13:12 When Moa shouting "Iku yo" with the smoke gun, your (smiles) reaction was pure happiness.

One of the most impressive things to me is that even without being able to understand a single word she sings, the emotional core of this song still hits you full blast.

Greetings professor, I just enrolled here. Looking forward to a great semester. Man, I graduated from college, got a job, then quarantine happened, put me out of job for a while, and now I'm back in class! what a weird times.

The original title, "Hedobangyā", is a combination of two words: Hedoban (Headbang) and Bangya (girl that follows a band around). That's where people are getting the 'groupie' aspect of it from. However, it's more likely that in this case they're meaning a specific genre of music (heavy metal) rather than an individual band. Basically, it implies that the girl in the song falls in love with heavy metal and becomes a metalhead. That's actually what she's screaming; "Hedobangya". Also, your graphic said their second single was "Line". You probably know this, it's probably a goof or slip, but it's called "Iine" - It's a double i in the front, not a Li. Everything else, though, I think you're spot on with. I can't wait until you get to my favorite song, but it's on Metal Resistance, so it might be a bit...

Very interesting analysis, thanks. I have also understood the reference to the flower as representing her childhood (sort of that bloom of youth perhaps) that she is now leaving behind her, it couldn't last for ever but she will look back on it fondly. 15 is a significant age in Japan, that is when compulsory education ends, so they are no longer children and this is where they have to grow up and make a choice of what path to follow - whether that is to go on to further education or whatever else. Also 20 is the real 'coming of age, you are now an adult' birthday in Japan and at Legend S in December 2017 where Su returned to her home town Hiroshima to perform there for the first time with BABYMETAL celebrating her 20th birthday, Su changed the lyric from 15 to 20 - as did Moa when she took over the lead vocals, as you said she did, at Legend M for her 20th. As Rick Wagner has said in many comments in reaction videos on KZfaq in the past, Su was 14 when she recorded 'Headbanger', so it is not autobiographical but she could relate as she was already performing at metal concerts - not just attending them. I do have to make a small correction - Legend 1997 was the day after Su's 16th birthday in December 2013, I think Legend D was on her 15th birthday the year before. I finally got to see them perform 'Headbanger' in person in February this year at Hammersmith ... it was every bit as good and perhaps even better than I had been imagining ever since I discovered them.

Great video and I appreciate your lecture again from Japan 有難う💛。I feel ashamed that I have understood the lyrics in a shallow manner. Someday I want to say "tiny touch of sadness that comes from knowing that it won't last" to my fiends as if I thought of the phrase myself. For this song, I remember an American fan wrote last year something like (not verbatim) "At the Forum, Su completely trusted American audience and held her mic towards us. We thanked her and hit the 'ki-e-ro' chant right on cue. And our queen was smiling with approval". On the contrary, many Japanese fans were thankful to that comment . I look forward to your next upload but please take your time. Students can be patient.

Your words "tiny touch of sadness knowing that it won't last" kinda stuck with me and I just started reading the new interview that came with the new Blu-Ray release and Su said this: "SU: So there was also a feeling of sadness. The rehearsals were super dense, so during the show I thought "ah... this song will never be performed like this again..." Of course I was excited about the performances, but at the same time there was a feeling of sadness." Just thought this is interesting how it fits to what you said.

I just love your "lectures" on BABYMETAL. :-)

Legend 1997 was held the day after Su’s 16th birthday, not her 15th. The Legend D concert in 2012 was held on her 15th. ichigo is a triple pun, since it most often means “strawberry”, but can also be “once in a lifetime”, like you pointed out, or 1 + 5, for an unusual version of fifteen. At any rate, thanks for doing this one. It’s a really important BABYMETAL song for a lot of reasons. You really zeroed in on the sense of needing to capture and remember that fleeting moment of time that is the core of the song.

Thank you for this video, as I don't have any friends who are into Babymetal, KZfaq is the only place I have to talk about them with others and I really enjoy hearing people's thoughts on them (excluding the trolls of course) An interesting one to do an analysis of would be Yava, I don't think any of us can agree on the meaning of that one.

I enjoyed that. Thank you. Looking forward to the next one 🦊

When I first listened to Babymetal, I really enjoyed it without understanding what I was hearing. The emotion of the song was what I felt. Later I was able to read the English translations of the lyrics and my enjoyment grew. Now with your analysis, you have increased the enjoyment i receive listening to Babymetal. For that I truly am thankful to you!

