Dark AKB48G Songs

Just wondering what some of your favorite dark AKB48G songs. The Songs where the lyrics or the MV (or both) are pretty dark and not the usual family friendly type lol.

Mine:
Beginner - Just the watch the original MV.

Kurumi to Dialogue
Alive
Ikiru Koto
Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru
Keibetsu Shiteita Aijou
Katamoi Finally

What's yours?

 

I'm not sure if some of these are qualified to be called exactly "dark" songs but all of them more or less fit the criteria
These are my faves in no particular order:

Blue Rose
Dokugumo
Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru
Keibetsu Shiteita Aijou
Mushi no Ballad
Itoshisa no Accel
Kataomoi Finally
Zannen Shoujo
Itoshisa no Defense
Confession
RIVER
Beginner
Ikiru Koto
Utsukushii Inazuma
Kuroi Tenshi
Dakishimerareta
Seifuku Resistance
Okera
Inochi no Tsukaimichi
Lay Down
Yuuwaku no Garter
I'm Sure
Jane Doe
UZA
Kondo Koso Ecstasy
Ame no Pianist

 

It'd be better to be more specific about the term "dark" Are we talking "dark," as in "morose?" Or "dark," as in "aggressive?"

A song being sexy doesn't make it dark. Okera is one of my favorites, but I don't find it dark at all. Same with Kondo Koso Ecstasy.

And River?! lol You should read the lyrics. It's the opposite of dark.

 

What kind of song considered as dark? Is it performance? Lyrics? Melody?
Mayuyu actually kinda having stuff like that in her b-side solo single such as Seifuku Identity, Gojou na Junjou

For the stage song, i can't forget when i read lyrics of Innocence. A song about a girl, ready for her 'first night'. It's really disturbing
Papa wa Kirai also can considered as dark. What disturb me is the child in the song in the end just can't conclude something good about her father and herself

But if we talk about appealing of this song, so yes Kataomoi Finally can be recognized as one. One-sided love in 48G songs is very much. Aozora Kataomoi, 7ji 12fun Hatsukoi, Wimbledon e Tsureteitte, even Gingham Check.

Keibetsu and Seifuku ga Jama are for sure. Those are remarkable song. Seemingly if fall single thread is come up, many people want the upcoming single will be like those two.

Namida Uri no Shoujo is also dark, although i like in the end she knows that she have to move on with her own feelings

I remember when I read Kore Kara Wonderland lyrics after read 'suicide guidebook' news by an author in Japan. Suddenly I thought that Kore Kara Wonderland is like... (so biased, but yes. i feel scary)

 

^ Pretty much lyrics to songs and also MV that arent family friendly (Performances would count since there are some there).

 

^ Haha... I guess I still like pure type idol. That makes me really loves Junjou Shugi and Junjou U-19 lyrics. When it comes about girls doing something 'adulterous', i feel really disturbed. Idols love songs' range is from one sided - confessed her love - letting first love - or the highest, first kiss.

any lyrics doing beyond that really makes me annoyed. somehow, Party is Over is a good one.

 

The topic of "dark songs" comes up every few months, I assume because some people like more meaning to their songs than who got dumped and who fell in love for the first time. I'm just going to do a comprehensive post on this that will hopefully last for this topic, so get ready for an infodump.

So what exactly is a "dark song"? I would go with "dark lyrics" when we talk about dark themes. There are plenty of songs that SOUND dark, but aren't really when you get down to the meaning (an example would be Two Years Later, which is merely about a woman who couldn't wait 2 years for her lover to be ready for her and ended up marrying someone else instead).

I've broken down songs by themes here for your perusal. Yes, there are some really messed up lyrics in the AKB catalog.


Apathy:
Shining examples are I'm crying and Inochi no tsukaimichi. Both carry themes of a girl who is so out of touch with the people around her and so apathetic about her life that she doesn't want anything in life and doesn't care about doing really skeevy things like compensated dating (older guys paying schoolgirls for sexual acts). Other songs that touch on this are Darui kanji (A4), Zannen shoujo (B4) and Kayoubi no yoru, suiyoubi no asa (S2).

