They say music fills some inherent need in our souls, some yearning that can only be satiated by losing ourselves in the combination of melody and rhythm. Every culture in the world has developed some form of music and cultivated it through the ages. Entire societies have been shaped by the kind of music they listen to. (Look at Hitler's use of music before & during World War II.)

America has the largest recording industry in the world. It generates pop idols, rock bands, unknown indies acts... everything jrock offers, right? Then why is such a large group of non-Japanese people turning to jrock instead of their own, native music? What is it about jrock that attracts them? This is my attempt to answer these questions while illuminating why I personally love Japanese music.

I. The Sound
If you've ever taken a music class, you know about melody. It is the progression of a series of notes, the basis of every song. (Harmony are the notes that accompany and complement the melody.) American rock music these days tends to be pretty weak on melody. Sure, there are some great songs out there. However, a good number of songs have melodies that are repetitive and unoriginal. Furthermore, some American music has completely ditched the idea of melody. Lyrics are shouted rather than sung, or are all sung on the same 3 to 5 notes. To put it simply, these songs are boring. The melody contains the emotional basis of the song; therefore, without a melody, a song will have little emotional impact. (Note: This does not include rap, which uses other devices to convey emotion.) For an example, I'll refer to the Avril Lavigne hit "Skater Boi" which uses about five notes for the entire chorus. This song conjures no emotion in the listener.

However, Japanese rock tends to have much more inventive melodies. They do not follow the same formulas as Western music, and therefore feel fresh and original. Many jrock acts feature singers that have huge ranges and can move from bass notes to falsetto in a few seconds. For an example, I'll use Hyde of L'arc~en~ciel. He is able to sing much more complex melodies because of his tremendous range. Even Japanese metal bands like X Japan rely heavily on strong, fluid melodies. Of course, there are exceptions, and some jrock acts are just as uninspired as their Western counterparts. Vice versa, there are some truly creative Western bands, but they are few and far between. So, for me personally, jrock is appealing because of the melodic nature of the songs.

II. The Words
This is probably the biggest reason I listen to Japanese rather than American rock. Even though I don't speak much Japanese, the lyrics speak to me much more than those in American songs. (Music is the universal language, after all.) American lyricists tend to rely on cliches like lost love, anger at society, etc. They often don't even bother to wrap these themes up in poetic language. Case in point: the Puddle of Mud song that consists of the chorus "she fuckin' hates me." Wow. That's... moving. I know that's a rather extreme example, but it does make a point. It's also important to point out that this song did insanely well on the Billboard charts.

Kagrra's lyricist/vocalist Isshi

Japanese lyrics tend to be more poetic, contain more abstract imagery, and generally deal with a more diverse range of topics. Sure, most of them deal with love or the downfall of society in some way, but they attack the problems from different angles. Consider the band Kagrra, whose vocalist usually takes the position of a woman in ancient Japan. Or Pierrot's lyricist Kirito, who attacks everything from singers who only do cover songs to adolescent murderers. Or X Japan's Yoshiki, who wrote heartwrenching ballads about death and loss. Lyrically, there is really something to satisfy everyone. This is clearly missing in a lot of American music, since so many people are forsaking it for jrock. (Yes, I know we're a minority, but even minorities represent *something*.)

III. The Look
I want to keep this short since visual style is less important than the music, but it is a factor. Western bands have a very strict set of rules that basically say: if you're a punk band, you look like this. If you're metal, you look like this. The Japanese have pretty much destroyed most of those barriers. A metal band can have members that wear dresses and long hair (like X Japan or early Dir en Grey). There's no rule that says only punk bands can have crazily colored hair (look at Pierrot or even Glay). Furthermore, there is more variety in Japan. I mean, a band like Malice Mizer would NEVER survive here in the States. I think this opens people up to bands they might not have otherwise listened to. I mean, I never would have guessed X Japan was a metal band by their pictures. O_o

IV. Conclusion
No, jrock fans do not all wish they were Japanese. I sometimes wish I was *in* Japan, but I don't think I've ever wanted to change my ethnicity. There is simply something about jrock that speaks to its fans in a way that Western music does not. Sure, there are still good bands from America and Britain and Germany, and I listen to a few of them. Jrock is something special and unique though. That is evident in the ever-growing fan community and the fact that a few Japanese bands are even touring in the States. (B'z, anyone?) More and more people are being pleasantly surprised by the work of top Japanese bands. Will these bands ever find mass popularity in the west? Only time will tell, but for now the future seems pretty bright. Perhaps Japanese music can open the door for more cultural understanding and acceptance. (Let's hope!!) ^_^