I can't thank you enough for your BABYMETAL videos - this one was very very VERY interesting again, I appreciate "Headbanger" even more now (and it already was my favourite BM song, especially the Legend 1997 version). I wasn't aware of the different implications of the lyrics but it elevates the song to the next level for me. Btw I never would've thought to get a mention of Morrissey (whose music I love as well) in a video about BABYMETAL. :-)

So happy I got to see this one live. Such a blast

Awesomesauce! Another great class,! Babymetal is the first band in many years that have actually made me curious about the lyrics and their meaning. The Cure was the first. Been a fan of theirs since 1986 when a platoon mate in Army boot camp gave me his Head on the Door cassette. I was hooked from the very first song. Then comes Babymetal rocking my world and I was hooked from the very first song. Queen Su, Goddess of Metal says, "Don't think, feel!" That is perfect to me when it comes to music but, it is still cool to get an idea of the meaning behind a song when it really moves you. Most other songs I like, I just want to know the words so I can sing along. Anyway, thanks for doing these! I'm on hour 18 of being awake so hopefully that makes some kind of sense, lol.

Mom: Stop watching these KZfaq videos and study! Me: I am studying. I am watching a lecture with Professor Hartley!

Thank you for this. Please analyze their whole library I would love to hear your breakdown of each song

Awesome analysis Master Andrew! Glad you did it again! First, your japanese is very good, much better than some descendants i know. I share the same thoughts about the lyrics and i think this song was specially created to SU and for all the 15y old girls too. See you again! 🤘🦊🤘

Thank you for another analysis video, they are really interesting.

Thanks, your analysis gave me a deeper understanding and appreciation of a song that was already a favorite. Yes,... please do more of these!!! A full treatment of their entire catalogue would be a huge contribution, an asset to the fandom, but of course it's up to you to decide how far you wish to take this. A little remark, ..."Line!", as you mentioned in captions in the beginning of the video, is actually "Iine", with 2 "i"'s, the first one being a capitol "i", which is pronounced like "ee-neh". It means something along the lines of "nice/how nice". I'd love an analysis of the song regardless of what kind of release it was,... again though, up to you. ;)

Brilliant! I wish I could like this 100x. Thanks for doing these analyses.

great content professor, or Andrew-Metal. BABYMETAL rules, keep the education coming.

And now I'm on time (more or less)... I love this series you are making, please keep doing it!. Your thoughts on the lyrics makes me think on them on a different level. You add a new layer of knowledge, thank you!. BTW, please lower the music volume next time: Your voice is very low compared to the music, so I pump up the volume but then, every time the musics plays, my ears bleeds! Not that I'm complaining, it's my favorite band... but, you know =)

Thank you for continuing on this series, I love talking about these things. If we are on the topic of Kiba of Akiba: have you ever listened to Doki Doki Morning by Kiba of Akiba ? :-) It euh... differrent. The reason I've always heard why some in Japan thought groupie is because of 'banga' in the title. 9:37 Su-metal always wants to put a lot of emotion in her singing/performance and she has mentioned in an interview in the past she might take 6 months to really deeply understand a song and know how to perform it. Babymetal as a whole/in general really is all about 'in the moment' as a live performance act. Forget about everything else. Koba has mentioned like entering a different world, a fantasy or dream during the concert. An immersive experience. Then after the show being released back into reality. Su-metal maybe has the most powerful presence I've seen from such a young performer. Nothing short of amazing. But then Suzuka is almost the opposite of that. This is part of why Mori-sensei from Sakura Gakuin has said it's like she made a deal with the devil to perform at Tokyo Dome, giving this girl some kind of out of this world ability. Also funny how you use the word stateliness, I think this most be how almost 'meme' of her being a queen got started.

Fan since first BM video. Glad was first in your 2nd song.

I just have to say, I only very recently got into BABYMETAL. Very recently as in maybe two weeks ago? But Headbanger has quickly been put in my top songs and stuck in my head for days on end. Your video was recommended to me earlier today and I finally watched it, curious about how you would explain it. I knew what the song was about, read the comments from other fans about the song, tried to do some research of my own, the whole deal. The way you explained it though, it brought tears to my eyes, it reminded me of my very first rock/metal concert. The feelings I felt while I was at that concert, how I can never forget that concert not even 15 years later. Your explanation managed to put me in Su-Metal's shoes for a second and think about how she probably felt like I did when she was on on that stage, but multiplied by 1,000. Sorry this is a little sappy, but I wanted you to know that you did a really good job at an emotional level explaining as well as factual according to the other comments I've been reading and I wanted to say thank you. You've given me even more of a reason to love this song now. I am still VERY new to the world and music of BABYMETAL and I'm sad that I'm so late to giving them a chance, but I was a stubborn teenager when I first heard of them. I'm still learning a LOT about the band and their music, I still have a ton of songs I've never heard before, but I am so excited to keep experiencing them and their music, and hopefully more of your explanations/discussions.

