Matsubara was born November 28, 1959[2] in Kishiwada, Osaka in Japan. She spent her childhood in Hiraoka Town, Nishi-ku, Sakai, Osaka.
She grew up in a family of four, including a father, a mother and a younger sister. Her father was a board member of a hospital and her mother was a jazz singer who had sung with the Japanese jazz band and comedy group Crazy Cats. Matsubara started learning the piano at the age of three and later became familiar with jazz. As a child, she went to Sakai city's Hiraoka Elementary School and then in 1972, entered Poole Gakuin Junior High School. Around this time Matsubara became interested in rock music and joined the rock band "Kurei". In 1975 she started in Poole Gakuin High School and became active as a keyboard player of the band "Yoshinoya Band". They would play songs at a live house called Takutaku located in Kyoto. Matsubara was described as an excellent student and was expected by many around her to attend college, but at that time she had already made plans to pursue her dream of becoming a singer. In 1977, when she was still in high school, Matsubara went to Tokyo alone at the age of 17 to make her debut as a singer. The Japanese pianist Yuzuru Sera found her playing music and singing in various places in Kantō such as in the live music venue Birdland located in Roppongi, Tokyo.
Matsubara started her career in 1979 and is known from hit songs such as her debut and immediate breakthrough "Mayonaka no Door (Stay with Me)" which has been covered by numerous artists,[5][6][7][8] including Akina Nakamori.[9] The song was ranked 28th on the Oricon Chart,[10] and according to that chart sold 104,000 copies and 300,000 copies announced by Canyon records. Some of her other known songs were "Neat na gogo san-ji (ニートな午後3時)" and "The Winner" among others.
After the release of the song "Neat na gogo san-ji" Matsubara became a well-known singer during that time. She was offered by many to perform in college festivals, concerts and so on. The song even gained a feature in a commercial of the famous Japanese multinational personal care company Shiseido, only less than two years after her debut.[3]
Miki Matsubara received a number of artist awards.[1] Amidst her career, she formed her own band called Dr. Woo.[3] Matsubara also had some international work with Motown jazz fusion group Dr. Strut in Los Angeles (becoming a backing band in the album recordings for "Cupid" and "Myself"), Tokyo and Osaka (Hall concerts), later releasing a jazz cover album entitled "BLUE EYES". In that album she covered some famous jazz songs like "Love for sale", she also covered the soft rock song "You've Got A Friend" originally written and sung by Carole King.[11]
Her vocal range was that of a mezzo-soprano.
During her music career she released 8 singles, and 12 albums. Despite her work being mainly domestic, outside of Japan she was also known for her work as an anime singer and songwriter, singing the opening and ending songs to anime such as Dirty Pair: Project Eden, although recently with the popularization of city pop her other work has gained overseas fans as well.[12] While singing theme songs for the anime Gu Gu Ganmo, she performed under the name Suzie Matsubara (スージー・松原). Matsubara's song "THE WINNER" was used as the opening for the Gundam OVA-series Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory.
From the 1990's forwards she especially worked on anime soundtracks and music for commercials. Matsubara composed songs for a couple of anime, some of her most known musical compositions were for the anime series Gundam. Matsubara composed songs for several singers, like Hitomi Mieno, but her most notable works were likely with the singer and actress Mariko Kouda, whom Matsubara composed multiple songs to. Kouda's song "Ame no chi special (雨のちスペシャル)", which Matsubara composed, was featured in the five-minute music television and radio series Minna no Uta as a music video in 1997. It attracted a lot of attention and ranked 28th place in the Oricon chart. The song was repeatedly rebroadcast until 2004.
At the end of 2000, Matsubara sent an email to those around her, including her company and the members of Dr. Woo, stating that she could not continue her music career and that she would not be reachable after the message went out. She stopped all music activities and disappeared from the spotlight altogether. In 2001, it was revealed that Matsubara's actions were prompted by a late-stage cancer diagnosis she had received at the time, after which she subsequently began treatment. Matsubara spent her final years battling her illness.
After being told by her doctor that she only had three months left to live, Matsubara died on October 7, 2004, at age 44 due to complications from uterine cervix cancer. Her death was announced to the public two months later.
Hello Walls
Miki Matsubara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hello, walls あなたしかいない
あの人が好きな 女優のポスター
はがしたあとが 白く眩しい
Hello, walls 爪をかんでも
Hello, walls 叱る人もない
西陽が描いた 自分の影だけ
なぐさめ役では 淋しすぎる
あの人の後を ついてゆけなかった
可愛いい女に なれなかった
だけど 私 悪くないはず
私 間違っていないはず
だって 私の心は 私のものだもの
Hello, walls 私一人じゃ
Hello, walls 広すぎる部屋
今年の冬は 毛布を一枚
余計に買うのが 正解かもね
あの人が座る ソファーの位置を
明るい窓辺に ずらしてみよう
だけど 私 悪くないはず
私 間違っていないはず
だって 私の心は 私のものだもの
だって私の心は 私のものだもの
Hello walls
Hello, walls
Hello, walls
Hello, walls
The lyrics of Miki Matsubara's "Hello Walls" express a sense of isolation and loneliness. The singer addresses the walls of their room as their only companion, as there is no one else to talk to. The walls are an inanimate object, so there is no one to scold the singer or argue with them; they are a neutral presence. The singer talks about a poster of an actress that was taken down, leaving a bright, white spot on the wall, which represents the emptiness and void left in their heart when someone they loved left them.
