FOREWORD
This interview was sent to me by Murasaki from B'z Net Party Thanks, M-chan! ^^ It is a part of interview originated from an article from Be-with! Vol. 049 (a B'z Party official magazine)

<< Ultra Soul >>

Q Next, let's talk about the new single "Ultra Soul". This song is the official theme song for 2001 Fukuoka "World Swimming Tournament". Did you write this song after such idea being discussed, or was it completed way before this? Tak How to make a special type of song for "World Tournament"... we had that kind of discussion alright. Koshi When did we begin doing it? Last year? This year? Tak Last year. We were recording some new songs at that time, about 5 or 6, right? Koshi Yes. QIn one of interviews from last year, you said that you had some ideas for a cool song. Was it about this song "Ultra Soul"? Tak U~n... I forgot. Koshi (laugh) Tak One thing for sure, I think I had already completed the chorus part. Happens alot lately, that I write music in the editing room in studio. Q There were other people in the studio, right? Koshi There is another tiny little room in the studio. Tak I go there because I can't write anything if I'm not left alone. QAnd at what stage of the song was completed when the lyrics started to be written? Surely it was up to certain stage? Koshi Actually I also forgot, completely forgot. Q You forgot? Koshi I can't remember at all how I wrote the whole thing. I think it was when the whole song was completed that I started to apply the lyrics. Tak But it was all finished in one day, ne. Koshi After the song was completed and the band had an ok to begin creating the music, then it was my turn to go into that tiny room and write some lyrics. Everything came out around that time. Q This cool word "Ultra Soul", is it an ultra type of the soul? Koshi Yes (laugh). Q So "ultra" here means a cool soul? Koshi That's what the title means. The song has such image that I gave to it this title... somehow there is such image, right? Q So both the song and lyrics came up this way. Not only for the swimming tournament or sports for that matter, it's a song for people who are reaching for their goals. Koshi Maybe... now I think so! Right, definitely it's like that! (laugh) Q After the song has taken shape, what did the client think? Koshi (laugh) Tak When everything has come out, that's next on the list! Koshi Not often that it happens. Tak Yes (laugh). Q This time there are three songs in the single. Is that the result of discussion with everyone? Tak That's right. Koshi They said let's keep the songs on about the same tempo. Q The intention is for the listeners to have non-stop image of the three songs together? Koshi Yes. Tak We haven't done this for a long time, so we thought it might be good... Because we did this before. Q When you performed "Ultra Soul" in hall live, it received very hot response by the audience, didn't it? Koshi Is it very suitable for lives? Q Just... right for it! You don't feel the same way? Koshi (laugh) Q Ee? Am I wrong? Koshi The chorus feels great. Tak Because it's a song in which the audience can completely participate. Q So after this, you hope that everyone who comes to LiveGym would sing along? Tak Of course! Koshi But it has changed a bit, hasn't it? Whether melody A or melody B, part before the chorus feels like a grown-up serious mood, and then the chorus is the happier part. Still we can't possibly know before doing it live. Tak Yes, we can't know ne. Q When you first performed the songs from the album "Eleven" too, did you think for example, 'Aa... so this kind of song performed in this kind of place get this sort of response'? Tak In the Show Case or Previews, we have no idea until we perform in front of the audience. Sometimes a song is fantastic played with the band in the studio, but the audience will give much better response to a more different playing of the same song. There are lots of things to be considered. Q Regarding 2nd beat "Swimmer Yo 2001!!"... this is a basic question, but when it was included in the album "Survive", the title was "Swimmer Yo!!" I should think that it would be more common to affix 2001 after the !! mark. Is there any special reason for this? Koshi That's quite true, if you think about it. Q Maybe it emphazised on the "2001!!" Koshi Maybe... you're right (laugh). Tak No, although I've discussed this matter before with others, it's actually just a pointless topic. Koshi (laugh) Tak We had to give some new mark to this version, so the manager asked, 'Where should we put it?', but it doesn't matter that much (laugh). Q So it's quite... Koshi Yes, if you listen to him, it sounds quite useless (laugh). Q Sorry. Koshi If there were not such idea then, we would have affixed it some place else. Because the additional title was decided completely on feeling. Q What is the reason to make it as "Ultra Soul" 2nd beat? Tak One thing was for us to continue with almost the same beat of songs in the single. And I'm sorry if this sounds like pushing it, but it is "Swimmer Yo!!" for the swimming tournament! Furthermore, this wasn't a remix, we re-recorded it all over again. Even though the music arrangement remained basically the same, there was the new melody part and also slightly different playing in the interlude. We went straight into the basic feel, but compared to the beat of the older version itself, it seems like that the newer version simply had to turn out like this. Q "Rock Man" also came out during the end of the year? Tak Yes. Q So surely the reason to pick this song was because of the 'flowing' of the songs? Tak I created only the beat first. I said to myself, let's do something with this rythym and it was completed almost as quickly. Koshi Generally, there's a sorrowful feeling drifting on the melody, isn't there? Tak For me, it was kind of a minor thing, ne.