Degas to Ballerina

Title:                ドガとバレリーナ | Degas to Ballerina | Degas and The Ballerinas
Info:                 NMB48 Team N 3rd Stage "Koko ni datte tenshi wa iru"
Member(s):        Ichikawa Miori, Ogasawara Mayu, Kadowaki Kanako, Kishino Rika, Kinoshita Haruna, Kotani Riho, Kondo Rina,                         Koga Narumi, Jonishi Kei, Shiroma Miru, Nishimura Aika, Yamaguchi Yuuki, Hayashi Momoka, Yamamoto Sayaka,                         Yoshida Akari, Watanabe Miyuki

僕はあれから向かい続けた 記憶より大きなキャンバスに どんな絵の具を使ったって そんなに透き通った瞳は描けない 君の清らかなその心は 鏡のように写してしまう 僕の汚れたものをすべて どこかに捨てなければもうここを出る ドガのように 光の中の君を写したい 愛のために 僕は何をすればいいのだろう もっと君を知りたいんだ 床に溢れた半円の日向 窓から溢れる天使たち 君は木のバーに掴まって 遠くを見てるようにレッスンしてた 長くしなやかなその手足は 言葉以上に語り始めた 僕が夢を見ていたものは 本当に僕が欲しかったものかな？ ドガのように 光の中の君を写したい キャンバスと 筆と絵の具　買って来たけれど… 素顔の君を知らなかった バレリーナ 誰のために君は踊ってるの？ バレリーナ 幼い頃　信じていたもの ドガのように 光の中の君を写したい ドガのように せめて絵の中　伝えたかった 美術部に入った理由

boku wa are kara mukaitsudzuketa kioku yori ooki na KYANBASU ni donna e no gu wo tsukattatte sonna ni sukitootta me wa egakenai kimi no kiyoraka na sono kokoro wa kagami no you ni utsushite shimau boku wa yogoreta mono wo subete doko ka ni sutenakereba mou koko wo deru DOGA no you ni hikari no naka no kimi wo utsushitai ai no tame ni boku wa nani wo sureba ii no darou motto kimi wo shiritainda yuka ni afureta hanen no hinata mado kara afureru tenshitachi kimi wa ki no BAA ni tsukamatte tooku wo miteru you ni RESSUN shiteta nagaku shinayaka na sono teashi wa kotoba ijou ni katarihajimeta boku ga yume wo mite ita mono wa hontou ni boku ga hoshikatta mono ka na? DOGA no you ni hikari no naka no kimi wo utsushitai KYANBASU to fude to e no gu katte kita keredo... sugao no kimi wo shiranakatta BARERIINA dare no tame ni kimi wa odotteru no? BARERIINA osanai koro shinjite ita mono DOGA no you ni hikari no naka no kimi wo utsushitai DOGA no you ni semete e no naka tsutaetakatta bijutsubu ni haitta riyuu

I've since striven towards this canvas Larger than how I’d remembered it But no matter what paint I use I can’t draw such clear eyes Such a pure heart as yours Is as clear as a mirror reflection What do I do – all of my stains Will surely be revealed here Just like Degas I want to paint you, who are in the light For the sake of love What on earth should I do I want to know you more The arc of light shining on the floor Is like angels pouring in from the window During lessons, you held on to the barre As I watched you from afar Those long, supple limbs of yours Spoke of things beyond mere words Are the things from my dreams The things that I truly wanted? Just like Degas I want to paint you, who are in the light But even though I’ve bought The canvas, brush and paints... I’ve never known the real you Ballerina For whom do you dance? Ballerina A belief from when I was a child Just like Degas I want to paint you, who are in the light Just like Degas At the very least, may my painting speak Of why I entered the Art Club

To sing of 19th century French painter Edgar Degas is so uncharacteristically avant garde of the AKB group that it's hard to think of this song in relation to any other AKB song. Plus, zero romance. For the record, I'm not against romantic songs, but AKB's discography is so saturated with generic idol love songs that it's often hard to pay enough serious attention to every single one of them to be able to pick out the more unique ones.

And yet, despite the zero romance, the song has some really clever lines that can be misconstrued as romantic when taken out of context - the breathtakingly clear eyes, the "watching from afar", and even the mention of Art Club is cheekily reminiscent of high school romance tropes.

Having said that, the airy, ethereal music firmly lifts it clear out of any associations to rom-com and idol cutesiness. It's just like a breath of fresh air. Aki-P is a master of saying the same thing in a thousand different ways, but this song is definitely not one of those. A song that glorifies ballerinas? That's why I never get tired of AKB.

(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.)