I did a translation for Inochi no Tsukaimichi here (the one on Studio is inaccurate):

Spoiler

I want to be loved by someone
I want to be loved by someone

Riding the train, listening to my i-Pod
For some reason, I suddenly hated the thought of living

Music won't relieve me of this feeling
Some part of my heart has rusted away

If that guy over there starts talking to me
I wonder if some of my loneliness will fade
Anyone is fine, just stay by my side
In exchange, I'll give you
Everything you want

I want to be loved by someone

If I ride alone like this to the very last stop
I still won't find a place for me, no matter where I go

My friends and family have no presence
Their outstretched hands miss mine again

If that guy over there starts talking to me
I wonder if something will finally change
Show me the way to use my life
In exchange, I'll let you do
Anything you want

“Mister, what do you want to do?”

If that guy over there starts talking to me
I wonder if some of my loneliness will fade
Anyone is fine, just stay by my side
In exchange, I'll give you
Everything you want

If that guy over there starts talking to me
I wonder if can meet the real me
If you can show me the proper way to use my life
I'll reward you

I want to be loved by someone
I want to be loved by someone

To me, the MV for Seifuku ga jama wo suru seems to be about this subject as well, but the lyrics of the song seem to be about a girl who just wants to date over her age group. There are numerous other songs that deal with general teenage rebellion (Seifuku Resistance, Kakushin ga moteru mono, Gojou na junjou), but none of them really take it as far as the examples above.


Suicide:
There are a few songs that touch on suicide and who's culpable for driving the one who killed herself to the edge. The most well-known of these is Keibetsu shite ita aijou, but Hitei no Requiem (K5) is an extremely underrated song that also outlines a heart-wrenching incident. In SKE's Zakuro no mi wa yuutsu ga nantsubu tsumatte iru? MV, the video's story is about a girl who "stopped her own time" (aka attempted suicide), and is finally waking up after a year in a coma.

While it's not as strongly themed, Namida uri no shoujo is clearly about a girl who is crying out for help in a world she feels out of touch with.


The Four Horsemen (that is, War, Pestilence, Famine and Death):
You can't talk about world peace without also talking about world war and the kind of horrible incidents that cause people to wish for world peace. We've got some great examples of this in Yume no kane (K6), Mokugekisha (A6),
Next Heaven (no3b), and Stand up (K4).

Murder?!?:
JJ ni karita mono and Douki at least hint at this.
The MV for Nogizaka46's Barette deals with a man who turns girls into "beautiful statues" and a group of girls with guns and swords out for revenge. People get shot and cut down, but the real creep factor lies in the beginning (a captive girl is terrified before being turned into a statue) and end of the MV (it's a surprise, go watch it!).


Loss of Innocence/Virginity:
This is clearly one of Aki-P's favorite themes. It makes its way into a ton of songs, not the least of which is Innocence (S2), a song which pretty much describes a girl losing her virginity down to the letter.

Other songs which deal with this theme are Virginity, Junjou U-19, Virgin Love, and Dokugumo (K6).
"Becoming impure" in a more loose sense is the theme of Kuroi Tenshi (A5). There are probably many more that I'm missing in this list; it's a pretty pervasive theme.


Other Sexual Themes:

Fornication/Sexual Depiction: I'm sure (SDN), Kuchiutsushi no Chocolate (B4)
Dominance: Lay down (Himawarigumi1)
Incest: Cousin
Adultery/Cheating: Guilty love (Not Yet), Arashi no yoru ni wa (B5), Yuuwaku no Garter (SDN)
Homosexuality: Kinjirareta futari (K2), Oshibe to Meshibe to Yoru no Chouchou (K3) (possibly)


Special mention goes to Rider. There is nothing wrong with the lyrics, but it's quite sad when you know the story behind the song. Apparently, it was written for a regular fan in the early days of the theater who stopped showing up to shows. After a while, they found out he died, and so this tribute to him exists. Supposedly, he was a fan of the girls who originally performed the unit, and he was known for riding a motorcycle like the person in the song.

 

^Uh... can you mark this as 18+ or something?

 

Hey, it's all in the songs.

 

I know, I'm not blaming you, it's just still, I don't know... not suitable for children or something.

 

Ahh thank you so much for the list guys i love dark songs!

 

Nice compilation! But wow, that one about Rider really made me feel sad..

