I don’t really understand music theory so I’m just here like “I like your funny words, magic man”

Kiryu: _Singing about despair, the mistakes made in the past and how he can't let go_ The people in the background: 👏hey👏

You forgot the most important musical event not included at 1:50 I SING FOR YOU

As a long time Yakuza fan, I’m really glad that people are becoming more aware of the intense comedic and emotional beats that this series is able to reach. Baka Mitai is such a perfect slice of Yakuza that represents the games as a whole.

The title of this video is what I've been telling everyone for months

TL:DR; "Baka Mitai is a bonafide banger." - 8-bit Music Theory, 2020

fun fact: Kiryu's Bakamitai is actually pitch shifted a bit downwards, due to the VA's deeper voice. The version that Akiyama sings is what it's supposed to sound like.

Just a reminder that Kiryus actor is actually the lead singer of his own rock band. Man knows how to use his pipes.

Baka Mitai Actually Slaps Though aka 8-bit Music Theory unknowingly falls in love with enka music

BRUH... Never thought I'd see you making a video on this one. Stoked to hear what you have to say!

The lyrics before “dame da ne” part are something like: “I love you” is something you never say but how come were you able to say “goodbye”?

8bit Music Theory: *explains why the song sounds so good* Me: Hmm yes, plenty of great soup ladles.

This really gets to the heart of something I think people tend to overlook: on some level, a song that becomes a piece of Meme Material must be, on some level, listenable or good. Over and over, we find that the longer-lived musical memes are songs that are good outside the context of the joke. They have to be, otherwise seeing the meme crop up outside of the "standard" context would be an unpleasant time, and seeing memes in new contexts is how they live longer, evolving over time as they spread! For a bit of a dated example, look at rickrolling vs this is sparta. One's still (arguably, anyway) a relevant thing that happens, but we just don't see this is sparta edits anymore! The difference is, I'll sit and listen to Never Gonna Give You Up, but the sparta remix isn't nearly as listenable or enjoyable!

I hear sharks can sing this tune with unmatched proficiency

So basically, this song is a loving tribute to sad j-pop love songs, without being derivative of them. Yakuza once again shows how dang good it is.

So I'd like to introduce two more elements that really makes this song stand out. You absolutely hit the nail on the head with the translations of the lyrics, but there is one thing that someone who doesn't speak Japanese would easily overlook. It's the fact that throughout the song, the lyrics are written in a decidedly feminine style. Of course, as English speakers (myself being an American), there are very few words/phrases that we could use that would be a tell as to what our gender might be. However, in Japanese, the end-tags "の" (no) or especially "なのよ/なのね" (na no yo / na no ne) that pop up quite often in this song are a dead giveaway that the speaker is a woman. (edit: Gendered language is still extremely prevalent in Japanese, as LGBT+ issues in Japan are still a few decades behind - likely due in part to the language itself. I bring this up mostly for the people in the replies learning Japanese - I think it's not unlikely that this changes in coming years, as more young Japanese people come out and a necessity for genderless language develops.) SO, that introduces a totally different angle from which we can analyze the song. Is Kiryu singing this song from his own perspective, or someone else's? Is he singing it ABOUT himself or someone else? The fact that a big beefy yakuza man is singing a song with such feminine lyrics is in itself quite subversive, but is there anything else one could glean from this deeper understanding of the lyrics/language? Who knows? Maybe it's just supposed to be funny, but it's definitely something you could choose to analyze. The second thing about this song that stands out is that it uses Japanese grammar to make the song even more mysterious. What I mean is that in Japanese, the subject of the sentence is often dropped. This creates some moments in "Baka Mitai" that make you question who the subject is - the singer, or the person who broke the singer's heart? For example, here is the first block of lyrics translated in two different ways - both of which are correct: Original: Baka mitai Kodomo na no ne (there's that feminine Japanese I was talking about) Yume wo otte kizu tsuite Uso ga heta na kuse ni waraenai egao wo miseta Translation Option 1: You look like a fool You're such a child You chased your dreams and got hurt You, being such an awful liar, showed me your empty smile Translation Option 2: I look like a fool I'm such a child I chased my dreams and got hurt I, being such an awful liar, showed you my empty smile On top of all this, it doesn't have to be all "I" or all "You", either. One could indeed make a case for mixing those up to make it mean something closer to "I'm such a fool for trusting you even though i could see that you were lying to me". This problem occurs throughout the rest of the song. So hopefully, now you can see that because the subject is often not clearly defined within the song, the number of ways one could analyze it start to border on ridiculous. That's what makes this song so interesting. The choices made within the harmony are of course incredibly nuanced (as showcased by the video), but the lyrics also contain every bit as much nuance and mystery as the music itself. After you've made a decision on who you think Kiryu is singing AS, and who he's singing ABOUT, THEN you have to piece together who the subject of each line is. This song has such powerful, tragic lyrics, but you can never really know who it is that's hurting. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. (edit: Coming back to watch this video 2 years later and... boy, there sure are a lot of you butthurt about me mentioning LGBT+ stuff lmao. I only brought it up to point out that in Japan, it would be incredibly rare to find someone speaking feminine Japanese who wasn't a woman, and that it's fair to analyze the fact that Kiryu is singing a song with feminine lyrics. I decided to add a sentence or two more about it though, since I realized that I hadn't fleshed out that part of the explanation enough. :) Hope that doesn't make anyone have an aneurism.)

