producer Ayase and they're known for making music inspired by books, manga and shows, so whenever they make openings, the lyrics will always be extremely relevant to the piece of media they are depicting.
The duo name means to play in the night, because both members have their own bands and projects, and at night, they team up and turn books into music!
Really enjoyed this deep dive into the song's melody, your enthusiasm is captivating and it's great to see someone who isn't shy to dive into genres that most people don't go into like J-pop and put their heart and soul into analysis! Once again, amazing work Charles!
More like hanging out at night
Oshi no Ko speaks to a lot of professional entertainers on a personal level. It was mainly written by an entertainer for entertainers. No wonder they worked extra hard on this.
In other words, they’re a Japanese version of The Living Tombstone
Charles is the only human being I know who gets as excited about an unexpected chord change as I do. Even my musician friends don't understand why it's my favorite thing in music, That's part of why I love this channel.
It’s my favourite thing too. Sometimes it feels like Mozart’s sonatas but modern version. Full of modulation and key changes.
Yes! The harmony is always my favorite part of a song, much more than the melody or anything else. I tend to annoy my partner that way lol
bro with the tpot in this XD
I don't usually comment, but this was a brilliant analysis of YOASOBI and why they're so amazing! I highly recommend analyzing Racing Into the Night (Yoru Ni Kakeru) which is one of their most popular songs, so much to dissect and unpack, love your work, Cornell!
Funny thing is that in Yoru Ni Kakeru they do the same half step down whole step up thing that Idol does
Monster is another very popular one that I would recommend.
I don't think there's a need to go over each song.
@@Dawsen2299 The thing is called transposition btw, just in case anyone wonder what it is. It's a common compositional technique actually, it's just that Western mainstream pop no longer uses it frequently today.
@@Dawsen2299it's almost a signature key change of ayase's
Japanese pop music, especially when its connected to anime or Japanese video games blows me away. Its so interesting & creative. Even when i dont love it, i appreciate it.
Dont sleep on the artist who made Anime/J-Game OSTs as well, especially Sawano Hiroyuki, ONE-OK-ROCK, Band-maid, and Ado
Koji Kondo is god. he inspire all pop music today
I’ve never played many video games (other than the first Tekken) but once I discovered The Consouls, I became addicted to vgm jazz. Their last Radio was anime tunes and it was brilliant
Persona
@@cooldebt
When it comes to games I'm just *almost* always get blown away by whatever Falcom Sound Team JDK pushes out (aside from some stinkers because it's a sound team and there's like 1 composer in there I don't really like)
Trails in the Sky trilogy got some of my fav osts ever
This really makes me want to hear a full slow piano version of Idol just so I can soak it all in.
YES PLEASE. Charles, please do a full cover!!
I will literally coom in my pants and eat it
^^^
What Charles played of it reminded me a lot of Joe Hisaishi’s works
Slow piano
Maybe if the anime went dark and alot of sad moments and death moment or simply a finish to a loose end
Then we maybe get the slow piano version like how alot of anime tend to do
Never realized there was so much complexity inside the chords, Ayase is a beast. By the looks of it the song can even be performed slower with a totally different mood.
Pretty amazing that you’re able to understand the song through the harmonies despite not knowing the meaning of the lyrics! The song is unique and definitely tells that story well.
Can we PLEASE get a full piano cover of this song from you?? The snippets you played always left me wanting more 😭😭
The direction of key changes match the lyrics 🤯 I’m loving this song even more now!
The modulation going down and back up near that last chorus is what I call the "Ayase Special" (Ayase is the composer in YOASOBI) and of course, Ikura (the vocalist in YOASOBI) can just pull it off and sing it perfectly.
The same thing happens in "Yoru ni Kakeru" (or "Racing into the Night") where the key goes from Eb pretty much the whole song, into a couple bars in D, and finally ending with F. One person's interpretation I heard before was that it gives a bigger impact going from D to F compared to Eb to F for the ending of the song, hence why it first modulates down slightly before modulating even higher.
Kaibutsu also have the Yoasobi special, funny enough all big 3 songs of theirs have the same buildup and drop toward the final verse
I’ve been watching Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, and now I feel like I should keep an ear out for that transition in “Yuusha”.
