MasakiKoh Presents the Greatest Decade of J-Pop [1990-2000]

[masakikoh]

Welcome to the inaugural post of a very special & fun thread here on YaoiOtaku Forums. Whether you're a die-hard fan of J-Pop, a newbie to Japanese pop music, or even someone who doesn't think you like it much, you are sure to find a song that catches your fancy and leaves you asking for recommendations by the same artist or that sound similar. Welcome to...

 

MasakiKoh Presents the Greatest Decade of J-Pop [1990-2000]

 

I know: Technically, this is one too many years, but roll with it. I will be sharing with you some of the very best songs from the Japanese hit charts, along with some little-known gems. You'll be treated to a music video or audio track from YouTube or another streaming service, as well as a translation of the lyrics by yours truly and some notes about the song or artist.

 

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Title: LAT. 43° N ~forty-three degrees north latitude~ [1990]

Artist: Dreams Come True

Lyrics: Miwa YOSHIDA

Composition: Miwa YOSHIDA

Translation: MasakiKoh

 

No matter how much I love you, there is too much distance between us in kisses over the phone,

Pressing my lips to the cold receiver

It's already snowing in your city by now

The frustration of not being able to see you turns to uncertainty

There are no promises. I have to take you at your word to make it through tomorrow

 

What's she up to? When can I see you next?

How much do I have to love you? If I keep going over and over this

How long will I go on like this? Do you love me?

Without being able to ask any of this, I lock it all away back into my heart

 

No matter how much I care, only about half of it gets through to you

Something about the way you talk always sounds like you're lying, doesn't it...

 

It's not that I don't feel the distance in your voice over the phone

But if I admit that, my love for you is over

How many lonely nights must I overcome

Before you realize what's in my heart?

 

I want you to gaze at me, want you to hold me tight

I want you to love me, to just love only me

Don't look at anybody else; just forget about her

Without being able to say any of this, I lock it all away back into my heart

 

The white illumination we had promised to look at together

If it's a wish that's never to be fulfilled, I don't want you to nod in agreement

 

By now, it must be snowing where you are and turning the whole city white

Wiping away the side of you who loves me

No matter how much I love you from a place so far away as this

I will be forgotten someday, thwarted by the snow and the distance that gets in the way

Truth is, I realize

That you haven't forgotten about her

 

Dreams Come True debuted in 1988 and is still topiping the charts. A trio until 1999, the band faced the departure of one of their members around the dawn of the new Millennium. Since then, vocalist Miwa YOSHIDA and bassist Masato NAKAMURA have been reinventing what it is to be a pop act. The band melds newwave (Think Cyndi Lauper and the Ramones in the 80s, the Yeah Yeah Yeah, Gwen Stefani's solo work recently) with R&B and synthpop. It's unlike anything else. Every DCT album sounds unique. The group has made a name for itself as a ballad powerhouse and some of their slow, moody songs are favorites of people consoling broken hearts.

 

Enjoy LAT 43° N from 1990! Enjoy this series!! If you have 1990s requesta, lemme know, and I'll see what I can do.

[masakikoh]

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Title: I LOVE YOU [1983, 1991]

Artist: Yutaka OZAKI

Lyrics: Yutaka OZAKI

Composition: Yutaka OZAKI

 

I love you. I don't wanna hear a sad song right now

I love you. We ran, ran away and ended up here in this room

It's not like they accepted this love of ours and so

We're like abandoned stray cats

This room is like an empty crate filled with fallen leaves

And your voice, like the cries of a kitten

 

If we hold each other tight on this creaky bed

With all the tenderness we can muster

Then I'm sure we'll close our eyes again, you see

So our love will not dim into a sad song

 

I love you. We loved too young, and so there are secrets we cannot broach

I love you. It's something we cannot reach in our lives right now

We would just get hurt while dreaming

Of a love where we could live as one

You ask me over and over whether I love you

As though you cannot live without this love of ours

 

If we hold each other tight on this creaky bed

With all the tenderness we can muster

Then I'm sure we'll close our eyes again, you see

So our love will not dim into a sad song

 

