Yô Hitoto (一青窈 Hitoto Yō, born September 20, 1976) is a folk singer-songwri… Read Full Bio ↴Yô Hitoto (一青窈 Hitoto Yō, born September 20, 1976) is a folk singer-songwriter. Her mother is Japanese and her father is Chinese. She can speak three languages: Japanese, English, and standard Mandarin Chinese.

She completed kindergarten in Taipei before moving to Japan, and she has lived there ever since. She graduated from the department of Environmental Studies of Keio University and participated in the Keio University a cappella group, K.O.E., during her days as a student. She used to have live concerts on the street with fellow K.O.E. members before she met Youichi Kitayama(北山陽一), a member of the famous Japanese a cappella group the Gospellers. Mr. Kitayama encouraged Yô Hitoto to compose her own music. Before this encounter, she had been a backup singer for many other artists.

To date, Yô Hitoto has released eighth single CDs and three albums. The eighth single CDs are "Morai naki" (もらい泣き), "Da-jia" (大家-ダージャー), "Kingyo sukui" (金魚すくい), "Edo Polka/Yumenakaba" (江戸ポルカ/夢なかば) ,"Hanamizuki" (ハナミズキ),"Kagefumi"(影踏み),"Kazaguruma"(かざぐるま),and "Yubikiri"(指切り).
The titles of her albums are "Tsukitenshin" (月天心), "Hito-omoi" (一青想) and "&".
She also had best album, BESTYO, released in 2006, November.

Yô Hitoto's debut single "Morai naki" propelled her to stardom, and her songs enjoy wide popularity. Her clear voice and singing style, which is compared to the style of folk songs of Okinawa, attract many fans.

In Taiwan she is known for singing a Taiwanese folk song, which was included in her second album, as part of a Suntory beer commercial.

Yô Hitoto is known by gamers as performing a song at the finale of the game, Dynasty Warriors 2(真・三國無双). She also sang Aishiteru ze Baby anime opening sunny side up and "Hanamizuki".

In 2003 she debuted in her first film Café Lumière, as the lead character Yoko. She also wrote lyric for the movies' theme song, Hitoshian(一思案).

From the second album/sixth single, she start to cooprated with other producer besides Satoshi Takebe(武部聡志),such as Inoue Yuusui(井上陽水),Tsushimi Takashi(都志見隆),and Kobayashi Takeshi(小林武史).

Line
一青窈 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

『清の時代-遥か昔
前世で結ばれていた
縁を手繰り寄せろ』
、と言う
鷲の眼の占い師
未だ見ぬ人の気配を好きだなんて
可笑しいでせう?
‥赤い糸ならばいいな

日月のような関係。
もうすぐ交差点人生の途中
氷河が溶けるように
君を求めて流る
つながっていたいから
まだ出会っていないけれども
古今東西からの続く縁を
続く今日を信じて信じてる

こない春を待ってたら
歳をとってしまうけれど、、
何度もすれ違ってたなら
掴め!
千載一遇。
このまま勇気を出さずに終わって
林檎をかじってたら
振り出しにもどるだけ
宝ものはいつでも半径地球
の腕ん中
気づけばそこで君を
待っていてくれるもの
信じて信じてて

嗚呼...このときめき
ショウケースに入れて
閉じ込めてしまえば
誰にも気づかれない
つながっていたいから
まだ出会っていないけれども
古今東西からの続く縁を

続く今日を信じて信じてる
信じて信じてる

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of 一青窈's song "LINE" depict a woman who is desperately searching for the person she is destined to be with. According to a fortune teller with the eyes of an eagle from the Qing Dynasty, she is calling for those connections that were bound in her past life to be drawn closer to her. She finds it funny that she can love someone she hasn't met yet, but she wishes for a love like that of the connections tied by the red strings of fate. She sees her life as a compass and the person she will love is the North Star that will guide her. She’s searching for that special someone, and her heart is melting like an ice glacier to find them.

Throughout the song, the lyrics emphasize the searching for the right person so that the singer can be connected with them in their current life. The person she's supposed to be with is unknown and yet, she's always been waiting for them. She doesn't want to waste any more time since the years keep passing by quickly, and eventually, it will be too late. But, she believes that they will eventually meet because their connection is ancient and has endured over time. Even though they haven’t met yet, the singer still believes that their connection will continue to grow and become stronger day by day.

Line by Line Meaning

『清の時代-遥か昔
In the far distant past of the Qing dynasty,

前世で結ばれていた
We were connected in a previous life,

縁を手繰り寄せろ』
I want to pull our fate closer,

、と言う
The fortune teller with the eyes of an eagle says,

未だ見ぬ人の気配を好きだなんて
It's funny to like someone you haven't even met yet,

可笑しいでせう?
Don't you think that's strange?

‥赤い糸ならばいいな
It would be nice if we were connected by a red string,

日月のような関係。
A relationship like that of the sun and moon.

もうすぐ交差点人生の途中
We'll soon reach a crossroads in life,

氷河が溶けるように
I want to melt like a glacier,

君を求めて流る
To find and connect with you,