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女 DAY BY DAY 作詞：村井大 作曲・編曲：安岡祥一郎
Song Credits
Who is 安岡祥一郎?! Who the heck is 安岡祥一郎?! He's the writer, composer and arranger of... 「女DAY BY DAY」! That's it! No other information whatsoever. Not even so much as an agency. Zip. Zilch. Nadda. Seriously... who is this guy?! Carmen Sandiego's whereabouts are less mysterious!
Title
「DAY BY DAY」 suggest that something is hard-going. If you take something a day at a time it's because you can't plan ahead more than that so you just have to go with the flow.
Opening Thoughts
Aya described the song as a typical song for the last two words of the first half of the chorus: 『B型』 (B-blood type personality). Like I said for 「ソウルメイト」, I don't believe in the blood-type personality theory. However, Aya does and she believes she is an archetypal B型. Because of that, she goes on to say (well, it was the same sentence) that this song could very well be called 「亜弥 DAY BY DAY」 which is perhaps the main point. It was written with her in mind. The song is about her, or at least a doppelganger in mystery man's mind. For those who don't like unconfirmed stuff like that, it was in the October issue of the magazine 「CDでーた」 in the 「Prime Page」 section (page 98 & page 99).
女 DAY BY DAY
Female Day By Day
過酷な試練の日々に
The rigorous tests of each day
慣れない 逃げたい 22才の現実
A 22 year old's existence I can't adapt to and want to abscond
それでも欠かさず見なきゃあ
But then I can't afford to miss
流行 噂 過激なファッション誌
The trends, the gossip, the radical fashion magazines...
もし 恋に落ちても
Even if I fall in love
おしゃれ実験してない！？
Won't I be running style experiments?
強くなれMe ありのままYou
Me, growing stronger (compared to) you staying as you are
キラキラの人生 もうすぐ終わりそう
This sparkling life seems likely to end imminently
気分屋 なんて言われても
Even if it means getting called moody
負けるなB型
(As a) B-type I'm not gonna give in
気になる未来 道は長い
The path to the future on my mind is long
時には意地悪な落とし穴
With the occasional devilish trap
凹むよ 何歳になっても
I'm overwhelmed! No matter how old I get
オトナは楽じゃない
It's not easy being adult
今日も 女Day by Day
Today as well (I'll take being) female day by day
非常識な帰宅時間
Return home at a ridiculous hour
まるで 寝れない 明日も早いのに
Can't sleep a wink and an early (start) tomorrow too
それでもまだ目指してる
But then I still have my eyes on
資格 キャリア 素敵な女性像
My qualifications, my career, my wonderful female image
もし 愛に生きても
Even if I live in love
将来設計できない！！
I can't plan the future!!
悩むほどdeep 正直なのYou
Deep to (the point of) concern, honest you
赤裸々な相談 誰か受けて
Someone please give me some frank advice
自己主張 苦手が基本
Assertiveness, weaknesses are fundamental
がんばれB型
(As a) B-type I'll do my best
遠いよ未来 夢が足りない
Distant dreams of the future are not enough
自分でもどうしたいか 分からないし
I don't even know what I want to do myself
イマイチ 敏感になってない
I'm still not remotely sensitive
そろそろ本気で
It's almost time for real
今日も 女Day by Day
Today as well (I'll take being) female day by day
自分らしいが難しい
Being myself is difficult
いろんな光るイメージ
(With this) varied shining image
理想が並ぶショウウィンドウ
Display window of lined up dreams
オンナは いつでも贅沢
Girls are always extravagant
バラ色Hard days
Rose-tinted hard days
強くなれMe ありのままYou
Me, growing stronger (compared to) you staying as you are
キラキラの人生 もうすぐ終わりそう
This sparkling life seems likely to end imminently
気分屋 なんて言われても
Even if it means getting called moody
負けるなB型
(As a) B-type I'm not gonna give in
気になる未来 道は長い
I'm concerned my future path is long
時には意地悪な落とし穴
With the occasional devilish trap
凹むよ 何歳になっても
I'm overwhelmed! No matter how old I get
オトナは楽じゃない
It's not easy being adult
今日も 女Day by Day
Today as well (I'll take being) female day by day
女Day by Day・・・
(I'll take being) female day by day...
