King & Prince‘s music has always been characterized by dreamy melodies and rhythms that let the imagination run wild. They are songs that invite us to sing, to dance, to fight for our dreams, to face the biggest challenges in life and to value the small everyday details; youth in its full essence transmitted by the hip hop bases in some of the creations and the commitment to experiment with new styles, without fear and with courage, could be an accurate summary of what we find in this duo.
However, today we are going to explore that part of their discography that transmits calm and tranquility, which although it may not have titles as well known as we have mentioned in previous Weekly Kinpuri, it does contain true musical masterpieces that can leave no one indifferent.
And without further ado, let’s dive into an endless dream with Kaito Takahashi and Ren Nagase, who once again will make us dream without measure.
Starting with “halfmoon“, being part of the duo’s 15th single, by now well known by everyone, both for this song and for the song that accompanies it as a double A-single: “moooove!“, released on May 23rd last year on the 6th anniversary of their debut CD. However this time, moving away from the more groundbreaking side of this release, we are going to focus our full attention on the ballad of this double single, used as the theme song for TV Asahi series “Tokyo Tower“ (The drama can currently be watch on: Netflix, Viki and Apple TV+)
This song, composed by Takeshi Kobayashi, perfectly conveys the pain and bitterness of unrequited feelings. Each word of the lyrics hits the soul with force, making us recognize a common feeling; the battle between a heart that loves without asking permission and the most rational part of our body, which knows that it needs to forget and move forward to stop suffering.
(you can watch the mv with English and Spanish subtitles among others languages!)
“Cloudy“, also included in this single, brings a more relaxed perspective on the immersion in the daily routine. While other songs reinforce the feeling of not falling into the “monotony” of everyday life, “Cloudy” gives a different approach to that feeling; it seeks through R&B rhythms mixed with some Hip Hop based verses to discover that we can also take those feelings in a more chillin’ way, waiting for the moment when the sun will shine again. With lyrics by EMI K.Lynn, composition by Josef Melin and arrangements by Ryo Konishi, it is quite an experience to enjoy this song on a rainy day.
“Chillin’ on a cloudy day Chillin’ on chillin’ on cloudy day
もどかしいまんまで 揺れる揺れるon my way
Lookin’ for a brighter day Lookin’ for lookin’ for brighter day”
Following the same style of R&B songs, with melodies based on Jazz and touches of Soul, we find in this playlis “Kiss & Cry” written and composed by mei, with arrangements by Shingo Kubota, that although it shines by itself with its own light, it is even more incredible to conceive it as an extension of “Namiute Kokoro”, being this one of the greatest masterpieces that King & Prince has in its discography; with its relaxed rhythm that invites to contemplate the night landscape in a clear night. Both the lyrics and the composition are attributed to atagi (Awesome City Club), who has an outstanding avant-garde sense among the younger bands. While the frist song can be found in the regular version of their 8th single “Koi furu tsukiyo ni kimi omou”, the latter is part of their 2nd studio album “L&”. Undoubtedly two great musical compositions of urban Pop perfect for those who know that pinch in the chest due to anxiety and unknowingness about the near future.
Once again mei participates in the creation of unforgettable music for King & Prince as lyricist and composer in the song “Boku no Waltz” / (僕のワルツ), although this time the arrangements of the song are in the hands of YASU. However, the calm rhythms transmitted by the voices that make up the choirs are a cure for the heart in this ballad characterized by the simplicity of the melody and the purity of its words.
Undoubtedly one of the best studio albums that make up the discography of Kaito Takahashi and Ren Nagase is their 4th studio album “Made In” and proof of this is their song “Started“. Although it may seem to be just another ballad, its musical base mixed with the chorus of the sweet voices and the harmonies between the members turn this piece of music into a real treasure. With YU-G in charge of the lyrics, accompanied by SHIBU in the composition, who also took care of the arrangements, this song is pure magic in itself, the feeling of starting from scratch leaving all burdens behind, simply starting a new path from the beginnin, a rebirth framed by nostalgia and memories.
A dream world that King & Prince make come true
One of their incursions using only English as the main language in the songs is “Nothing compares“, a mid-tempo love ballad that can be found in the regular version of his 10th single “Trace Trace“. In contrast to “halfmoon“, which shows us the most raw and painful face of love and unrequited feelings, this musical work discovers the innocence of that love that you don’t expect to come, but suddenly invades every fragment of your life and makes you realize that it is too late because that person has already become the oxygen and the meaning of your life in an irreplaceable way. The lyricists AKIRA and JUN, accompanied by Shingo Kubota (Jazzin’ Park) who is also in charge of the arrangements, together with the perfect vocals of the members transport us to the most primogenial feelings of love.
But this is not the only song that we can find in this playlist that tries to break with the traditional image of the Jpop to reach a greater internationalization, we also have “Easy Go” belonging to their previously mentioned 8th single; this song in contrast to “Nothing compares” is a song that keeps the mid tempo but seeks to be more danceable composition, framed by some verses with a more characteristic style of Hip Hop, with its powerful message.
“Let it all just go on, Let it all just go on, Easy come Easy go”
Leads us to relax and let ourselves go with its slightly more electronic rhythms that can be seen in its musical base, thanks to its lyricist JUN and the composers Josef Melin and Christofer Erixon.
To culminate with all these musical treasures, we find “Pain“, created entirely by Daisuke Mori, from the lyrics to the composition and also the arrangements, coming to life in the voices of Kaito Takahashi and Ren Nagase in his 15th single, a title that is a declaration of intentions. A slow ballad full of feeling that sings of love turned into loneliness, of the suffering caused by rejection and still preferring that pain in order to keep that person in our lives, as reflected in the chorus;
“I’m searching for the pain, this pain is you, I’m still searching for the pain“
King & Prince is willing to make us dream in a thousand different ways, they put into words the most human feelings that we all have ever experienced and that is why it is easy to feel identified with their discography. In addition, their wide range of styles makes it impossible not to fall in love with any of their songs; from the softest ballads to the most heartbreaking ones, through mid-tempo songs that become danceable works, bases with choruses or harmonizations, Jazz sounds and brass intruments, more electronic sounds and styles like Hip Hop and Rap, all of them have a place within Kinpuri‘s world. But it’s up to you to decide if you want to join this dream come true, the doors of their kingdom are always open to everyone!
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