--

 

Ozaki was Japan's bad boy, a freedom fighter, and one about whose movement and influence a number of anthropological and sociological studies have been done. He died of pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs) caused by an acute overdose of stimulants at the tender age of 26. His was a tortured artistry, one plagued by anxieties when he found himself unable to produce new music. This song, originally released in 1983 and then re-released by the artist in 1991 and covered heavily throughout the 90s and 2000s, is his signature and the anthem of young love in Japan even now. I hope you enjoy it. He was a very handsome man, fiercely loyal to his fanbase, a husband, and a father. His struggle with substances as a result of mental illness is a cry for us all to be aware of the importance of dealing with mental illness and isolation in our own lives, in the lives of our loved ones, and in our communities.

 

I hope you enjoy I LOVE YOU by Yutaka OZAKI, covered here by Tsuyoshi DOMOTO (Kinki Kids) & Nana Mizuki on Music Fair 21.

[masakikoh]

 

Title: SAY YES [1992]

Artist: CHAGE&ASKA

Lyrics: Kyo ASUKA (ASKA)

Composition: Kyo ASUKA (ASKA)

 

None of it is superfluous

It's all a part of this love of ours

Even the little white lies and times you're demanding

Like tests of love

Said by someone in love

Say that we'll join our dreams together like this

And we'll live together without worrying about the future

Let's feel out this love with love

Say it over and over until there's nothing left to say

I am inundated by you

 

Words cannot transcend the heart

Though there's so much to be expressed, they are no match for the heart

Lonely nights when I'm missing you so much

An overhead roof of stars kept vigil over me

And I learned the heartache of love

Say we'll stay awake like this until the dawn

And we can live together for always

Let's feel out this love with love

So the the way love feels does not fade

Say it over and over, that you truly

Love me

SAY YES without hesitating, without uncertainty

 

Let's feel out this love with love

So the the way love feels does not fade

Say it over and over, that you truly

Love me

SAY YES SAY YES...

[masakikoh]

[video=youtube;x_-OZfn1Zhk]

 

Title: Island Song [1993]

Artist: THE BOOM

Lyrics: Kazufumi MIYAZAWA

Composition: Kazufumi MIYAZAWA

 

The

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flowers, summons wind, the storm has come

The deigo blossoms scatter, summon wind, the storm has come

Repeated sadnesses are like waves crossing the islands

I met you in the sea of sugarcane stalks

And bid you forever farewell under the sugarcane

Island song, ride the wind

Cross the sea with the birds

Island song, ride the wind

Carry my tears to him*, I pray

 

The deigo blossoms wilt and the ripples waver

Tiny happiness is a fleeting flower of sea foam on a wave

I sang to you in the sea of sugarcane stalks, my friend

And bid you forever adieu under the sugarcane

Island song, ride the wind

Cross the sea with the birds

Island song, ride the wind

Carry my love to him*, I pray

 

Oh Sea and Space, Oh God, Oh Life

I pray this evening calm will continue eternally

Island song, ride the wind

Cross the sea with the birds

Island song, ride the wind

Carry my tears to him*, I pray

 

Island song, ride the wind

Cross the sea with the birds

Island song, ride the wind

Carry my love to him*, I pray

 

La la la--

La la la...

La la la--

La la la...

 

The quintessential island song from the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa is a beautiful song that captures the spirit of the unique culture of that island and its people. It is sung often as a cover and at karaoke, especially by people on the mainland who love Okinawa and people from Okinawa who have come to the mainland for work or to live. It always makes me weep a little. I hope you enjoy this timeless classic from 1993!

