En: Winter, again / GLAY

GLAY are a four piece Japanese rock band, who made a series of mega hit songs & albums in the late 90s to early 2000s.

They're still big even today, but that was the specific period when they boasted unrivaled popularity.

Especially, this winter song "Winter, again" became a very memorable song for so many J-pop fans.

Feels Cold!

The biggest charm of this song to me is its sound production. The sounds in this song feel really cold... even without watching the MV.

I believe they were all inspired by the days in their home Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost pref where people have to deal with tons of snow every winter.

How many songs today could bring us the same feeling without their MVs?

Poetic Lyric

Another uniqueness comes from the uncommon words & expressions main songwriter Takuro used here.

They sound quite poetic & evoke a feeling of nostalgia or someone you loved in the past.

It is said that love for his then girlfriend was a inspiration for this lyric.

Some part of chorus lyrics are like:

Someday I'll take you to my cold hometown / to show how white snow is there

That cold night still remains in my mind / hearing the bell tolling

J-Rock Master, Nagata

20 years later from its original release, the song has got featured in unexpected way.

While Mr.Nagata is a Japanese salary man working for a secondhand shop, he is becoming known for his great musical skills he shows on YouTube.

I think he originally started this one-man band project as a part of promotion for his shop, but now it's already more than that.

Until now he has covered various J-pop songs by X-Japan, L'Arc〜en〜Ciel and Mr. Children etc, then he nailed it again. Check out his version of "Winter, again".

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