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.
恋人よ
美空ひばり Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
雨に壊れたベンチには 愛をささやく歌もない
恋人よ そばにいて
こごえる私のそばにいてよ
そしてひとこと この別れ話が
冗談だよと 笑ってほしい
まるで忘却のぞむように 止まる私を誘っている
恋人よ さようなら
季節はめぐってくるけど
あの日の二人 宵の流れ星
光っては消える 無情の夢よ
恋人よ そばにいて
こごえる私のそばにいてよ
そしてひとこと この別れ話が
冗談だよと 笑ってほしい
美空ひばり's song 恋人よ talks about a lover who is about to be left alone on a cold, lonely day. The sunset is accompanied by falling leaves, which signify the coming of colder days. The bench where the lovers might have once sat has been rendered unsuitable for intimacy - it no longer whispers love songs, now that it has been broken by the rain. The singer desires that her lover stays with her on this cold day, and consoles her, perhaps with a reassuring smile and a word indicating that the possibility of separation is an amusing joke.
As the marathoners run past her with soulless speed on the gravel path, the singer appears to be inviting herself to forget her lover, to forget the memories they shared. She accepts the inevitability of the seasons passing by, but the night sky is as unforgiving as the day, for even the shooting stars that the lovers might have once watched disappear after a brief second of illumination. This seems to be the cruel nature of life for the singer, unwavering and constant.
Line by Line Meaning
枯葉散る夕暮れは 来る日の寒さをものがたり
The autumn leaves falling in the evening represent the coldness of the future.
雨に壊れたベンチには 愛をささやく歌もない
The broken bench in the rain sings no loving song.
恋人よ そばにいて
My love, please be by my side.
こごえる私のそばにいてよ
Please be by my side, as I am feeling so cold.
そしてひとこと この別れ話が
And just one word, to say that this talk of parting
冗談だよと 笑ってほしい
is just a joke, and that you'll laugh it off.
砂利路を駆け足で マラソン人が行き過ぎる
A marathon runner rushes by on a gravel road.
まるで忘却のぞむように 止まる私を誘っている
Calling out, as if to forgetfulness, inviting me to stop.
恋人よ さようなら
My love, goodbye.
季節はめぐってくるけど
The seasons will continue to pass, but
あの日の二人 宵の流れ星
We, on that day, were shooting stars in the night sky,
光っては消える 無情の夢よ
shining brightly only to disappear, a dream of cruel reality.
Writer(s): 五輪 真弓, 五輪 真弓
Contributed by Alex P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
かず
こんなことあるのか…
今、散々、五輪さんのいろんな年代の恋人よを聞きまくって、どれも素晴らしくて、感激してたところ。
ひばりさんのカバーか、軽い気持でクリックしてここにいる。
カバーって絶対に本人越えられないと思ってたけど、すごすぎる。圧倒される。どちらもすばらしい。
こんなに自分のものにできるの？？
すごくない？
そうか、これがひばりさんなのか。
すごすぎる。語彙無くてつらい。
ヤマトゼロ616
歌唱力が凄すぎる
徹屋
言葉が 正しく美しく悲しく伝わって、演奏の音色さえ引き立てる ひばりさんの歌唱の凄さ。
tak ooori
まさにおっしゃる通りだと思います。
音と歌の調和で全てが際立って聴こえる。
ManpeiXT
情感たっぷりに、美空さんならではの表現で苦もなく歌い上げる姿は圧巻。
本当に、なんでこんなにも簡単にあんな深いビブラートができるんだろう…
民兵
父が五輪真弓さんが好きで、この曲は沢山聞いたけど、美空ひばりさん…すごすぎる…語彙力無くて表現できないけど、上手すぎるのはもちろんなんだけど、ものすごい迫力だし、鳥肌立ちまくった…。素晴らしい。
池田良子
確かに!ヨッチャンでした🌺
文宗
歌唱技巧超級細膩.超強
超越原唱
感動到起雞皮疙瘩的功力!!!!!
林增明
文宗 另一位用聲樂的唱法！
另有一番風味！也很好聽
くにぽん
うわー、「枯葉散る」の「かれ」の部分聴いただけで鳥肌が頭から足先まですぅーと走ったよ。
本当に凄すぎる。「ワインレッドの心」とか「昴」も良かったけどコレが一番良い。
あと中森明菜の「難破船」のカバーとかどこかに、、、ないよね。
加藤法子
本当にひばりさんは、歌が上手い。感動❤