Lily Chou-Chou
OriginJapan
GenresJ-pop
Years active2000–2001, 2010–present
LabelsSony (2000)
Toshiba EMI (2001)
Oorong-sha (2010–present)
MembersSalyu (vocals)
Takeshi Kobayashi (keyboardist, producer, composer)
Yukio Nagoshi (2010–present, guitar)
Past membersShunji Iwai (2000–2001, lyrics)
Websitelilychouchou.jp

Lily Chou-Chou (リリイ シュシュ, Rirī Shushu) is a Japanese band that debuted in 2000. Initially a fictional band that produced music for the 2001 Shunji Iwai film All About Lily Chou-Chou, the group later reformed in 2010 for the 10th anniversary of the film. Lily Chou-Chou is not a real person, but a fictional character.

Biography

Lily Chou-Chou as a character was initially created by Shunji Iwai in 2000, as a part of an online novel that was posted on a BBS.[1][2] The music was produced as a collaboration between Iwai, Salyu, a musician who had not debuted yet, and Takeshi Kobayashi, a music producer who had previously worked with Iwai on the soundtrack to his 1996 film Swallowtail Butterfly.[3] Iwai supplied the lyrics of two songs to the project, "Arabesque" and "Tobenai Tsubasa."[4]

In April 2000, Lily Chou-Chou music began to be released, with the single "Glide" and later "Kyōmei (Kūkyo na Ishi)" in June.[2] Three Iwai-directed music videos were produced for the project, "Glide,"[5] "Kyōmei (Kūkyo na Ishi)" and "Tobenai Tsubasa."[6] Salyu performed "Kyōmei (Kūkyo na Ishi)" on music shows Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ and Music Station in June 2000.[7][8] The group released their album, Kokyū, in October 2001,[4] a week and a half after the release of the film in Japan.

After the release of the film, the group ceased to release music.[9] In 2003, the Lily Chou-Chou song "Kaifuku Suru Kizu" was featured in the Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill Vol. 1.[9] Salyu debuted as a musician in 2004 with the single "Valon," a collaboration with hip-hop musician Ilmari.[10] She began working with Kobayashi as her producer since her debut, and continues to work with him.[10] Some of Salyu's most notable songs have been composed by him, such as "Atarashii Yes," "Corteo (Gyōretsu)," "Platform," "To U" and "Valon." Salyu included the Lily Chou-Chou songs "Hōwa" and "Glide" on her 2008 greatest hits album Merkmal.[11] On her 2009 tour for Merkmal, she performed "Erotic," "Glide," "Hikōsen," "Kaifuku Suru Kizu," "Sight" and "Tobenai Tsubasa."[12]

For the film's 10th anniversary in 2010, the band reformed as a three-member band featuring guitarist Yukio Nagoshi, however without the direct involvement of Iwai.[9][13][14] The group released a digital single, "Ether," on December 8, 2010. The music video for the song was exclusively debuted at MTV Japan on December 1.[13] The group plan to perform a live at the Nakano Sun Plaza Hall on December 15.[14]

Fictional back-story

Lily Chou-Chou is portrayed as the stage name of a solo musician, Keiko Suzuki (鈴木圭子, Suzuki Keiko).[15] She was born on December 8, 1980, at 10:50pm, a fact that fans in the film link to the same time of the murder of Beatles' member John Lennon.[16] She has an official website, Lilyholic, which features as a back-story to the film, including news articles and a discography. The BBS on this website is a crucial feature to the plot of the film. Lily Chou-Chou is portrayed as being extremely successful, with her CDs lining prominent displays in music stores such as Tsutaya.[16]