Lyrics and Translation
I'm not sure why the first verse mentions a 22 year old existence because Aya is still only 21. In fact, her 22nd birthday is about twice as far away in time than her 21st. Being the font of useless Aya trivia that I am, during the questions MC in the 07-05-27 afternoon GAM concert, Aya and Miki were asked to pick which criterion is most important for buying a mobile/cell phone out of a) price,
newness, c) design, d) usability. Aya picked b and Miki chose c. Aya mentioned somewhere before that she's always changing her phone (I can't remember where). She was also featured in last month's 「Mac Fan」 magazine as a face to push the iPhone, saying she wanted one herself (Cover, Page 40 & Page 41). Which is all to say that she really is conscious of trends!
We have a slight problem... I've translated 『恋』 as "love" in the first bridge and done the same for 『愛』 in the second bridge. They are not the same thing and as a matter of it being so very difficult to explain what love is, there isn't really any set definition but people have their thoughts which, rather handily, I gathered together back in April when the issue came up on 「モーニング娘。藤本美貴のドキ♡みきNight」 (as it was still called back then). Can you make sense of the second line of the bridge?
I think she's questioning if her trend obsession will make her boyfriend a dress up doll or something along those lines. That would be sort of fun in a living mannequin sort of way. That might not be it though...
The first line of the first chorus has an imperative in 『強くなれ』 and the 『B型』 lines in both choruses are imperative clauses which are generally difficult to translate properly. In English, the subject of imperative sentences is always the second person "you" (singular or plural) and is usually omitted. In Japanese, the imperative functions a lot like any other predicate in that it can have any subject so it's actually possible to "order" yourself to do something. Because of that, it's difficult to translate it as an imperative in English so I think it's better to think of it as an emphatic version of the non-past tense. In other words "Me" will get stronger and, as Aya is B型 herself, she is asserting that she won't give in to the pressures and will do her best. The "you" is not "you" but "you"... all of you. All of us. Everyone that isn't her. She's going to put her all into progress and success and leave us trailing in her wake. However, she can't look too far ahead because, to quote the little green God of science fiction "Impossible to see, the future is". Thus the only thing she can do is take a day at a time doing her utmost not to give in.
The second verse reminds me of 2006 when Aya was presenting 「All Night Nippon」 one night a week which runs live from 1am to 3am. She'd get home at a ridiculous hour and have to get up bright and early the next day. However, she mentioned once that her sister ran away from home the week before (thank epifanes' summary for the show date which was 06-02-08. It's near the beginning of the show about 15 minutes into the no-CM version) so that really was get in at a ridiculous hour, can't sleep and have to get up early!
I'm not sure what qualifications Aya has achieved since becoming an idol although I suspect there are none! Very impressive resume though. She probably has a golfing handicap now as well but that's not a qualification. I read before that Miki is a qualified football referee (albeit at a low level) so she's earned a qualification in her time. Regardless, she lives to succeed. She's really determined in that respect so to further improve her female image, she goes out to succeed or, if that fails, win people over with a cute smile!
Then the chorus and once again she's addressing "you" as everyone but this time she's imploring someone in the crowd to help her out. Sorry about that first line. I suppose I should have translated it as "You, who are honest and deep to the point of concern" but I thought that was too close to "You, dear friend who taught so well" from the song 「Just You Wait」 from 「My Fair Lady」. Dreams of the future are insufficient because she needs direction, not fancy. "Sensitive" doesn't mean "empathetic". It's the other sensitive meaning she can't sense what she wants. Ultimately though, she's going to do her best day by day.
Victoria Beckham was quoted as saying "It's hard work being fabulous" a couple of months ago. She's right, for her at least, because she has to work hard to get as close but oh so far away from fabulous as she is. It is hard work being someone you're not but for many people it's even harder being yourself (unless your name is 藤本美貴) because you have to keep you shortcomings in check in society. Aya's is an image of brightness which I don't think she needs to work hard to maintain. Even in her 「FRIDAY」 pictures she looked glamorous. Holding a carrier bag of toilet roll and she looked glamorous!
The extravagance is that extra sparkle that she's giving her girl image. She wants to keep that so it makes a rosy picture of her struggle. Strangely enough, English and Japanese share the idiomatic aspect of "rosy" and "rose-tinted" which I find very odd.
