Listen/Review: Band-Maid's 'Bubble' single (2019) |

[@AndersonConnors]

Thanks for mentioning the video I sent you. I think its makers didn't choose the best footage, because it certainly didn't convince me on about half of them. MISA definitely deserves to be in that conversation - and I love that Band-Maid allows/encourages her to shine.

[@Chan_Fry]

Thanks for sending it! Agreed that some of those bassists in the video deserved better footage. I'm sure that every one of them is an amazing musician (some were also songwriters and multi-instrumentalists and vocalists, like Paul McCartney), but VERY few of them were featured regularly in their band's songs like MISA is featured in Band-Maid.

[@waynebenedict5785]

Glad your sticking with it! A worthy endeavor!

[@Bekka_Noyb]

Bubble - not only my fave Band Maid song, but amongst my all time faves! dbl ♥ Screamed when I heard 1st few notes at the Tokyo show back in June! 😊

[@Chan_Fry]

It's a really good song! In fact, almost ANY Band-Maid song is bound to be *someone's* favorite. :-)

[@geoffb5]

Smile, live, is on the DVD/BR of the 2/11/2021 Online Okyu-ji as a bonus track and was also done for their Christmas streamed acoustic concert on 12/25/2021. It, About Us, and Memorable, are songs about their feelings toward their fans. They all hit hard for me.

[@Chan_Fry]

As of this moment, "Smile" is my favorite of the three you mentioned, though I also like "About Us". :-)

[@MnPofBM]

SMILE😊

[@K.H.D710]

15:00 Bubble was made for a TV drama "Perfect Crime" which was a love game story full of betrayal, lies, traps and deceit. This was the reason for the wolf depicted as her lips...probably😏

[@Chan_Fry]

Interesting!

[@waynebenedict5785]

Even though "Smile" is about their fans, I hope they realize how special the view we Maidiacs watching these amazing ladies have as well! Their joy is unmistakable and infectious!

[@Chan_Fry]

Always a "special view" when Band-Maid is playing. :-)

[@Jonas_S_]

'Bubble' is definitely in my Top 5 of Band-Maid songs. The groove is SO present in this one! Brilliant songwriting! 😎🤘

[@Hogan-melb]

bubble is a masterpiece - i think songs like this put kanami up there in conversations about the great composers in the history of pop and rock music since 1965 (starting of course with lennon-mccartney)- it is under-appreciated by those band maid fans who prefer hard rock (esp. world domination album) and not attuned to the more sinuous funky groove of songs like bubble - and it has lots of twists and sup-plots across the 3 mins that are prog-pop at its best. it is also works as a live song with the singalong parts for the crowd... powerful. i do hope kanami continues to follow her own muse.

[@Chan_Fry]

I think I saw an interview where Kanami said she tries to write songs she thinks the fans will like but ALSO writes for herself and the band... (I think it was an interview about Unseen World, but I won't swear to it.)

[@daft73games]

Great again. Band Maid spreading good feelings with every listen.

[@Chan_Fry]

If I had a "happiness meter" attached to my nervous system while watching these, it might overheat. :-)

[@BillHallisey]

This band is just so much damned fun to listen to.

[@AndersonConnors]

FYI, both of these are in my top ten. It's difficult to say for sure, but I think Smile is my all-time favorite Band-Maid song. And since you mentioned Sixpence None The Richer, aren't they the ones from New Braunfels? I suggest you listen to Smile side-by-side with "Kiss Me" or "Don't Dream It's Over" - I think you'll have another AC/DC moment - realizing just how incredible Band-Maid really is. 😊

[@Chan_Fry]

I figured these were more your speed. :-) As for Sixpence None The Richer, this was a case of me blanking during recording but of course during editing, I remembered exactly who they were. I met Matt Slocum around 1989 or 1990, when he was playing for Chris Taylor (later of Love Coma) -- they had a small show in an out-of-the-way town and I rode with drummer Robbie Vincent to see the show. I helped them set up and tear down, and ate lunch with them before the show.

[@PaulEngineer]

Smile acoustic version is the opener for the Maids' Christmas concert 2021

[@bandmaidfanATL]

18:00 It may have been Collective Soul or Matchbox 20, maybe even Creed or Live. I get that vibe from smile.

[@Chan_Fry]

Certainly that era/style.

[@donaldbohn3183]

BAND-MAID is a religious experience for many of us Maidiacs!

[@Chan_Fry]

Indeed. Maybe that's where the "Christian rock band" comment came from in my unconscious mind, LOL. :-)

[@dazedandconfused318]

Smile was composed by Kentaro Akutsu, lyrics by Miku which are the first that are a thank you to fans,. They went back and asked him for a song as they wanted something for long time fans that liked their old stuff. He wrote all of their first EP and a few others , notably Thrill. And yes Sixpence None The Richer are a band.

[@Chan_Fry]

I blanked on Sixpence None The Richer right after it escaped my mouth, LOL. There's something about being on camera that does funny things to my brain. But yes, in real life, I know who they are; in fact I met their guitarist before that band formed because he played for a small-time musician that I was following in the late 1980s / early 1990s. :-)

[@PaulEngineer]

The Queen/Freddie biopic was Bohemian Rhapsody, one of their best known and distinctive songs - many of the Band Maid MV scenes mimic scenes from the movie - a direct homage, including the end credit.

