Great reaction - and you are very perceptive. When you said about agony and pain you were spot on, this song is a tribute to Kami Band guitarist Mikio Fujioka (RIP) who died in January 2018 following a fall from an observation deck where he had been stargazing, it was also released on the same day Yui (who also enjoys stargazing) announced she would be leaving the band. It is from the new album Metal Galaxy and it's the first track of the "Trilogy of Lights" - the final three tracks on the album. 'Starlight' represents mourning, so the pain and agony are real. 'Shine' (I think you will also love this one, I know I do) represents the period of coming to terms with loss and 'Arkadia' is about moving on, looking to the future and forging ahead.
⚡ 💕 / 🌟 ✨ "Wherever we are we'll be with you We'll never forget shining starlight Wherever you are live in my heart We'll never forget shooting star" - Starlight (RIP Ko-gami, Mikio Fujioka)
Starlight hits hard because it was released on the same day as Yui officially announced her departure from the group. Many fans consider this as both a farewell to Yuimetal and to Mikio the guitarist who'd died 9 months earlier. It was never officially stated that the song is a tribute to Mikio but the lyrics of the song aswell as its timing are considered by the fans to be a clear (albeit subtle) last homage to him : "Wherever we are, we'll be with you We'll never forget shining starlight Wherever you are, you live in my heart We'll never forget shooting star Wherever we are, we'll be with you We'll never forget shining starlight Wherever you are, you live in my heart We'll never forget shining star Fly higher in the sky Fly higher in the night Fly higher in the sky Starlight shining in the night..." As a reminder, Mikio aswell as Yui loved to stargaze. Mikio died from a fall from a high observation deck while out stargazing. Yui had also stated in an interview that this was one of her favourite things to do in her spare time (Moa had said she loved watching animes and Su had said she loved to go for walks). So yes, this song has a lot of underlying meanings for the fans of the band and it's indeed one of their most mature songs because of the nature of the subject. Glad you liked it. "Shine" from the last album has similar vibes with me music-wise as Starlight. You might like that song aswell. You may also like No Rain No Rainbow if you like emotional pieces. It's not really metal, it's a power ballad, but it's still great.
Yes, as a fan this song is very difficult to untangle from everything IRL associated with it. I remember thinking that Su-metal's long high tones/cries in it were a return to that new element introduced in From Dusk Til Dawn, and that the djenty breakdown was absolutely fantastic, but it has emotional associations which influence me in a way that is invisible to a first-time listener like LeechTM. His reactions to the song and to the Music Video (which many fans automatically disliked because it was the second in a row with (almost) no Babymetal members in it, during a rough stretch) are much cleaner and more direct in that respect. Subject to his own personal preferences of course, just like anyone.
This is the song that made me see Babymetal in a different light, when I realized oh shit Babymetal is for real. I agree this song, the structure and it's sound, really emphasizes a new level of maturity and let's not forget it's pretty dope too.
"Let yourself go beyond space and time, far away. Keep on running far away, run away. The wind blows, the wind blows. Fly higher in the sky like a stargazer. Fly higher in the night like a stargazer. Starlight, starlight. Keep on shining to your destination. Starlight, starlight." As others have mentioned, this was not explicitly stated by BABYMETAL, but it was released the day Yui announced her departure from the group. I believe this is both a tribute to Mikio, and a send off farewell to Yui. This is on the new Metal Galaxy album as the first of the last three songs in a so-called "Trilogy of Lights". In fact the end part of this video where you see Su and Moa's eyes with the chosen seven, that's the beginning of the next song, Shine.
This song can hit me hard 'right in the feels'. That's a good thing, music and performances should give you emotions. :-) Interesting interpretation about the agony and pain that fits very well. And you mentioned it sounds like they are adults, the song was released after Su-metal's turning 20th, which is the year in Japan a person is seen as a full adult. Really glad you like it so much !