Then it's back to the first chorus... chill out and take it a day at a time, even if you're not 女!
Musical Style
The song reminds me of a lot of the music from the early parts of 「Final Fantasy X-2」. They share a really bright and clear sound that screams cheerfulness. If anything, I think the main factor in that is the 16-beat track. 16-beat is just that much more dynamic (obviously being twice the dynamism than the standard 8-beat so it really carries that factor well. I like the variation in the final chorus.
So outside the 16-beat drum track there are some interesting touches in the music. The first is the strings which like creates a lovely rolling sound in the chorus. Later in the final chorus it becomes a bit more prominent and sounds fantastic. The other main thing that I like is the high treble that sounds like wine glasses being tapped with a spoon!
I don't know what instrument it is but it's likely to be something like a xylophone. The guitar in the song is really quiet and being acoustic has a nice natural sound which helps tone down the 16-beat a bit (although the "Hey!" factor still carries well). The final thing is a buzzing of sorts which I have no idea of the origin. No it's not a technical problem. It makes its most obvious appearance in the intro but comes back throughout the song. Bzz.... annoying. Or at least that's what I'd usually associate buzzing with. It helps keep that frustration of the inability to look ahead in mind. Bzzz... do no pass go! I have no idea what game I'm playing... Monopoly Operation Edition? 
Thoughts and Conclusion
This is as much of a wota-pleaser as 「HAPPY TO GO!」, even though I forgot to mention that back then. It's pretty obvious though. However, I though 「HAPPY TO GO!」 didn't really punch despite having the interesting lyrics, just to heavy on the music. 「女DAY BY DAY」 has a similar infectious track but the message is a bit of a contrast. Rather than flowing with time, there's a struggle to make things work which means that it doesn't have that "wouldn't make a whole lot of difference if the words were replaced with 『La la la・・・』" aspect. But it's catchy (one blog said it sounded like a CM song for aloe yoghurt!) and moreover that, it feels like a rainbow! It's bright, vibrant and colourful.
There is something wrong about this song though. It's not something to do with the song itself, rather its position on the album. It's sandwiched between the epic 「引越せない気持ち」 and 「笑顔」 meaning the album goes from dramatic to up(16)beat to ballad at the end rather suddenly. But then again it could be worse. Ordering them by name brings about this combination at 5-6-7!
Ultimately, to judge the song on its own, there's nothing for me to complain about.
Romaji (aka Bad Eggs Laid in a Sulphur Mine Under a Landfill)
Kakoku na shiren no hibi ni
Narenai Nigetai Ni juu ni sai no genjitsu
Sore de mo kakasazu minakyaa
Hayari Uwasa Kageki na fashon shi
Moshi Koi ni ochite mo
Oshare jikken shitenai
Tsuyoku naru mii Ari no mama yuu
Kirakira no jinsei Mou sugu owarisou
Kibunya Nante iwarete mo
Makeru na bii gata
Ki ni naru mirai Michi wa nagai
Toki ni wa ijiwaru na otoshiana
Hekomu yo Ikutsu ni natte mo
Otona wa raku ja nai
Kyou mo Onna dei bai dei
Hijouki na kitaku jikan
Maru de Nerenai Ashita mo hayai no ni
Sore de mo mada mezashiteru
Shikaku Kyaria Suteki na joseizou
Moshi ai ni ikite mo
Mirai sekkei dekinai
Nayamu hodo diipu Majime na no yuu
Sekirara na soudan Dare ka ukete
Jikoshuchou Nigate ga kihon
Ganbare bii gata
Tooi yo mirai Yume ga tarinai
Jibun de mo dou shitai ka wakaranai shi
Imaichi Binkan ni nattenai
Sorosoro honki de
Kyou mo Onna dei by dei
Jibun rashii ga muzukashii
Iron na hikaru imeeji
Onna wa itsu de mo zeitaku
Barairo haado deizu
Tsuyoku naru mii Ari no mama yuu
Kirakira no jinsei Mou sugu owarisou
Kibunya Nante iwarete mo
Makeru na bii gata
Ki ni naru mirai Michi wa nagai
Toki ni wa ijiwaru na otoshiana
Hekomu yo Ikutsu ni natte mo
Otona wa raku ja nai
Kyou mo Onna dei bai dei
Onna dei bai dei
← Back to the main page
Song Credits
Who is 安岡祥一郎?! Who the heck is 安岡祥一郎?! He's the writer, composer and arranger of... 「女DAY BY DAY」! That's it! No other information whatsoever. Not even so much as an agency. Zip. Zilch. Nadda. Seriously... who is this guy?! Carmen Sandiego's whereabouts are less mysterious!