[masakikoh]

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Title: Come, Oh Spring (Haru yo, koi) [1994]

Artist: Yumi MATSUTOYA (Yuming)

Lyrics: Yumi MATSUTOYA (Yuming)

Composition: Yumi MATSUTOYA (Yuming)

 

Light cascades on a fleeting vernal shower

The darling vestiges of fragrant daphne

The buds of overflowing tears

Give off their scent one by one

 

It comes from beyond the sky

And eventually, it will come to me

 

+Spring, far-off spring... If I close my eyes there I find

Your dear voice, the one who gives me love

 

Entrusted to you, my heart

Is still awaiting a reply from you

No matter how many years pass

I will continue to wait forever and ever

 

It lies beyond tomorrow

And sometime, someday it will reach me

 

*Spring, spring as yet unseen... If I wander and lose my way

Your gaze embraces my shoulders, my dream-giver

 

Dream of a shallow sleep... I am here

I walk alone, longing for you

Like the flowing rain, like the flowing flowers

 

Repeat+

 

Repeat*

 

Repeat+

 

Spring, spring as yet unseen...

 

This is a wonderful ballad about the time around the 立春 (Risshun, Lichun) in February, when it is feeling like spring some days and yet it is still cold and spring is so far-off. In the first stanza, the singer is alluding to tears that come out unexpectedly when she talks about a fleeting shower and of her beloved when she talks about darling daphnes. Her beloved is unassuming and far away but still has such a strong presence and makes big impression in her life, like the daphnes, which are small and dainty but have a strong fragrance.

 

Please enjoy this rendition, a cover of the song by Ayumi HAMASAKI on the program Music Fair 21. It is, in the opinion of many, superior to some of the other covers out there. I was first introduced to this song with HAMASAKI's cover, which was so emotive and beautiful. I hope you enjoy.

[masakikoh]

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Title: I BELIEVE [1995]

Artist: Tomomi KAHALA

Lyrics: Tetsuya Komuro

Music: Tetsuya Komuro

 

The beginnings of our shimmering white love affair

Lie in the faraway distant past

Anytime I believe your smile

I was always searching for your smile

Anytime I believe your love

I've been watching you since a long time ago

I am sure of it

 

Give me a Chance! Give me a Jump!

This is a fight forged on to the future!

Give you a Speed! Give you a Power!

Sometimes, I use a bit of sass!

 

The city was frozen over and I hated the cold nights

There were days when I honestly

Wanted just a little of your warmth instead of talking about love

 

How much love and how many dreams haven't I managed to keep, shouting to the skies

You soar through the starry nights

And run through the snowy streets

I just wanna believe in you

 

Anytime I believe your smile

Vestiges of your figure come to mind

Tracing phantoms of my immature feelings

Anytime I believe your love

I was chasing after you, watching you

I am sure of it

 

Give me a Luck! Give me a Start!

Now's the time to put this ambition to the test

Give me a Pride! Give me a Dream!

I won't show my shrewd side and conduct myself with grace

The moment I unlock the door to my apartment alone

I am assailed by loneliness

There were nights when I honestly just

Wanted to lean on you a little instead of

Clinging to love through the heartache

 

The beginnings of our shimmering white love affair

Lie in the faraway distant past

Anytime I believe your smile

I was always searching for your smile

Anytime I believe your love

I've been watching you since a long time ago

I am sure of it

[masakikoh]

[video=youtube;h-kQw4JqCHE]

 

Title: I Could Even Fly through the Sky [1996]

Artist: SPITZ

Lyrics: Masamune KUSANO

Composition: Masamune KUSANO

 

Unable to contain my immature feverishness, fearing the encroaching shadow of god

I hid the knife I wielded awkwardly and consoled myself with a jejune song

My colors fade and I take on cracks, all the while seeking my way to shine

 

The miracle of meeting you is overflowing in my heart

I'm sure I could even fly freely through the sky right now

When your tears that dampened our dream flow into the expanse of ocean

I hope you'll be smiling by my side for always

 

The obvious lie I played as my trump card fell apart on the night of the full moon

And I woke from a deep sleep at the scent of the fleeting swaying of your hair

 

The miracle of meeting you is overflowing in my chest

I'm sure I could even fly freely through the sky right now

Even if this world of shiny rubbish should reject us

I want you to be by my side smiling for always

 

The miracle of meeting you is overflowing in my heart

I'm sure I could even fly freely through the sky right now

When your tears that dampened our dream flow into the expanse of ocean

I hope you'll be smiling by my side for always

 

--

 

Notes: The vocalist of SPITZ, Masamune KUSANO, states that he writes often about sex and death in his music because he feels these two topics have affected his life most deeply. This song is no different: Sex features into the lyrics in rather subtle ways.

