Worst English singing J-ROCKERS?

[Des 289]

I think a lot of them are not aware how bad they sound. Again I take "Alive" from X Japan as example (because it's a good example), you can barely make out what Toshi is singing in there untill you read the lyrics. Then you find out some sentences don't make any sense grammatically, and some words are pronounced completely different. As if they never looked into that. As if nobody ever told them it was wrong when recording in the studio. They just really think it's correct and then they don't look back, I guess.

[LIDL 692]

A little off topic, and a rather stupid question. But do any of you know exactly why they want to sing in English when they can't do it for shit? Is it because they want to reach out to a wider audience and they think that singing in English will help them doing that? I've always had the impression the memebers of bands cuah as Dir en grey, Gazette, D'espairsRay, Versailles and so on are fucking dumb and retarded and al that. But am I mistaken when I say that even they should be able to hear that it actually sounds fucking horrible? Or what?

So anyone know why they "try" to sing in English?

I asked pretty much the same question to a Japanese friend, and he replied "most Japanese people think, if it's English, it's awesome" XD

plus, so many Japanese words used/spoken today are abbreviated from English. Example: more young people (under 60++), press, artists (actors, musicians) will called milk with miruku than gyunyuu, kissu than kuchizuke, etc. On their works.

It's been problematic and once their ministry were complained about this too and encourage youngsters to use/speak in proper Japanese, so that the rare words will not be history.

[Miasma 162]

A little off topic, and a rather stupid question. But do any of you know exactly why they want to sing in English when they can't do it for shit? Is it because they want to reach out to a wider audience and they think that singing in English will help them doing that? I've always had the impression the memebers of bands cuah as Dir en grey, Gazette, D'espairsRay, Versailles and so on are fucking dumb and retarded and al that. But am I mistaken when I say that even they should be able to hear that it actually sounds fucking horrible? Or what?

So anyone know why they "try" to sing in English?

I remember reading an article (in Cure) where Mao from Sadie was interviewed. The interviewer asked Mao why he writes his lyrics in both Japanese and English. Mao responds with something along these lines: "There are certain points of emotion you can only get across in Japanese, and there are others you can only convey through English."

What he said made (some) sense to me, and from then on I've never again questioned why they use English in their songs. But on the other hand, they of course should study more English before they write and "pronounce" illiterate lyrics.

[D.L.S 11]

Pretty much all of them except Yama-B.

I really can't stand any song if it's sung by a Japanese guy with really bad English. The English can actually be good (like grammatically correct) but it'll be their accent that kills it for me. Being a Hizaki and Teru fantard I was pretty excited for Versailles first release and man did I hate the shit out of Revenant Choir because of Kamijo. His English sounded so bad, it was like he was trying to sing underwater while totally shit faced. I can't explain it but if they're singing (not screaming) it just sounds so bad it makes me cringe. I can put up with screaming but just not singing. :-S

I love Yama-B, but I don't really like his english. Maybe it's because I don't like understandable singing in English. I'm more of a fan of his japanese singing, but I still will listen to the engrish songs.

[薔薇の末裔 157]

Juka. What he sings is COMPLETELY unrelated to the English lyrics

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

I'mmmm just my uhhh tlaaagiiiii

Did he write the lyrics for HGP?

[SUBLIMINAL 52]

From worst to... least worst

Kyo - Juka - Ruki - Kamijo - Juri - Satoshi/Hizumi

[Guest]

Problem with this thread: most GOOD English singing J-Rockers have no understanding of the language itself, they can just imitate it. Thus all of these Japanese hardcore bands that can replicate western vocalists because english is a very simple language to imitate, but it is very very very difficult to understand and speak.

This is shown with kyo and ruki. They have no plane of reference to study and imitate, they're doing it entirely themselves which is an EXTREME plus. But:

It is rumored that Kyo, for the past year or two, has been taking english lessons. This is shown in the fact that he often walks around places like NYC, LA, etc. by himself. This implies he has a general understanding of the language because you can't wander around those cities without getting lost.

Ruki on the other hand, has stated on multiple occasions that he uses GOOGLE TRANSLATE for his english lyrics. Though very lame, he also has no plane of reference so he's attempting to pronounce the language with no strong understanding of it.

But with that said, Kyo's english lyrics and the overall structure / content has gotten SIGNIFICANTLY better to the point where it's now fluent, Ruki's is still a little spotty but it's gotten better. This could be due to the update in software that enables Google Translate to construct better sentences.

[Number Girl 48]

This could be due to the update in software that enables Google Translate to construct better sentences.

xD

[SUBLIMINAL 52]

Hah.