Title
「DAY BY DAY」 suggest that something is hard-going. If you take something a day at a time it's because you can't plan ahead more than that so you just have to go with the flow.
Opening Thoughts
Aya described the song as a typical song for the last two words of the first half of the chorus: 『B型』 (B-blood type personality). Like I said for 「ソウルメイト」, I don't believe in the blood-type personality theory. However, Aya does and she believes she is an archetypal B型. Because of that, she goes on to say (well, it was the same sentence) that this song could very well be called 「亜弥 DAY BY DAY」 which is perhaps the main point. It was written with her in mind. The song is about her, or at least a doppelganger in mystery man's mind. For those who don't like unconfirmed stuff like that, it was in the October issue of the magazine 「CDでーた」 in the 「Prime Page」 section (page 98 & page 99).
女 DAY BY DAY
Female Day By Day
過酷な試練の日々に
The rigorous tests of each day
慣れない 逃げたい 22才の現実
A 22 year old's existence I can't adapt to and want to abscond
それでも欠かさず見なきゃあ
But then I can't afford to miss
流行 噂 過激なファッション誌
The trends, the gossip, the radical fashion magazines...
もし 恋に落ちても
Even if I fall in love
おしゃれ実験してない！？
Won't I be running style experiments?
強くなれMe ありのままYou
Me, growing stronger (compared to) you staying as you are
キラキラの人生 もうすぐ終わりそう
This sparkling life seems likely to end imminently
気分屋 なんて言われても
Even if it means getting called moody
負けるなB型
(As a) B-type I'm not gonna give in
気になる未来 道は長い
The path to the future on my mind is long
時には意地悪な落とし穴
With the occasional devilish trap
凹むよ 何歳になっても
I'm overwhelmed! No matter how old I get
オトナは楽じゃない
It's not easy being adult
今日も 女Day by Day
Today as well (I'll take being) female day by day
非常識な帰宅時間
Return home at a ridiculous hour
まるで 寝れない 明日も早いのに
Can't sleep a wink and an early (start) tomorrow too
それでもまだ目指してる
But then I still have my eyes on
資格 キャリア 素敵な女性像
My qualifications, my career, my wonderful female image
もし 愛に生きても
Even if I live in love
将来設計できない！！
I can't plan the future!!
悩むほどdeep 正直なのYou
Deep to (the point of) concern, honest you
赤裸々な相談 誰か受けて
Someone please give me some frank advice
自己主張 苦手が基本
Assertiveness, weaknesses are fundamental
がんばれB型
(As a) B-type I'll do my best
遠いよ未来 夢が足りない
Distant dreams of the future are not enough
自分でもどうしたいか 分からないし
I don't even know what I want to do myself
イマイチ 敏感になってない
I'm still not remotely sensitive
そろそろ本気で
It's almost time for real
今日も 女Day by Day
Today as well (I'll take being) female day by day
自分らしいが難しい
Being myself is difficult
いろんな光るイメージ
(With this) varied shining image
理想が並ぶショウウィンドウ
Display window of lined up dreams
オンナは いつでも贅沢
Girls are always extravagant
バラ色Hard days
Rose-tinted hard days
強くなれMe ありのままYou
Me, growing stronger (compared to) you staying as you are
キラキラの人生 もうすぐ終わりそう
This sparkling life seems likely to end imminently
気分屋 なんて言われても
Even if it means getting called moody
負けるなB型
(As a) B-type I'm not gonna give in
気になる未来 道は長い
I'm concerned my future path is long
時には意地悪な落とし穴
With the occasional devilish trap
凹むよ 何歳になっても
I'm overwhelmed! No matter how old I get
オトナは楽じゃない
It's not easy being adult
今日も 女Day by Day
Today as well (I'll take being) female day by day
女Day by Day・・・
(I'll take being) female day by day...
