[Song Analysis] : PinocchioP - Apocalypse Now feat. Hatsune Miku
"Haha, what a wicked and ironic comment bro. Now try saying someting true and beautiful." - Tage Erlinger, 2022
PinocchioP's newest work, released on 18.08.2023, "Apocalypse Now" is at first glance nothing out of the ordinary for his style. And it isn't! We know and love him for cutesy-dark imagery with depressing yet distinctly humanist and hopeful lyrics, and this song delivers on that.
I gave the song an initial listen through without english subtitles (which were readily available! presumably more languages to come) to get a general feel for the sound of the song itself and how it works with the mv. I ended up really enjoying the song! The sound is poppy and light, albeit prefaced with a heavy and ominous opening note. It continues with a dark-ish verse contrasted with a catchy chorus, the cong cycling through the two in the usual fashion where the vocals sound anxious, tired and judgy at different points (but nevertheless, hopeful, as it is characteristic for PinocchioP). Visually the mv is. Something? As usual all illustration, animation and videography is provided by PinocchioP himself (INSANE FOR THAT). He's really good at capturing the song's demonic backdrop - red/black/white colors, crosses, Miku's outfit, etc - and how it contrasts with the sound. Apart from zoom-ins, expression changes and an alternate lighting scenario (and some cuts to aimaina-chan), most of the movement in the mv is achieved through glitching or flashing effects. Not thrilled about that. Overall it's a solid sounding song with a suitable accompanying mv.
Moving on to the actual lyrical content!
First lines set the stage and i feel talk about that mix of fascination, indifference and disgust people commonly feel about the way things are with dating culture these days in hell. The song is set in Hell. And being sung from the perspective of a local. (Or set on earth during the apocalypse, which would make more sense).
Next we're pretty openly discussing the root conflict in the song. The narrator judges (the pressure to keep up with) modern hookup culture in contrast to the "exemplary" (pure and sincere) first love is pushed aside.
The third couplet further elaborates on the coercive nature of this cultural phenomenon. Perhaps, it's more radical to stay sober and have the guts to refuse this?
We got to the chorus! Note how something generally well-received and well-loved like fireworks is used as a negative way to describe the way senseless lust and promiscuity clouds judgement to the point of nausea. Turns out not everyone likes fireworks! They can also be a huge source of distress (just like the flashing and glitching fx! which people could've used a warning for!! just saying!!!). To offset this, the narrator proposes a more chaste form of affection, a hug. In the seventh line is a lament about the soulless nature of a one-night stand <- which is implied to be the norm in hell, and how the narrator would much prefer to relish in the mundane.
The next couplet is a treat! We start off with critisizing pickup culture AND using AI as a negative comparison, it's then compared to an endless chase for a (sugar) high. The next lines directly admonish the viewer/listener for discarding partners for exhibing jealousy (framed as a distinctly human characteristic - i have complex feelings on that) and shaking them off with a half-assed "this is getting old, we're done!". As an alternative, the narrator proposes thinking more deeply about initiating a relationship in the first place.
The narrator is met with scrutiny for using more romantic/flowery tactics. We then get a tiny glimpse into the deeper effect of this painfully complex game of dating - trust issues. Of course people will lose their trust if they constantly have to second-guess everything! Perhaps it's a better (albeit uncommon, allegedly) move to stay sincere and true to your cringey romantic feelings?
Oh, we got asked on an abstinent beach date! This variation of the chorus is a bit more loose and atmospheric. Repeating the fireworks and hugging lines from before, the narrator is possibly being self-aware in how crazy that hug proposal was in the context of Hookup Hell ("That's fucked up!")
In the final couplet we get a new metaphor with muddy streams (fast, dirty, easy to be swept away, there's a lot of them, they appear and disappear quickly). The final lines are hopeful for the narrator's own principles and beliefs, yet sober in knowing these beliefs will continue to be abnormal in their culture for a while.
tl;dr
In short, i like this song! It criticizes modern hookup + pickup culture and elevates sincerity and romance. The radical-rebel-sincere-romance-devil against a no-strings-attached majority in hell serves a fun backdrop to this discussion. The message has bit of a middle-aged perspective, but it stands nonetheless! However, personally, i think it's a false dichotomy. It's possible to have a sincere relationship lasting one night only, as it is to be chaste, romantic and insincere about the whole thing.
Well, that's all i have to say about this song! This was my first serious deep dive into a song, so let me know if you have any feedback! I'll also be happy to hear if you noticed anything in the song i didn't catch!
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