Top 10 Mizuki Nana songs - Happy birthday Nana-chan! *updated 2011/09/12*

Well like I said, I would be making two lists this week, so here's the second one! Yet again something I talked about with Chris last week.  This list was just as hard to make as the Hikki one and even throughout the thinking process I changed my mind a thousand times. I'll probably change my mind again the moment I post this, but oh well, I shall live with it. Anyways, I wanted to pay tribute to the lovely Nana-chan on her birthday as well, as she inspires me to work hard in pursuing my dreams. Nana's always lived with the attitude that the future is bright - even when her agency went bankrupt, her dad was quite ill and the bad economy situation caused her family to nearly have no money for food, she kept believing in her dream and never gave up. Finally after all the hardships, her hard work paid off and she got to do what she wanted to do and got to be who she wanted to be. That determination and strength is something I admire and respect very much and knowing how she fought her way up from the very bottom really inspires me not to ever give up on my dreams or what I hold dear. Nothing is impossible. <3 I have to say it was probably thanks to her that I found the determination to go back to the UK to finish my degree with my head held high after last summer, as I really did not want to go. LoL these entries are making me sound really emo..

Also since I won't be adding the first Nana song I got hooked on (Take a Shot), as there was no way of fitting it in the 10 with there being so many other very awesome songs by her, I'd just like to take a moment to mention that Nana's also been a part of my life for a very long time now, around 6 years. At first though, I did not pay much attention to her in my ignorance and only when I came across her as Kirihara Misaki in Darker than BLACK did I give her my full attention. I have to point out that she's one of the very few artists that I've been so curious about that I took the trouble of finding her music in order to try it out instead of just stumbling on a song by chance.

ANYWAY FINALLY TO THE LIST!

Top 10 Mizuki Nana Songs

10. Juujika no Spread
[Click to listen] 

 

Bokutachi wa ima hitotsu ni nareru - such pleasure to my ears whenever Juujika no Spread begins. Before I knew it I had memorized the lyrics nearly completely and it really surprises me how effortlessly that happened. I mean, usually I would notice the process. Must just mean that this is a most excellent song according to my subconscious and my conscious agrees! ;) One day I shall learn this on the violin too, even though I forgot to put it on my list about what songs I want to play. Eep.

09. Zankou no Gaia

[Click to listen] 

(Four versions on top of each other :P)

D-N-A GA SHOUTING! Ah, this is such a lovely song! I love it! I really love it. Did I say I love it? Because I really do. So yeah ehum, anyway... this is one of those songs again that fall into the category of being very much full of hope and listening to it just makes you nearly believe you can even fly if you really try (I am sure the line Yes, fly away! has nothing to do with this).  Ah and the melody, it makes me think of Ireland and the sort of music with similar melodies is always quite uplifting as well so that adds a lot to the effect. There's also a lot of drive in the song that just makes you wanna push forward even harder. I wish... search for the light and find it in the endless time!

08. Orchestral Fantasia
[Click to listen] 

 












This song is  genius. I love it so much when a topic is discussed metaphorically using words belonging to a particular category, like Hikki uses colors to describe various things in her song Colors - but Nana takes it a step further and speaks of one topic only, the ending of a love/relationship, by using terms related to music. Really touching and very beautifully woven together. See for yourself if you want: [Translation of the lyrics]. I can promise you that the next time I am feeling very melancholic about something, I shall listen to this song and lie on my floor hugging my violin. SUTORINGUSU no umi de samayou Ah…

07. HIGH-STEPPER

[Not available]

This song is really badass. It makes me feel very badass myself just by listening to it. I've sort of decided in the past few weeks that this song is about someone like me. Like about someone who just keeps going forward no matter what and doesn't look behind to past things. Combining that with the badass vibe of the song makes me feel capable of doing anything I set my mind on. I will conquer the world with HIGH-STEPPER blasting into my ears! One day I shall be a dominatrix like Nana in the choreograph, ho ho hooo. Beware of me. ;)

06. Tenkuu no Canaria
[Click to listen] 

Of course I had to add the song that I most want to learn on the violin to my list! This seriously is one of the most beautiful songs ever. It is quite sad too and fills me with emotion every time I listen to it. The feeling I get from the lyrics is that it tells of a beautiful love that is doomed to fail, but even so this boy and girl keep trying. Linking that feeling to the Tales of Symphonia -anime really makes me a sad panda, considering how the first OVA series didn't end very well... :( But anyways - I REALLY LOVE THIS SONG. Every time it comes up on my iPod or on my iTunes is a beautiful moment in my day.

