The Pillows facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids The Pillows
The Pillows in 2011. Left to right: Yoshiaki Manabe, Sawao Yamanaka, Shinichiro Sato.
Background information
Origin	Hokkaidō, Japan
Genres	Alternative rock, power pop, garage rock, J-pop
Years active	1989–2025
Labels	Delicious Label King Captain Pony Canyon Avex Trax
Associated acts	The Predators, Nine Miles, Kenzi & The Trips

Past members	Sawao Yamanaka Yoshiaki Manabe Shinichiro Sato Kenji Ueda

The Pillows (ザ・ピロウズ, Za Pirōzu) was a Japanese alternative rock band. They formed in 1989 and were active for 35 years. The band is famous for making the music for the anime series FLCL.

Band History
Band Logo and Mascot
Band Members
Images for kids
See also

Band History

How The Pillows Started (1989–1994)

The Pillows in 1989

In 1989, a bassist 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 The Coin Locker Babies, to start a new band.

Then, Yoshiaki Manabe, a guitarist from the band Persia, joined them. 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.

Ueda and Yamanaka wrote most of the songs. The Pillows released their first EPs, Pantomime and 90's My Life, in 1990.

In 1991, they signed with a bigger music company, Pony Canyon. They released their first single, "Ame ni Utaeba," in May. Their first full album, Moon Gold, came out in June.

In 1992, The Pillows went to England to record their second album, White Incarnation. They also filmed a music video for their single "Kanojo wa Shisuta." Soon after White Incarnation was released, Ueda left the band. This was because of disagreements and different ideas about music.

For a year, the band was quiet. Then, Sawao Yamanaka took over as the leader. He found Tatsuya Kashima to play bass. The band started again. Out of respect for Ueda, Kashima was always called a "guest musician." Ueda's spot as the official bassist was never replaced.

In 1994, The Pillows moved to King Records. They started trying out many different music styles. In July, they released their first album as a trio, Kool Spice. One month later, the single "Daydream Wonder" came out.

Becoming Popular and FLCL (1995–2000)

Yamanaka performing in Seattle during the Delicious Bump Tour, 2008

In March 1995, The Pillows released their fourth album, Living Field. Their next single, "Girlfriend", was used in the movie Love Letter.

The next year, after their fifth single "Tiny Boat," The Pillows released several more singles. These included "Strange Chameleon", "Swanky Street", and "Trip Dancer." These songs were featured on their very successful album, Please Mr. Lostman.

In March of that year, because Please Mr. Lostman was so popular, The Pillows released "Kanojo wa Kyou" as a single. Later, two new singles came out: "One Life" in June and "Hybrid Rainbow" in November. "Hybrid Rainbow" became one of their most famous songs.

In January 1998, The Pillows released their twelfth single "Another Morning." They also released their first concert DVD, "Hello, Welcome to Bubbletown's Happy Zoo". The last three singles were on their sixth album, Little Busters. This album came out in February and became one of their best-known records. Two more singles followed, "Instant Music" and "No Self Control." Both were used on their 1999 album Runners High.

The year 1999 began with the release of Runners High. To celebrate their 10th anniversary, The Pillows released their first collection of music videos, "We Have a Theme Song". After that, two new singles came out: "Carnival" and "Rush." Both were on their second album of that year, Happy Bivouac. This album honored the band Pixies in songs like "Back Seat Dog" and "Kim Deal." It was also the first album to feature Jun Suzuki as a support bassist.

In the same year, the anime studio Gainax asked The Pillows to use their music. Gainax used songs from The Pillows' three previous albums for the soundtrack of the anime FLCL. The Pillows also wrote two new songs for the show: "Ride on Shooting Star" and "I Think I Can." These songs were later put on their greatest hits album, Fool on the Planet.

Because their music was in FLCL, The Pillows became much more popular. Their fans in Western countries grew. This helped them release their "Ride on Shooting Star" single in the United States in 2000. They later toured in the US.

Early 2000s and US Debut (2001–2006)

The Pillows performing at Shibuya Club Quattro in 2003

After their music was in FLCL, The Pillows released their first greatest-hits album, Fool on the Planet, in 2001. They also released a live DVD called Busters on the Planet and a new album, Smile.

In 2002, the FLCL anime became available in the United States. This made the band even more famous outside of Japan. In October of that year, Thank You, My Twilight, The Pillows' tenth album, was released. They also released a two-CD collection of B-sides called Another Morning, Another Pillows. This followed the single "White Summer and Green Bicycle, Red Hair with Black Guitar".

