- Lyrics & Music: Kazuya Yoshii
- Arrangement: The Yellow Monkey
Original Lyrics
罪深い僕のマドンナ 灼熱に甘く溶けたい
なまぬるい風の匂いで メラメラに胸は踊る
夜は迷子の子猫が泣いてる
昼間の君は シャワーを浴びて夢見てる Ah
誰かの為に伸ばした 長い髪に触れたい
獣のようにやさしく 寄りそいたいから
真夏の夜は 君と二人で街へ出よう
Try!!
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
抱きしめられたら カーニバル
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
くちびるが踊る サマータイム
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
君の記憶の胸元に
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
激しく刻む熱帯夜
I want you I want you I want you
頭は身体を突きはなす
欲望と理性のメリーゴーラウンド
燃える躍動が目を覚ます
一千一秒 胸張り裂ける I want you
Try!!
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
抱きしめられたら カーニバル
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
くちびるが濡れる サマータイム
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
真夏の夜は君が欲しい
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
このはかなげなときめきを
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
君の記憶の胸元に
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
激しく刻む熱帯夜
I want you I want you I want you
Romanized Lyrics
tsumi bukai boku no madonna shakunetsu ni amaku toketai
namanurui kaze no nioi de mera mera ni mune wa odoru
yoru wa maigo no koneko ga naiteru
hiruma no kimi wa shower wo abite yume miteru Ah
dareka no tame ni nobashita nagai kami ni furetai
kemono no you ni yasashiku yorisoitai kara
manatsu no yoru wa kimi to futari de machi e deyou
Try!!
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
dakishimeraretara carnival
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
kuchibiru ga odoru summer time
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
kimi no kioku no muna moto ni
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
hageshiku kizamu nettaiya
I want you I want you I want you
atama wa karada wo tsukihanasu
yokubou to risei no merry-go-round
moeru yakudou ga me wo samasu
issen ichibyou mune harisakeru I want you
Try!!
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
dakishimeraretara carnival
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
kuchibiru ga nureru summer time
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
manatsu no yoru wa kimi ga hoshii
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
kono hakanage na tokimeki wo
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
kimi no kioku no muna moto ni
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
hageshiku kizamu nettaiya
I want you I want you I want you
Translated Lyrics
My sinful madonna, I want to melt in your scorching heat so sweetly
My heart bursts into flame from the scent of the lukewarm wind
A lost kitten is crying out at night
And you’re dreaming in the shower in the afternoon, ah
I want to touch your long hair that you grew out for someone
I want to get close to you gently, like a beast
So let’s go out on the town on this midsummer night, just the two of us
Try!!
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
If you held me, it’d be a carnival
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
Your lips dance in the summer time
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
In the chest of my memories of you
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
There’s a furiously sweltering night
I want you, I want you, I want you
My mind forsakes my body
A merry-go-round of desire and reason
A burning pulse comes to life
My heart aches for one thousand and one seconds, I want you
Try!!
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
If you held me, it’d be a carnival
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
Your lips are wet in the summer time
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
I want you on this midsummer night
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
This fleeting excitement
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
In the chest of my memories of you
Shala-la-la la-la-la-la
There’s a furiously sweltering night
I want you, I want you, I want you
Notes
Nettaiya was released as a single on 07/21/1994, just about 4 months after Yemon’s previous album, Jaguar Hard Pain.
The booklet that came with the Triad Complete Box collection had a lot to say about the state of the band when Nettaiya was released: The band and staff were increasingly troubled as to why nothing was selling as well as they expected. During a meeting, their then director/producer Hiroyuki Munekiyo asked them if they wanted to sell 100,000 copies of something, or get number 1 on the Oricon charts. The band answered that they wanted that place on the charts, so they changed their writing approach to lean more toward songs that could accomplish that. Nettaiya was the first of those songs.
And Nettaiya does show off the new side of the band that Smile would usher in, though maybe not many knew it yet. Lyrically it’s much less weird and more tame than any single that’s come before it, and for that matter most album tracks. They’re not bad, but they don’t have much of Yoshii’s trademark style in them. This really illustrates what they were shooting for with their next album, possibly before they started working on it in earnest. And even though Nettaiya is more musically down-beat than you might expect from a Yemon single, I think it’s fairly strong. The prominent backing vocal line that runs through the chorus (The “sha-la-la…” part) is what really makes it (and makes live versions of it preferable, in my opinion). And the distinct guitar line that plays during the intro and outro almost makes for a second chorus itself. The way the guitar and keyboard work together throughout the song is actually really nice, and I think this kind of slightly subdued but still rock-y sound is where Emma really shines as a guitarist. I’d rank it probably somewhere firmly in the middle of Yemon’s singles, and it’s probably the least interesting of the three that would be released for Smile, but it’s still a good song.
(Nettaiya from the Sicks tour in 1997)
But while showing off the new side of the band, it also shows a new take on a very old part of the band: The B-side is a newly re-recorded version of Lovers On Backstreet, from way back on their indies album Bunched Birth. This was also the band’s first tie-up with a TV program or commercial: It was also selected as the ending theme song for “Tokoro san no wa-wa-pu-pu-” a variety program hosted by comedian/personality Jouji Tokoro. A single being attached to a popular program or TV commercial typically boosts sales well beyond what they would normally be, but this single only reached number 59 on the Oricon charts. It was easily their highest ranking single so far, but it was unable to crack the top ten. This tie-up and their newfound efforts to write a song to accomplish that goal left the band quite shocked at the performance of Nettaiya.
The reference to “one thousand and one seconds” is most likely a reference to One Thousand and One Second Stories (issen ichibyou monogatari), a collection of seventy short stories written by Taruho Inagaki in 1923. The stories are largely unrelated and are very fantastical in nature.
Lastly, while it certainly isn’t a lock to show up in any set-list, it’s been played a handful of times live over the years: The Four Seasons tour (1996), Sicks tour (1997), Mekara Uroko 10 (1999), and the 9999 tour (2019). Live performances do a lot more for this song, since they tend to be full of energy that isn’t there as much in the recording. And for those who check out a live version, Yoshii typically says something that sounds to me like “I’m gonna take your hand” near the end of the song, after the vocal part proper has ended.
(The official music video for Nettaiya)