The Pillows facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Pillows
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The Pillows in 2011. Left to right: Yoshiaki Manabe, Sawao Yamanaka, Shinichiro Sato.
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Hokkaidō, Japan |
| Genres | Alternative rock, power pop, garage rock, J-pop |
| Years active | 1989–2025 |
| Labels |
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| Associated acts | The Predators, Nine Miles, Kenzi & The Trips |
| Past members | Sawao Yamanaka Yoshiaki Manabe Shinichiro Sato Kenji Ueda |
The Pillows (Japanese: ザ・ピロウズ, Hepburn: Za Pirōzu) was a Japanese alternative rock band. They started in 1989 and played music for 35 years. Many people know them for making the music for the anime show FLCL.
Contents
The Pillows' Journey: From Start to Finish
Forming the Band (1989–1994)
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In 1989, a musician named Kenji Ueda left his band, Kenzi & The Trips. He teamed up with Shinichiro Sato, who was also a drummer from Kenzi & The Trips. They invited Sawao Yamanaka, a singer from another band, to join them.
Then, Yoshiaki Manabe, a guitarist, also joined. This is how The Pillows officially formed on September 16, 1989. The band's name came from a record called Pillows & Prayers that Sawao Yamanaka saw at Yoshiaki Manabe's house.
Kenji Ueda and Sawao Yamanaka wrote most of the songs. The Pillows released their first two mini-albums, Pantomime and 90's My Life, in 1990.
In 1991, they signed with a bigger music company called Pony Canyon. They released their first single, "Ame ni Utaeba," and their first full album, Moon Gold.
The Pillows went to England in 1992 to record their second album, White Incarnation. They also filmed a music video there. Soon after, Kenji Ueda left the band because of different ideas about music.
For a year, the band was quiet. Then, Sawao Yamanaka took charge. He asked Tatsuya Kashima to play bass. Out of respect for Kenji Ueda, Tatsuya Kashima was always called a "guest musician." The band released a special CD with their first songs featuring Kashima.
In 1994, The Pillows moved to King Records. They started trying out many different music styles. They released their first album as a trio, Kool Spice, in July. A month later, they released the single "Daydream Wonder".
Becoming Famous and FLCL (1995–2000)
In March 1995, The Pillows released their fourth album, Living Field. Their song "Girlfriend" was used in the movie Love Letter.
The next year, after releasing "Tiny Boat," The Pillows put out several popular singles. These included "Strange Chameleon", "Swanky Street", and "Trip Dancer." These songs were all on their very successful album, Please Mr. Lostman.
Because Please Mr. Lostman was so popular, they released "Kanojo wa Kyou" as a single. Later that year, they released two more singles: "One Life" and "Hybrid Rainbow". "Hybrid Rainbow" became one of their most famous songs.
In January 1998, The Pillows released "Another Morning" and their first concert DVD. Their album Little Busters came out in February. It became one of their most popular albums. Two more singles, "Instant Music" and "No Self Control", were used on their 1999 album Runners High.
In 1999, Runners High was released. To celebrate their 10th anniversary, The Pillows released a DVD of their music videos. They also released two new singles, "Carnival" and "Rush". These were on their second album of that year, Happy Bivouac. This album even had songs that honored another band called the Pixies. It was also the first album to feature Jun Suzuki as a support bassist.
That same year, an anime studio called Gainax asked The Pillows to use their music for the show FLCL. The Pillows also wrote two new songs for the show: "Ride on Shooting Star" and "I Think I Can." These songs later appeared on their greatest hits album, Fool on the Planet.
Because their music was in FLCL, The Pillows became much more popular. Their fan base grew, especially in Western countries. This led to them releasing "Ride on Shooting Star" in the United States in 2000. They even toured America that year.
New Adventures: US Debut and Anniversaries (2001–2006)
After their music was featured in FLCL, The Pillows released their first greatest hits album, Fool on the Planet, in 2001. They also released a live DVD and a new album called Smile.
In 2002, the FLCL anime became available in the United States. This made the band even more well-known outside of Japan. In October, their tenth album, Thank You, My Twilight, was released. They also put out a collection of B-sides (songs not on albums) called Another Morning, Another Pillows.
In 2003, The Pillows released another music video DVD. They also put out a single, "Terminal Heaven's Rock," and a new album, Penalty Life. This album was later released in the US in 2005.
