In April of 1987, on the way to a performance in Fukuoka, she suddenly collapsed. Rushed to hospital, she was diagnosed with bilateral femoral necrosis brought on by chronic hepatitis. Until August she was confined to hospital and eventually showed signs of recovery. She commenced recording a new song Midaregami in October, and in 1988 performed at a concert called Fushichou konsaato (Phoenix Concert) at the Tokyo Dome. Against overwhelming pain in her legs, she performed a total of 39 songs while assuring her fans that she had completely recovered. However, on 24 May 1989, having been re-admitted to the Juntendou hospital in Tokyo, she died from interstitial pneumonitis at the age of 52.
In July 1989 after her death, she became the first female recipient of the National Prize of Honour (国民栄誉賞) for her longstanding contributions to the music industry.
In 1993, the Misora Hibari-kan opened in Arashiyama, Kyoto. Its popularity with fans and tourists has endured through to the present.
Her most famous song, "Kawa no nagare no yō ni," (1989) was voted #1 in a 1997 NHK poll of the best Japanese songs of all time.
アカシアの雨がやむとき
美空ひばり Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
このまま死んでしまいたい
夜が明ける 日がのぼる
朝の光りのその中で
冷たくなった私を見つけて
あのひとは
涙を流して くれるでしょうか
切ない胸はわかるまい
想い出の ペンダント
白い真珠のこの肌で
淋しく今日も暖めてるのに
あのひとは
冷たい眼をして 何処かへ消えた
アカシアの雨がやむとき
青空さして鳩がとぶ
むらさきの はねのいろ
それはベンチの片隅で
冷たくなった私の脱けがら
あのひとを
探して遥かに 飛び立つ影よ
In 美空ひばり's song "アカシアの雨がやむとき" (Akashia no Ame ga Yamu Toki), the singer expresses her deep emotional pain and sorrow caused by the "Akashia rain", which represents her grief and loneliness. She sings that she wants to die under the rain without anyone noticing her death. But then, as she sees the dawn and the morning light, she hopes that someone will find her cold body and shed tears for her.
The lyrics also convey the sense of abandonment and betrayal. The singer talks about a person who left her with a white pearl pendant, which she still keeps warm every day, despite feeling lonely. She asks if that person will cry for her too or just disappear with a cold gaze.
Lastly, the song ends with the hope that the rain will stop and the sun will shine again, bringing the blue sky and purple feathers of a flying dove. The singer says that she will leave her cold shell behind and search for that person, who disappeared somewhere, in the distant shadow of her flight.
Overall, "アカシアの雨がやむとき" is a powerful and emotional song that expresses the themes of loneliness, grief, and hope.
Line by Line Meaning
アカシアの雨にうたれて
Struck by the rain of the acacias
このまま死んでしまいたい
I wish to die this way
夜が明ける 日がのぼる
The night breaks, the day dawns
朝の光りのその中で
In the middle of the morning light
冷たくなった私を見つけて
Finding me who has grown cold
あのひとは
That person
涙を流して くれるでしょうか
Will they shed tears for me?
アカシアの雨に泣いてる
Crying in the rain of the acacias
切ない胸はわかるまい
They cannot understand my heartache
想い出の ペンダント
A pendant of memories
白い真珠のこの肌で
On this white, pearl-like skin
淋しく今日も暖めてるのに
Although I warm myself in loneliness today too
あのひとは
That person
冷たい眼をして 何処かへ消えた
Disappeared somewhere, with cold eyes
アカシアの雨がやむとき
When the rain of the acacias stops
青空さして鳩がとぶ
A blue sky clears and doves fly
むらさきの はねのいろ
The color of the purple wings
それはベンチの片隅で
At the corner of a bench
冷たくなった私の脱けがら
My discarded, grown-cold form
あのひとを
That person
探して遥かに 飛び立つ影よ
In search of them, a far-flying shadow
Writer(s): 藤原秀行
Contributed by Blake B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.