Charles (song by flower)
"Sharuru" (シャルル), also known by its official English title "Charles", was released on October 12, 2016. This song was written by Vocaloid producer balloon, but instead of using Hatsune Miku as the song's Vocaloid, balloon instead chose to employ flower's vocals.
Summary
Japanese Vocaloid producer Keina Suda (須田景凪), commonly referred to by moniker "balloon" released the song on October 12, 2016, using the Vocaloid software "V flower". On the 17th, balloon released a self-covered music video. He released his self-cover of the song in his album "Corridor", released in August 2017, to critical acclaim.
Views
As of December 2019, the "V flower" version of the song has over 20 million views on YouTube, becoming one of the most-viewed Vocaloid songs on the platform. The self-covered video has exceeded 40 million views. Both versions have also been posted on Nico Nico Douga, with 4 million and 8 million views respectively. Being very popular among the community, it has received many covers across both platforms, amassing a combined total of views that exceeds 100 million. Charles’ popularity is widespread, being appreciated by the younger generation in general, not only by fans of Vocaloid.
Karaoke
Charles received the 1st place in the overall rankings of karaoke songs released in 2017 by karaoke provider JOYSOUND. In the 2018 JOYSOUND annual ranking, it placed 1st for the Vocaloid rankings, and 7th in overall nationwide rankings. The song placed 3rd overall in the first half of 2019 according to JOYSOUND karaoke rankings that were announced in June 2019 and once again 1st in Vocaloid rankings. Furthermore, in the karaoke rankings by another karaoke provider, DAM, the song has also become tremendously popular, ranking 17th overall in the annual ranking for 2018 and 5th for the first half of 2019.
Since its release, Charles has consistently proven to be a popular karaoke song and is so highly revered throughout Japan that it has become a staple to most karaoke playlists.
Releases
- Single released October 12, 2016.
- Self-covered on the album "Corridor" released August 12, 2017.
Song Information
- balloon (music, lyrics)
- flower (VOCALOID)
- Avogado6 (illustration)
Lyrics
| Kanji | Romaji | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 空っぽでいよう それでいつか | karappo de iyou sorede itsuka | Should I become empty? And then one day |
| 深い青で満たしたのならどうだろう | fukai ao de mitashita no nara dou darou | How about I fill myself with deep blue? |
| こんな風に悩めるのかな | konna fuu ni nayameru no kana | Would I still worry like this? |
Lyrics: balloon
Composition: balloon
Published by Dwango Sixth Division under JASRAC
JASRAC Works Code: 716-2230-6
Interpretation
The song tells the story of a couple whose love has lost its passion, but they still struggle to stay together because of what they shared in the past, and how it led to where they are today. The future they envisioned was beautiful, but they have already reached their limit in the present. They share memories of happiness which aren’t enough to save their relationship as it is, nor does pretending that all is fine and they still love each other or talking of a fantastical love that exists only in their fantasy. The timeline of the song seemingly isn’t linear, as it starts with the protagonist saying “you were the one that said goodbye, but there are tears on your cheeks”, then continues into what may be a reminiscence of past events which led to this final moment.
The song features a wordplay that works the best in Japanese: On the first half of the song, they get together at night and argue to no end, then they say their goodbyes with smiles (Waraiatte sayonara). At the end of the song, which depicts the end of their relationship, once more the same “Waraiatte sayonara” is used, but the kanji used for “smile” is instead that for a smile of contempt. As a final bittersweet note, upon learning that the two always said their goodbyes smiling at each other, a new meaning is added to the initial verse of “If you want to erase the past like that, then that’s enough. Just smile”.
Links
シャルル／flower - Nico Nico Douga
シャルル／flower - YouTube
Charles - Wikipedia