Lyrics and Translation
I'm not sure why the first verse mentions a 22 year old existence because Aya is still only 21. In fact, her 22nd birthday is about twice as far away in time than her 21st. Being the font of useless Aya trivia that I am, during the questions MC in the 07-05-27 afternoon GAM concert, Aya and Miki were asked to pick which criterion is most important for buying a mobile/cell phone out of a) price,
newness, c) design, d) usability. Aya picked b and Miki chose c. Aya mentioned somewhere before that she's always changing her phone (I can't remember where). She was also featured in last month's 「Mac Fan」 magazine as a face to push the iPhone, saying she wanted one herself (Cover, Page 40 & Page 41). Which is all to say that she really is conscious of trends!We have a slight problem... I've translated 『恋』 as "love" in the first bridge and done the same for 『愛』 in the second bridge. They are not the same thing and as a matter of it being so very difficult to explain what love is, there isn't really any set definition but people have their thoughts which, rather handily, I gathered together back in April when the issue came up on 「モーニング娘。藤本美貴のドキ♡みきNight」 (as it was still called back then). Can you make sense of the second line of the bridge?
I think she's questioning if her trend obsession will make her boyfriend a dress up doll or something along those lines. That would be sort of fun in a living mannequin sort of way. That might not be it though...The first line of the first chorus has an imperative in 『強くなれ』 and the 『B型』 lines in both choruses are imperative clauses which are generally difficult to translate properly. In English, the subject of imperative sentences is always the second person "you" (singular or plural) and is usually omitted. In Japanese, the imperative functions a lot like any other predicate in that it can have any subject so it's actually possible to "order" yourself to do something. Because of that, it's difficult to translate it as an imperative in English so I think it's better to think of it as an emphatic version of the non-past tense. In other words "Me" will get stronger and, as Aya is B型 herself, she is asserting that she won't give in to the pressures and will do her best. The "you" is not "you" but "you"... all of you. All of us. Everyone that isn't her. She's going to put her all into progress and success and leave us trailing in her wake. However, she can't look too far ahead because, to quote the little green God of science fiction "Impossible to see, the future is". Thus the only thing she can do is take a day at a time doing her utmost not to give in.
The second verse reminds me of 2006 when Aya was presenting 「All Night Nippon」 one night a week which runs live from 1am to 3am. She'd get home at a ridiculous hour and have to get up bright and early the next day. However, she mentioned once that her sister ran away from home the week before (thank epifanes' summary for the show date which was 06-02-08. It's near the beginning of the show about 15 minutes into the no-CM version) so that really was get in at a ridiculous hour, can't sleep and have to get up early!
I'm not sure what qualifications Aya has achieved since becoming an idol although I suspect there are none! Very impressive resume though. She probably has a golfing handicap now as well but that's not a qualification. I read before that Miki is a qualified football referee (albeit at a low level) so she's earned a qualification in her time. Regardless, she lives to succeed. She's really determined in that respect so to further improve her female image, she goes out to succeed or, if that fails, win people over with a cute smile! Then the chorus and once again she's addressing "you" as everyone but this time she's imploring someone in the crowd to help her out. Sorry about that first line. I suppose I should have translated it as "You, who are honest and deep to the point of concern" but I thought that was too close to "You, dear friend who taught so well" from the song 「Just You Wait」 from 「My Fair Lady」. Dreams of the future are insufficient because she needs direction, not fancy. "Sensitive" doesn't mean "empathetic". It's the other sensitive meaning she can't sense what she wants. Ultimately though, she's going to do her best day by day.
Victoria Beckham was quoted as saying "It's hard work being fabulous" a couple of months ago. She's right, for her at least, because she has to work hard to get as close but oh so far away from fabulous as she is. It is hard work being someone you're not but for many people it's even harder being yourself (unless your name is 藤本美貴) because you have to keep you shortcomings in check in society. Aya's is an image of brightness which I don't think she needs to work hard to maintain. Even in her 「FRIDAY」 pictures she looked glamorous. Holding a carrier bag of toilet roll and she looked glamorous!
The extravagance is that extra sparkle that she's giving her girl image. She wants to keep that so it makes a rosy picture of her struggle. Strangely enough, English and Japanese share the idiomatic aspect of "rosy" and "rose-tinted" which I find very odd.Then it's back to the first chorus... chill out and take it a day at a time, even if you're not 女!