To celebrate their 15th anniversary, The Pillows re-released their 90's My Life mini-album with extra songs. They also released new music, including an album with re-recorded old songs called Turn Back. They put out a documentary DVD, a new album Good Dreams, and a new single "Sono Mirai wa Ima". Finally, they released a tribute album, Synchronized Rockers. On this album, other artists like Mr. Children and Straightener covered The Pillows' songs.
In January 2005, The Pillows released a live DVD called 916. It showed their 15th anniversary concert from 2004.
In March 2005, The Pillows played their first show in the United States. This was at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. They also played concerts in New York City and San Francisco. In September, the band released a live DVD called Delicious Bump Tour in USA. It showed their first US tour with their friends, the band Noodles. They also released a new single, "Non Fiction."
In November, they released their second single of the year, "The Third Eye". Both singles were used on their 2006 album, My Foot.
In February 2006, a song from My Foot called "Gazelle City" was released as a single. This helped promote their tour for the album. The album was released in the United States in July 2006. The band's popularity grew both in Japan and around the world.
In June, The Pillows returned to North America for their My Foot tour. They played more shows in the U.S. and one in Mexico City.
New Labels and Big Anniversaries (2007–2014)
In 2007, The Pillows released their 25th single, "Scarecrow". This song was used in the anime series Moonlight Mile. It was also included on their next album, Wake Up! Wake Up! Wake Up!. This album was their first release with the Avex Trax music company.
In August, the band released another single, "Ladybird Girl". This song became the theme for the Japanese version of the children's cartoon Ben 10.
In November, the band released a big collection of five discs called Lostman Go to Yesterday. It had all their singles released under King Records. It also included 21 music videos on a DVD. On the same day, they released their fifth live DVD, Lostman Go to America. This DVD showed their 2006 American tour for the album My Foot.
In January 2008, the band released a live DVD, Wake up! Stand up! and Go!. It showed their 2007 tour. They also released a single, "Tokyo Bambi". In May, a new single called "New Animal" came out. These two singles, along with "Tokyo Bambi," were on their fifteenth album, Pied Piper.
The band returned to the US, playing in Los Angeles, SXSW, San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, and Anime Boston. At Anime Boston, they played for over 5,000 people!
Also in 2008, the famous English rock band Oasis asked The Pillows to open for their concert in Japan. But the singer, Sawao Yamanaka, said no. He joked that he "turned down the offer to have a fun story to tell."
In 2009, to celebrate their 20th anniversary, The Pillows released a series of items called "Late Bloomer Series." This included two DVDs, two "best-of" albums, and a single called "Ameagari ni mita Maboroshi". This single was on their 16th album, OOPArts (Out of Place Artifacts). Later, a DVD of their anniversary concert, Lostman Go to Budokan, was released in 2010.
On September 16, The Pillows played their first concert at the famous Nippon Budokan arena. This was to celebrate their 20th anniversary. The concert was later released as a DVD in 2010.
In 2010, The Pillows recorded "Rodeo Star Mate." This was their 30th single and the opening song for the show Stitch – Itazura Alien no Daibouken.
In June, The Pillows released their 10th live DVD, "Parts of OOParts." It showed their 2010 tour. Then in December, the single "Movement" was released.
In January 2011, The Pillows released their 17th album, Horn Again, which included their recent singles. In February, they released "Tabasco Disco", a single only sold at concerts.
In June of the same year, The Pillows recorded "Comic Sonic." This was the ending song for the anime show "Sket Dance".
In September, The Pillows and their friends, the band Noodles, toured America together again. They played in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Austin, Texas.
In October, they released a live DVD called Born Again. It showed their 2011 tour. In December, they released the single "Energia."
On January 18, 2012, The Pillows released their album, Trial. On the same day, they released a live DVD called We Are Friends. This DVD showed their 2011 tour in America with Noodles. In June, after their Trial tour, the band released the DVD Real Trial. It showed the last show of that tour.
To celebrate their 25th anniversary, The Pillows released many new things in 2013 and 2014. This series was called "Never Ending Story." It included a new tribute album, DVDs and Blu-rays, a special box set, three new singles, and their 19th album, Moondust. The band also played three shows in 2014. Each show featured songs from a different time in their history. Kenji Ueda, an original member, even played bass at one show.
On October 4, 2014, the band finished their "Never Ending Story" celebration with a concert. On the same day, they released Bootleg the Pillows 1992–1993. This was a collection of old songs that had never been released before. Their 25th anniversary concert DVD/Blu-ray came out on January 1, 2015.