That was very interesting, thank you :)

I wish you were one of my professors in school and taught this class, I would have actually went to class 😁

This was a great video, and I really enjoyed your analysis of this song. I must have missed your first one on DDM, but I'm definitely going to check it out. This is one of those songs, among many others, that really gets the crowds at shows to get involved and energizes the concert. I can think of a couple others that could benefit from your analysis as well, Megitsune and Ijime, Dame, Zettai. The official video for Megitsune in particular, as the mixing of that track and the production of the video are so top notch, not to mention the overall cultural meaning and visuals..

Great analysis Andrew, appreciate your knowledge and research.

Absolutely amazing, thanks! I'm so glad you did this one and also grateful to you and to the other kitsunes who usually comment on YT so I can learn more and more about them. As someone once said: You are awesome! :) See you next time!

It's interesting how these themes have been mirrored in other songs of theirs. If you were to analyse Pa Pa Ya, you might make many of the same points. This song was written by a man that I know only as Narasaki, and the only other things I know about him are that he is the leader of an interesting band called Coaltar of the Deepers, and he's also the writer of one other song for Babymetal, Catch Me if You Can. That song also includes lines that refer to 'crybabies', and in the context of that song, the wording is interpreted as reference to the tradition concerning Namahage, which are kind of boogeyman figures.

That "frigility" you talked about must be Koba's perpetual nightmare. :)

This is such an interesting approach to react to them, very impressive. I liked it a lot. Would love to see more of this content. Thank you very much. Greetings from a german Kitsune 🤘🏼🦊🤘🏼. And please stay healthy you all.

Awesome analysis! This is definitely my favorite song of theirs, closely followed by Rondo of Nightmare and Karate. It’s just pure perfection - the melancholy/nostalgia juxtaposed with that fun, punky energy is something only they can successfully get away with and own, without it being corny. I also like the energy of their live performances, even though the original video has a special place in my heart. It’s the origin of the neck brace meme and just the fact that Jesus is being sucked from the cross to headbang during the solo is just too awesome! Cheers

Very interesting again! I‘m usually not someone who digs too deep into song lyrics, not even when they are in my mother tongue (which I never listen to, since that would be German ;-) ), so it’s nice to see other people doing it for me and presenting the results in easily digestible chunks. :-) I have never given much thought to the hair, for example. BTW, may I ask about your background regarding the Japanese language? Is it just BABYMETAL, or is there more to it? Another thing that’s always nice to see is that even old BABYMETAL fans can’t help but smile when they watch the girls having (and spreading) fun.

Great that you are sharing your entusiasm on Babymetal here, love your aproach! Still on the subject of hair and headbanging, both on japanese culture and metal music, it´s worth remembering an old interview with the girls while still studying metal music: Moa records being impressed by watching Kerry King, Slayer´s bald guitarrist, headbanging during a live performance. She adds that BM´s headbanging is different, not back-front but to the sides, and certainly not as violent to their own bodies as it proved to be to the veteran male metal performers (Kerry King, Phil Anselmo, among many others, all developed back or cervical conditions duo to extreme headbanging). It also makes me note how effortlesly the eastern kami band plays (particularly their drummer); while they deliver a flawless, technical yet expressive interpretation of the songs, they are not really concerned on showing their sweating and muscles while playing (as almost all metal musicians in the West feel they have to, as a way of performing agressive masculinity and the whole ethos that comes with it). Babymetal shows that metal can be really fun, inviting, friendly, elegant, gentle; it´s truly unique.

When I first discovered Babymetal on KZfaq, early on this was one of my favorite BM songs ... and still is. I like it for the music, the vocals, the tune, the playing by the band members - it is fun to listen to without knowing a word of Japanese. With your analysis, professor, it becomes much more than just a catchy tune. Thank you for bringing out (to those of us not fluent in Japanese) the real meanings and messages found in the lyrics of this song.

this is not prophecy, this is desicion! love that

Yes... Yes, yes.