5:08 YES!!! i always knew that there was a certain sound that i heard a lot in japanese music that was super cool and not found elsewhere, and thats it!! thank you for finally putting a name to it!

If you look for the full version of the song, there’s a whole second verse with more good words! The version in the game is only the first part!

So cool to see a JPop deep dive! A couple of extra context notes: this is a pretty characteristic example of kayōkyoku (basically 70s / 80s JPop) and the lyrics here are written from a female perspective (which if anything adds another layer of emotional depth!).

Baka Mitai is one of those songs that you don't really notice the first time you hear it, then later find funny as a meme, and after like half a year suddenly you have it back in your ears and like it unironically afterwards.

That explanation of Cmaj7 D/C Bm7 Em7 and how common it's used in the Japanese music hit so hard because all of a sudden ALL OF THE SONGS FROM NIER AUTOMATA START PLAYING IN SIN IN MY HEAD AND THIS IS TOO MUCH, JESUS CRIST.

Even though this song may sound corny to Westerners and the lyrics may be corny to Japanese, the style and sound of this song are far from corny in Japan and are at most classic.

Would you say that Kriyu's deep voice gives his version a more "niche-key"? I'll cry myself out.

Please do "why does Snow Halation go with everything"

Recently started my music degree in college, and with just half a semester, I finally understand a majority of what you are saying lmao

My favorite Yakuza karaoke, other than maybe 24 Hour Cinderella

8bit Music Theory: So here's the video game music share this chord progression Me: **Sing Baka Mitai over Wind Scene**

The tone conflicting with the lyrics is actually a common thing in Japanese drama. A character thrown into the depths of despair will often be self deprecating, trying to lighten the mood, but that only makes the heartbreak more grim. Like a joke character being serious for once, like the doctor in MASH.

We need more huge memes like Baka Mitai because they actually introduce legitimately great songs to everyone -also i want more music that i'll unironically listen to-

the chorus has the same progression as never gonna give you up

Love this! I mean I guess growing up around Japanese music (my moms side of the family is from Japan) and Enka, the progressions didn’t surprise me too much...but now that I’m a music major taking 3rd semester theory, actually UNDERSTANDING the theory behind the music makes me super happy!! Your videos are actually helping me understand the concepts we’re learning 😁😁

If you look up the lyrics further into the song, you'll know that this is not about unrequited love. The man cheated (signified by taking off his ring), the girl learned about it and tried to endure for a while (tsuyoi onna no furi) but eventually they broke up and the man couldn't move on and is deeply regretful.

Honestly, I'm surprised Mother 3 hasn't made an appearance on this channel yet. Aside from the obvious zaniness of the Mother series in regards to its music, the fact that music was composed to challenge the player in regards to the musical battle mechanic would seem like an easy fit. Just 2 cents anyway

Fun fact: you can substitute Baka Mitai for any song by Robert Schumann and this video will still be a mostly accurate analysis.

I would translate 馬鹿みたい as "like a fool" in this context personally. Rather than chastising himself for being an idiot, its more of a statement that the singer continues to love the target of the song, and that he recognizes that its foolish, but that isn't stopping him.

I love the analysis of how the lyrics interact with the harmony! Most musical youtubers I watch focus on the harmony, and only make subtle nods to the lyrics. But I would really like seeing more in-depth analysis like this that involves a level of dedication to how the feeling of the lyrics conflicts with or is supported by the music.

I love both types of videos. The deep dives help me understand a use of musical concepts while looking at an entire soundtrack helps me understand the different options. I do like when you use other video game music as an explanation of concepts used in the topic though.

14:40 Absolutely adore these deep dives, sir. Please never stop geeking out like this so I can become a better music nerd. 👌

Baka Mitai has one of the greatest chord progessions I've ever seen in a song, equivalent to a Steely Dan song, every time I play it on the piano, I get a huge sense of joy in all of the chords that I play. Oh boy oh boy, it's ecstasy!

4:55 Oh shit, that's Never Gonna Give You Up.

That lead in to the chorus gets me every time, man.