 

1. Unable to contain my immature feverishness: This immaturity refers to his being a teenager. The fever is his awakened sexuality and the physical proof of this sexual awakening, his becoming erect.

 

2. fearing the encroaching shadow of god: This encroachment of a shadow suggests someone ("god") is close by, maybe standing over his shoulder. And "god" means a moralistic figure, maybe a parental figure or adults. They are the voice of morality that disapproves of his budding sexuality. This is why he fears the shadow--or at least feels uneasy about it being nearby. It's the same sort of feeling that people are watching you from Heaven when you have sex or go to the toilet.

 

3. I hid the knife I wielded awkwardly: The Japanese uses the word "unbecoming" or "unfitting," meaning that he is awkward with his knife. The knife in this question refers to his penis, again a reference to his budding sexuality.

 

4. consoled myself with a jejune song: A jejune (immature) song here is code, probably, for some kind of 'dirty' magazine or some other adult media. Consolation uses the kanji for "慰" in the original lyric, so this is a reference to self-consolation (自らを慰める), which is in turn a euphemism here for "自慰" or masturbation. More sex references, in other words.

 

5. colors fade and I take on cracks, all the while seeking a way to shine: This means getting older, making mistakes and getting hurt on the way (cracks and faded color) while searching for one's own way to shine, or one's dream for one's life.

 

6.The chorus is pretty straightforward but it suggests that while the singer is so happy to have met 'you' that he feels like he can fly thru the sky, 'you' are crying presently. Once the tears stop falling, 'you'll' be able to be by his side and smiling. He wants to be together with 'you' as soon as he can and for you to always be by his side. The miracle of meeting you suggests that he has grown up since the time that he was just kind of immature mentally but his body was mature; he has grown up, in other words, and through his quest to be a shinier version of himself, he ended up meeting 'you,' which was amazing because it was at the right time when he had grown up somewhat.

 

7. The reference to the full moon is suggestive of reincarnation. The roundness of the moon is evocative of cycles, and the greatest cycle is that of death and rebirth. So, no matter how long it takes for 'you' to feel like 'you' can stop crying, the two will be able to meet because the singer knows that you are destined for each other and therefore can meet anyplace in the flow of time.

 

And that's about it. Wonderfully poetic song. Originally released in 94, it was a major hit in 96 when it was used as the theme song for a drama. Give the SPITZ a listen. I love their music a lot.

[masakikoh]

Can You Celebrate? [1997]

Namie AMURO

 

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Can you celebrate? Can you kiss me tonight?

We will love a long, long time

We sure didn't know the meaning of the word "eternity," did we?

 

We're alone, the two of us

Starting tonight, we're gonna feel a little shy

 

Lalala... lalala...

Lalala... lalala...

 

For a long, long while, I was searching for someone to watch over me

I would search for him, find him, lose him, and wind up searching again

 

We felt so distant. I was afraid. But there were also such wonderful

Nights and there were smiles

Adrift in the wind, we are living like this and it's not so bad, don't you think?

 

Lalala... lalala...

Lalala... lalala...

 

Our love has been sweet, heart-aching, immature

And if we look back on it, it's quite cute

 

Our way has been littered with mistakes and we were moving on against the current

And a certain someone showed me the way

 

Can't break away from my memories

I'm standing here

For no reason, tears spill over

And I feel myself smiling

 

Can you hold me tight? It's a party time tonight

Say goodbye my lonely heart

We sure didn't know the meaning of the word "eternity," did we?

Say hello forever

 

We're alone, the two of us

Starting tonight, I hope you'll be sweet to me

 

I can celebrate...

[morning_flower94]

Thank you, I really love them

My fave Jpop song from 2000 era are probably season and you by ayumi Hamasaki