Lily Chou-Chou was originally the vocalist of the band Philia (フィリア, Firia), that formed and broke up two years after their debut in 1995.[16] This band centred on Katsuro Kayama (加山葛比路, Kayama Katsuro), who wrote the music for the band.[16] Kayama later lead the major-label band Yellow Fellows (イエロウフェロウズ, Iero Ferōzu).[16] Lily Chou-Chou wrote the lyrics for the band's songs, though some fans believe they were ghostwritten.[16] The band is described as having number one releases on music charts.[16] The group debuted with the single "Addiction" (アディクション, Adikushon) on February 21, 1995, which reached number one on the singles charts.[16] The film mentioned the band having an album named Manic & Depressive (マニック&デプレッシヴ, Manikku ando Depuresshivu), and songs "Abnormality" and "Manic & Depressive."[16] Many of her fans do not like to link Lily Chou-Chou's solo music with Kayama. In the film, when a fan suggested Kayama took part in creating Lily Chou-Chou's solo music, many fans became heated and fought him.[16]

Her fan base is described as being composed of younger people.[17] These fans are described as fanatic, with some of Lily Chou-Chou's detractors likening her to a cult leader.[18] One of her fans even committed suicide in protest of the content of her second album, Kokyū.[15]

Lily Chou-Chou's music is said to have ether, a term used both by Lily Chou-Chou and her fans.[17] She describes ether as the fabric of the universe, and assigns colours to different types of ether (the emotion despair is close to "red" ether, while hope is close to "blue" ether).[18] Lily Chou-Chou also describes the moods of her albums in terms of these colours.[16]

On Lily Chou-Chou's official site are two news articles from a fictional newspaper, Teito Shinbun (帝都新聞, "Imperial Capital Paper"), describing an incident after a Lily Chou-Chou concert, in which a 15-year-old, Shūsuke Hoshino, is apparently crushed to death by fans wanting to see Lily Chou-Chou.[19] Later news puts doubt to this, as a stab wound piercing his heart was discovered during the autopsy.[15] These news reports are direct references to events in the film.

Actual discography

Album

Year Album Information Oricon
albums
chart
[20]		 Reported
sales
[21]
2001 Kokyū 60 3,700

Singles

Year Title Notes Oricon
singles
charts
[20]		 Oricon
sales
total
[21]		 Album
2000 "Glide" (グライド, Guraido) Released through Sony — — Kokyū
"Kyōmei (Kūkyo na Ishi)" (共鳴(空虚な石), "Resonance (Empty Stone)") 97 4,500
2010 "Ether" (エーテル, Ēteru) Digital single — — TBA

Fictional discography

Albums

Year Album Information Track listing
1998 Erotic (エロティック, Erotikku)
  • Released: July 21, 1998
  • Label: Mash Music Entertainment
  • "Kyōmei", "Erotic" actual songs
Track listing
  1. "Kyōmei" (共鳴, "Sympathy")
  2. "Kodoku no Shunkan" (孤独の瞬間, "Moment of Loneliness")
  3. "Video Tape" (ビデオテープ, Bideo Tēpu)
  4. "Keshō o Shinai Seikatsu" (化粧をしない生活, "Life Without Make-up")
  5. "Ie" (家, "House")
  6. "Erotic" (エロティック, Erotikku)
  7. "Yakusoku no Hi" (約束の日, "Promise Day")
  8. "Yubisaki" (指先, "Fingertip")
  9. "Kanashii Hitomi" (悲しい瞳, "Sad Eyes")
  10. "Chinmoku no Ki" (沈黙の木, "Tree of Silence")
1999 Kokyū (呼吸, "Breath")
  • Released: July 21, 1999
  • Label: Mash Music Entertainment
  • Fictional album differs to actual album released with same title
  • "Arabesque", "Glide", "Hikōsen", "Kaifuku Suru Kizu" and "Tobenai Tsubasa" actual songs
Track listing
  1. "Arabesque" (アラベスク, Arabesuku)
  2. "Glide" (グライド, Guraido)
  3. "Tomodachi" (友達, "Friend")
  4. "Doyōbi no Yūbin" (土曜日の郵便, "Saturday Mail")
  5. "Tobenai Tsubasa" (飛べない翼, "Flightless Wings")
  6. "Sweater" (セーター, Sētā)
  7. "Hikōsen" (飛行船, "Blimp")
  8. "Hana no Hitomi" (花の瞳, "Flower Eyes")
  9. "Kugatsu no Ame no Shinzō" (九月の雨の心臓, "Heart of the September Rain")
  10. "Kaifuku Suru Kizu" (回復する傷, "Healing Wounds")

