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.
The Winner
Miki Matsubara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
数えきれず過ごした
傷ついた痛みが ただ一つの思い出
I DON'T WANT 優しさはいらない
I DON'T WANT もう二度とは
求めていた夢は 今はただの幻
誰かのささやきが 心の中 聞こえる
I DON'T WANT 気休めはいらない
I GOT A BURNIN' LOVE
蒼く輝く炎で この悲しみを
燃やし尽くす時まで
I GOT A BURNIN' LOVE
愛は孤独な戦い その激しさが
闇を突き抜ける
勝利者などいない 戦いに疲れ果て
星空を見上げる
泣く事もかなわない
I DON'T NEED 昨日などいらない
I DON'T NEED 朽ち果てた夢も
I GOT A BURNIN' HEART
胸を貫くスリルを ただ追いかけて
走り続けたい
言葉に出来ない想いが
凍えた心さえ 熱くさせる
I GOT A BURNIN' LOVE
蒼く輝く炎で この星空を
覆い尽くす時まで
I GOT A BURNIN' HEART
愛は孤独な戦い この世界まで
燃やし尽くすのか
I GOT A BURNIN' LOVE
胸を貫くスリルを ただ追いかけて
走り続ける 今日も
I GOT A BURNIN' HEART
愛は虚しい戦い 何故 心まで
奪い尽くすのか
The lyrics of Miki Matsubara's song "The Winner" describe a person who has experienced pain and heartbreak, and no longer desires kindness or fake love. The singer has spent countless sleepless nights amidst these memories, and the only thing they cling to is the thrill and intensity of love. The song expresses a desire to burn away all of the sadness with the fire of one's heart, and to continue chasing after the thrill of love, even if it means fighting alone.
The singer's aversion to love that is not sincere or genuine conveys a sense of distrust or betrayal. They have been hurt before, and now they are determined to only pursue a love that is passionate and real. The theme of loneliness, and the idea that love is a solitary battle, runs throughout the song. The singer's focus is on their own feelings and desires, rather than any external validation or reward. The ending, with its question of why love must take everything away, embodies the bittersweet, complicated nature of relationships and the journey one must take to find a worthy love.
Line by Line Meaning
眠りのない夜を
Countless sleepless nights
数えきれず過ごした
Have been spent without keeping track
傷ついた痛みが ただ一つの思い出
The only memory left is the pain of being hurt
I DON'T WANT 優しさはいらない
I don't want tenderness
I DON'T WANT もう二度とは
I don't want it anymore
求めていた夢は 今はただの幻
The dream that was sought after is now just an illusion
誰かのささやきが 心の中 聞こえる
Whispers of someone can be heard inside my heart
I DON'T WANT 気休めはいらない
I don't want consolation
I DON'T WANT いつわりの愛も
I don't want fake love
I GOT A BURNIN' LOVE
I have a burning love
蒼く輝く炎で この悲しみを
With a blue shining flame, I will burn this sadness
燃やし尽くす時まで
Until it burns out
I GOT A BURNIN' LOVE
I have a burning love
愛は孤独な戦い その激しさが
Love is a lonely battle, but its intensity
闇を突き抜ける
Pierces through the darkness
勝利者などいない 戦いに疲れ果て
There are no winners, just exhaustion from the battle
星空を見上げる
Looking up at the starry sky
泣く事もかなわない
Unable to even cry
I DON'T NEED 昨日などいらない
I don't need yesterday
I DON'T NEED 朽ち果てた夢も
I don't need decayed dreams either
I GOT A BURNIN' HEART
I have a burning heart
胸を貫くスリルを ただ追いかけて
I will chase the thrilling sensation that pierces my heart
走り続けたい
I want to keep running
言葉に出来ない想いが
Feelings that cannot be put into words
凍えた心さえ 熱くさせる
Even freeze my heart to make it burn
I GOT A BURNIN' LOVE
I have a burning love
蒼く輝く炎で この星空を
With a blue shining flame, I will cover this starry sky
覆い尽くす時まで
Until it covers everything
I GOT A BURNIN' HEART
I have a burning heart
愛は孤独な戦い この世界まで
Love is a lonely battle, even into this world
燃やし尽くすのか
Will it burn out?
I GOT A BURNIN' LOVE
I have a burning love
胸を貫くスリルを ただ追いかけて
Chasing after the thrilling sensation that pierces my heart again today
走り続ける 今日も
I will keep running today
I GOT A BURNIN' HEART
I have a burning heart
愛は虚しい戦い 何故 心まで
Love is a futile battle, why does it go as far as to take my heart?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: 安藤芳彦
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind