Kyōshinshō

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Kyōshinshō (狭心症; “Heart Attack”) is a song by Japanese rock band Radwimps. It was released on February 9, 2011 as the second single ahead of their sixth album, Zettai Zetsumei. The track is a slow-tempo rock song that starts with a sparse electric guitar and drums, gradually builds with more drums, guitars, and bass, and then returns to the sparse arrangement at the end.

Lyrically, Yojiro Noda speaks in a personal voice, saying it’s good he has only two eyes because otherwise he couldn’t bear to see all the grief in the world. In the chorus he urges listeners to “carry a thread and needle” to sew their eyes shut so they can remain innocent. The lyrics also reference the Russian folk character Ivan the Fool. Noda spent about six months writing the song, piecing it together from guitar chords and ideas in his head.

Promotion included Noda appearing solo on Tokyo FM’s School of Lock! on February 2, 2011, and Radwimps being interviewed in Rockin’ On Japan’s March issue to promote both this single and “Dada.”

The music video, directed by Kensaku Kakimoto, shows Noda at night in a playground pushing a blindfolded, headphone-wearing girl in a wheelchair through a grim landscape, passing scenes of danger and violence before reaching a pile of bodies. The band appears near the end as the scene unfolds. The video had about 3.1 million views by June 2011.

Critics responded positively to the lyrics, with praise for their impact. Some highlighted the song’s heavy, psychedelic rock sound and its strong, direct message. In terms of charts, the single debuted at No. 2 on Oricon with 68,000 copies sold, just behind Exile’s top single and below their previous release “Dada.” It sold about 85,000 copies in 2011 and was the 43rd most-sold single on Oricon by mid-year. It was certified Gold by the RIAJ for shipping over 100,000 copies. The B-side, “Jugemu,” also charted, reaching No. 27 on the RIAJ Digital Track Chart during the release week. All tracks on the single were written by Yojiro Noda.