Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto (1961). Original Japanese Title: Ue o Muite Aruko
Sukiyaki was a hit Japanese song that was first released in Japan under the original title of “Ue o Muite Aruko” in 1961 with music by Hachidai Nakamura and lyrics by Ei Rokusuke. It was released under the title of “Sukiyaki” in English speaking markets simply because the Japanese beef dish was easier to pronounce than the original title.
With the song being performed by Kyu Sakamoto, it reached the number one spot on the Billboard Top 100 charts. Sakamoto even visited America to perform the song on the Steve Allen Show in 1965, all of this while the song kept the original Japanese lyrics, making the success of this catchy tune a historic success story for non-English music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C35DrtPlUbc
This is the song with the English subtitles. Very nice song.
Sakamoto Kyu's famous song "Ue wo Muite Arukō" a big hit in the U.S. despite being sung in Japanese, reached No. 1 in the U.S. in 1963. Why was this song the only one that made it to the top in the U.S.? There was the drama of Japanese Americans in a small town in California who were encouraged by this song!
Translation of the Lyrics
I look up when I walk, counting the stars with tearful eyes, remembering those happy summer days. But tonight I'm all alone I look up when I walk. So the tears won't fall though my heart is filled with sorrow. For tonight I'm all alone. Happiness lies beyond the clouds. Happiness lies above the sky. Remembering those happy autumn days. But tonight I'm all alone. Sadness hides in the shadow of the stars. Sadness lurks in the shadow of the moon. I look up when I walk. So the tears won't fall. Though my heart is filled with sorrow. For tonight I'm all alone.
Koji Kitada
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