When it comes to music, I knew I have always loved Pachelbel’s Canon chord progression, which goes like this: I – V – vi – iii – IV – I – IV – V. There are of course several variations or modifications to the progression, and one of my favourite variations is this one: I – V – vi – iii – IV – I – ii – V. The progression—and its variations—is used widely, serving as a structure for titles such as Green Day’s Basket Case, Vitamin C’s Graduation, Maroon 5’s Memories, Shane Filan’s Beautiful in White, and Sweetbox’s Life is Cool. Korean pop ballads such as TaeYeon’s If, Tiffany Young’s Ring, Lee Mujin’s Rain and You, Hot Potato’s Confession, and Yoon Do-hyun’s Autumn Outside the Post Office are also built on this progression (or its variations).
Whenever I hear a song with this chord progression, I will usually search for it on YouTube. If I cannot identify the singer and the title, I usually just listen to the lyrics, enter a line I fetch to Google, and let the search engine do the rest. There is also Shazam ready on my phone for such a situation. Yesterday, while on Instagram, there was a video featuring a Japanese song in Canon chord progression. Since I don’t speak Japanese, I use Shazam to identify the title and the singer. It is Egao (笑顔, meaning “smile” or “smiling face”) from the Japanese pop duo Ikimono Gakari. And, oh, I just learnt that they used to be a group of three until guitarist Hotaka Yamashita decided to leave the group.
Musically, Egao reminds me of Yui Aragaki’s rendition of Kobukuro’s Akai Ito (赤い糸, meaning “red string of fate”) as they share quite a lot of similarities. Both are written in D major. There is a pretty good portion of distortion and overdrive without rendering the music too heavy on my ears. The strings section makes the song orchestral, which sounds much better. Egao, however, is on the more upbeat and cheerful side while Akai Ito takes pride in its sentimentality and sweet love story.
Egao is also the ending theme for Pokémon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened. In terms of the lyrics, the song basically centers around optimism, love, happiness, and a positive outlook on life. I had my dark hours yesterday and upon listening to this song, I couldn’t help but cry (and yes, I cried a lot yesterday), albeit not understanding the lyrics. I feel something powerful in this song, like great energy or something to lift me up so I eventually searched for the translation of the lyrics. I found one from this article and the lyrics are simply beautiful.
That’s why I want to put out a radiant smile, that’s why I want to always be by your side
You are an irreplaceable friend, I want to keep on protecting you
You’re always there for me, just this tiny miracle
Warms my heart above all, that’s why I want to grow strongerThe flowers are still blooming, as I take a small step forward
In the days that had become memories, we’ve parted ways again and againNo matter where and no matter when, your voice remains bright and cheerful
You’re always a shining beacon in my life, giving me the right push forwardI want to be tender, you said something like that once
Take out all of the painful burdens hidden in my heartThat’s right. When I see your smile, I could do anything
Perhaps I’m pushing myself too hard, but somehow, I’m overflowing with courage
Just as the flowers wilt and bloom, happiness will appear again and again
Just live on, that’s why I want to grow strongerFinding myself unable to apologize and venting away those frustrations
There’s no use in throwing a tantrum to the one closest to youI want to be happy, so don’t be afraid to receive
And earnestly look for something definiteIn the unbearable loneliness, when you are all alone
I want to act like a fool, recklessly reaching out to you
Although mutual understanding can be difficult, I can share those burdens
Because I’m right next to you, because I’m always by your sideIt’s always in the center of my heart, that which I cherished
Your tender hands seem to wrap into mine, I hold them tightlyThere are little sad things sometimes, there are little happy things sometimes
Smiling at everything is fine, embracing it all and living on are all fine
Even if everything would change again, the flower will still have to bloom
In order to achieve happiness, in order to walk the journey with youThere are days of tears in laughter, there are days of laughter in tears
Just live on, that’s why I want to grow stronger
Music has always been a great escape for me and as life gets harder for me, this song serves as a warm blanket for my soul. Egao helps me feel a bit better, shedding some optimism to my day. And as I continue listening to this song (just like what I usually do to new favourite tunes), I really hope that I can gain greater strength to face the life ahead of me while cherishing the moments of togetherness with those I love so dearly.
Junseo's Thoughts 