In her beginning Okada went on many auditions for talent shows in hopes of becoming an idol. Finally she was accepted to Star Tanjou! on Nippon Television. In March 1983, she won the contest.
On April 21, 1984, Okada debuted with a single, "First Date". She was known as "Yukko" in the beginning of her career as a result of her mispronouncing her name, Yukiko, stemming from her nervousness on her first television appearance on "The Best Ten".
Okada won the Rookie of the Year title that same year and was awarded the title of best new artist for the 26th Japan Record Awards for her 3rd single, "Dreaming Girl: Koi, Hajimemashite." Her 1986 song "Kuchibiru Network" written by Seiko Matsuda and composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto reached the number one spot on the Oricon weekly single charts on February 10, 1986.
Just as she was starting to come into her own as a star in the idol industry a tragedy occurred. The Sun Music building, located in Yotsuya, Tokyo, Around 10 o'clock April 8, 1986, 18 year old Okada was found with a slashed wrist in her gas-filled Tokyo apartment. Two hours later, Okada jumped to her death from the seven-story building. The reason for Okada's suicide is still unknown.
Summer Beach
岡田有希子 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
小さな太陽ね あなたの瞳(め)
熱い視線
眠ったふりしてパラソル越しに感じてるのよ
人魚たちの群れ...
原色が踊ってる...
何もかもを忘れて大胆になりたい
こんなに近くにいるのに何故
Oh Summer Beach
まつ毛の白い砂
指先ではらってくれた
涙がこぼれる
"ごめんね"
あなたを驚かせた
去年の水着の
跡も消えていくから
空がブロンズ色に染まる時間 待ってて
終わった恋にさよなら言いたいの
Oh Summer Beach
ゆうべは"ごめんね"
私が少しいけない
Loving Loving me
Loving Loving me
もうすぐ言える
波の音に負けないほど
"愛している"って言わせて
Oh Summer Beach
小さな太陽ね あなたの瞳(め)
熱い視線
眠ったふりしてパラソル越しに感じてるのよ
The song "Summer Beach" by Yukiko Okada captures the essence of a summer romance through its poetic lyrics. The song is about the singer experiencing the warmth of the sun and the feeling of being watched by her lover. She pretends to sleep while feeling his gaze over her parasol. The chorus consists of her reminiscing about the magical moments they share on the beach. The singer sees a school of mermaids dancing around her as she loses herself in the moment. The lyrics suggest that she wants to forget everything and be bold in the arms of her lover. However, the singer also feels guilty about something and apologizes to her lover for it. She wants to express her love for him soon and not let the sound of waves overpower her words.
The lyrics of the song depict a romantic evening on a beach, with the singer and her lover. The use of sensory language such as "太陽ね" (taiyou ne) meaning "little sun," "眠ったふりして" (nemutta furi shite) meaning "pretending to sleep," and "波の音" (nami no oto) meaning "sound of waves," creates a vivid picture of the setting. The singer's desire to confess her love is also palpable in the lyrics. The lyrics are rich in imagery and emotions, and the song's soothing melody enhances the romantic sentiment expressed in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Summer Beach
The start of the song where the singer describes and begins to express the feelings associated with the beach during the summer season.
小さな太陽ね あなたの瞳(め)
The singer refers to the sun as a small one in comparison to the feeling it brings. The singer then turns their attention to their companion and compliment their eyes.
熱い視線
The singer feels the intensity of their companion's gaze.
眠ったふりしてパラソル越しに感じてるのよ
The artist suggests that they are aware of how their companion gazes at them while pretending to sleep behind their umbrella.
人魚たちの群れ...
The artist starts to imagine and describe the mermaids that exist in their mind when at the beach.
原色が踊ってる...
The singer describes the vibrancy and liveliness of their surrounding environment, using the metaphor of dancing colors.
何もかもを忘れて大胆になりたい
The singer longs to forget everything else and become more daring while at the beach.
こんなに近くにいるのに何故
"I miss you"
The singer wonders why they feel nostalgia or longing despite the closeness between them and their companion; the singer says they miss them.
まつ毛の白い砂
指先ではらってくれた
涙がこぼれる
"ごめんね"
あなたを驚かせた
The artist reminisces about an experience in which their companion wiped sand from their eyelashes which led to the artist breaking down in tears. They apologize for the outburst since it came as a surprise to their companion.
去年の水着の
跡も消えていくから
空がブロンズ色に染まる時間 待ってて
終わった恋にさよなら言いたいの
The artist suggests that it is time to say goodbye to last year's beachwear as the sun sets, and the sky turns bronze. They also suggest wanting to say farewell to a concluded relationship.
ゆうべは"ごめんね"
私が少しいけない
Loving Loving me
Loving Loving me
もうすぐ言える
波の音に負けないほど
"愛している"って言わせて
The singer confesses to having made a mistake the previous night but assures their companion that they will soon say, "I love you" with the help of the sound of the waves, which they reference as so overpowering that they don't want to lose to it.
小さな太陽ね あなたの瞳(め)
熱い視線
眠ったふりしてパラソル越しに感じてるのよ
The singer circles back to the beginning of the song and reminds their companion of their prior descriptions of the sun and their gaze, as well as jokingly reveals how she was aware of their gaze despite pretending to be asleep.
Writer(s): 尾崎 亜美, 尾崎 亜美
Contributed by Addison L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.