夜間飛行
Kiyoshi Maekawa Lyrics

The song 夜間飛行 by Kiyoshi Maekawa is a ballad about longing for lost love, set against the backdrop of an airplane flight. The first verse describes how the lights of the city twinkle in the distance, while the singer's broken dreams remain on the ground. The chorus then speaks of collecting all the sadness and heartache, and decorating with memories and sighs. The second verse talks of forgetting yesterday's love and flying north on the air line. The second chorus uses the same lyrics as the first, emphasizing the shared pain of love and loss. The ultimate message of the song is that even though relationships may end and people may change, the memories of love are always beautiful.

The imagery of the song is largely centered around the airplane flight, which serves as a metaphor for the emotions that the singer is experiencing. The cold and distant atmosphere of flying at night is perfectly suited to the feelings of loneliness and longing. The airplane is a vehicle of escape, a way to leave behind the sorrows of yesterday and fly towards new horizons. However, the past is not completely forgotten, as memories and feelings of love are still carried along on the journey.

One interesting fact about this song is that it was released in 1963 and became a big hit in Japan. It was covered by many artists and even became the theme song for a TV drama of the same name. Another interesting fact is that 夜間飛行 translates to night flight, which is also the title of a famous novel by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It's unclear whether Maekawa was inspired by the book, but the themes of the novel certainly resonate with the lyrics of the song. Additionally, many people consider Kiyoshi Maekawa to be one of the pioneers of Japanese pop music, and his career spanned nearly 50 years until his death in 2012.

Chords (in C):
Verse: C Am Dm G
Chorus: C G Am F Dm G C