First of all, super awesome for all those who want to learn about this type of harmony. Here's some notes:
4:19 - While complex, this exact harmony is super super common and, being an anime fan, I find myself improvising a lot with this progression.
9:01 - If you like these modulations, you should really check out some of Zun's famous touhou songs like 'Necrofantasia' or 'UN Owen Was Her?' if you have not yet.
If he takes a look at either of those I will literally faint ahahahah
I would KILL to see him analyzing those two!
I'd love to see him react to some of the even more wacky Touhou songs with key changes like Tiny Tiny Clever Commander, The Traditional Old Man and the Stylish Girl, and The Fantastic Tales of Tohno
Agree, this harmony is extremely common in Anime.
If he did an episode on touhou music it would be the best thing ever
The way this song stays in Minor during Ai’s lies but switches to Major once she starts expressing her feelings!! such a nice detail added to help tell the story!
Yeeeeeesssss! I have been OBSESSED with this song since it came out! Their live performance of it is also amazing.
So happy to see you break this one down. It's truly an epic track that is accessible to a bunch of different audiences
I don't like the idoly stuff at all but it's really interesting to listen to.
@@13_cmi it's pretty hit or miss for me. Some of it I love, other stuff is extremely basic and unoriginal. IDOL is an example of the complexity that piques my interest.
Other recent examples include "Gradation" by Kana-boon and "Fiction" by Polkadot Stingray (I love all their stuff tbh)
The chord design is just amazing, really love this song🥰🥰
2:23 I love this chord progression. It’s used to modern gospel ALL THE TIME too.
We definitely need a smooth jazz solo piano version from you Charles. Love this stuff and your analysis is spot on. Huge fan of both you and Yoasobi.
I love j-pop and j-rock largely because of their use of harmonic maximalism, all the different lines working together in such unique ways make my brain happy
This song includes the perspectives of 3 different entities: Ai, the Idol, the other members of her group who are jealous of her popularity, and the fans who are overly obsessed with her "perfect" image (which they demand of her) and learning all, her secrets. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the key changes are related to the expression of those different voices.
Makes sense.
thats interesting cuz theres a japanese thing of 3 faces
Yoasobi be putting out bangers lately. Their progressions are so interesting
JPOP IS SO COOL! NEVER STOPS BRINGING SOMETHING NEW TO THE TABLE! TRULY MUSICAL 😫 THE COMPLEXITY IS WHAT GETS MEE!
Ayaseさんの美しいコード進行とメロディの良さが良く分かりますね。是非ここで弾いたようなスローなアレンジでフルで弾いて欲しいです。美しすぎて何度も聴きに来ています。
I never listened to this style before but this song almost made my brain explode with how beautiful and complex it was. I happened to find the perfect video explanation to really appreciate it. Thank you
Wasn’t expecting this
I WAS EXPECTING AND WANTING THIS FOR A FEW MONTHS NOW. THE CHORD CHANGES AND THE MODS NEED THAT SWEET ANALYSIS
Wasn’t either, but so glad he covered it. Yoasobi deserves more recognition. Their songs are awesome!
How not? It became #1 in Japan's charts, and Charles Cornell typically covers latest hits that actually have substance.
@@Shmeeby9411 I do I just didn’t expect it
@@Shmeeby9411the pfp should have clued you in on it. how
i love how happy he is when a key change accur 😊😊
As a trained musician, I appreciate the music, yes.
But more than that, I just love how happy Charles sounds when talking about this :)
Passion, enthusiasm
PLEASE do a piano cover of this song, it sounds so cool!!!! 2:58 I love how you play the piano slowed down so that we get a chance to hear the melody and really observe how cool it is
Charles really brings out the deeper beauty of the song. Those few lines are the best cover of the song that I have ever heard. I really love the way Charles played out. The dynamics, the melody, the harmonic arrangement are so perfectly balanced. I could never think of this song to be that expressive!
Hey Charles, I'm so glad that you start to analyze Japan's pop songs, definitely needs to check out Fujii Kaze's songs, too!
Yes! There is something about Kaze’s songs that really grab you. Also love his piano skills and amazing voice😊
Really like when you write down the score, it makes following the chords' progression so much easier.