In 2003, The Pillows released their second music video DVD, Dead Stock Paradise. They also released one single, "Terminal Heaven's Rock," and another 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 EP with extra songs. They also released new music, including an EP with re-recorded songs from 1990 to 1996, called Turn Back. They put out a documentary DVD, Walkin' on The Spiral, a new album, Good Dreams, and a new single, "Sono Mirai wa Ima". Finally, they released a tribute album, Synchronized Rockers. This album featured other artists like Mr. Children and Straightener covering The Pillows' songs.

The Pillows in 2005. From left to right: Manabe, Sato, Yamanaka.

In January 2005, The Pillows released the live DVD 916. It showed footage from their 15th anniversary concert in 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 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, to help promote the My Foot tour, a song from the album, "Gazelle City", was released as a single. The album was released in the United States in July 2006. The band's international fan base and sales had been growing.

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 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 label.

In August, the band released another single, "Ladybird Girl." This song was used as the theme for the Japanese version of the children's animated series Ben 10.

In November, the band released a five-disc collection of singles, Lostman Go to Yesterday. It included all their singles released under the King Records label. It also had 21 music videos on a DVD. On the same day, they released their fifth live DVD, Lostman Go to America. This DVD showed footage from their 2006 American tour.

Manabe performing in Seattle during the Delicious Bump Tour, 2008

In January 2008, the band released a live DVD, Wake up! Stand up! and Go!. It showed their Wake Up! Tour from 2007. They also released a single, "Tokyo Bambi". In May, a new single, "New Animal", came out. These two singles, along with the previous one, were on their fifteenth album, Pied Piper.

The band returned to the US, starting in Los Angeles. They also played at SXSW, San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, and Anime Boston. At Anime Boston, they played for over 5,000 people.

In 2008, the famous English rock band Oasis asked The Pillows to open for their concert in Japan. But the lead singer, Sawao Yamanaka, said no. In an interview, Yamanaka 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: Pied Piper Go to Yesterday and Blue Song With Blue Poppies. They also released two "best-of" albums: Rock Stock & Too Smoking the Pillows and Once Upon a Time in the Pillows. A single, "Ameagari ni mita Maboroshi", was also released. This song was on their 16th album, OOPArts (Out of Place Artifacts). Later, the DVD of their anniversary concert, Lostman Go to Budokan, came out in 2010.

On September 16, The Pillows played their first concert at the famous Nippon Budokan arena. This celebrated their 20th anniversary. The concert footage was later released in 2010 as their ninth live DVD, Lostman Go to Budokan.

In 2010, The Pillows recorded "Rodeo Star Mate." This was their 30th single and the opening song for the series, Stitch – Itazura Alien no Daibouken.

In June, The Pillows released their 10th live DVD, "Parts of OOParts." It included footage from their 2010 OOParts tour. In December, the single "Movement" was released.

In January 2011, The Pillows released their 17th album, Horn Again, which included previously released singles. In February, The Pillows released their first single of the year, "Tabasco Disco." This song was only sold at concerts.

In June of the same year, The Pillows recorded "Comic Sonic" as the ending song for the anime based on the manga "Sket Dance".

In September, The Pillows and the band Noodles toured America together for the second time on the NAP Tour. They played in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Austin, Texas.

In October, they released a live DVD, Born Again, with footage from their 2011 Horn Again Tour. In December, they released the single "Energia (エネルギヤ)".

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 footage from their 2011 NAP Tour in America with Noodles. In June, after their Trial tour, the band released the DVD Real Trial. It showed the last performance of the tour at Zepp Tokyo.

Like the "Late Bloomer Series" for their 20th anniversary, The Pillows released many items in 2013 and 2014 for their 25th anniversary. This series was called "Never Ending Story." It included a new tribute album ("Rock and Sympathy"), DVDs and Blu-rays ("Revival of Motion Pictures" and “Do You Remember The 2nd Movement?”), a box set ("Our Black Flag"), and three new singles ("Future", "Happy Birthday", and "About a Rock'n'Roll Band"). Finally, The Pillows' 19th album, Moondust, was released. The band also played three shows in 2014. Each show represented a different time period of their music. Kenji Ueda was invited to play bass at one show where The Pillows played songs from his time with the band.

On October 4, 2014, the band finished the "Never Ending Story" campaign with the "Don't Forget Today" show at Tokyo Dome City Hall. On the same day, they released Bootleg the Pillows 1992–1993. This was a collection of recordings that had not 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 the "Never Ending Story" campaign ended, The Pillows started the Moondust Light for You tour in early 2015. This tour supported the Moondust album. The last concert of the tour was later released as a DVD/Blu-ray on August 26, 2015.