Another good video. And about one of my favorite songs haha. As someone that lives in a tropical country i have to say that the feel of this song, not reading the lyrics, but just how it feels, it's like a tropical summer storm. The church organ at the begining is like the wind picking up and the black clouds forming, all really fast and kind of dramatic. Then the "calm" singing with the "plinky plonky" it's like the first thick drops of rain falling and hitting the ground, then when the band and the "hedoban, hedoban, hedoban..." parts come, it's like the thunders and lightining, with the wind picking up even more. And then when the song acutally '"starts", with her vocals and the band now full on it, it's like the storm really started, the rain falls almost horizontaly because of the strong winds, you can barelly hear your own voice, the streets are turning it to rivers, there is so much water falling that you can't see much farther, more thunders and lightinings all around, the storm is now hitting hard. Then during the break when they go back to the "plinky plonky" it's like when you think that the storm is over, it is very common to have some "pauses" during this kind of storm, and then, like the song, the storm comes back strong, everything is back, water pouring, thunders, lightining, wind... and then it all ends at once, like it was never there.

Thankyou for this reaction AJ. I love the passion I see in your reactions and analysis of Babymetal songs. I can see that you ride every high and low for this incredible band like a proud parent. It is refreshing to see such honesty, admiration and respect for the whole band. Well done again!

...from 18:20 on. No reactor has ever articulated how watching Babymetal live performances affects me, better than you sir. These girls - Su especially - epitomize the steely insistence to forge through your dreams despite the hurdles of conformance. And then enjoying every moment of that journey. As you so succinctly stated, I view their performance/theatrics not as borne of mindless accord to a marketing agenda but the outcome of the girls' inurgent decision in that particular moment, to live life to its fullest. We have been so fortunate to have experienced Babymetal. More so, those of y'all who persevered with them back when most people - myself included - thought of them as a fleeting novelty. We're really lucky that Su, Yui and Moa stayed their course.

Great react. Don't think I have every heard anyone say the lyrics in Japanese before.

Great video again, thank you :)

Nicest #notacult that will change the world for the better. Your thoughtful analyses are a great contribution. Thank you, Kitsune!

16:12 haha, in Moa banger she tried to do that serious Death Glare of Su but she couldn't, she end up smiling when looking at the crowd as she radiate her love with them, she's different kind to Su, Su can be powerful and commitment when she need to own the show, Moa is always playful, light heart and resonate the love engergy with everyone who look at her

I found your reaction video scrolling for new BM reactions to watch and WOW, thank you so much I truly enjoyed your analysis, Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!! is my favorite BABYMETAL song, i definitely relate to this song. On my very first BM concert i was able to make it all the way to the wall of death and experienced the feels and emotions Su sing about here, ill never forget it, been in several BM walls of Deaths after but that first one was insane, loved every squashed sweaty bit if it🤘🤘🤘 All hail The Fox God

Hi. Thanks for your support and help.

Signed up for this class to better understand BxMxC. But don't change the syllabus on my account. Please continue as you like.

Welcome to the FOXHOLE A BABYMETAL JOURNEY...

Can't wait for you to react to Road of Resistance Live in Japan

Thank you

As always, professor, thanks for sharing your insights. While the song is quite accessible through the normal subtitles, as it does not contain so many specific Japanese cultural references as some other BM songs, you have definitely deepened my understanding and apreciation of this classic BM song. I also applaud your decision to use the "Legend of 1997" material. This was special; it felt so - fresh, for lack of a better word. In German we sometimes use a saying/quote meaning that there is some magic in every beginning ("Jedem Anfang wohnt ein Zauber inne.") I am fully aware that this concert was not the beginning of Babymetal, but it has this new, slightly experimental and exciting vibe to it. Did we ever see fog cannons used on the audience after that? And I'm not even talking about crucifing Su during "Babymetal Death".

nice analysis there, GJ \m/

Bro you quoted Morrissey!!! Great videos!!

Like the analysis, I think you are spot on about the feeling of it being a consciences decision not to forget about the moment. You could easily use the verb wasurenai but the fact instead they structure it wasure shinai (using the suru verb) which implies an action or decision on the speakers part, As you say it's about that moment which all too soon is gone.

BABYMETAL fans did treat you well for your first video? Does this mean Shakespeare fans are not so nice ;-)

Could you do an indepth breakdown of Catch Me If You Can by Babymetal please, as I surmise it has alot to do with Shintoism?

i cant wait for Akatsuki

Age 15 is a year of dicidion what the person going to be or do after 9 years schooling, and also the last year as treated child socialy.