An awesome touching song, gets me every time I hear it. The performance of this song was my favorite when I was at the concert at The Forum. It was touching that so many lit their phones while the song was playing. It looked like stars all around the arena. I wish I could listen to this song without feeling a bit sad after all this time. I can’t imagine what it would be like to perform this on stage and then have to become happy and energetic again a few minutes later. I would have liked for this to be the closing song of their performance. Edited to correct a couple of spelling mistakes.
for me, Starlight is my undisputed favorite.. not only from BABYMETAL but overall! It's exactly the right contrast between heavy and angelic that i needed in my life :D but yeah, it's from the new album Metal Galaxy and it's the first track of the "Trilogy of Lights" as Koba has titled them (which also concludes the album). Now you've to do Shine (the ending sequence/sound from the Starlight MV is actually the transition) and afterwards Arkadia. And all i can say is, these 3 tracks are a behemoth of epic music! Can't wait to see/hear your reactions! cheers
Technically it is part of Metal Galaxy (2019), but was released as a single back in 2018. Widely known as the tribute to guitarist Mikio who died from his wounds after a fall while Stargazing.
To me, the last three songs from Metal Galaxy are so emotional. 🤘🏼🦊🤘🏼"Starlight", "Shine", "Arkadia"🤘🏼🦊🤘🏼 They all added more tears and feeling to the journey and to the farewell for the late guitarist Mikio. Such a great way to end the album on these high notes. Dark but hopeful and deeply emotional I think you will like Shine and Arkadia very much. 💀🏴🏴🏴 GOD IT'S SO GOOD 🖤🖤🖤
Still the hardest song for me to listen to. With the loss of Mikio, R.I.P., this was the tribute song for him. But then we got slammed with the official announcement that Yui had left the group the same day it was released. I enjoy the song, but it is one that I rarely, no, its one that I never listen to unless someone is reacting to it. I skipped it when listening to the new album.
@LeechTM Reacts The track listing for METAL GALAXY is 1. FURTURE METAL 2. DA DA DANCE (feat. Tak Matsumoto) 3. Elevator Girl (original & English ver.) 4. Shanti Shanti Shani 5. Oh! MAJINAI (feat. Joakim Broden) 6. Brand New Day (feat. Tim Henson & Scott LePage) 7. BBAB (Japanese ver. only) 8. Night Night Burn! 9. IN THE NAME OF 10. Distortion (feat. Alissa White-Gluz) 11. PA PA YA!! (feat. F. Hero) 12. BxMxC (Japanese ver. only) 13. Kagerou 14. Starlight 15. Shine 16. Arkadia
love this song but another new one I am really loving is Shine. saw it live at the Forum and it was amazing. sad story behind this song Starlight but others have already said why. Mikio was a great guitarist and he was all three girls mentor. he even helped the other guitarist. he had been with them since I think 2013 so 2018 was a messed up year for Babymetal loosing Mikio and Yui. they went thru trials and a lot of fans left them because of the changes. true fans didn't. then this year they are stronger and now the ones left are acting like they been fans all along. please. they abandoned them when they needed fan support. been a fan since 2013 and it is going to take a lot to give up on them. every song they do has a meaning. either fun or serious, it has a meaning. keep it up.
This song is part of the "Trilogy of Light" which consists of "Starlight", "Shine" and "Arkadia". Those three tracks are the closing tracks of the second half of BABYMETAL's new album "Metal Galaxy". It's said, this trilogy processes the things the band has gone through in the last two years.
Great song but an odd video (maybe because BABYMETAL aren't in it). First one I've seen with actors, not the band. Superb voice as ever from Su Sama. Totally agree with your comments about it being a more mature sound.
_Distortion_ was the first one in which BabyMetal themselves did not appear. I'm not really against the concept of these videos, but I would prefer to at least actually see them still appear in some capacity in more than just the live performance videos.
It is indeed a great song, although the story behind it is sad. It is a tribute to their guitarist Mikio, who sadly passes away last year. I think that's why, it sounds like they are in agony, like you said. They (and especially Su) know exactly, which feelings to portrait in every word of their songs, which in my opinion is why their songs have so much character. In that regard, I suggest that you watch the song "No rain, no rainbow" from their Legend S-show - it is a stunning performance!
Such a beautiful song. Just purchased all 3 albums and have to say I was blown away by the 3rd album. Despite losing yui metal and the guitarist mikio, wow they are still learning and becoming so much better.
It's a great song and a good example of the BABYMETAL "virtues", but as others have said, the connection to Mikio (and to some extent Yui) always makes it a bit hard. And I still can't make sense of the video...
Moin, bin ich blöd oder funktioniert der Link zum Original nicht? Ansonsten alles gut, ich bin auch kleiner Fan und höre jetzt aber mehr Jinjer. Weiter so!