Sukiyaki (song)

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Ue o muite arukō (上 を 向 い て 歩 こ う), internationally best known as Sukiyaki , is a song by the Japanese singer Kyū Sakamoto . Translated into German, the title means something like “While I run, I look up”. Sakamoto released the song in 1961, but it only became a global hit in 1963.

History of origin

The text of Ue o muite arukō was written by Rokusuke Ei (1933-2016), the music came from Hachidai Nakamura . The song was sung by Kyū Sakamoto, who was only 19 at the time .

The content of the song gives the impression of a sad love ballad, as it is about a man who feels alone and carries his head up so that his tears do not fall. The song also has a “political interpretation” that was mostly unknown to non-Japanese listeners: Rokusuke Ei wrote the song after attending a student protest against the US military's post- WWII military praise in Japan. The text expresses frustration, but at the same time the hope for a better future. The political elements were deliberately left vague by Ei, so that it can only be understood as a love song.

Commercial win

After its release, the song topped the Japanese charts for three months, where it was the most successful song of 1961. Louis Benjamin, the manager of an English record company, heard the song on a business trip in Japan. He bought it and had it published in England by Kenny Ball as an instrumental piece under the title. Benjamin chose a new title for this publication with Sukiyaki - after the dish of the same name , a Japanese stew. The dish Sukiyaki is in no way related to the content of the song, Sukiyaki was only chosen because it was easier to understand and pronounce (and therefore more marketable) with non-Japanese listeners than the original title Ue o muite arukō . The instrumental version reached number 10 on the British charts.

Capitol Records then released the original by Kyū Sakamoto in 1963, also under the name Sukiyaki . This version, sung in Japanese, immediately became number 1 in the US charts for three weeks . The song developed into a world hit and is still the only Japanese number one hit on the American Billboard Hot 100 , including countries such as Norway and Australia then the top position. Sukiyaki reached number 2 in Germany and number 6 in the British charts.

With over 13 million units sold, Sukiyaki is considered one of the best-selling singles of all time. The worldwide success of the song was seen as a symbol of the increasing rise and renewed international acceptance of Japan after its defeat in World War II.

Cover versions

In 1963, the Blue Diamonds published a hit on the same tune in German with the title Sukiyaki , which mentions the court in the text. Like Sakamoto's version, it reached number 2 in the German charts.

In 1965 the American soul singer Jewel Akens published an English version under the title My First Lonely Night .

A version of the disco group A Taste of Honey published in March 1981 made it into the charts in several countries, including number 3 in the USA. They wrote an English text that has nothing to do with the original text. In 1995, the 4 PM group reached number 8 on the Billboard charts with an a cappella version.

B side

On the B-side of Kyu Sakamoto's single was the song Anoko-no Namae-wa Nantenkana (あ の 娘 の 名 前 は な ん て ん か な, German "What's this woman's name?"), Also written by Ei and Nakamura. The almost three-minute long Kayōkyoku song describes a man who sees a woman in the distance and wonders what her name is. When he approaches her at the end, it turns out that he had seen a mannequin. The song is arranged with a brass band and violins.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Number Ones: Kyu Sakamoto's “Sukiyaki”. In: Stereogum. May 23, 2018, accessed April 1, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Bittersweet At No. 1: How A Japanese Song Topped The Charts In 1963. Retrieved April 1, 2019 .
  3. ↑ The story behind the # 1 hit song Sukiyaki. Retrieved April 1, 2019 (American English).
  4. ↑ US catalog number Capitol 4945
  5. ↑ For more information on the song, see: Bronson, Fred: The Billboard Book of Number One Hits . 3rd revised and expanded edition. New York City, New York: Billboard Publications, 1992, p. 131.
  6. ^ Nugent, Stephen / Fowler, Anne / Fowler, Pete: Chart Log of American / British Top 20 Hits, 1955-1974 . In: Gillett, Charlie / Frith, Simon (eds.): Rock File 4 . Frogmore, St. Albans: Panther Books, 1976, p. 305
  7. ↑ 坂 本 九 さ ん ～ 心 の ふ る さ と ・ 笠 間 ～. July 10, 2006, accessed April 1, 2019 .
  8. ↑ Bittersweet At No. 1: How A Japanese Song Topped The Charts In 1963. Retrieved April 1, 2019 .
  9. ↑ The Blue Diamonds - Sukiyaki - hitparade.ch. Retrieved April 1, 2019 .
  10. ↑ Ehnert, Günter (Ed.): Hit balance sheet. German chart singles 1956-1980 . Hamburg: Taurus Press, 1990, p. 32
  11. ↑ The Birds And The Bees album information on Discogs , accessed on August 24, 2020
  12. ↑ Sukiyaki, British single on 45cat.com
  13. ↑ Kayo Kyoku Plus dated February 23, 2017, accessed June 16, 2019