Anri (杏里, Anri), real name Eiko Kawashima (川嶋栄子, Kawashima Eiko), is a Japa… Read Full Bio ↴Anri (杏里, Anri), real name Eiko Kawashima (川嶋栄子, Kawashima Eiko), is a Japanese singer and singer-songwriter born on August 31, 1961 in Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan . She has written much of her own music as well as singing songs written by others such as her debut release in 1978, Oribia o Kikinagara, by Amii Ozaki. Her song "Cat's Eye" was used as the first opening theme for the eponymous 1983 anime series Cat's Eye and debuted as #1 on Countdown Japan. It was one of the first J-pop songs used as an anime theme song, and it was included in a recent Dance Dance Revolution game. Her popularly skyrocketed following her appearance at the Red and White New Year's Music Special at the end of that same year.

Other hit songs include Summer Candles and Dolphin Ring, both of which became standard songs played at Japanese wedding and receptions. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Anri's albums were bestsellers. She is often cited as being one the first Japanese singers to fuse Britain and American music into j-pop. She has highly successful tours—one with attendance of almost 100,000—and toured Hawaii for the first time in 1987. She was given a boost by singing the closing theme for the 1998 Winter Olympics at Nagano. In 2002, she began collaborating with jazz fusion guitarist Lee Ritenour who produced her 2002 LP "Smooth Jam - Quiet Storm".

STAY BY ME
杏里 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

あなたの横顔が街の灯に溶けて行くようね
"これ以上君とはいられない"
あなたはつぶやくの
言わないで今はまだこのまま

I love you stay by me!! 何もかも
知ってはいたけれど
お願い Stay by me そばにいて

夜が果てるまで...

流れて行くテールライド見下ろせば想い出も冷める
都会のうつろいは
心さえつかむ間もないのね
消えて行く灯りさえ愛しい

I love you stay by me この想い
夜よまぎらわして...
今だけStay by me よりそうの
時が止まるまで

I love you stay by me もう二度と
電話もかけないわ
Oh. だけど Stay by me あなただけ
素直になれたのは...

I love you stay by me この想い
夜よまぎらわして...

今だけStay by me よりそうの
時が止まるまで

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song STAY BY ME by 杏里 focus on the feeling of longing and the desire to be with a loved one. The first verse talks about the singer watching the person they love as their image fades into the city lights. The loved one expresses that they cannot be with the singer any longer, but they plead to stay together just for the moment. The chorus repeats "I love you stay by me" as a plea to be with their loved one even though everything else may be falling apart. The second verse talks about how memories fade away as time moves on, but the singer clings to the fleeting moments they have with their loved one. The third verse is bittersweet as the singer accepts that they may never be with their loved one again but they are grateful for the time they had together.

Overall, the lyrics express the pain of unrequited love while conveying the sense of hope that the singer has to be with their loved one, even if just for a little longer. The somber and nostalgic atmosphere of the instrumentals complements the emotional tone of the lyrics, making for a beautiful song that captures the complex emotions of love and loss.

Line by Line Meaning

あなたの横顔が街の灯に溶けて行くようね
I see your profile blending with the city lights

これ以上君とはいられない
I can't be with you any longer

あなたはつぶやくの
You whisper

言わないで今はまだこのまま
Don't say anything, for now, let it stay

I love you stay by me!! 何もかも
I love you, stay with me!! Even if everything else

知ってはいたけれど
I already knew it,

お願い Stay by me そばにいて
Please, stay by my side

夜が果てるまで...
Until the end of the night...

流れて行くテールライド見下ろせば想い出も冷める
From the ride tailing away, memories turn cold when I look down

都会のうつろいは
The transience of the city

心さえつかむ間もないのね
Doesn't even give me the chance to catch my breath