The singer laments about not being able to follow the person they love and not being able to become someone they wished to be, but they reassure themselves that they are not at fault. The singer has their own heart and emotions, which they must protect and cherish. The singer seeks comfort in the idea that their heart belongs to them and that they are the only ones who know how to care for it.
Overall, "Hello Walls" is a melancholic song about loneliness, heartbreak, and self-reflection. The singer reaches out to the walls as a means of comfort, reflects on their relationships and identity, and ultimately finds solace in the knowledge that they have control over their own heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello, walls 話相手は
Hello, walls, you are my only companion to talk to.
Hello, walls あなたしかいない
Hello, walls, you are the only one here.
あの人が好きな 女優のポスター
The poster of the actress that person likes.
はがしたあとが 白く眩しい
The space left after taking down the poster is blindingly white.
Hello, walls 爪をかんでも
Hello, walls, there is no one to scold me for biting my nails.
Hello, walls 叱る人もない
Hello, walls, there is no one to scold me.
西陽が描いた 自分の影だけ
Only the shadow of myself that the setting sun paints.
なぐさめ役では 淋しすぎる
Being a comforter is too lonely.
あの人の後を ついてゆけなかった
I couldn't follow after that person.
可愛いい女に なれなかった
I couldn't become a cute girl.
だけど 私 悪くないはず
But I shouldn't be at fault.
私 間違っていないはず
I shouldn't be wrong.
だって 私の心は 私のものだもの
After all, my heart belongs to me.
Hello, walls 私一人じゃ
Hello, walls, I am all alone.
Hello, walls 広すぎる部屋
Hello, walls, the room is too big.
今年の冬は 毛布を一枚
This winter, I might need to buy an extra blanket.
余計に買うのが 正解かもね
Buying an extra one might be the right choice.
あの人が座る ソファーの位置を
I should move the sofa where that person used to sit.
明るい窓辺に ずらしてみよう
Let's move it by the bright window.
だけど 私 悪くないはず
But I shouldn't be at fault.
私 間違っていないはず
I shouldn't be wrong.
だって 私の心は 私のものだもの
After all, my heart belongs to me.
だって私の心は 私のものだもの
After all, my heart belongs to me.
Hello walls
Hello, walls.
Hello, walls
Hello, walls.
Hello, walls
Hello, walls.
Hello, walls
Hello, walls.
Contributed by Annabelle S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@amandabankai2775
Lyrics:
Hello walls 話相手は
Hello walls あなたしかいない
あの人が好きな 女優のポスター
はがしたあとが 白く眩しい
Hello walls 爪をかんでも
Hello walls 叱る人もない
西陽が描いた 自分の影だけ
なぐさめ役では 淋しすぎる
あの人の後を ついてゆけなかった
可愛いい女に なれなかった
だけど 私 悪くないはず
私 間違っていないはず
だって 私の心は 私のものだもの
Hello walls 私一人じゃ
Hello walls 広すぎる部屋
今年の冬は 毛布を一枚
余計に買うのが 正解かもね
あの人が座る ソファーの位置を
明るい窓辺に ずらしてみよう
だって私の心は 私のものだもの
Du Du Du… Tu Tu…
Hello walls…
@acemoss2878
Underrated masterpiece from Miki
@mikimatsubara6023
Exactly
@brunakis4428
Couldn't agree more, this whole album is a fucking treasure.
One of my favourites from her.
@loki88838
"I don't know what the fuck this is saying but it goes HARD" -Mozart probably
@lawrencejamesdeguzman8121
2021 anyone?
@amandabankai2775
Lyrics:
Hello walls 話相手は
Hello walls あなたしかいない
あの人が好きな 女優のポスター
はがしたあとが 白く眩しい
Hello walls 爪をかんでも
Hello walls 叱る人もない
西陽が描いた 自分の影だけ
なぐさめ役では 淋しすぎる
あの人の後を ついてゆけなかった
可愛いい女に なれなかった
だけど 私 悪くないはず
私 間違っていないはず
だって 私の心は 私のものだもの
Hello walls 私一人じゃ
Hello walls 広すぎる部屋
今年の冬は 毛布を一枚
余計に買うのが 正解かもね
あの人が座る ソファーの位置を
明るい窓辺に ずらしてみよう
だって私の心は 私のものだもの
Du Du Du… Tu Tu…
Hello walls…
@r.barreto1406
This is one of my most favorite songs by her
@pogd740
The instrumental is so good
@tatf
This one is so good..
@ruryumi
underrated i love this sm