Chara (ちゃら), born on January 13, 1968 in Kawaguchi, Saitama, is a Japanese… Read Full Bio ↴Chara (ちゃら), born on January 13, 1968 in Kawaguchi, Saitama, is a Japanese singer, songwriter and actress. Her real name is Satou Miwa (佐藤美和). After sending a demo tape to Sony Japan in 1990, she landed a record deal and released her first single, "Heaven", in 1991.

Chara earned her nickname as a schoolchild from her teacher (charachara means "scatterbrained") and has been called such ever since. She has always been musically involved, she began composing music in her later years of elementary school and played keyboard in a band from her second year of high school.

One of the things that defines Chara's music is her singing voice. It is often described as sweet and whispering like a child's, yet forceful and sincere. Despite her very distinctive singing voice, Chara considers herself a musician first and foremost; proficient with instruments such as the piano, drums, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, synthesizer and tambourine. There are common themes to a lot of her music, including motherhood, innocence, love, beauty, and cheerfulness.

She has appeared as one of the main characters in 'Swallowtail Butterfly' movie and sang all the songs. The album 'Montage' is actually a vocal collection from this movie, that's why it was released under the name of Yen Town Band - which is a fictional band from the story. She has also starred in 'PiCNiC' where she played the mental patient Coco. She would go on to marry her co-star Asano Tadanobu (浅野忠信) in 1995. Currently, the pair have two children, a daughter Sumire (born 1995) and later a son Himi (born 1999).

Duca
Chara Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

静かに吠える犬
コンクリートの散歩道

すれちがう車の
荷台に小さな女の子と

シャボン玉をとばしている
そこにうつった顔

心のママアイスクリーム
パパ新しいママ Duca Duca
向かい風に恋人に
似たにおいを感じて

私のDUCAが走ってる夢をみてる
走って走ってまって
あの人のうしろ姿
土のかおりを生きている証を
心にお日様をあびて
コンクリートの道はいらない
こんなひももね
「本当にゴメンネ」
「大人になるとさびしいの? Duca?」
向かい風に恋人に
似たにおいを感じて
お日様に恋人に
似たにおいを感じて
似たにおいを
歩こうよ海につづく道まで
歩こうよ 1, 2, 3, ゴー!

パパママ
アイスクリームアイスクリーム
Duca, Duca, Duca, Duca
パパママ
アイスクリームアイスクリーム
Duca, Duca, Duca, Duca
パパママ
アイスクリームアイスクリーム
Duca, Duca, Duca, Duca
パパママ
アイスクリームアイスクリーム
Duca, Duca, Duca, Duca
パパママ

アイスクリームアイスクリーム
Duca, Duca, Duca, Duca

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Chara's song Duca paint a vivid picture of a quiet street with a small girl blowing bubbles on the back of a passing truck. The singer imagines herself in a dream, watching her "Duca" (possibly a bike or a car) racing down the roadway. She feels the wind blowing like the scent of a lover and longs to walk with them along the road that leads to the sea. The mention of "heart's mama" and "new mama" suggests a family dynamic and the yearning for love and intimacy.

Overall, the song seems to be about escaping the mundanity of everyday life and yearning for the freedom and excitement of youth. The singer longs for the simple pleasures of ice cream with her parents and the wind carrying her towards a new adventure. She seems to be searching for a way to break free from the concrete walkways of life and find something more meaningful.

Line by Line Meaning

静かに吠える犬
A quiet barking dog

コンクリートの散歩道
A concrete walking path

すれちがう車の荷台に小さな女の子と
A small girl is on the cargo bed of a passing car

シャボン玉をとばしているそこにうつった顔
Blowing soap bubbles, reflecting a face

心のママアイスクリームパパ新しいママ Duca Duca
My mom in my heart, ice cream, dad, new mom, Duca Duca

向かい風に恋人に似たにおいを感じて
Feeling a lover-like smell with the headwind

私のDUCAが走ってる夢をみてる走って走ってまってあの人のうしろ姿土のかおりを生きている証を心にお日様をあびてコンクリートの道はいらないこんなひももね「本当にゴメンネ」「大人になるとさびしいの? Duca?」
Seeing a dream where my DUCA is running, running and waiting, watching the back of that person, receiving the aroma of the earth as evidence of living, bathing in sunlight in my heart, not needing a concrete path, not even such string, saying 'really sorry', asking 'is it lonely when you become an adult? Duca?'

お日様に恋人に似たにおいを感じて
Feeling a lover-like smell with the sunshine

似たにおいを歩こうよ海につづく道まで歩こうよ 1, 2, 3, ゴー!
Same smell, let's walk until the path leading to the sea, let's walk, 1, 2, 3, go!

パパママアイスクリームアイスクリーム Duca, Duca, Duca, Duca
Dad, mom, ice cream, ice cream, Duca Duca Duca Duca