This is something I desperately wanted but never thought I'd get

Yay! An analysis of a song with lyrics! Finally! And it's "Baka Mitai" of all songs too. Now, you should analyze "Jump Up, Superstar!"

Wait, so I'm not the only one that started getting randomly obsessed with this song, disregarding the entire meme? I'm glad I ain't the only one. I can't stop repeating it!

I took listening to the Yakuza 0 song to find out this version is a cover of the same song which appeared back in Yakuza 5 and was sung by other characters. It's also in Yakuza 7 sung by yet another character. I implore others to listen to the other renditions to see how different they are - specifically since they have different tempos alongside the different takes on the other characters singing it.

I prefer the more focused videos, personally. It always seems more insightful than flitting around multiple subjects and makes the structure of the videos more cohesive and satisfying.

i like the one tune analysises the most because i actually learn something from the videos, and the songs tend to be better in those videos.

I love singing this with him man, makes my tear up every time 😔

I like both kinds of videos, single songs and soundtracks; and I can’t believe you did Baka Mitai. I love this song, even before it became a meme (I’m actually really glad so many people like it now), and this video really helps explain why it’s so addicting. It’s extremely informative and I’m really glad it exists.

9:13 I like how the D7 in measure 8 sets up a cliché return to G minor after the stint in B flat major, only to use a ii-V-iii-vi in B flat to resolve to G minor without its leading tone F#, making it non-tonic-ish

Great video. Glad to see an analysis of it. It’s more than a meme - it’s actually a damn good listenable tune.

bro this channel is criminally slept on. the way he keeps your attention through the entire video is unmatched

I'm happy that you are confident and more comfortable in sharing your more symbolic interpretations of what the harmonies in a song are! They add a lot to the videos, and help me as a musician too!

Fastest click of my LIFE bro, this song truly is a banger and hearing the theory behind it truly gives me the words to describe what I knew in my heart

Much deeper song than i though it was. It is wonderfull to see the polarity between mayor and minor as well as how the lyrics play with these two to create this strange yet familiar feeling of hope when we are going through minor tonality and viceversa. Really good video as always.

I'm glad to see Baka Mitai getting some recognition! It's so good!

Musician who wrote Baka Mitai: FINALLY!!! The respect I deserve!!! TBH, the theory here is really advanced. I can spot the key change, but you did a great job breaking it all down.

Honestly so long as you push out content, I’ll enjoy it. It’s really good hearing you explain this, i learn music stuff so maybe one day I myself could compose something

"In every sorrow there is hope, and in every joy there is vulnerability" Thank you, mister 8-bit !

As a Yakuza fan, and also a longtime fan of your channel, I LOVED this analysis, it really made me appreciate the song much more than I already did! Great stuff, especially liked your part at the end of the tonal difference between lyric and melody, excellent vid.

ABSOLUTE great job man, love these kind of videos, they make me appreciate music like this on a whole additional level! Really look forward to seeing more!

Man that Vm(maj7) → IIIm7 → VIm works so insanely well. That final IIIm7 → VIm cadence with that dramatic interval at 7:34 is the most J-pop sounding thing ever.

Yessss, the Yakuza soundtracks are always bangers! I love this intricate single song dissection, especially because I love seeing the technical elements that create an artistic piece feel a certain way. I’d love for you to look at Yakuza OSTs as a whole, but I also love this style of video too! Excellent idea!

This was easily my favorite video of yours, and I love them all. You do amazing work, and have inspired creativity in my music on many occasions.

When I got the notification for this video, I was like “What?!”, because I *just* started playing Yakuza 0 a few days ago, and it’s my first experience with the series (I’m having a great time, for the record) The analysis was amazing as always. Thanks especially for making me aware of that C# half-diminished chord in the refrain, I never noticed how funky the harmony was there

God i literally love this channel so much it's my two favorite things combined

Keep on doing both types of videos you outlined at the end, both are interesting in balance with each other

I WAS SO EXCITED TO SEE THIS IN MY SUBBOX i would never have dreamed that you would cover this!! i’m super down with this kind of “deep dive”, would definitely love to see more like this in the future!

I was unironically listening to this song before it was a meme too. It was awesome seeing it become a meme

Its pretty much impossible for this song to be sung bad. Kiryu sings is? Ever hear Saejima sing it? Beautiful. Doesn't matter who it comes out of, its always good.

I didn't know about the Baka Mitai memes until about two months or so after they were relevant, but I couldn't help but keep coming back to the song because of just how good it was on its own

been watching this channel for a lil while, and i gotta say i love to hear your take on individual songs in particular. when you cover entire soundtracks, you show us bits of gold that make us want to play the game again. but when you go all out on one song like here or in bioshocks arrangement of god only knows, you really make us appreciate the art of video game music. seeing the amount of knowledge and creativity put into only one song is rly eye opening and hugely inspiring, so i’d definitely like to see more videos of this type. in all cases i love your content, and regardless of what you choose to cover in your videos, your overflowing passion for music always ends up winning me over.

