Mariya Takeuchi (竹内まりや) (born March 20, 1955 in Shimane, Japan) is a Japan… Read Full Bio ↴Mariya Takeuchi (竹内まりや) (born March 20, 1955 in Shimane, Japan) is a Japanese singer and songwriter.
Takeuchi started her own career with a single "Modotte-Oide, Watashi no Jikan" in 1978. From the late 1970s to the early '80s, she has recorded 5 albums and several singles including top-ten hit "Fushigi na Peach Pie". Those materials have featured dozens of Japanese and North American distinguished songwriters, instrumentalists, and producers, such as David Foster, Jim Keltner, Jay Graydon, Steve Lukather, Jeff Porcaro, David Hungate, Kazuhiko Kato, Kunihiko Kase, Shigeru Suzuki, Takashi Matsumoto, and her future long-term partner Tatsuro Yamashita.
"Heart to Heart", one of her songs co-written by Roger Nichols and released in 1980, was recorded by the Carpenters two years later, and became the last recording for the late Karen Carpenter.

In 1981, Takeuchi married to a singer-songwriter Tatsuro Yamashita, and stopped her career temporarily owing to the pregnancy. After her comeback to the Japanese music industry in 1984, she has accomplished huge commercial success more than when she was single. From that year to the present, she has recorded 6 successful studio albums that mainly consisted of her self-penned songs, and all of them have reached #1 on the Japanese Oricon chart.

As a singer-songwriter, she has produced 8 top-ten hit singles on the Oricon, including "Single Again", "Kokuhaku", "Junai Rhapsody", "Konya wa Hearty Party" and her only #1 hit "Camouflage".

ロンリー・ウーマン
竹内まりや Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

最初はほんのちょっと
遊びのつもりだった
華やかな孤独から逃げ出したくて
肩の力が抜けるような
気軽さと優しさに
いつかしら知らぬまに恋をしてた
邪魔をし合わない約束で
ハメをはずしたあとで

忘れられなくなったあの夜
彼女のもとへと消え去る姿に
おとな気ないほど
やきもち妬いてた
I'm a lonely woman
I'm a lonely woman

忙しさにまぎれて
忘れるつもりだった
この街が冬仕度始める頃に
たぶんあなたは恋人連れ
どこかで過ごすholiday
かなわない想いほど未練になる
ひとりぼっちが似合いすぎる
強がりだけの私
いつかきっと愛に出会いたい
誰かが偶然うわさをしてると
名前を聞くたび切なくなるのよ
I'm a lonely woman
I'm a lonely woman
クールに見えても本当は淋しい
心のすきまを涙で理めてく
I'm a lonely woman
I'm a lonely woman /クールに
見えても本当は淋しい
心のすきまを涙で理めてく
I'm a lonely woman
I'm a lonely woman

I'm a lonely woman
I'm a lonely woman

Overall Meaning

The song "Lonely Woman" by Mariya Takeuchi expresses the emotions of a woman who has been caught up in the loneliness of life. At the beginning of the song, the woman is just looking for a little fun to escape the glamorous but lonely life she has been living. She falls in love without realizing, experiencing a lightness and tenderness that make her shoulders relax. However, she couldn't forget the night when her lover disappeared without a trace. Even though she had made a promise not to interfere with each other's lives, she felt jealous and childish when she saw him with his girlfriend.

The woman tries to forget the man by keeping herself busy, but as winter approaches, she cannot help but recall his name every time she hears it, feeling a sense of longing and regret. Mariya Takeuchi sings of the woman's turmoil, the loneliness she feels despite her cool exterior, and how she tries to mend the gaps in her heart with tears. The melancholic tune complements the lyrics and makes for an emotional listening experience.

Line by Line Meaning

最初はほんのちょっと
At first, it was just a little bit

遊びのつもりだった
I intended it to be a game

華やかな孤独から逃げ出したくて
I wanted to escape from glamorous loneliness

肩の力が抜けるような
It was a relaxing feeling

気軽さと優しさに
I somehow fell in love

いつかしら知らぬまに恋をしてた
I unconsciously fell in love

邪魔をし合わない約束で
We made a promise to not get in each other's way

ハメをはずしたあとで
After we got rid of that promise

忘れられなくなったあの夜
I can't forget that night

彼女のもとへと消え去る姿に
I watched you disappear towards her

おとな気ないほど
I felt very immature