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".

恋の嵐
竹内まりや Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dance, dance, dance, never stop
Dance, dance, dance, never stop

ふと触れた指先に
心が揺れる夜は
秘め続けた想いさえも
隠せなくなる

友達でいたいけど
動き出したハートは
もうこのまま止められない
罪の始まり

Dance, dance, dance
頬を寄せて強く抱いて
ステップ踏むの

Chance, chance, chance
まだ今なら
帰る場所を選べるわ
Dance, dance, dance, never stop till you say you love me
Dance, dance, dance, never stop till you say you love me so

あなたの車に乗り
駆け抜ける雨の街
涙色に輝いてる
切ないくらい

二人を急かすように
降り続く雨の音
誰もいない駐車場で
止めたエンジン

Rain, rain, rain
窓を打って
もっと降って嵐を呼んで
Pain, pain, pain
恋するほど
ついてくるの哀しみも

Dance, dance, dance
頬を寄せて強く抱いて
ステップ踏むの
Chance, chance, chance
まだ今なら
帰る場所を選べるわ

Rain, rain, rain
窓を打って
もっと降って嵐を呼んで
Pain, pain, pain
胸の痛み
熱いキスで忘れたい

Rain, rain, rain, never stop till you kiss me baby
Rain, rain, rain, never stop
Rain, rain, rain, never stop till you kiss me baby
Rain, rain, rain, never stop till you kiss me baby
Rain, rain, rain, never stop till you kiss me baby
Rain, rain, rain, never stop till you kiss me baby

Rain, rain, rain, never stop till you kiss me baby
Rain, rain, rain, never stop till you kiss me baby (rain, rain, rain)

Overall Meaning

The song "Koi no Arashi" by Mariya Takeuchi is about a moment in time where two people are caught up in a whirlwind romance, unable to control their own feelings, but simultaneously afraid to give into them. The lyrics describe the overwhelming rush of passion that takes over when one is in love. The refrain of "Dance, dance, dance, never stop" represents the characters' desire to stay in this moment, to hold onto this feeling of being swept away by the emotions they feel for each other.

The first verse starts with a description of a night where everything is uncertain, except for the fact that the singer's heart has been stirred by someone's touch. Even the singer's secret thoughts cannot be hidden any longer. In the second verse, the singer acknowledges that she wants to remain friends with the person she's fallen for, but the momentum of her heart is too strong to stop, and this is where the "sin" of the title comes in - the choice to give into passion, even if it feels like it's wrong to do so. The chorus is repeated four times over, emphasizing the power of the emotions at play here.

The second half of the song sees the characters caught in the rain, another symbol of their tumultuous feelings. The rain can be seen as a cleansing force, but it's also raining so hard it's like a storm. The pain of being in love is emphasized, but there is a desire to hold onto this moment forever, to choose their own fate, represented by the choice of where to go home. Ultimately, it's the rain that takes over, and as the emotions become too much to bear, the characters give into their passion, represented by the repeated refrain of "never stop till you kiss me baby."

Line by Line Meaning

Dance, dance, dance, never stop
Keep dancing without stopping

ふと触れた指先に心が揺れる夜は
On nights when my heart trembles at the touch of your fingers, even my hidden feelings cannot be concealed

秘め続けた想いさえも隠せなくなる
Even my hidden feelings cannot be hidden anymore

友達でいたいけど
I want to be friends

動き出したハートはもうこのまま止められない
My heart has started beating and I can't stop it now

罪の始まり
This is the beginning of a sin

Dance, dance, dance 頬を寄せて強く抱いてステップ踏むの
Dance, hold me tight and step together

Chance, chance, chance まだ今なら帰る場所を選べるわ
This is my chance to choose my path and where I call home

Dance, dance, dance, never stop till you say you love me Dance, dance, dance, never stop till you say you love me so
I will never stop dancing with you until you say you love me

あなたの車に乗り駆け抜ける雨の街
We drive through the rainy city in your car

涙色に輝いてる切ないくらい
Our tears glisten, it's so sad

二人を急かすように降り続く雨の音
The sound of the rain falling is urging us on

誰もいない駐車場で止めたエンジン
We park the car at an empty parking lot and turn off the engine

Rain, rain, rain 窓を打ってもっと降って嵐を呼んで
The rain falls hard, hitting the window pane, calling on the storm

Pain, pain, pain 恋するほどついてくるの哀しみも
The more I love, the sadder I become

Dance, dance, dance 頬を寄せて強く抱いてステップ踏むの
Dance, hold me tight and step together

Chance, chance, chance まだ今なら帰る場所を選べるわ
This is my chance to choose my path and where I call home

Rain, rain, rain 窓を打ってもっと降って嵐を呼んで
The rain falls hard, hitting the window pane, calling on the storm

Pain, pain, pain 胸の痛み熱いキスで忘れたい
I want to forget the pain in my heart with a hot kiss

Rain, rain, rain, never stop till you kiss me baby Rain, rain, rain, never stop
The rain falls endlessly until you kiss me, baby

Rain, rain, rain, never stop till you kiss me baby Rain, rain, rain, never stop till you kiss me baby
The rain falls endlessly until you kiss me, baby