What would a day look like to the one who greets you first when you get home? 「レオ」 is a song that looks back on time spent with a person from the perspective of a companion dog. When the relationship people thought they were raising and caring for is viewed from the other side, it becomes clear that we too are family to someone who has waited long and loved us.
Calling a name means recognizing the other.
In this song, a name carries more weight than a mere label. That is because the memory of being chosen by someone and becoming family is held within those few syllables. Even when calling out the same name, the voice changes depending on whether it is time for a walk, feeding time, or playful laughter. The name remains as the sound of daily life built up between two beings.
Even those who do not live with a pet can recall this feeling, much like the nickname a family member calls out after a long time apart or the way of speaking only a close friend understands. There is a sense of relief in knowing that someone recognizes you without any special explanation. The reason the repeated name in 「レオ」 feels so tender can be read as a desire to keep confirming such a familiar bond.
The human world grows wider, and the days spent waiting grow longer.
As the person in the story grows, they spend more time away from home. For the pet dog, this change means less time playing together and longer stretches of waiting in an empty room. Even living under the same roof, the two experience each day differently. What is an ordinary outing for a person can be the biggest event of the day for someone else.
That said, the song does not read as a simple rebuke of people who lead busy lives. Going to school, meeting friends, and building a new life are all natural parts of growing up. Rather, it prompts a second look at the time shared with a presence that has quietly become part of daily routine. Sometimes, simply making eye contact today and playing for a little while might feel more welcome than a long trip or an expensive gift.
What remains after a parting is not only what went undone
As the song reaches its later stages, the reality that their time together is finite becomes more immediate. However, reading レオ's feelings solely through regret obscures the gratitude the track holds onto until the very end. The sense that the time spent as family after receiving a name was itself precious remains alongside this. A sad ending does not erase the happiness that came before it.
On a second listen, compare how the name lands at the beginning and the end. The initial warmth seems to deepen into a greeting that embraces the time already spent. Recalling someone precious might bring to mind first the moments of neglect, but the days shared in laughter and restful ease are part of that relationship too. 「レオ」 turns the heart toward remembering those ordinary days rather than letting them fade.
Listen along with the track information
Open the official video on YouTube
レオ — 優里
「レオ」 is a track from 優里's first full-length album 『壱』, released on January 12, 2022. 優里 wrote the lyrics and composed the music, while CHIMERAZ handled the arrangement.
The official music video, directed by 酒井麻衣 and released on February 3, 2022, is accompanied by a director's introduction on Sony Music that touches on the mindset of taking the presence of close family for granted and the attitude of cherishing the present moment.
Even as the emotion swells in the later sections, leaving a breath at the end of each phrase rather than pushing every note hard helps convey longing and gratitude together.
See the original text and song background
Sony Music — Release of the 'レオ' music video and an introduction to its director
Uta-net — Japanese original text and production staff
▶ Official music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxYLXaXtH9I
If this song resonated with you
Haruka – YOASOBI: Through the gaze of a mug watching over growth, it conveys the heart of a presence that stays by your side for a long time.
Arigato — Ikimono-gakari: A song that conveys the gratitude one has been putting off out of familiarity, with a heart that wishes to live alongside it.