Today I want to introduce one of the most famous popular songs in modern Japanese history. Actually if you are older than say, 50, you may have heard this song. It was quite popular in many countries including the US and Australia. Even if you are younger, you may know the song. It's been covered by many, including Will Smith and Snoop Dogg.
It's called ue o muite arukō (上を向いて歩こう), "I Look Up as I Walk". Better known as Sukiyaki in English speaking countries, which is a weird title because the song has nothing to do with food, but there we go.
Sung by Kyu Sakamoto, it was so popular that it charted number one in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, and the US and went on to sell over 13 million copies.
When Sakamoto appeared in the US to promote it he made all the rounds, including at the Tonight Show (back when Steve Allen hosted it). He was scheduled to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show, but that was cancelled at the last minute (but strangely, I've talked to older Americans who swear they saw him on Ed Sullivan; I suppose they might be confusing it with one of his other appearances)
It is really catchy. Just give it a listen:
The lyrics tell the story of a man who looks up and whistles while he is walking so that his tears will not fall, with the verses describing his memories and feelings.
Evidently it was named Sukiyaki in the UK simply because it was short, catchy, recognizably Japanese, and English speakers were likely to be familiar with the word, and other English-speaking countries copied that name. Seems like a silly reason to me. The song isn't about the food at all. For this reason, most English covers use some variation of "I Look Up as I Walk" or something completely different (but not as bad as Sukiyaki)
Sadly, Sakamoto died fairly young, at 43, in the Japan Airlines Flight 123 plane crash, the deadliest single-aircraft accident in history with 520 people killed.
It remains a common song in Japan, showing up in all kinds of places. It was recently performed during the closing ceremony of the 2021 Olympic games. At most karaoke boxes (at every one I've been to in Japan anyway) it is always listed and you can usually hear it being sung somewhere in the building. In fact, on any Friday night, walk near the karaoke places near the train stations and you are almost guaranteed to hear it being belted out badly by some drunken salaryman.
Search YouTube and you will find tons of videos of people singing song, both from well known artists and others. Here is one I rather liked:
Next time you are out for karaoke, try it yourself!
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David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. |
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