our meeting in the past
vera i love u so much vera hi vera
sketches yuppie
hugs with sun god
I was chatting with some folks in the AA Discord about the official lyrics to āGuilty Loveā and how itās low-key a love song about Apollo, and I wanted to offer some meta analysis.
(You can listen here if wanted).
The first verse:
I found you in a stunning dress, I held you
You put your glass down and looked me in the eyes
āWhere she we go now? JUST YOU AND MEā
But I canāt... Iām on my way to court.
Right off the bat, weāre introduced to a woman that Klavier is presumably dating. Itās worth noting that this probably isnāt a REAL woman ā Klavier has mentioned in canon that his songs arenāt based in experiences ā rather, she is a metaphorical girlfriend who represents his musical career, his fans, and, yes, his previous romantic relationships rolled into one. This girlfriend ā that rockstar life ā is stunning, but Klavier canāt give her the time she wants because he has court.
The second verse:
Turn the wheel left at the corner and there it is.
Your honor!
SO! Letās get drunk on the thrill thatās about to start
Courthouse show!
I was going to have a SALTY DOG with you
But now Iām thristy for a glass of GUILTY DOG
Whereās the truth? To find your answerā¦
Go ask the wind!
This explains WHY Klavier is willing to leave behind his girlfriend. Court is a thrill for him. He addresses his girlfriend, saying he was going to have a āSalty Dogā (probably a reference to the popular alcoholic drink, which contextually makes the most sense) with her, but now heās thirsty for a āGuilty Dogā ā meaning, he wants to get a guilty verdict for criminals.
The last two lines in this verse are significant for reasons Iāll get more into later, but basically, this is the start of a repetition in which Klavier suggests they have to āask the windā for answers. There could be several interpretations for this, but regardless, asking āthe windā suggests thereās not going to be a clear answer. The truth is hard to find, after all!
The third verse:
This evening, I held a guitar in one hand
And took your hand with mine
Now Iāll sing you a love ballad JUST SONG FOR YOU
But I canāt⦠Iām on my way to a crime scene
This is a thematic repetition of the first verse. Again, Klavier chooses to leave behind romancing his girlfriend in favor of his judicial responsibilities.
The fourth verse:
Go down the stairs to the dance floor, and thereāsā¦
A crime scene investigation!
SO! The Evidence, testimony, and dead body
Looks like theyāll start dancing!
Gazing up at the MILKY WAY with you
Iām praying for a GUILTY BREAK
What is the truth?
To find your answer⦠Go ask the wind!
The beginning of this verse is basically Klavierās artistic manner of describing a crime scene at a dance club, with all the evidence and testimony and the body itself coming together in a ādanceā as they try to uncover the truth. Then, Klavier sings about stargazing with his girlfriend; except, rather than thinking of her, heās thinking of how he can get a guilty verdict for the criminal. Finally, Klavier repeats the wind lyrics from the second verse.
The fifth verse:
In the depths of darkness (LOVE LOVE GUILTY)
Reveal the truth behind the crime (LOVE LOVE GUILTY)
The journey to the next world is so far (LOVE LOVE GUILTY)
And the shadow is wandering (LOVE LOVE GUILTY)
Iāll search for the light, for the sake of your future
All this speaks to Klavierās values as a prosecutor. Klavier is unique in the games in that, from the very beginning, heās only concerned with the truth rather than win records, and thatās emphasized here with the phrase āreveal the truth.ā He also talks about searching āfor the lightā (i.e. ātruthā) āfor the sake of your future.ā This indicates that law is also important to Klavier, simply, because he wants to protect the innocent from having their futures cut short ā whether by murder, false accusations, etc.
We also have the song title drop (at least in the Japanese version, which is āLove Love Guiltyā). The main interpretation here in the context of the bridge is that Klavier is in love with the law and his job as a prosecutor versus his actual girlfriend.
The sixth verse:
Even those tears look beautiful on you
The day we part will come eventually
Letās do it over if we can JUST YOU AND ME
But I canāt⦠Iām on my way to court
Klavierās girlfriend is crying because heās going to break up with her (āthe day we part will come eventuallyā). Taking into account that the girlfriend is actually a partial metaphorical representation of his musical career and fans, this part also foreshadows Klavier breaking up the band to prosecute full-time. Even when he does suggest that maybe they could try the relationship over again later, he falls back on the exception that he canāt because heās too dedicated to the law.
The seventh verse:
Turn the wheel left at the corner and there it is.
Your honor!
SO! Letās get drunk on the thrill thatās about to start Courthouse show!
I was going to have a SALTY DOG with you
But now Iām thristy for a glass of GUILTY DOG
Whereās this love headed? To find your answerā¦
Go ask the windā¦
... Or better yet, go ask Herr Forehead!
[Apollo] OBJECTION!