8-bit Theoritician: *says smart things* Me, a focken idiot: heh, that couple of notes with transition just above "o - tte" at 9:25 looks like a smug smile

The way it makes use of the relative major and minor keys serves to emphasize the wild emotional struggle. While I couldn't have analyzed the actual theory here, it was immediately apparent to me what the back and forth was trying to say. Even without reading the lyrics, I understood the ideas through the use of harmony. It's honestly a beautiful song. It makes me happy to hear legitimately good music being appreciated, even if it is in the form of a silly meme.

Thank you for this video. You really broke this shit down man, lol! Bakamitai first appeared as karaoke in Yakuza 5, which hit Japan shelves in 2012. The series kind of struggled outside of Japan for a while, and we almost didn't get 5 out here but we managed to get a digital version in 2019. Fans didn't give up and some of us eventually wrote in to show support for the series. I think that may have helped turn the tide. Yakuza 0 really put this series on the map for a lot of people. Better late than never, welcome aboard!

Hey, this video introduced me to your channel just now and I felt compelled to say great work!

To the people who think that Kiryu's version slaps: just wait till you hear Akiyama's (another Yakuza protagonist) version. Now THAT version truly slaps. Best singer of all Yakuza protagonists by far (and it's hilarious to think that the VA also voices Beerus and Donald Duck, lmao).

This is a day of joy. Never in my wildest dreams I could've imagined that 8-bit himself would be one day talking about the music in Yakuza. I can die a happy man.

I love all your content, and all of it is really informative and cool for me. The deep dives are awesome, but stepping back and seeing a whole soundtrack is just as cool. Just keep doing what you're doing. These videos have come a long way. I'm excited to see what you do next!

Wow, I love the in depth music theory knowledge you drop here! I’m still a beginner in that realm but this was fun to watch!!

Fascinating video and this song is such a bop! Maybe it's because I'm not exposed to them much outside of playing jrpgs but I'm always surprised by how much chord progressions in Japanese music can catch me off-guard.

I have been listening to this song for months, so good to see a tear down

I super super appreciate the deep dives into specifics. I really like your theory analysis because it helps me learn about these really interesting chord structures that I wouldn't have otherwise known about. Thank you!

This is by far my favorite video you've done yet. And this is coming from someone who loved all of the previous deep dives.

I've started playing Yakuza 0 a week ago and you upload this video... I didn't expect this lmao Though I agree that Baka Mitai is fantastic

I'm so glad you can put into words how I felt about this when I first heard it in a meme.

Absolutely wonderful video!! Thank you so much! Looking forward to your future content as well :)

AHHHH I LOVE THIS!!! I nerd out like this about my favorite songs to other people and I love seeing others gush like this too!! This song quickly became one of my favorites and it fills me with so much joy to see one of my favorite youtubers break it down like this ^^

Yes, please do more "meme" songs and why they're so good. Maybe a video on how we listen to meme songs ironically, but eventually genuinely enjoy them?

Me, every morning: DAME DA NEEEEE

I really loved this video!! Deep analysis on one specific piece is great! The analysis you did comparing the lyrics and the music theory was amazing :o

Lol i love your intro to this video. Whole thing was great ty for video

I love your stuff and was wondering, is there some sort of online resource where I could learn to do exactly what you do in your videos? (i.e. analysis with chord symbols etc.)

Plastic Love!!! Pls

I love deep dives into songs like this, it adds an extra layer of depth to already good games/movies and are really interesting to get into!

The best content on KZfaq. Your videos are so educational and are about my absolutely favorite subject matter. Thank you.

I feel like this kind of deep dive into one specific song with specific examples from that one song is easier for someone with little to no musical training to follow. When there's just a barrage of chord progressions without anything to really latch onto on an audio level, it's sometimes hard to follow where exactly the sentence is going, at least for me. When it's broken down into small phrases that you get to know the context of more intimately throughout the video really helps me understand and follow though. Overall, I must say, I don't mind the broader style of video though. Generally I feel like music is criminally underappreciated in some games, and the underlying theory of how those beautiful soundtracks work to evoke emotions is really interesting. Albeit sometimes a bit too "chords rapid firing" for newbies.

I haven't played yakuza yet.But I've seen it and I've wanted to play it for a while.And then this was a meme.So yeah. Great time to start.

This video was so good! I instantly subscribed to your channel! Plus I love happy sounding sad songs!!! Previously, I also only knew this as a meme but after learning the depth of the music & lyrics from your video I now understand that it's such a beautifully written song! Thank you for making this!

This was an AMAZING breakdown! I am pumped to go through the other vids and see what there is to indulge in!!