TOMOMI's "Living in the city" Lyrics Essay


I want to live a healthy and exciting life in my beloved Tokyo forever.

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SCANDAL's new song "Living in the city" will be released on June 3rd. This song, which features lyrics and music by bassist TOMOMI and was written at the same time the band worked on their newest album Kiss from the darkness, is a mellow track that lovingly depicts normal, everyday life in Tokyo. Please enjoy this new song that was recorded by SCANDAL in their homes for the first time!

Today's song column is a lyrics essay penned by TOMOMI, who wrote this new song's lyrics and music. What she spelled out leads to the emotions she put into "Living in the city," and her everyday life in Tokyo. Now that the stay-at-home period has continued on for a while, is there some place or someone that you rediscovered feelings for? Please keep that beloved place or person in mind while reading this essay.

～Lyrics Essay: "Living in the city"～

It's been more than 10 years since I moved from the countryside in Hyogo Prefecture to Tokyo, and I have some shops that I can call my "go-to" places. One of them is "Pretty Things," a small coffee shop along Komazawa Koen-dori.

As I open the glass doors, I'm enveloped by the fragrance of freshly ground coffee and the sound of a vinyl record playing through a sound system that was clearly fussed over. On this day they're playing Daryl Hall & John Oates. It's the song that my beloved De La Soul sampled. My body moves naturally. I'm on cloud nine.

I head to the counter only about five steps away as I dance, and the same little guy and cute lady as always take my order. There are three types of coffee beans to choose from. Out of those I choose the ones from Ethiopia, which are said to have strong acidity. I always go with the Ethiopia ones. I also get honey toast. It's my standard order.

I have many reasons for going to "Pretty Things": The Ethiopian coffee beans and honey toast; Hall & Oates, of course; and because everything else there always puts me in the best mood.

Floors tiled with geometric patterns, unique sundries, cultural magazines, original apparel lines. This store that is precisely full of pretty things, is a strong ally that excites me from morning till night, and provides me with much awareness.

So let's go back to the little guy who briefly appeared at the counter earlier. This little guy is the owner and the person who caused the Tokyo cafe boom in the late 90's.

Of course, since I'm from the countryside, I didn't know that at that time and only heard about it later, but apparently there's not one person who runs a cafe who doesn't know about him. That's amazing.

Nevertheless, he's always friendly and stylish. Yes, truly amazing people don't express their awesomeness. Though they don't express it, people with similar sensibilities naturally gather around them.

People who turn up to "Pretty Things" are—how should I put it—ones who work hard in Tokyo, go hard when having fun, and feel that they can afford to finally head out somewhere after having all kinds of experiences. Amorous adults that imbue the scent of Tokyo culture. It's extravagant, inevitable, and admirable.

I drink my Ethiopian coffee while admiring it all. To tell you the truth, I couldn't drink coffee until a few years ago. It was too bitter for me. However, when I tried drinking it because I wanted to live like those people I admired, I found myself loving it in no time. There have been lots of those kinds of things during these past 10 years. Most of what has made me who I am today has been my daily life in Tokyo.

When I had just moved to Tokyo, it had me feeling lonely and feeling like I'd be left behind if I didn't flip a switch on every day or work extremely hard. But, before I knew it, it became a place that makes me want to say, "I'm home." I love Tokyo. It's comfortable.

Tokyo, which had stay-at-home orders due to COVID-19, had its emergency measures lifted on May 25th. I haven't been there in two months, but I think I'll soon go over and visit the little guy and Hall & Oates, and have some Ethiopian coffee and honey toast while checking things out.

There were many moments when my heart felt worn out during the stay-at-home period. But, this store is a strong ally that excites me from morning till night, and provides me with much awareness. I'll adopt this new lifestyle and not slack off on washing my hands and gargling. I want to live a healthy and exciting life in my beloved Tokyo forever.

thoseguiltyeyes wrote:

 This song, which features lyrics and music by bassist TOMOMI and was written at the same time the band worked on their newest album Kiss from the darkness, is a mellow track that lovingly depicts normal, everyday life in Tokyo.