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Gips

CD Art
Artist
Shiina Ringo
Single
Gips (ギブス; Plaster Cast)
Released
2000.01.26
Catalog Number
TOCT-22051
Price
¥1,234 (tax included)
Tracklist
  1. Gips (ギブス)
  2. Tokyo no Hito (東京の女(ひと); Tokyo Lady)
  3. Σ


Information

"Gips" is Shiina Ringo's sixth single. It was released at the same time "Tsumi to Batsu". The B-side "Tokyo no Hito" is a cover of the 1970 song of the same title by The Peanuts. Gips reached #3 in Oricon charts (one place above "Tsumi to Batsu") and charted for 12 weeks. Gips sold 714,240 units in Japan, becoming the #27 single of 2000.

The single has an internal symmetry it shares with "Tsumi to Batsu": the single starts with a three kana song, then is followed by a cover song, then ends with a song sung in English. Similarly, a song on each single also features a famous guest artist (on "Σ" Tabuchi Hisako of Number Girl and moOog of Buffalo Daughter are featured, while Asai Kenichi of BLANKEY JET CITY is featured on "Tsumi to Batsu").

The first line of the chorus is noted to be written as "i 罠 Β wiθ u"; where 罠 is the kanji for 'trap' (and is pronounced wana), and both Β and θ are Greek letters (pronounced B and TH respectively). In the lyrics, there is also a reference to Nirvana vocalist Kurt Cobain ("You're like Kurt, so wouldn't that make me Courtney?"). Interestingly, this is not because she liked Nirvana (in fact in interviews she said that she did not really like the band), but because the boy the song is written for liked the band.

"Gips" was one of Shiina's demo recordings under the title "Don't You Think?".

Song Information

Lyrics
Shiina Ringo
Music
Shiina Ringo
Other Information
Arrangement: Kameda Seiji & Shiina Ringo
Guitars: Nishikawa Susumu
Bass: Kameda Seiji
Piano: Saito Yuta
Drums / Tambourine: Kawamura Bokai
Synths: Nakayama Nobuhiko, Kitashiro Hiroshi
Recording: Inoue Uni at Kame-star Studio and Studio Terra
Mixing: Maeda Yasuji

Music Video

The PV for "Gips" was directed by Banba Shuichi. It features Shiina performing with a band in a grimly-coloured graveyard. Occasionally neon static flashes grace the screen. Occasionally Shiina is shown through in a room with the skull of an animal through a brown filter. In several scenes a girl dressed in a traditional kyoukatabira (経帷子) (Edo-period white burial kimono) appears.

The band in the music video is made up of the members of one of Shiina's Zecchoushuu bands, Tensai Praeparat.

Disambiguation

There are three known versions of Gips to be found in Shiina Ringo's discography. These include:

Gips
Found on the Gips single as #1, and #4 on her Shouso Strip album. This is the standard version set to the PV.
Gips (Electric Mole Live)
Found on the Electric Mole DVD as track #15.
Gips (Ringohan Taikai Live)
Found on the Dai Ikkai Ringohan Taikai no Moyou DVD as track #12.

Oricon Chart Positions

Date Week Rank Week Sales Total Sales
2000.02.07 3 400,330 400,330
2000.02.14 9 78,870 479,200
2000.02.21 7 80,740 559,940
2000.02.28 14 46,670 606,610
2000.03.06 12 41,630 648,240
2000.03.13 13 21,340 669,580
2000.03.20 27 11,370 680,950
2000.03.27 26 10,910 691,860
2000.04.03 31 9,630 701,490
2000.04.10 38 6,870 708,360
2000.04.17 49 3,790 712,150
2000.04.24 78 2,090 714,240

Total Reported Sales: 714,240

External Links