 

of course kaotomoi finally, virginity and Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru are the most known songs about these "polemic" lyrics but i'm surprised that anyone says nothing about 10nen zakura, the only MV where a member dies.... poor takamina

 

@Silenka wow, you really making all clear. At least you give us theme.

Is it okay if AKB girls singing those songs? In Hello! Project recently, their new units such as Juice=Juice and S/mileage releasing singles with adult-thing lyrics and little suggestive outfits. And in AKB, their suggestive outift is about in Kuchi Choco or Yuuwaku no Garter, but Aki-p lyrics are more gentle and implicit to showing dark theme.

Maybe we just want the girls singing fine song. What I really like in Aki-p lyrics are he can associate love with even something silly. Popcorn and love in Hebirote, bus and gravity in Juuryoku Sympathy, baseball in Hatsukoi no Yukue to Play Ball. So, with that ability, Aki-p can make lyrics really smooth. Even some has multiple meaning.

If it's about performance, i'm sure we can conclude about 'the darkest song', but in lyrical thing... it's really difficult

 

THank you for that wonderful list, @Silenka ! I've noticed your translation work on Studio48 before, so I was hoping you would post in this thread

I love when 48G verge on the topic of purity and virginity.. some of the BEST songs have come out of that theme! Like Dear My Teacher, innocence, Junjou U-19, Junjou Shugi.

I also love the brilliance behind Barette. That song itself is so dark, just by the sound. It kinda has a darkness-veneered-with-happiness kind of feeling to it, especially in the arrangement. It's almost creepy.

And JJ ni Karitamono has some awesome lyrics too, and they're quite mature. I think the overall theme and meaning of the song is really interesting, and I love the line about having a beer. What I wouldn't give to have a beer with Mocchi

If we're talking about sexuality in 48G songs though, Dear My Teacher CANNOT be ignored. I'll never forget the first time I listened to it. I was like DEAR LORD this song is catchy! I love this! Then they started singing, and I was like "Wait… WAIT…..". I'm not being judgmental though, because I've thought the same exact things as in the lyrics haha

And Oshibe to Meshibe provides a great example of temptation and homoeroticism. Watching Megumi and Kasai do that song literally puts it all on the table. I loved when Sasshi and Kitarie did a comedic version of it

 

I love the "broke little girls" songs like Tsuyoi Hana and 10 Krone to Pan

In terms of PVs, there's a few dark, brooding ones that I like:

• Itoshiki Rival (edceihwiqakd dystopian settings with Sayaka and Jurina glaring at each other YES)
• Rinjin wa kizutsukanai
• Ikiru Koto
• Kodoku na Hoshizora (does this count? eh.)
• UZA
• Tobenai Agehachou
• Doshaburi no Seishun naka de
• Dareka no sei ni wa shinai
• Nante Ginga wa Akarui no Darou (because vampire!Rena, why not?)

Bold are the ones that have similar themes: showing pieces of the girls' lives/angst/what have yous lol

 

One really underrated "dark" song is Rinjin wa Kizutsukanai. I absolutely love the lyrics, especially all of the imagery in it. Well, that's what I love about all of Aki-P's lyrics. So much great imagery.

Tsuyoi Hana is also a favorite of mine. While not as dark as some of the ones mentioned, I like the story it tells.

Ikiru Koto has been a favorite of mine ever since its release. Especially the music video.

Sakura no Ki ni Narou still makes me cry buckets.

Mokugekisha is another one that tends to be forgotten. The lyrical content is really strong.

I'm crying. depresses me all the time.

And, of course, Seifuku ga Jama wo Suru and Keibetsu Shiteita Aijou.

Kaze wa Fuiteiru also deserves a shout-out. I love it because it's dark but hopeful. Does that make sense? Haha. Mori e Ikou is a similar song that simply does not get enough credit in the fandom. It's one of my all-time favorite AKB songs.

I could spend hours going through Studio48 and reading all the lyrics. Aki-P is simply a wonderful lyricist. He covers so many broad topics and his lyrics and gorgeous and imaginative.

Oh, I almost forgot! I love the lyrics to Next heaven. So so dark.

 

It's one of my top ... probably top 10 favorite 48G songs too. But I didn't really count it as "dark" because it only obliquely refers to a possibly evil forest filled with monsters XD Still, it's an amazing and underrated song.

 

My all time favourite dark song is katamoi finally