Thank you for your work and your positive energy!
Your enthusiasm is infectious. Don't ever change.
0:55 i like the moment when he was going to say a flat chord but actually just a easy simple root chord that makes this song a hype!
That beautiful key change down half step you were talking about, really brings out the emotions of the character in that moment. If you look at that moment, it's almost as if she dropped all pretense and spoke truthfully from the depths of her heart for a moment. Given the story and the lyrics and all she was facing, this is truly genius. It captures that feeling even for those who don't know what the story is about.
Your joy and enthusiasm for the music is so infectious. Thank you for explaining the music!
As someone very into the anime/manga, the key changes really show the progression of Ai. She is on the ride, become brighter, until she is snuffed out in the falling key. But the song ends on a desperate, brighter light supported by her children. But all of it is tinged in darkness, in something sinister. The light will burn any who come too near.
YESSSS it's my favorite group ever! The harmony complexities plus the very interesting lyrics based on short novels, the incredible voice or Ikura and the quality instrumental production of Ayase just puts them on another whole level. So jealous for those who saw them live in CA just a couple weeks ago.
Hey Charles the composer of Yoasobi, Ayase started as a vocaloid producer. I'd recommend analyzing some vocaloid stuff such as 神っぽいな and 愛して愛して愛して. Vocaloid pop is like a genre in of itself, a lot of features from this song are common in the genre. Check it out, I think it'll tickle your fancy.
This song fits the anime perfectly. Such a wild ride and swing of emotions. Especially the first episode.
Please do a cover of this song.... It sounded so magical and beautiful when you played it. Soulful, sorrowful and hauntingly beautiful. Suggest you watch episode 1 of Oshi No Ko before doing so to add depth of colour and character to your interpretation. Can't wait!!
こうやって解説とピアノバージョンで聴けると曲の良さがさらにわかっていいね
I would kill to have a full cover of IDOL from you! Genuinely such an amazing analysis!
In the meantime, perhaps JazzOppa th-cam.com/video/Y2A_Ff58IeM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=B4HcHsY2xbuyPjQ5
YOU GOTTA LOOK MORE INTO YOASOBI!! They started by telling stories of written works/comics in their songs, and it's a vocaloid composer and a pop singer duo! i love them 🤩
This Idol intro is SICK. Been my favourite song for the last year or something, just for the intro and outro hahaha
I discovered this song two days ago, and I was so overwhelmed by the harmony that I didn't know where to start analyzing it from, so this video couldn't have had better timing. Fire content as always, Chuck!
By the way, you've been workin' out lately, huh? Those arms be poppin'!
This type of composition is actually very Ayase-like. If you listen to a lot of YOASOBI songs, these key changes will not be very surprising to you anymore because this is how Ayase usually builds up his songs. Yoru Ni Kakeru & Kaibutsu are examples.
They key changes are so perfect, surprises are everywhere in the song, some key changes makes you wonder, the rest parts are cool as well, I love it!
You can easily slow this down and make a piano cover of it and it’s going to be a gut wrenching emotional song that tugs at the heartstrings.
EDIT: Just finished it and honestly I can imagine the slowed down piano version to be playing during a retelling of the story at the end of the entire series (once the manga finishes and the anime adapts it).
ah... the Current [ _Censored : Spolier_ ] Arc
Or you could jazz it up like JazzOppa - 'Jazzsobi'
I WAS LITERALLY SCREAMING AT HOW COOL THE ARMONY IS!!!! I knew it was good but seing it in sheet music and being explained the things i dont know made it so much better!!!
As a music theory dilettante (just good enough to understand what you mean), you didn't just explain what chords were played and why they work but you brought us into your world. Getting a glimpse into how you experience music was amazing, thank you so much.
旋律が美しすぎる…
I never watched this anime but hearing your piano version at the key change part made me cry so hard. the melody itself reminds me some melancholy traditional Japanese folk song. and the tension build up and release is so touching. Idk why I cry but I just did. 😭
Please Watch at least the episode 1 hahahah
Please cover more of Yoasobi’s songs please!!! They’re a GREAT band with GREAT music!!
How the fuck are you so good at figuring these complex notes and stuff you are so talented. You have a CRAZY ear and pitch bro.