In May 2015, the band announced that their longtime bassist, Jun Suzuki, had left the band. The band said it was due to "bad conduct." Sawao Yamanaka said the band might continue without a permanent bass player. Instead of Suzuki, The Pillows played with different bassists for their remaining 2015 shows. These included original member Kenji Ueda and former "support member" Tatsuya Kashima. Other bassists were Tomoyuki Miyakawa and Yoshinori Arie. By 2016, the band named Arie as their official new 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 a new version of "Radio Telegraphy" and "One Flew Under the Cuckoo's Nest." The album came out on April 6. It featured bass parts played by Kenji Ueda, Tatsuya Kashima, Yoshinori Arie, Tomoyuki Miyakawa, and Jiro (from Glay). The Pillows also announced that Stroll and Roll would not be released by Avex Trax. The band had signed with Yamanaka's Delicious Label, with King Records helping to distribute it. The Across the Metropolis collection was their last release with Avex Trax. The Pillows went on a 27-show tour for Stroll and Roll from May 6 to July 22. The last show at Zepp Tokyo was recorded for Stroll and Roll Band, a live DVD/Blu-ray released on November 23.

On July 3, 2016, it was announced that The Pillows would provide music for the anime series FLCL for two new seasons. 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. 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. In March 2017, a special single called "The World There Is Nowhere" was released only at live shows and by mail order. It later appeared in the soundtrack of the movie 王様になれ (Be Your King). The last concert of the "Nook in the World" tour was released as a DVD/Blu-ray in November 2017.

After the second season, FLCL Progressive, Adult Swim sponsored a seven-city tour across the US. The Pillows toured with the band Noodles and Cullen Omori.

On September 5, 2018, Toho released the fourth soundtrack from the FLCL anime series, called "Fool on Cool Generation." This collection had 14 songs by The Pillows. It included music from the FLCL Progressive and FLCL Alternative anime seasons.

The Pillows released their 22nd album, Rebroadcast, on September 19, 2018. The Rebroadcast tour DVD/Blu-ray, "Life is Only Once," was released in September 2019.

In March 2019, The Pillows announced they would be on a tribute album for UNISON SQUARE GARDEN's 15th anniversary. 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 series 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 Fall 2019. Sawao Yamanaka wrote the music and original story. The movie stars Amane Okayama as Yuusuke, a young man who works in a ramen shop. Yuusuke dreams of being a photographer and decides to photograph live concerts. The movie also features many musicians, including members from Glay, Straightener, The Predators, and SHISHAMO.

As another 30th-anniversary celebration, the band also had a temporary museum. It was called "the pillows museum: Buster's Diner." It looked like a vintage American diner and was filled with band items. The shop also sold FLCL-themed items. The museum was open from August 30 to September 8, 2019, in Shibuya Tower Records. Then it moved to Osaka from September 13 to 22, 2019.

Final Years and Disbandment (2020–2025)

On March 18, 2020, the band released their 30th-anniversary concert at Yokohama Arena as a DVD/Blu-ray called "Thank You My Highlight." From 2021 to 2023, they released more DVDs/Blu-rays from the "Do You Remember The Third Movement?" concert series.

Before their 35th anniversary, the band released a DVD/Blu-ray of their 2023-2024 "Lostman Go to The City" tour in June 2024. They also released a documentary called "Talking About a Rock'n'Roll Band." It included interviews with friends from other bands like Base Ball Bear and SHISHAMO.

On September 16, 2024, the band celebrated their 35th anniversary with a concert at Toyosu Pit. The live video was released as a DVD/Blu-ray in 2025. On November 2, 2024, the band released "Blank," their very last single.

On January 31, 2025, The Pillows officially disbanded after their final concert at KT Zepp Yokohama.

Band Logo and Mascot

The band's logo, used since the 1998 album Little Busters

Buster-kun

Buster-kun has been The Pillows' mascot since about 1998. The band saw a "creepy-looking teddy bear" doll in a shop window in London. Since then, Buster-kun has been used in music videos, album art, and merchandise like T-shirts. Buster-kun was named after the Little Busters album. The band also calls their fans "little busters."

The original doll can be seen in the music video for "Hybrid Rainbow." It is also on the DVD cover for 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. One eye was a button, and it was shaking in the window. He said it looked "kind-of-cute but kind-of-scary." This look fit The Pillows' music perfectly.