Bokutachi no Ideology

Title:                僕たちのイデオロギー | Bokutachi no Ideology | Our Ideologies
Info:                 AKB48 4th Original Album - Koko ga Rhodes da, koko de tobe!
Member(s):        Ichikawa Miori, Iwata Karen, Iwatate Saho, Uchiyama Natsuki, Kimoto Kanon, Kushiro Rina, Kojima Mako,                                Komiyama Haruka, Sasaki Yukari, Tanaka Natsumi, Hirata Rina, Mukaichi Mion, Murashige Anna, Motomura Aoi,                         Yabushita Shu, Yoshida Akari

春が近づく街の中 昨日よりも風はやさしく 市電の窓が少し開いていた 自転車を押した石畳 段差でタイヤ止まった時 君の視線を意識し始めた 長引く生徒会 意見がぶつかっても 譲らないその理想 自分たちの未来図を 真剣に語った 僕は君に屈しはしない どんな理屈こねられても 去年までとまるで違う スローガンにすべきだ 歴史だって大切だけど そう未来は今作られる 多数決で決められない お互いが信じるもの 次の朝にはおはようって クラスメイトの２人になる 笑い転げる君が好きなんだ どちらが正しいとか 誰にもわからない でも僕は粘るよ 新しい生徒会 今こそ作ろう 僕は君に屈しはしない たとえ君に恋いこがれても 胸の奥が引き裂かれて 叫びたくなっても 可愛いだけの女の子なら よそにだっていっぱいいるよ リスペクトは愛育てる お互いが目指すもの 僕は君に屈しはしない どんな理屈こねられても 去年までとまるで違う スローガンにすべきだ 歴史だって大切だけど そう未来は今作られる 多数決で決められない お互いが信じるもの 対立して向き合ってる 僕たちのイデオロギー

haru ga chikadzuku machi no naka kinou yori mo kaze wa yasashiku shiden no mado ga sukoshi aite ita jitensha wo oshita ishidatami dansa de TAIYA tomatta toki kimi no shisen wo ishiki shihajimeta nagabiku seitokai iken ga butsukatte mo yuzuranai sono risou jibuntachi no miraizu wo shinken ni katatta boku wa kimi ni kusshi wa shinai donna rikutsu konerarete mo kyonen made to marude chigau SUROOGAN ni subeki da rekishi datte taisetsu dakedo sou mirai wa ima tsukurareru tasuuketsu de kimerarenai otagai ga shinjiru mono tsugi no asa ni wa ohayou tte KURASUMEITO no futari ni naru waraikorogeru kimi ga suki nanda dochira ga tadashii to ka dare ni mo wakaranai demo boku wa nebaru yo atarashii seitokai ima koso tsukurou boku wa kimi ni kusshi wa shinai tatoe kimi ni koikogarete mo mune no oku ga hikisakarete sakebitaku natte mo kawaii dake no onna no ko nara yoso ni datte ippai iru yo RISUPEKUTO wa ai sodateru otagai ga mezasu mono boku wa kimi ni kusshi wa shinai donna rikutsu konerarete mo kyonen made to marude chigau SUROOGAN ni subeki da rekishi datte taisetsu dakedo sou mirai wa ima tsukurareru tasuuketsu de kimerarenai otagai ga shinjiru mono tairitsu shite mukiatteru bokutachi no IDEOROGII

In this town, where spring is approaching The wind is gentler than yesterday And the tram windows are slightly open As the tire of my bicycle Bounced to a stop against the stone pavement I became conscious of your eyes on me As veterans on the student council Although our opinions often collided We refused to back down on our ideals We earnestly fought for Our own visions of the future I will not give in to you Whichever theories you demolish I’ll just come up with a new slogan Completely different from last year’s History may be important But we’re building the future now Let’s not decide by majority rule The things we each believe in The next morning we greeted each other Because we’ve become classmates I like the way you convulse with laughter Which of us is right? Nobody knows But I will persevere Now is the time Let’s make a new student council I will not give in to you Even if I’m in love with you Even if my chest feels torn apart And I want to scream If it’s just about cute girls There are plenty of them elsewhere But respect nurtures love And both are worth striving for I will not give in to you Whichever theories you demolish I’ll just come up with a new slogan Completely different from last year’s History may be important But we’re building the future now Let’s not decide by majority rule The things we each believe in Facing each other in conflict Because of our ideologies

AKB is saturated with high school love songs, but this one is unique for the intellectual tone it carries. I really like how the male persona and his female love interest are equally brainy people. The idea of the girl constantly demolishing his theories may make it seem like she's actually smarter and more aggressive than him, but he probably does the same thing to her (though, of course, he wouldn't sing about it...). Other parts of the song suggest that they are equally matched: "our opinions often collided", "refused to back down", "facing each other in conflict". Plus, his invitation to "let's make a new student council" indicates that he feels their arguments are in fact beneficial and productive.

What's even more impressive is his statement that love and respect are equally important. For him, girls aren't just there to be coddled or protected, nor does he simply want them to regard him as Prince Charming. He believes in mutual respect. It would seem that his braininess has translated into progressive ideals and moral principles that he actually lives out. This doesn't happen often enough in real life.

One major reason why he can respect her so much is because they are both so passionate about their ideals. Despite this being a love song, we don't see him simply throw reason out the window and chase her single-mindedly. His romantic attraction is not just based on impulsive feelings but intellectual admiration. Furthermore, while he acknowledges his feelings for her, he also realizes that romantic attraction isn't something you should just throw away everything else for. Admittedly not a very romantic concept, but this is what makes this song so realistic and inspiring.

(All kanji/kana and romaji lyrics on this site are taken from Studio48 unless otherwise stated. Please do not reproduce anything from this site without giving due credit.)