I love this song better than ROR, or IDZ and this song was one of my trigger to become a big fan of BABYMETAL. Another one was "ONEDARI DAISAKUSEN". Headbanger is sentimental, romantic, and energy song. And it has a little bit comical. comical but cool. I think it might be Japanese-like and BABYMETAL-like Rock number. The lyrics have sung about the youth of teenage girls chasing "Visual Kei (ビジュアル系)" Metal Bands. Visual Kei has been popular in 90's of Japan. X Japan is one of the representative bands. Yes, it is a legendary metal band, that BABYMETAL, or KOBA as the producer, respects. The girls headbanged with their long hair at the live shows, so they were called "Bangals (バンギャル、バンギャ)".But they are not groupies. They have bought cheap train tickets from a small amount of their pocket money, and traveled with only local trains. Such girls, with graceful and pure mind, have headbanged intense at their favorite band's live. It is like Su-, changing suddenly on the stage. it might be one year of their 15th years old. And it is pure and beautiful period because of short and never coming back again. In the lyrics of the first verse, we have some words that express such girls. For example, "18 ticket ". it means "Seisyun 18 kippu (青春18きっぷ)、a discount train ticket (I also used in my student period.)" And the terms of Bangals are lined up, "Dosen (ドセン、In the middle of the front row of the crowd)", "Gyaku Dai (逆ダイ)", "Saku Dai (柵ダイ)", "Koro Dai (コロダイ)", "Ori tatami (折りたたみ)". Those are terms like mosh, or crowd surfing in English, but pretty hard for me to explain each by each, so if interested in, please research, sorry, haha. And the word "Hakanaku (はかなく、儚く)" is one of impressed Japanese words in the lyrics. "Hakanai (はかない)"is an adjective, but it is not suite for proper translation word in English, I think. As Sensei explains, it means fragile, or short time and so on. I have once explained it same feeling like cherry blossoms in full bloom, but in short time, fall down. It is the feeling that Japanese likes. Regarding reading "Jyugo (15)" or "Ichigo (15)", as Mr. Rick Wagner said in this comment section, it has three meanings. In them, Strawberries quote from Japanese popular Folk song in 70's, "Ichigo hakusyo wo mou ichido (いちご白書をもう一度)", I think. However, "Ichigo hakusyo " means American New Cinema in 60's, "The Strawberry Statement". The choreography expresses Bangals, so Yui & Moa have danced intentionally to look beautiful in their long hair shaking, or emphasis their long hair in the side to side headbanging style of BABYMETAL. And at the end part, they are tired of dancing and fall down. One guy once said to me that makes him imagine "Master of Puppets by Metallica". It may be so too, but I think they expressed to have been exhausted. They have a little bit comical choreography too. The part of "bang bang banbang" quote from Japanese old anime, "Great Mazinger ". At the opening organ, as Sensei said ritual expression, it is one of the ways of Japanese anime song, quoting from "Utyu Senkan Yamato, Hakusyoku Suisei Teikoku no te-ma (さらば宇宙戦艦ヤマト、白色彗星帝国のテーマ、 Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato, the theme of the White Comet Empire". About Yamato, There is a fan site to find BABYMETAL's tributes, and I quoted from it. I am really sorry I wrote a long sentence. Sensei's story was also very informative, for example, plinky plonky, carpe diem, Su-'s changing note to emphasis, Morrissey. Finally, I paste the link. Thank you, Sensei. From Japan. Bangals kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ptxzktaBl9uun2Q.html Great Mazinger　kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pJyBrdN33cqnp4k.html the theme of the White Comet Empire kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rLeBn5Zn0M2npmg.html a fan site to find BABYMETAL's tributes bmparadise.blog.jp/archives/28377141.html

please ... play baby metal song No rain No rainbow..Live legend 1999 ....

So, I love the videos, but I have one small complaint. Audio levels. The song is VERY loud and you’re VERY quiet. So, when wearing headphones I find myself turning it way up so I can hear you speak, then when the music kicks in its blasting my eardrums lol

2nd class as good as the 1st one

To be a bit banal, It's a "coming of age story". I didn't know Morrissey was responsible for The Book of Common Prayer, I thought that was Bishop Cranmer...just adding to the pedantry.

I advise that you drop that Shakespeare stuff (he's just a gimmick) and concentrate on BABYMETAL :] Love your vids.

Thank you

please ... play baby metal song No rain No rainbow..Live legend 1999 ....