VOL.106 14th single“君という光”
music freak magazine Flash Back GARNET CROW 10th MemoriesP.040
From music freak magazine Vol.106
GARNET CROW
New Single *君という光*, on sale September 10!
Only two months after their previous single *泣けない夜も 泣かない朝も*, GARNET CROW have released a new single, *君という光*. It is their first ballad single in some time, following *夢みたあとで*. We spoke with vocalist and composer Yuri Nakamura and lyricist and keyboardist AZUKI 七 about how the song was made.
● Please tell us how *君という光* came about.
Yuri Nakamura (hereafter Nakamura): We worked on this song at the same time as *泣けない夜も 泣かない朝も*. I thought a ballad might be something people would want to listen to around the beginning of autumn, so it became our second release. The song itself was written after our concert at the beginning of this year. Since the production period was relatively long this time, it was one of the songs we selected from the material that had accumulated. Also, I started this song with the idea, “Maybe I'll write a ballad,” so it came together fairly smoothly. It's a typical example of a song that became dramatically better once the lyrics and arrangement were added to the demo.
AZUKI 七 (hereafter AZUKI): From the moment I heard the demo, I thought, “This is definitely going to become a good song.” As the work progressed, I think it became even better than I expected.
Nakamura: At first, to me it felt like just one song among the demos. But the people around us liked it from the start, and when it was time to record the vocals, I was surprised to feel all over again, “Wow, this is amazing!”
● How did the recording go this time?
Nakamura: The lyrical world was already there from the beginning, and I didn't revise the lyrics at all. The song structure and melody also changed very little. However, we kept working on the key setting almost right up until the end. We spent quite a lot of time choosing the key and adjusting the feeling created by the chords so that the words would resonate properly. After that, the vocal recording proceeded according to the original image we had in mind.
● Please tell us about the lyrics.
AZUKI: I listened to the demo once, and the words and images all came to me at the same time. Everything arrived without my having to think about anything. I started writing from the beginning, and the words for the chorus came out naturally too; then the whole thing was finished in one rush. It felt as if I was the one being opened up. The words themselves seemed to be saying, “Let me out!” so I felt I had to write them down quickly.
● What about the singing?
Nakamura: I sang the chorus almost in tears. When you sing a melody and lyrics that fit together this perfectly, it really makes you feel heartbroken.
AZUKI: That feeling isn't something just anyone could create by singing it. The texture and atmosphere of her voice truly have no substitute.
● How have things been between the four members lately?
Nakamura: The two male members are both doing well (laughs). Okamoto is still the character everyone enjoys teasing, while Furui gives a sly little smile and finishes an arrangement in no time. Furui in particular has been appearing at many different shows lately, so he must have plenty of opportunities to encounter fresh, cutting-edge ideas outside GARNET CROW. I think he is the most sensitive to those changes and reflects them in all kinds of arrangements.
AZUKI: He has so much in his toolbox... But as usual, we can keep recording moving forward even without the four of us sitting down to discuss things (laughs).
Nakamura: Exactly (laughs). And even if we decide something in advance, there are so many things you can't know until you try them. Lately, we just go with our first impression and try things out; if they don't work, we redo them, and if they do, we carry on. Whether it's the arrangement, lyrics, vocal structure, or key, we simply put everything in and see how it turns out (laughs).
● Please tell us about the coupling track *夏の終わりの長い雨*.
Nakamura: This is a song we'd had for quite a long time. It's a mid-tempo song that is very GARNET CROW—if you want to put it that way—with a quality that doesn't try too hard to be unusual. Since the release falls around the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, we thought it was a good seasonal fit and chose it as the coupling track.
AZUKI: The lyrics were already there when the melody was written. We tried several arrangements, but it ended up as a song with a very GARNET CROW feel.
● What are GARNET CROW's plans for the future?
Nakamura: We're writing and accumulating all kinds of new songs while continuing production.
(Interview: Sai Saida)
Release Information
GARNET CROW new single *君という光*, released September 10.
GIZA studio / GZCA-7031 / 1,000 yen (tax included)
1. 君という光
2. 夏の終わりの長い雨
3. 君という光 (instrumental)
※ *君という光* is the ending theme for the anime *名探偵コナン*, broadcast nationwide on the Yomiuri TV/Nippon TV network every Monday at 7:30 p.m.