This is a verbatim repetition of the second verse ā with a key difference. Instead of posing the question āWhat is the truth?ā Like he did in V2 and V4, he asks, āWhere is this love headed?ā
Klavier suggests asking the wind again... and then adds, āOr better yet, go ask Herr Forehead!ā
This part is entirely why I say āGuilty Loveā is a love song about Apollo when taking the context into account. Itās telling that Klavier doesnāt suggest Apollo has the answers to the truth (which would make sense if he did ā the two ādiscoverā the truth in court together). No, instead, he suggests Apollo has the answer to where Klavierās relationship with his girlfriend is headed.
Klavier already implied in the previous verse that his relationship with his girlfriend is ending ā and why? Because heās in love with Apollo Justice. So, āHerr Foreheadā doesnāt so much have the answer as to āwhere this loveā between Klavier and his girlfriend is headed as much as he IS the answer. Klavierās basically telling his girlfriend itās not going to work out because there is someone else.
The inclusion of Apolloās OBJECTION voice clip is probably just a little easter egg (both in meta and in-universe), but Klavier could also be using it to suggest Apolloās answer to the question of where āthis love [between Klavier and his girlfriend] is headedā would be to āobjectā to Klavier being in love with said girlfriend. (Knowing Apollo, this probably wouldnāt be the case, but itās important to remember itās KLAVIER writing the lyrics and weaving this story together).
The final verse:
No one can predict it (LOVE LOVE GUILTY)
Which way the ruling will go (LOVE LOVE GUILTY)
The sins people commit (LOVE LOVE GUILTY)
Who will judge them? (LOVE LOVE GUILTY)
In the depths of darkness (LOVE LOVE GUILTY)
Reveal the truth behind the crime (LOVE LOVE GUILTY)
The journey to the next world is so far (LOVE LOVE GUILTY)
A shadow is wandering (LOVE LOVE GUILTY)
Iāll search for the light
LOVE LOVE GUILTY!
Klavier ends the song by returning to the songās bridge and again stating his resolve to find the truth, in spite of the difficulties, cementing that he is in a love affair with the law (and Apollo) rather than his music (and his girlfriend).
Final Thoughts: Overall, āGuilty Loveā is about Klavierās internal conflict whether he should choose between his life as a rockstar or his job as a prosecutor ā and ultimately, he does chose the law, and this is true in canon as well.
Yet, Klavierās choice to represent that rockstar lifestyle through a symbolic girlfriend is interesting and would be entirely unnecessary if it was just a song about how much Klavier loves the law. Itās not, though. By bringing Apollo into the equation, he brings the romantic metaphor full circle, and the song also becomes about a love-triangle between Klavier, his girlfriend, and Apollo.
He chooses Apollo.
Tonight I am once again thinking about Klapollo cameo in Lucky Star
Did you know there was an official version of Guilty Love with lyrics? This was performed in a special event on 2012. It is supposedly sung by Klavier with a little help of Apollo. The lyrics were written by Shu Takumi btw!
Hereās the translation and romanization (sorry if I made a mistake! This took me a little~)
English translation:
I found you in a stunning dress, I held you You put down your glass and looked me in the eyes āWhere should we go now? JUST YOU AND MEā But I canāt⦠Iām on my way to court
Turn the wheel left at the corner and there it is. Your honor! SO! Letās get drunk on the thrill thatās about to start Courthouse show! I was going to have a SALTY DOG with you But now Iām thristy for a glass of GUILTY DOG Whereās the truth? To find your answer⦠Go ask the wind! This evening, I held a guitar in one hand And took your hand with mine Now Iāll sing you a love ballad JUST SONG FOR YOU But I canāt⦠Iām on my way to a crime scene Go down the stairs to the dance floor, and thereās⦠A crime scene investigation! SO! The Evidence, testimony, and dead body Look like theyāll start dancing! Gazing up at the MILKY WAY with you Iām praying for a GUILTY BREAK! What is the truth? To find your answer⦠Go ask the wind! In the depths of darkness (LOVE LOVE GUILTY) Reveal the truth behind the crime (LOVE LOVE GUILTY) The journey to the next world is so far (LOVE LOVE GUILTY) And the shadow is wandering (LOVE LOVE GUILTY) Iāll search for the light, for the sake of your future Even those tears look beautiful on you The day we part will come eventually Letās do it over if we can JUST YOU AND ME But I canāt⦠Iām on my way to court Turn the wheel left at the corner and there it is. Your honor! SO! Letās get drunk on the thrill thatās about to start Courthouse show! I was going to have a SALTY DOG with you But now Iām thristy for a glass of GUILTY DOG Whereās this love headed? To find your answer⦠Go ask the wind⦠ā¦Or better yet, go ask Herr Forehead! [Apollo] OBJECTION! No one can predict it (LOVE LOVE GUILTY) Which way the ruling will go (LOVE LOVE GUILTY) The sins people commit (LOVE LOVE GUILTY) Who will judge them? (LOVE LOVE GUILTY) In the depths of darkness (LOVE LOVE GUILTY) Reveal the truth behind the crime (LOVE LOVE GUILTY) The journey to the next world is so far (LOVE LOVE GUILTY) A shadow is wandering (LOVE LOVE GUILTY) Iāll search for the light LOVE LOVE GUILTY!
Romanization: ((under the cut))
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silly gay friends