[@Chan_Fry]

Yeah, I blanked on the movie name while recording, but decided to leave that part in. :-) I do recall several scenes from the film, but they aren't the ones referenced in this video, so maybe I need to go watch it again. :-)

[@kent-oveprestberg3578]

"You're a legend"=Tribute to Freddie Mercury

[@synousia2]

bubble is one of my favorites. either of the acoustic versions of smile are better than the studio version in my opinion.

[@Chan_Fry]

Someone linked an acoustic version here, and I watched it. Of course it's amazing too, but I think I still lean toward the album version.

[@synousia2]

@@Chan_Fry i think i have a bias toward band‐maid’s acoustic renditions. i love hearing saiki and miku harmonize, and acoustic settings can bring the vocals more to the front. there are exceptions, of course. the vocals on «alone» are fantastic, imho.

[@dasyeah2695]

okay, going through the catalouge like us, liking what you hear, and going for smile- ye def a like ^^

[@grahamreed8774]

Smile is a fabulous song- Kanami's composition at her best, especially the acoustic Live bonus from the Online Okyuji feb 11 2021 DVD.

[@donaldbohn3183]

The producer of this MV was obsessed with Queen, so the MV is modeled after the movie.

[@Chan_Fry]

I did see the movie when it came out, but I guess the scenes I remembered weren't the ones that other people remembered. :-) It wouldn't hurt to watch it again; I remember enjoying it.

[@donaldbohn3183]

Top bassists: Chris Squire, Stanley Clarke, Victor Wooten, Misa and Koga from Gacharic Spin!

[@Chan_Fry]

Indeed, Gacharic Spin's bassist is something to behold when she's really having fun. I hadn't heard of Stanley Clarke before, so I just watched chunks of a 1980 live show that was pretty impressive. I can see why you'd list him. :-)

[@waynebenedict5785]

Here is a link to the acoustic version of "Smile", which is my favorite version of this beautiful song! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nF6vnGpjobx5g9E

[@Chan_Fry]

Thanks! That does sound very nice... I think I lean toward the album version, but it's a close call. :-)

[@waynebenedict5785]

@@Chan_Fry No worries. I really like how Saiki's vocals stand out in the acoustic versions though!

[@_DriveTime]

If you watch the Bohemian Rhapsody trailer, you will see some clear parallels with the Bubble MV. Even the thumbnail is similar to the thumbnail of the movie on YT. Smile was written by Kentaro Akutsu who I believe played a very important role for the band. He wrote many of the early songs, and it's clear the band have great respect for him. I believe Kanami learned a great deal from him. An unsung hero from the band's formative years. I'm pretty sure Smile is the most recent song where the music was not written by the band. My speculation is they used carbonated water on the drum kit. Looks like champagne but a much easier cleanup.

[@Chan_Fry]

"carbonated water" -- oh, good call. That makes a lot more sense. :-) "Kentaro Akutsu" -- Ah, I hadn't realized this one wasn't Kanami's. This fellow certainly deserves praise for what he contributed to the world's best rock band. While editing this video, I decided "Smile" is my favorite "not hard rock" song by Band-Maid (including mid-tempo and slower songs).

[@dazedandconfused318]

They're UK coins with The Queen's head, bear in mind that scenes in this video pay tribute to the scenes in the trailer for the film Bohemian Rhapsody

[@Chan_Fry]

Ah, I don't guess I've ever seen UK coins (I did see the queen on some Canadian bills once). :-)

[@russellpotter7294]

The video is a direct copy of the The Queen biog film Trailer. It is actually quite clever if you see them side by side.

[@Chan_Fry]

I'll have to go watch that now. :-)

[@polskabob359]

2 songs gets 2 comments smile is part of trilogy they wrote for us maidiacs, smile for long time fans , about us for covid bullcrap , memorable for usa fans on their tour here

[@polskabob359]

Bubble mv funny u mention queens bass , when misa is on the rug , thats directly from the movie misa actually is paying tribute to him, n mikus rock moves, i have names for them theres pigeon on a trampoline alert ,miku jumping up n down in her heels , theres the helicopter pigeon head alert , miku shaking her head n making her pigtails look like a helicopter blade spinning, sadly no pigeon alerts here po!

[@suzuki8582]

Always found this version of Smile too fast and too much background noise. The quieter and slower acoustic version is amazing though.

[@Chan_Fry]

There are definitely times I prefer a cleaner, slower version of a song, so I can easily imagine days or particular moods when I'd prefer the acoustic (someone linked one for me and I watched it), but I'm pretty sure I'd prefer the album version 80+ percent of the time.

[@waynebenedict5785]

Talking rock star pose, how about Misa playing lying on the floor! Legend status!

[@Chan_Fry]

As long as she doesn't attempt the Angus Young spinning-on-the-floor move. :-)

[@waynebenedict5785]

@@Chan_Fry Yeah, that would be pretty.

[@evilducks3710]

Party time voice

[@muto4055]

I do see Queen ElizabethⅡ, so British Pound coins I guess. I love both SMILE versions :) The most shocking song I've heard from Queen was Bicycle, ちりんちりん 🚲

[@Chan_Fry]

I guess I should be more knowledgeable about the world's coins. :-)