Sunday, May 17, 2020

Everything Is Electric

No, no I could not give up
If you choose me I'll never leave
Some of us play with fire
Some of us live down in the sea
Some only come out at nightfall
Daytime is when they get their sleep
Some need trees and leaves just to breathe
But I'm different than all, I'm electricity!
-- "Electricity", Lil Uzi Vert & Honest Boyz

While on the subject of some hanging topics related to the Detective Pikachu movie, there is this one to deal with. During the credits sequence of the movie, there are two songs that play over that sequence. The first one is the main song of the soundtrack, which I've detailed in a post last year. The second one is this song, which is wonderfully eclectic in different ways, which I haven't covered, and now couldn't be a better time, with the anniversary of the span of posts related to the movie. 

The two artists who collaborated to make this song are unique in many ways. Honest Boyz is a Japanese hip-hop group composed of five people, while Lil Uzi Vert is a hip-hop artist who is also a big Pokémon fan, being that he has incorporated it into some of his songs. Together, they worked on this song, which has a good deal of Japanese lyrics in addition to English ones, of which the above represents the initial verse and the starting line of the chorus. The song is additionally produced by Pharrell Williams, who is well known for his own songs and ties up this collaboration together.

As suggested by the title of this song (and further by the starting line of the chorus), it ties into the central figure of the movie - Pikachu, and particularly the Detective Pikachu of the movie. The English lines above illustrate the theme of "differentiation" of Pikachu from other Pokémon, as in what makes it special. The Japanese lines can be interpreted to illustrate the theme of "impressions of life", as in what Pikachu may feel at different moments that are present all around life. The two themes are seemingly intertwined and illustrate the experiences of the moments present in the movie - thus, "eclectic".

Compared to the other song, which is fully in English, this song is part (tending to mostly) Japanese and part English, and therefore this song can be said to "throw a bone" to Japanese viewers, to make them feel appreciative of the Western-produced movie. The movie is already eclectic enough with a realistic depiction of Pokémon, and the course of Pokémon has been eclectic as well on both sides of the "pond". Yet besides being "eclectic", everything including the movie has also been "electric", making the song truly an homage to that.

One year ago: A Wonderful PikaWorld
Two years ago: Beyond Gyms and Trials
Three years ago: A Pokémon Pencil Bag

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