Akiko Yano is a Japanese pop and jazz musician.

Her music is by tur… Read Full Bio ↴Akiko Yano is a Japanese pop and jazz musician.

Her music is by turns playful, heartfelt, melodic, ornate, and disarmingly simple, reflecting a love of music in all its forms and colors. She handles moody new wave, virtuosic fusion, traditional jazz ballads, straightahead pop, and singer-songwriter folk songs with equal aplomb.

Though she's recorded with many of the 20th century's greatest pop and jazz musicians, her primarily Japanese-language albums have kept her music below the radar of most English-language listeners. She's recorded with, among many others, Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, members of Little Feat, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono, David Sylvian, Mick Karn, Kenji Omura, Jeff Bova, Yukihiro Takahashi, Charlie Haden, Peter Erskine, Anthony Jackson, David Rhodes, the band Quruli, and her son Futa Sakamoto.

Beyond her solo work, Yano has recorded with Thomas Dolby, Yngwie Malmsteen, The Chieftains, The Hammonds, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Kazumi Watanabe, The Boom, Tetsuro Kashibuchi, and Ryuichi Sakamoto. She appeared on the recording "Snowflake" reading a children's story in Japanese with Peter Gabriel reading in English and music by Akira Inoue and David Rhodes accompanying both.

Kikyu ni notte
矢野顕子 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

気球にのって舞いあがれ
未練の綱を絶ち切って
二度ともどって来れないように
さよならさよならさよなら fu

沈む雲に手をのばし
少しちぎって食べたなら
雨が追いかけて来ぬうちに

さよならさよならさよなら wow

Ah 雷竜巻サイクロン
カサブランカまであと少し
たまにゃ思いだす

あの人だけどサヨナラ
サヨナラサヨナラ wow

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of 矢野顕子's "Kikyu ni notte" encourage the listener to ascend into the sky on a hot air balloon, severing all lingering attachments and never looking back. The metaphor of a hot air balloon speaks to the idea of rising above one's earthly concerns and ascending to new heights. The act of cutting the rope tying the balloon to the ground is symbolic of letting go of one's regrets and leaving behind the past. The repeated refrain of "sayonara," which translates to "goodbye," reinforces this theme of departure and moving forward.

The second verse of the song suggests reaching out to dark storm clouds and taking a small piece to eat before the rain catches up. This can be interpreted as an acknowledgement of the beauty found in fleeting moments, and the importance of seizing these opportunities before they slip away. The refrain of "sayonara" is repeated once again, highlighting the sense of finality and closure that comes with every goodbye.

Overall, "Kikyu ni notte" is a song that encourages the listener to let go of their past and embrace new opportunities, even if it means saying goodbye to what was once familiar. The metaphor of a hot air balloon is a powerful one, and 矢野顕子 uses it effectively to convey the feeling of soaring above life's troubles.

Line by Line Meaning

気球にのって舞いあがれ
Get on the hot air balloon and fly away

未練の綱を絶ち切って
Cut off the rope of attachment

二度ともどって来れないように
In a way that can never return

さよならさよならさよなら fu
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye fu

沈む雲に手をのばし
Stretch out your hand to the sinking clouds

少しちぎって食べたなら
If you ate a small piece

雨が追いかけて来ぬうちに
Before the rain catches up

さよならさよならさよなら wow
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye wow

Ah 雷竜巻サイクロン
Ah, thunder, tornado, cyclone

カサブランカまであと少し
Just a little bit more to Casablanca

たまにゃ思いだす
Sometimes I remember