After I watched the performance I got really interested in who is their bass player, as she is clearly a talented artist. I found out that she has her own solo stuff and it is second to none. Her name is Yamamoto Hikaru. Just check her songs Zero or Noise for example.
The bass line before the last chorus was just *chefs kiss"
A video about YOASOBI? Niiiiice.
I love your analyses, Charles! Thanks for the video!
YOASOBI's music is riddled with key changes, which I'm a huge fan of. Yoru ni Kakeru (Racing Into the Night), Kaibutsu (Monster), Seventeen, Ano Yume o Nazotte (Tracing That Dream), Tabun (Probably)... there's plenty. Love YOASOBI so much.
Japanese music is so complete and, most of the time, so complex and full of emotion that it brings tears to my eyes, even if it's an upbeat song. That's why I usually don't listen to Western music anymore.
You playing the piano version of this makes the song sound like a Yamaha piano demo! The harmony is so awesome
This is why I mix Japanese pop and rock into my daily listening… it’s such a breath of fresh air because they incorporate more colored harmony, jazz concepts, and honestly the different language structure hits as well (my wife is Japanese so I’ve been blessed to learn a bit).
I would pay for an acoustic version of this song played by charles, it's so gorgeous 🧡🧡
If Charles was interested in this sort of harmony, with much of Jpop and rock having this jazz influence ( from the Meiji period of western culture entering Japan ) then he should give the indie math rock band Tricot a listen. Especially the album "T H E"
Nobody else mentioned how beautiful he played it on that piano
It's also really cool how the intro rap section almost foreshadows the modulations; the bII used is enharmonic to A Major, the same chord the song uses as a "pichardy third"
it's absolutely wild that YOASOBI not only managed to tell Ai's story with the lyrics of the song, but also in its basic musical composure. anyone watching this video knowing what happens in oshi no ko most assuredly has shivers running down their spine
1:23 And that is why I love jpop.
It is creative, invludes a lot of instruments, and piles up harmonies even though it does not need to.
That is the epitome of artistic creativity: Using resources because it enhances the final result, not because it provides a return of investment.
I wonder why Japanese artists expect that the audience will appreciate such intense musicality and technical proficiency while Western pop seems to be dumbed down to the level of a kindergarten song?
One thing that I love about this song is how the song perfectly encapsulates having frequent para-social interactions. Especially as someone who's gender-diverse. You have that section of a 'fan' who is asking very personal questions: 今日何食べた？好きな本は？遊びに行くならどこに行くの？translates to: "What did you eat today? What's your favourite book? If you love (romantic) someone, who would you love?" And her response is: "I never ate, it's my secret. I have to lie." And a lot of the rest of the song deals with lying or being ambiguous/intentionally leaving out information in a para-social interaction. Like, you want people to see you as a human, but you don't want them to know your deepest personal secrets. And then the ending says "I love you, this isn't a lie"
When you play the song slowly at 2:58, it's really beautiful!!! Please... make a full version of it. Beautiful and eargasm.
Hello Japanese person here, your knowledge about music theory and everything is insane. I needed to stop the video every few seconds to understand what you found in the harmony. I've been interested in music production lately, so I am binging as many music theory videos on TH-cam as I can.
I want to add something at 9:00 where the modulation goes one halfstep down instead of up. As you might already know, in this section She (Ai Hoshino) is depicting her sadness and frustration of being a icon with no real "love" towards her fans, or anybody in her life (until now). She says: "誰かに愛されたことも（"That I was loved"）、誰かのこと愛したことも ("That I loved")。。。ない（it never happened", down modulation)。そんな私の嘘が ("That this lie that I said" that I love you (anybody))、いつか本当になること("Someday comes true")。。。信じてる（"I believe", representing hope and thus modulating an entire note of the scale up).
This song by Yoasobi is really a masterpiece. Never did I expect Ikura to take on this style of singing, but she nailed it in every aspect.
Yeah, it’s probably hard to hear if one doesn’t understand Japanese, but the down modulation happens *mid-verse*, which adds to this feeling of the bottom dropping out.
