VOL.151 25th single“涙のイエスタデー”Yuri Nakamurainterview(first half)

●○○ From music freak magazine Vol.151

GARNET CROW

New Single “Namida no Yesterday” 2007.7.4 On Sale!!

With the first half of 2007 now behind them, GARNET CROW's musical activities are becoming more active than ever. In February they released their first double A-side single, “Kaze to RAINBOW / Kono Te o Nobaseba,” followed by the June 27 release of the LIVE DVD “GARNET CROW LIVESCOPE OF THE TWILIGHT VALLEY.” Then, on July 4, they released the new single “Namida no Yesterday.” This song is GARNET CROW's 100th song overall, a bittersweet love song carried by a refreshing sound inspired by summer. The release also includes colorful tracks such as “Go For It,” which reflects GARNET CROW's majestic world, and “Ichiban Suteki Datta Hi,” whose carefully crafted arrangement is a highlight. Through the number of songs they have produced over seven years since their debut, this work makes you feel anew how firmly GARNET CROW's musical world has been built. We asked composer and vocalist Yuri Nakamura to tell us more about the release. (INTERVIEWED BY EMI MORI)

●This song brings GARNET CROW to its 100th song overall. Had you known for some time that this milestone was approaching?
Yuri Nakamura (hereafter Nakamura): At one point we wondered, “By the way, what number song are we on now...?” At that time we were in the low eighties, so we just said, “Oh, I see.” When we asked again a little later, we were told, “You are at number 96 now.” After we released “Kaze to RAINBOW / Kono Te o Nobaseba,” we learned that the next single would be our 100th song, and everyone became a little excited, saying, “What? Seriously!!” (laughs). So it was not that we adjusted anything to make the 100th song a single—it simply happened that way. I am really glad it worked out like this. If the 100th song had been a B-side, that would have felt a little bittersweet.
●After learning that the next song would be number 100, did you choose it with that milestone in mind?
Nakamura: No. We had made a demo that became the basis for this song at the beginning of the year, and it was a ballad at the time. Then it was decided that it would be used as an anime opening, and we were asked to make it uptempo because it was an opening theme. We changed the tempo and redid it dozens of times. There were more than ten different versions of the arrangement, lyrics, and vocal, and it finally arrived at this form. By then, we knew it would be released around summer and that it would be our 100th song, but it was a very pop song—almost the opposite of our own image of being dark and shadowy. It is a poppy, catchy summer tune, the kind of number you could dance to in summer. Releasing something that is not exactly like us as our 100th work has a contrarian quality that feels very GARNET CROW (laughs).
●How different is it from the first demo?
Nakamura: The chords have not changed, but we changed the tempo, and the melody changed a little as the lyrics and arrangement changed. We also added the final section... So there are dozens of variations of each take. Through that process, we arrived at the one that felt exactly right.
●So the song's overall color changed as well.
Nakamura: At first it had an ordinary beat. The moment it became a four-on-the-floor rhythm, I felt it turned into a happy, danceable summer number. That was when the world of the song began to expand.
●When you originally wrote the song, did you have anything specific in mind?
Nakamura: This song was made around the same time as “Kaze to RAINBOW,” and perhaps because we started it in winter, it was a warm, grand ballad. Then the tempo gradually increased... As we went along, I thought, “This works too,” and we revised the chorus melody a little and added a D section. Once it was finished, I thought this version was better. And on top of that, the single