Line #91 Music/Philharmony


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/haruomi_hosono_philharmony.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:]]
3
4	''Philharmony'' is the fourth studio album of Japanese artist Music/HaruomiHosono. It was released in 1982 on Hosono and Music/YukihiroTakahashi's newly established vanity imprint, Yen Records, during both men's tenures as member of Music/YellowMagicOrchestra. As a result, the album features both Takahashi and Music/RyuichiSakamoto as session musicians. This plus the involvement of YMO collaborator Hideki Matsutake and English lyricist Peter Barakan results in ''Philharmony'' effectively being a YMO album in all but name.
5
6	Recorded during an era of intense and prolific production (whether as member/producer of YMO or as the producer of other artists), ''Philharmony'' incorporates elements of technopop and {{Ambient}} music which contrast with Hosono's previous album and draw closer to his work as a commercial composer (such work can be found on a later album of his discography, 1985's ''Coincidental Music''). The minimalistic lyrics abstractly talk about themes such as anxiety, heartbreak... [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking as well as birthdays, Italian funiculars, and exercising]].
7
8	One song off the album, "Sports Men", remains a staple of Hosono's concerts and has also been covered by artists such as Music/HotDad and the band Kimono.
9
10	!!Tracklist
11	[[AC:Side A]]
12	# "Picnic" (1:52)
13	# "Funiculi Funicula" (4:31)
14	# "Luminescent / Hotaru" (4:22)
15	# "Platonic" (4:20)
16	# "In Limbo" (2:25)
17
18	[[AC:Side B]]
19	[numlist:6]
20	# "Living-Dining-Kitchen" (3:46)
21	# "Birthday Party" (3:51)
22	# "Sports Men" (4:02)
23	# "Philharmony" (3:22)
24	# "Air-Condition" (4:23)
25	[/numlist]
26
27	[[AC:Bonus track on the 2019 Japanese reissue]]
28	[numlist:11]
29	# "Yumemiru Yakusoku"
30	[/numlist]
31	----
32	!! ''I'll be a good sport, I'll be a good sport, I'll be a troper'':
33	* {{Anaphora}}: The lyrics of "Platonic" feature symploces, a combination of anaphoras and {{epiphora}}s:
34	--> '''''You I''''' ''adore, You inflame'' '''''me'''''\
35	'''''You I''''' ''worship, You captivate'' '''''me'''''\
36	'''''You I''''' ''yearn for, you tantalise'' '''''me'''''
37	* ArtisticLicenseLinguistics: The chorus of "Sports Men" uses a plural term for a single person:
38	--> ''I'll be a good sport, I'll be a good sport''\
39	''I'll be a sports men''
40	* {{Bookends}}: "Living-Dining-Kitchen" stars and ends with the same verse.
41	* BrokenRecord
42	** The looped "Twitching, Throbbing" lyrics of "Sports Men".
43	** "Luminescent / Hotaru" loops the words "Hotaru" and "So sweet".
44	** "Platonic" has a section where Hosono keeps repeating "I love".
45	* CoverVersion:
46	** "Funiculi Funicula" is originally a popular italian song written in 1880 by Luigi Denza and Peppino Turco.
47	** The song "Happy Birthday" is covered in a subverting manner on "Birthday Party"
48	** "Yumemiru Yakusoku"
49	* DescentIntoAddiction: On "Living-Dining-Kitchen":
50	--> ''I lost my love, hearts on fire''
51	--> ''There's no cure but drugs''
52	* DespairEventHorizon: The narrator of "Living-Dining-Kitchen" is in an apathetic state, not knowing what to do or eat and taking drugs as a reliever to his romantic issues.
53	* DroneOfDread: On "Air-Condition".
54	* {{Epiphora}}: See {{Anaphora}}.
55	* FaceOnTheCover
56	* GratuitousEnglish
57	** "Luminescent / Hotaru"
58	---> ''The water is so sweet''\
59	''So sweet''\
60	''(...)''\
61	''Luminescent''
62	** "Yumemiru Yakusoku"
63	---> ''君とならいつも楽しい明るくさわやか''\
64	''Picnic, picnic''\
65	''高鳴るはハートのリズム明るくさわやか''\
66	''Platonic, platonic love''
67	* GratuitousItalian: "Funiculi Funicula" only has Italian lyrics in its title which are repeated during the chorus. Those lyrics refer to the first funicular railway for Mount Vesuvius (whose opening back in 1880 was the inspiration behind the song).
68	* HappyBirthdayToYou: Subverted. The song is partially covered in a more sinister version on "Birthday Party".
69	* {{Instrumentals}}: "In Limbo", "Philharmony" and "Air-Condition".
70	* LimitedLyricsSong: Most songs on the album showcase minimalistic lyrics . "Picnic" (The only lyric being the song's title), "Luminescent / Hotaru" and "Birthday Party".
71	%%* LyricalColdOpen: "Philharmony". (Zero-Context Example)
72	* MundaneMadeAwesome:
73	** "Living-Dining-Kitchen" is a catchy tune about knowing what to eat [[spoiler: until we find out the narrator has a troubled life]].
74	** "Sports Men" is about exercising and staying in shape.
75	* MythologyGag: "Sports Men" has lyrics which echo two songs Hosono co-wrote as a member of Music/YellowMagicOrchestra: "Insomniac" ("I'm not sleeping these days / Must be insomniac") and "Taiso" (The "Twitching, throbbing" looped lyrics).
76	* OneWordTitle: "Picnic", "Platonic" and "Philharmony".
77	* PhraseSaladLyrics: "Sports Men" stitches together a number of loosely connected phrases that all vaguely relate to fitness.
78	* {{Portmantitle}}: "Philharmony" being the crossing of Philosophy and Harmony. In French, the word "Philharmonie" exists but cannot be translated to English.
79	* ProductPlacement: In "Living-Dining-Kitchen", the narrator is unsure whether to have Cup Noodles or a [[UsefulNotes/McDonalds Big Mac]] for his meal.
80	* RearrangeTheSong: On his recent concerts, Hosono would play "Sports Men" with a Jump Blues arrangement. He usually ends the song in a joking manner by [[FakeoutFadeout replaying the outro multiple times]].
81	* ShoutOut:
82	** "Sports Men" mentions that the subject's brother and sister are frequently compared to Franchise/{{Batman}} and Franchise/WonderWoman, respectively.
83	** In "Living-Dining-Kitchen", the narrator is unsure whether to watch ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' or the news.
84	* SpecialGuest: Hosono's YMO bandmates Music/RyuichiSakamoto and Music/YukihiroTakahashi are featured on the album, as well as Hideki Matsutake who has been considered as the fourth member of the band. YMO lyricist Peter Barakan co-translated Japanese lyrics into English.
85	* SpokenWordInMusic: "Yumemiru Yakusoku" starts with a spoken-word sequence where Hosono speaks over voices repeating "Picnic".
86	* TitleTrack
87	* TranslatedCoverVersion: "Funiculi Funicula", originally an Italian song, is covered in Japanese on this album.
88	* VocalDissonance: Hosono's voice is processed through various sound effects on different tracks
89	* WeightWoe: On "Sports Men":
90	--> ''I'm worrying everyday''\
91	''I could be anorexic''

Context Music / Philharmony