Sugizo's Short Melody

written by: Josh "The Music Man" DeLeon

Once upon a time, there was this short melody I heard all of the time that I completely despised! When I was younger, I turned my attention to Japanese music because it was so different from everything I ever heard. If you've seen my youtube videos, then you probably know about motifs. Motifs are small musical ideas that composers use. In soundtrack music, they can be used to represent a character. The Dexter television series does this best. Many times, they are used to define genres. Just type in "Versache flow" in youtube and you'll be exposed to the most popular motif in music today. I find that one very annoying!

In Japanese Rock and Roll, there's this common guitar riff that is repeated many times. The first time I heard it was in the band Luna Sea. The melody is three notes. If we're using solfedge, the notes would be "Ti Do So". In the diatonic mode it would be the leading tone, then the tonic, and then the dominant. If you sit your ass on a keyboard and play B, then C, and then G...you'll hear the melody.

If you're a Japanese rock and roll fan, then you probably heard it in some song somewhere before. It used to bother me. Nowadays, I see how composers use it and it fascinates me. To one composer, it is a calling card. That composer is Sugizo. If you listen to a lot of Sugizo's or Luna Sea's music, you'll hear the melody many times.

Even though, it's Sugizo's trademark he wasn't the first composer to use the motif. He did however popularize it and I'm convinced that without him, many Japanese Rock songs wouldn't have the melody at all. The earliest example I found was within a popular song called Close to You by the Carpenters, but I'm sure I'll probably find older examples. Even in Japan, Casiopia 's Space Road predate Sugizo's use of the motif.

I suggested to a group of colleagues that we call this melody "The Wonka Melody" because at the time, that was the oldest example that we found(until the carpenters beat it). Listen to What the Man said by Paul McCartney and Wings is the oldest example of the melody being played on guitar. We decided to give it to Sugizo since the composer uses it so much (maybe even too much) in comparison to everyone else. Thus, I give it the name "Sugizo's Short Melody".

Below is a list of songs and bands where you'll find the melody. In some songs, it's harder to hear than others. Sometimes it's hidden in the background like in many modern country songs. In Vamp's Inside of Me there's actually a fake out with it. Technically it's not the melody, but it hints at it...so I still put it on the list for it's cleverness. For this list, I kept it one song per musical act. Even with that rule, Sugizo still managed to make three different times. My favorite song with Sugizo's Short Melody is easily Stuckerbrush Symphony of the Super Smash Bros Brawl soundtrack. The layers and countermelodies that go along with it is bittersweet and deserves a listen.

Japanese Rock and Roll

1. Rosier – Luna Sea

2. Reila – Gazette

3. Blue Planet – Alice Nine

4. Driver’s High - Larc en Ciel

5. Secret Number - Gakido

6. Inside of Me – Vamps

7. The Beginning – One Ok Rock

8. Day Dreaming – Band Maid

9. Beneath the Skin - X Japan

10. Eternal Silence - Phantasmagoria

11. I for You - Luna Sea

12. Love Song- Luna Sea

13. Flow - SchoolFood Punishment

14. Rusty Nail - X Japan

15. In Silence - Luna Sea

16. Gravity- Luna Sea

17. Forever and Ever - Luna Sea

American/European (Pop/ Rock Music)

1. Peter Pan – Kelsea Ballerini

2. Listen to What the Man Said – Paul McCartney and Wings

3. All that I’ve Got – The Used

4. Play it Again – Luke Bryan

5. Complicated - Avril Lavigne

6. With or Without You- U2

7. A Thousand Miles- Vanessa Carlton

8. Close to You- Carpenters

9. The Game Of Love - Carlos Santana and Michelle Branch

Other Genres

1. Orange Sky – Ft Island (Korean Rock)

2. Melody – EVE (Korean Rock)

3. Submarine Soda - Modern Conya (Jazz)

4. Your Eyes – Rent (musical)

5. Railroad Man - Ryuichi Sakamoto (piano)

6. Amagi Goe - Ishikawa sayuri (enka)

7. Seoul Music- Yellow Magic Orchestra (electronic)

8. Space Road - Casiopia (jazz)

9. Pizacato - LGG6 (ring tone)

10. Butterfly- BTS (Korean Pop)

11. Calligraphy Yussef Kamaal

Sound Track/classical music

1. Outride a Crisis – Super Hang On (video game)

2. Twisted Circle – Acoustic songs of Soundtrack (classical)

3. Shrine Theme – Zelda Breath of the Wild (videogame)

4. Blue Water Blue Sky – Guilty Gear X2 (videogame)

5. If I never knew You – Pocahontas (movie)

6. Pure Imagination – Willy Wonka (movie)

7. Night Fall - Shenmue (video game)

8. Secret of Mana Theme – Secret of Mana

9. Stuckerbrush Symphony – Donkey Kong Country/Super Smash Bros

10. Haiboku Fatal Fury OVA (anime soundtrack)

11. Last Letter - Shinsekai Yori OST (anime)