Oh! 気づいたことない😮
This song is a masterpiece in every aspect, lyrically, musically and production wise and all of them working so well together. I'm not Japanese, but I am learning the language, the lyrics go so deep into the Ai's story in the show and side story 45510, the music is perfectly accompanying the lyrics' tone ... My mind is blown.
This song is a masterpiece it gives me GOOSEBUMPS EVERYTIME
I think your smooth and jazzy piano playing brings out the best in this song.
Did NOT expect this and I'm pleasantly surprised! I'd love to see more videos like this in the future ❤
(I recommend looking at Eve's songs, I've been a fan of them for years now)
Saw the video, and instantly bought a book for myself, so i could at least support you somehow for what incredible things you are doing. You always help me with your creativity and you are an awsome musician! Hope i will learn more from you in the future aswell!
oh my god i never knew how beautiful IDOL sounds in piano!!!
Yessssssssss the perfect crossover! As somebody who makes anime opening style covers commonly I use a lot of harmony like this and harmony derived from gospel/jazz! It was so cool to see this broken down! I also got to analyze it myself when I covered it! 😁😁😁😁😁😁
This song...❣❣
The struggles of idols who always shine brilliantly in public, in the media, and on stage, and idols who erase their true selves and fall into loneliness in order to continue to be idols.
This is a song that precisely expresses the dual nature of idols and pop stars.
How is it expressed?
By manipulating tonality, the duality of "light and shadow" is depicted using black and white keys. Of course, the content of the lyrics as well.
amazing !!
from JPN girl.💁♀🍣⛩♨
I just want to say that Yoasobi melodies are always so good. It’s amazing.
Wow. I know this song is good, but never think its piano would be this beautiful. Now I want to hear a full detailed piano version.
This guy's mind is incredible. I strive to have his understanding of music some day.
You give me the feeling of your first language being music, and as if English is only around to help you to give the music to us. Even my husband is into your videos, and he is not usually interested in something like this at all. I know hardly anything compared to you but you make this all so accessible.
11:12 I really like it (especially with music that is fast or has a lot of cluttering sounds that make it very hard for me to hear the melody) when you play sections of the melody on the piano (instead of just the chords). You writing out the music and showing it on the screen is so helpful in understanding the chord changes you talk about.
Now I just want Charles to do a lofi chill jazz cover of Idol
That would be amazing listening. Like the way The Consouls do vgm jazz - brilliant stuff!
The way you trying it slowly made it like jazz, like that
3:50 Pleaseeee, we need a jazz cover of this!
I dont fully appreciate what you are saying Charles, but with my little understanding of music theory and casual songwriting experience, Yoasobi is really the most amazing and impressive artist I have ever come across. I was stunned by the quality of their music the first time I heard them and immediately became a fan. This took it a notch further because I thought their style would make it hard to fit a rap in but they did 😂
The songwriting along with Ikuta’s (the singer’s) out of this world vocal control is a recipe for success like this!
You know what I love about this channel is that I not only get top notch Education but also I get introduced really awesome music. Thanks for the Great work Charles, as always❤
I really hope someone does a cocktail bar piano cover of Idol. I never noticed how warm those chords sound when let to rest and resonate, it's so beautiful
Thank you for explaining this so well!!! Ever since I first listened to Idol, I've been trying to find some analysis of the key changes and I'm so stoked that you did that in this video
its even more impressive when you watch the anime. spoiler: the main characther on the video dies on the first episode, on her career peak, and after being a parent and having a family she always wanted. her life is cut short, and so the really soothing and nice melodies are cut short in the song. its a legendary song in my opinion.
国を超えて愛されてるYOASOBI
本当にすごいと思う
I love YOASOBI！！
I have no idea what you said throughout the whole video. But I really love your enthusiasm, thorough breakdown and the song!
12:49 Man I enjoy every second of your videos ❤ How enthusiastically you explain how marvelous songs are always makes me share the joy of understanding the complexity and intention of the way how songs are made. The knowledge, the ear, the cinematography (this is really well edited, changing angles and switching focus between the song or the narration etc.) and your clear and enjoyable accent really makes this video a treat.
thanks! Blast! is performing this song this summer in Japan, and the crowd is going to go wild!
Came across this song when Tim Henson did his version of it and have been loving the harmony. Thanks for the breakdown Charles! great as always!