Musical Style
The song reminds me of a lot of the music from the early parts of 「Final Fantasy X-2」. They share a really bright and clear sound that screams cheerfulness. If anything, I think the main factor in that is the 16-beat track. 16-beat is just that much more dynamic (obviously being twice the dynamism than the standard 8-beat so it really carries that factor well. I like the variation in the final chorus.
So outside the 16-beat drum track there are some interesting touches in the music. The first is the strings which like creates a lovely rolling sound in the chorus. Later in the final chorus it becomes a bit more prominent and sounds fantastic. The other main thing that I like is the high treble that sounds like wine glasses being tapped with a spoon!
I don't know what instrument it is but it's likely to be something like a xylophone. The guitar in the song is really quiet and being acoustic has a nice natural sound which helps tone down the 16-beat a bit (although the "Hey!" factor still carries well). The final thing is a buzzing of sorts which I have no idea of the origin. No it's not a technical problem. It makes its most obvious appearance in the intro but comes back throughout the song. Bzz.... annoying. Or at least that's what I'd usually associate buzzing with. It helps keep that frustration of the inability to look ahead in mind. Bzzz... do no pass go! I have no idea what game I'm playing... Monopoly Operation Edition? Thoughts and Conclusion
This is as much of a wota-pleaser as 「HAPPY TO GO!」, even though I forgot to mention that back then. It's pretty obvious though. However, I though 「HAPPY TO GO!」 didn't really punch despite having the interesting lyrics, just to heavy on the music. 「女DAY BY DAY」 has a similar infectious track but the message is a bit of a contrast. Rather than flowing with time, there's a struggle to make things work which means that it doesn't have that "wouldn't make a whole lot of difference if the words were replaced with 『La la la・・・』" aspect. But it's catchy (one blog said it sounded like a CM song for aloe yoghurt!) and moreover that, it feels like a rainbow! It's bright, vibrant and colourful.
There is something wrong about this song though. It's not something to do with the song itself, rather its position on the album. It's sandwiched between the epic 「引越せない気持ち」 and 「笑顔」 meaning the album goes from dramatic to up(16)beat to ballad at the end rather suddenly. But then again it could be worse. Ordering them by name brings about this combination at 5-6-7!
Ultimately, to judge the song on its own, there's nothing for me to complain about.Romaji (aka Bad Eggs Laid in a Sulphur Mine Under a Landfill)
Kakoku na shiren no hibi ni
Narenai Nigetai Ni juu ni sai no genjitsu
Sore de mo kakasazu minakyaa
Hayari Uwasa Kageki na fashon shi
Moshi Koi ni ochite mo
Oshare jikken shitenai
Tsuyoku naru mii Ari no mama yuu
Kirakira no jinsei Mou sugu owarisou
Kibunya Nante iwarete mo
Makeru na bii gata
Ki ni naru mirai Michi wa nagai
Toki ni wa ijiwaru na otoshiana
Hekomu yo Ikutsu ni natte mo
Otona wa raku ja nai
Kyou mo Onna dei bai dei
Hijouki na kitaku jikan
Maru de Nerenai Ashita mo hayai no ni
Sore de mo mada mezashiteru
Shikaku Kyaria Suteki na joseizou
Moshi ai ni ikite mo
Mirai sekkei dekinai
Nayamu hodo diipu Majime na no yuu
Sekirara na soudan Dare ka ukete
Jikoshuchou Nigate ga kihon
Ganbare bii gata
Tooi yo mirai Yume ga tarinai
Jibun de mo dou shitai ka wakaranai shi
Imaichi Binkan ni nattenai
Sorosoro honki de
Kyou mo Onna dei by dei
Jibun rashii ga muzukashii
Iron na hikaru imeeji
Onna wa itsu de mo zeitaku
Barairo haado deizu
Tsuyoku naru mii Ari no mama yuu
Kirakira no jinsei Mou sugu owarisou
Kibunya Nante iwarete mo
Makeru na bii gata
Ki ni naru mirai Michi wa nagai
Toki ni wa ijiwaru na otoshiana
Hekomu yo Ikutsu ni natte mo
Otona wa raku ja nai
Kyou mo Onna dei bai dei
Onna dei bai dei
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