New FLCL Seasons and 30th Anniversary (2015–2019)
After their "Never Ending Story" celebration, The Pillows started the Moondust Light for You tour in early 2015. The last concert of this tour was later released as a DVD/Blu-ray.
In May 2015, the band announced that their longtime bassist, Jun Suzuki, was no longer with the band. The singer, Yamanaka, said the band might continue without a permanent bass player. For their shows in 2015, The Pillows played with different bassists. These included original member Kenji Ueda and former support member Tatsuya Kashima. By 2016, Yoshinori Arie became their new official bassist.
In 2016, The Pillows released a new collection of B-sides called Across the Metropolis. They also released their 20th album, Stroll and Roll. This album included new versions of songs and a special single. The album came out on April 6. Different bassists played on this album, including Kenji Ueda and Yoshinori Arie. The Pillows also announced that Stroll and Roll would be released on Yamanaka's own Delicious Label, with help from King Records.
On July 3, 2016, it was announced that The Pillows would provide the music for two new seasons of the anime series FLCL. These seasons aired in 2018.
A new Pillows song called "Be Wild" was used in a commercial for wrestler Eri Tosaka. She won a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Eri Tosaka is a fan of The Pillows and uses their song "Funny Bunny" as her fight song.
In November 2016, The Pillows released a digital single called "Be Your King." In March 2017, they released a new album called "Nook in The Brain." A special single, "The World There Is Nowhere," was also released. The last concert of their "Nook in The World" tour was released as a DVD/Blu-ray in November 2017.
After the second new season of FLCL came out, a company called Adult Swim helped The Pillows tour seven cities across the US. They toured with the band Noodles and Cullen Omori.
On September 5, 2018, a company called Toho released the fourth soundtrack from the FLCL anime. It had 14 songs by The Pillows, including music from the new FLCL Progressive and FLCL Alternative seasons.
The Pillows released their 22nd album, Rebroadcast, on September 19, 2018. The DVD/Blu-ray of their "Rebroadcast" tour came out in September 2019.
In March 2019, The Pillows announced they would be part of a tribute album for another band, UNISON SQUARE GARDEN. They covered the song "Shoegazer Speaker." It was released on July 24.
In May 2019, it was announced that The Pillows' new song "Happy Go Ducky!" would be the opening song for the anime series Ahiru no Sora. This show started in October.
To celebrate the band's 30th anniversary, a movie called 王様になれ ("Be the King") was released in Japan in 2019. Sawao Yamanaka wrote the story and music for the film. It was about a young man who wanted to be a photographer for live concerts. Many musicians appeared in the movie, including members of Glay and Straightener.
As another 30th-anniversary celebration, The Pillows also had a temporary museum. It was called "the pillows museum: Buster's Diner." It looked like an old American diner and was filled with band items. They also sold special items related to FLCL. The museum was open in Shibuya, Tokyo, and then in Osaka.
The Final Chapter: 35th Anniversary and Disbandment (2020–2025)
On March 18, 2020, the band released a DVD/Blu-ray of their 30th anniversary concert. It was called "Thank You My Highlight." From 2021 to 2023, they released more DVDs/Blu-rays from their "Do You Remember The Third Movement?" concert series.
Before their 35th anniversary, the band released a DVD/Blu-ray of their 2023-2024 tour in June 2024. They also released a documentary called "Talking About a Rock'n'Roll Band." It featured interviews with friends from other bands.
On September 16, 2024, the band celebrated their 35th anniversary with a concert. The video of this concert was released in 2025. On November 2, the band released "Blank," which was their very last single.
The Pillows officially disbanded on January 31, 2025, after their final concert.
Band Logo and Mascot
Buster-kun is The Pillows' mascot. He has been with the band since about 1998. The band saw a "creepy-looking teddy bear" doll in a shop window in London. They liked it and decided to use it.
Buster-kun was named after their album Little Busters. The band also calls their fans "little busters." You can see the original doll in the music video for "Hybrid Rainbow" and on the DVD cover of Hello, Welcome to Bubbletown's Happy Zoo (Instant Show).
Sawao Yamanaka explained why they chose Buster-kun. He said the original doll was made of old leather and had a real eye and tongue. But one eye was a button, and it was shaking in the window. He thought it was an interesting piece of art or a prank. He said, "At first it looks cute, but once you get up close, it has sharp teeth. That kind-of-cute but kind-of-scary look fits right in with The Pillows music perfectly."
Band Members
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Final Lineup
Former Members
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Support Members
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Timeline of Members
Music Releases
Studio Albums
Compilation Albums
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