L'Arc-en-Ciel -- metropolis

 

Ahhh...yes, I remember watching the second-ever episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" back in my senior year of university. The pilot, "Encounter at Farpoint", was an OK start to this new version of "Star Trek" although I was still somewhat skeptical. The second episode "The Naked Now" along with the next episode had me basically predicting "Ah, well, nice try Gene (Roddenberry)...can't win 'em all". I wasn't impressed with this sequel to TOS' "The Naked Time"; I just thought it was way too early to have the command crew of the Enterprise-D get high/drunk without getting used to their usually professional selves.

My point? Oh, sorry...just had a lot of opinions piling up about this one. Anyways, one scene of this "Star Trek" version of "Reefer Madness" had Lt. Commander Data getting seduced by then-Chief of Security Tasha Yar once she joyously heard her superior officer's matter-of-fact statement that he knew multiple ways of pleasuring. So, I guess this was a case of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sex?".

Some weeks ago, a commenter asked me about this song by the rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel, "metropolis". He specifically wondered if this would be a City Pop tune. Well, after listening to it, I thought it really didn't belong under that genre umbrella although it does have a wacka-wacka guitar beat which reminded me of 1970s soul. Actually, reading the lyrics by hyde, that wacka-wacka was quite appropriate since there is apparently some android knocking of boots going on. 

"metropolis" was the B-side to L'Arc-en-Ciel's 8th single "winter fall" which was released in January 1998. When I first heard the song those weeks ago, I thought it was a rather oddly arranged tune with those cyber-porn lyrics and the relevant J-Wiki article described them in the same way. In fact, the composer, guitarist ken, pointed out that the song had been initially constructed several years previously with the idea of heavy metal guys deciding to try for a New Order sound. Strangely enough, there is one synthesizer in the song that had me thinking that this instrument's sound probably has been used in at least a few songs of the British band's music. Bassist tetsuya also pointed out that the bass riffs he'd played weren't anything that he expected to be used in the final copy of "metropolis" but there they were, and he likened them to the licks in "Let's Dance" by David Bowie. It's quite the interesting potpourri.

Well, if I ever see "The Naked Now" again (hmm...doubtful), I'll think of "metropolis". Meanwhile, I couldn't quite resist putting in this last video. Just out of courtesy...I'll say it's between PG-13 and R-18.😁