WHAT IS REMEMBER 16 ACTUALLY ABOUT?
There is ONE song in the entire Fire Bomber discography, where Basara uses the word 'kimi' to refer to another person, as opposed to his usual 'omae', which is considered rude in Japan. That's not the only outlier about that song though; it's also the only serious song Basara has ever written which is explicitly and undeniably romantic (1-2-3-4-5-6-7 Nights is another, however it has a very humorous tone to it).
That song is Remember 16. Remember 16 is a slow romantic ballad using a more appropriate language, which doesn't sound very Basara. My first thought was that maybe he attempted to write a more conventional song, but that sounds even LESS like Basara, who always does everything exactly as he wants. Trying to appeal to others is out of the question. There's also the fact that the feeling of this song is clearly not fake. It sounds EXTREMELY emotional and genuine. But again - the use of more proper language? The romance of it? How does it all fit together? Well. Basara is not a romantic person so it's safe to assume this song is not about his experience. From the glimpses we get of his past, it doesn't imply at any point that he had a significant other, and it would feel uncharacteristic of him to. He doesn't seem to have any romantic experience and is entirely oblivious when people are interested in him in that way. So what's with Remember 16? Well, it's not a fake attempt at conventionally popular music, that much is clear. It IS a genuine love song - because Basara does like romance. Look at the lyrics of Power to the Dream: "POWER TO THE WORLD
POWER TO THE LOVERS I just wanna see true love" |
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This was his BIG RETURN song after he stopped singing for a while. This was the first one he sang. That implies this song encapsulates his genuine, raw emotion, which explains almost crude lines like "Once you've given up you might as well die".
It's worth noting that he specifically uses the word LOVERS. In most instances, when his songs mention love, it's not implied to be romantic love, but just love in general - love for a fellow person. However in this case it's undeniably referring to romantic love, as 'lover' is obviously not something you call people in a platonic relationship.
Basara genuinely loves the idea of people coming together romantically, and he wrote Remember 16 for those people.
He got the idea to finish the song when it was confirmed that his music brings people back from the coma.
It's a genuine, soft, warm song of an experience he likes the idea of, but is not necessarily attracted to himself. That's a recurring theme in a lot of his music, as he sings of togetherness while being an introvert who clearly prefers isolation.
However, those people who are in the coma? They might have that experience. So he wrote as song that might help them recover easier.
The song Remember 16 feels so genuine, not because it's about Basara's personal experience, but because it's one big labour of love for everyone else.
It's worth noting that he specifically uses the word LOVERS. In most instances, when his songs mention love, it's not implied to be romantic love, but just love in general - love for a fellow person. However in this case it's undeniably referring to romantic love, as 'lover' is obviously not something you call people in a platonic relationship.
Basara genuinely loves the idea of people coming together romantically, and he wrote Remember 16 for those people.
He got the idea to finish the song when it was confirmed that his music brings people back from the coma.
It's a genuine, soft, warm song of an experience he likes the idea of, but is not necessarily attracted to himself. That's a recurring theme in a lot of his music, as he sings of togetherness while being an introvert who clearly prefers isolation.
However, those people who are in the coma? They might have that experience. So he wrote as song that might help them recover easier.
The song Remember 16 feels so genuine, not because it's about Basara's personal experience, but because it's one big labour of love for everyone else.