Extended play

Year Album Information Track listing
1997 Jewel (ジュエル, Jueru)
  • Released: July 21, 1997
  • Label: Mash Music Entertainment
  • "Ai no Jikken" an actual song
Track listing
  1. "Mizuumi" (みずうみ, "Lake")
  2. "Mittsu no Tobira" (三つの扉, "Three Doors")
  3. "Odoru Sakana" (踊る魚, "Dancing Fish")
  4. "Ai no Jikken" (愛の実験, "Love Experiment")
  5. "Inu no Me" (犬の眼, "The Eyes of a Dog")
  6. "Orgel" (オルゴオル, Orugōru, "Music Box")

Singles

Year Title Details Album
1998 "Chinmoku no Ki" (沈黙の木, "Tree of Silence") B-side "Kyōmei (Kūkyo na Ishi)" an actual song Erotic
1999 "Kaifuku Suru Kizu" (回復する傷, "Healing Wounds") Song and B-side "Arabesque" actual songs Kokyū
2000 "Glide" Non-fictional CD released on the same day

References

  1. ↑ "Lily Dictionary - People". Lilyholic. Archived from the original on May 24, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  2. 1 2 リリイ・シュシュ ／ グライド. CDJournal (in Japanese). Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  3. ↑ リリイ・シュシュ ／ 呼吸 [廃盤]. CDJournal (in Japanese). Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  4. 1 2 "JBOOK：呼吸：Ｌｉｌｙ Ｃｈｏｕ－Ｃｈｏｕ：CD". JBook (in Japanese). Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Lily Chou Chou 楽曲名 グライド". Space Shower (in Japanese). Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Lily Chou Chou 楽曲名 飛べない翼". Space Shower (in Japanese). Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  7. ↑ "HEY!HEY!HEY!過去の出演者一覧表". Fuji TV (in Japanese). Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  8. ↑ 出演者ライナップ2000/06/23. TV Asahi (in Japanese). Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  9. 1 2 3 "岩井俊二監督『リリイ・シュシュのすべて』から生まれた音楽ユニット、約10年ぶりに再始動！". Cinema Today. December 2, 2010. Archived from the original on May 15, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  10. 1 2 "Artist :: Salyu". Toy's Factory (in Japanese). Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  11. ↑ "[CD] Merkmal [通常盤] / Salyu". Neowing (in Japanese). Retrieved December 3, 2010.
  12. ↑ "[CD] MAIDEN VOYAGE [DVD付初回限定盤] / Salyu". Neowing (in Japanese). Retrieved December 3, 2010.
  13. 1 2 "MTV Exclusive 2010". MTV Japan. Archived from the original on May 15, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  14. 1 2 "Lily Chou-Chou". Lily Chou-Chou Official Site. Archived from the original on August 14, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  15. 1 2 3 1999年12月11日 帝都新聞・朝刊 ライブハウス事故、殺人の疑い浮上。死亡者から刺し傷見つかる。. Lilyholic (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Shunji Iwai. Rirī Shushu no Subete リリイ・シュシュのすべて [All About Lily Chou-Chou] (Motion picture) (in Japanese). Rockwell Eyes.
  17. 1 2 1999年12月16日 週刊トゥデイ カリスマの放つ黒いオーラ。. Lilyholic (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  18. 1 2 "2000年03月27日 BOUNCE エーテルの歌姫、"青の新世紀"へ。". Lilyholic (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  19. ↑ 1999年12月9日 帝都新聞・朝刊 ロックコンサートで死者。ライブ終了後に観客将棋倒し。. Lilyholic (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  20. 1 2 "アーティスト： Lily Chou-Chou". Oricon. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  21. 1 2 "オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」". Oricon. Retrieved December 2, 2010. (subscription only)
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