Unhappy Refrain (song by Hatsune Miku)
"Unhappy Refrain" (アンハッピーリフレイン) was composed by the late Japanese musician wowaka.
Summary
The song was uploaded to Nico Nico Douga on May 2, 2011. The song has garnered over 5 million views on Nico Nico Douga and 1.6 million views on YouTube and has since entered the Hall of Legend. This song, along with Rolling Girl remain the two most beloved songs by wowaka with covers of both songs still being uploaded to YouTube to this day.
Song Information
- wowaka (music, lyrics, video)
- Hatsune Miku (vocals)
Lyrics: Wowaka
Composition: Wowaka
Published by Dwango Second Division under JASRAC
JASRAC Works Code: 173-9846-1
Lyrics
| Kanji | Romaji | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| つまりつまり意味は無いよ！ | tsumari tsumari imi wa nai yo! | Basically, there's just no point at all |
| そうだね今すぐ飛び降りよう | sou da ne ima sugu tobioriyou | That's right, so why don't we just jump off off now? |
Interpretation
While wowaka's original comment on Nico Nico Douga has since been changed, it originally said "I just wanted to scream and let out all these mixed-up feelings I had. I'd be most glad if you thought this was a loud, maybe slightly annoying song". While nobody knows for sure, it seems easy to assume that Wowaka was troubled by something at the time he wrote this song and possibly did so as a means of sorting out his feelings and release.
Source
It seems quite obvious from the title of the song, the lyrics, and the original video comment that the theme of the song is "unhappiness". The lyrics mention giving up, tripping and falling, that things are meaningless and constant questioning of what actually makes one happy. Many of these lyrics are actually references to Wowaka's previous works, which seems extremely fitting for a song that is a "refrain”. One song which it pulls heavily from is Rolling Girl, a song about trying again and again, rolling down as many times as it takes, discovering your mistakes and re-attempting to seize your dream. In this song, he mentions giving up on “one more try” and despite looking for mistakes, there’s nothing missing, so he asks someone to tell him how to actually look over the past. In the end, the “Reverse Girl” has entered the adult world, but he still asks if that happiness?
One possible interpretation for the song is that wowaka was trying to find meaning and purpose within the music that he made. While making music can certainly be an enjoyable occupation, it is definitely not an easy path either. It is possible that wowaka had stumbled many times during his music career and was considering if pursuing it is what would really make him happy. As the wowaka never gave any clear indication as to what the song actually meant to him, one can only interpret the song based on their own thoughts and experiences, which may have been what wowaka actually intended.
Nevertheless, this was one of his last works before gradually becoming inactive as a Producer, and, due to his passing, there will never be a return for him, meaning he truly couldn’t find his passion and happiness within Vocaloid composing once more.
Appearances
Unhappy Refrain has featured in Hatsune Miku Magical Mirai and HATSUNE MIKU EXPO concerts as well as the Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- (console) and Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- Arcade rhythm games.
Unhappy Refrain's inclusion in the game was met with mixed opinions due to the general theme of the song. While fans did like the song, many felt that having the song in the game seemed to perpetuate the idea that being a Vocaloid producer is often not as good as first appearances, especially with the title of the game explicitly being Hatsune Miku. Nevertheless, the song is a popular requested song for many gaming live-streamers, and its note chart is not too difficult to play.
Song Information
- wowaka (music, lyrics, video)
- Hatsune Miku (vocals)
Links
Nico Nico Douga
wowaka 『アンハッピーリフレイン』feat. 初音ミク / wowaka - Unhappy Refrain (Official Video) ft. Hatsune Miku - YouTube
アンハッピーリフレイン - Hatsune Miku Wiki (atwiki)
アンハッピーリフレイン (Unhappy Refrain) - Vocaloid Wiki | Fandom