05. 恋の抑止力-type EXCITER-
[Click to listen] 

This song just really blew me away, not only because it is very catchy but also because of the mesmerizing choreograph. Well those were the first things that I noticed anyway, but I really also love the lyrics. The desperate game of the cat and mouse of love really comes through even in the atmosphere of the song that even without knowing what the lyrics are about you can kind of feel it anyway. Knowing the lyrics just really boosts the effect, I felt quite melancholic after I first read them, and well, still do to be fair. Hajimari nante wakaranai no, namae mo heibon de doko ni demo isou. / I don't know when it started, your name was normal and you weren't that special. Plus this song was used in an MGS game, so it just has to be good. ;)


04. ETERNAL BLAZE
[Click to listen]

Ahhh, where to begin? This song is just really amazingly beautiful. I genuinely love everything about it and the piano and violin bits especially make me all warm and fuzzy inside like I was in Heaven. That's something I really love about Nana - she uses violins in very many of her songs. Ehum anyways, this is one of those songs again that just fills you completely with hope and makes everything just seems so much more prettier than normal. The lyrics are really beautiful and amazing as well, being about leaving behind sadness and embracing the precious "now". This song really makes me want to try even harder to reach my dreams. Haruka sora hibiiteiru inori ha kiseki ni / Resonating in the far sky are your prayers turning into miracles~~ Love you Nana-chan, you have definitely worked hard for everything. <3

03. SCARLET KNIGHT
[Click to listen]
(short version only *weep*)

Okay, so I couldn't resist putting her new song here. It's just so epic. It really is. The whole song is very powerful and just fills you with determined energy. The melody captivated me instantly when I heard it and it is just so very beautiful to me. The lyrics are also very stunning, as it is about someone who is driven to go forward on a personal mission with someone they hold dear. I really love how she asks: 

"Do you have something to protect?"
"Do you have something to believe in?"

"Do you have something important to you?"

All that really makes me want to strive forward and reach for the stars. Here's the translation of the lyrics btw, if you wanna see for yourself: [SCARLET KNIGHT]. I have to say I am so glad this song was aired during the Japan disaster, as it is indeed the sort that will help you get back up. Really awesome job from Nana. Also, there's a whole entry about this song if you want to have a look: [clicky].

02. テルミドール

[Not available]

This song really captured my heart already the first time I heard it. It's different from Nana's usual songs and that just makes it all the more unique. I already wrote a great deal concerning this song [here], if you're interested in seeing why it is so special to me. I really love the song lyrics too now that I know what they mean exactly thanks to Izam-san - they sort of tell the story of this one sort of relationship, don't know how to describe it really. Pretty much that sort as in Murakami Haruki's book Dance Dance Dance, like I mentioned in my entry about that. Also this song contains my favorite verse in Japanese, "途方に暮れる"

(="tohou ni kureru"), which means to be bewildered. I hope I get to use it in conversation one day! Oh and I must say that I really find the metaphor mentioning a camel lost in time really hilarious. God I love you Nana. <3 Btw, I had a really hard time choosing whether I'd put テルミドール here or テルミドール-Vingt-Sept-, so I put テルミドール and the picture for テルミドール-Vingt-Sept-. Good compromise. xD

01. Silent Bible
[Click to listen] 

Well this probably didn't come as a surprise at all, considering how I was driven to make an AMV out of this song when I had no intention of doing so. It just came along and swooped me away and I could not resist the temptation any longer. Damn you song!  But yeah, there was no way I could not add this song on this list. The opening melody reminds me of the Persona games that are close to my heart and the topic of the song is one I love as well and very touching. I especially like these bits: hajimete nagarete yasashii namida mune ni daite "Tsuyoku nare" to negau, which means the first time tears of joy ran down my cheeks I embraced my heart and wished "Get stronger" and also hontou no shiawase wa aru? Me ni miezu, todomete okenai. Futashika na sono sonzai ni fuan ga mashiteku which means is there such a thing as true happiness? I can't see it, I can't grasp it. The uncertainty of its existence only raises my unease. I am happy this is my Nana horoscope song. :)