[7gatsu8ka 1]

Ruki!

but I really love him singing English,

listening English that I can't understand is fun XD

[jurideluhi 6]

listening English that I can't understand is fun XD

this

[dracolicious13 1]

...People keep saying Juri of Deluhi..but um I understand his english waaaaaay more than like 80% of jrockers. And out of all the indie visual bands? I'd say hes doing really well. No offence to all the english speakers..but English is hard. Especially if you don't have someone to tell you how to pronounce it. Cause sometimes just reading the word..its ...like HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO SAY THAT?

I mean it would never occur to a Native English speaker that say "through" is somehow weird. But to a foreigner its like..."ttro-uu-oh-guh"...IT LOOKS LIKE THAT. But no one says it like that...So I dunno.

Kyo tho is from his own planet..I suspect he is speaking his alien tongue to us and not english...I can't understand his Japanese at times either..so :T

[sai 868]

This could be due to the update in software that enables Google Translate to construct better sentences.

xD

x1.

ONE DAY I WILL FUCK YOUR PARENTS!

Oh Kyo...you dirty man.

[ginHigure 22]

^ Kyo is indeed pretty horrible...he sounds like scoobie do in CLEVER SLEAZOID

Best thing i've heard so far!

[Zero-san 1]

Omg. Have you missed Mao from Sadie?

He 'studied' English in London, he said but I wonder... which London he meant..

I'm always like: 'omg! I guess I understood something' and in the end it's something completely different. that's sad. xD;

[fitear1590 2414]

8kw6_2tp-LE

Oh very FAT go on eating forever
not satisfy a hunger
bound flabby breathe very feebly
go up and down the srairs

So FAT go on increase forever
can't stop gain weight
reveal the big belly
watching MTV on couch

Oh very FAT go on eating hard
not satisfy a glutton
eating and sleeping
don't have an ounce of do exercise

So FAT go on increase very herd
a miracle cell
can't even see my own genitals
without mirror

I am FAT I want to lose weight
but I want to eat

what should I do for lose weight

[Guest]

^ Neva4get. And their Dead By Christmas cover has some amazing Engrish in too - That was the dead vocalist too. Wow, they've gone through a couple who mangle English.

[Karma’s Hat 3107]

Wait what? That song is in english?

[ficsci 50]

can't even see my own genitals

without mirror

That part is pretty effing poetic though XD XD XD

[Tse 0]

hehehe... could it be Kamijo, i lov him, but,,, it's so hard to understand his english... (and even knowing that lived in Australia when he was a kid 0_0)

[Qliffot 118]

I read this thread completely often laughing aloud. I've been asking myself as well, why Japanese artists use English in their lyrics if they had problems to read it then, or can't write it properly. I can agree with reasons mentioned above: overall it's probably direct influence of American protective policy after World War II to Japanese culture, where English seems as "higher" language with style, many values and elite characteristics. But I can feel the seed is even earlier; it's about Edo period, economic relations with West countries and things like that. I suppose gairaigo like miruku, remon, or naifu, as terms that could be listened often among modern European travellers, slowly started to replace older words of often Chinese origins. These words weren't taken only from English, as well from Portuguese, German and Dutch. That's first. I can imagine, original terms and synonyms borrowed from another languages as well can be felt in other way, as Mao from Sadie said in interview already mentioned by @Miasma. For me it's like as if sentences in English were less 'official', louder and more colloquial. I've got no idea, how to explain it differently. That's first. Second, You all can see, this popularity, culture fashion can influence that such sentences seem for Japanese people really cool at all. It's partly sad, that some other original words can be forgotten, but what should be done with this fact? Maybe do Japanese politics should make some gairaigo forbidden, huh?

If I had to choose worst English singing Japanese vocalist, or - in other words - with best Engrish language skills, as to others, would it be to me partly difficult. Some of You often say that it's Kyo, Riku, or Kamijo, but it's probably only because they have very well-known. Plus I have to say, I guess all these vocalists finally fixed their abilities... Anyway, same I could say, very bad English sung i.e. Gackt in Malice Mizer, chorus in "Transylvania" shows him IMO as the worst from all three MM vocalists... But that's not the point. Personally, I suffered often when I listened to English versions of songs my beloved Satsuki. I have big faith he knows English very well, he's ambitious and I suppose he cares about it, but when he tries to sing... Honestly, I've got big problems with understanding and i.e. in "Horizon"'s chorus, before I read lyrics, I thought, it was "I love you 世界", looking after he meant "say to me". There are of course many similar problems and I could give many examples... Hazuki from lynch., Yuuki from UnsraW, Natsuki from -OZ-, but who's the worst at all? Question remains still opened.

[Tse 0]

u make me remember to jealkb singer and that cool song nageki no endores (endless) hehehe.... but all your explanations were quite right.

[gyakutai 12]

Let me think...for me are Hina (Schwein) and Natsuki (-OZ-); when they sings in English, if I don't read the booklet, it usually difficult to me understand what they sings XDD

[sai 868]

D's Asagi isn't that good either. I love him, but I always have to read the lyrics before I know what he is saying XD