Two bands share the same name:

(1) Off Course (オフコース) was a Japanese… Read Full Bio ↴Two bands share the same name:

(1) Off Course (オフコース) was a Japanese popular music band. Members were Kazumasa Oda, Yasuhiro Suzuki, Kazuhiko Matsuo, Hitoshi Shimizu, Jiro Oma. Their partnership was finally dissolved in 1989.

Mixing 's acoustic influence with traditional harmonies, Off Course were among the founding fathers of Japanese folk-rock. The band enjoyed a 25-year career run until finally dissolving in 1989, but its influence is still felt in later acts such as Yuzu or Kobukuro.

The group was formed in 1964 by a bunch of high schoolers including keyboardist Kazumasa Oda and guitarist Yashiro Suzuki who teamed up to play at a local festival. They continued to play together on holidays, and appeared at festivals in the following years even though Oda and Suzuki were both in college; nevertheless, the two won runner-up at a Yamaha Light Music Contest contest in 1969. Inspired, the band made it to the finals of LMC Nationwide Grand Prix Competition the same year, and even though they ended up in second place again, they got a recording contract with Toshiba EMI. The group debuted in 1970 with the single "Gunshou no Naka De" released under the name the Off Course derived from "of course" with another "f" added). It didn't ignite the charts, and the band spent the next couple of years straightening things up: bassist Michio Jimeshi quit in 1972, and was replaced by Kazuyuki Kobayashi, who stuck around for only a year, Kouji Yoshida joined as a backup vocalist, and the moniker was shortened to "Off Course." The band debuted live in 1972, and had their first LP, Off Course 1: Boku no Okurimono, released in 1973. They released five more albums in 1974-1978 (recording with Janet's drummer Jiro Ooma since 1976), and eventually cracked the Top 20 with the album Fairway (1978) and the single "Sayonara" (1979), which charted at number two. In 1979, Kazuhiko Matsuo (guitar, harmonica) and Hitoshi Shimizu (bass) were added to the lineup. The success of "Sayonara" finally allowed Off Course to break through to the big time: they had two more Top Ten singles in 1980-1981, and We Are (1980), their eighth album, was the band's first full-length to top the Oricon cahrts, followed by three more in the next two years. The group even played in L.A., and Japanese TV featured them in documentaries. In 1980, Oda, Suzuki, and Ooma also produced albums by other artists (Oda worked with Iruka).

However, rumors of the band's breakup began to circulate in 1982. After a Budokan show, Off Course announced a hiatus of their live activities, and Suzuki left in 1983 to start a solo career, but the band, which switched to the Funhouse label, continued to record and had another number one release with The Best Year of My Life. In 1985, Off Course made another foray into America, recording the"English" album Back Streets of Tokyo, which had no impact on the Western charts, but topped the Oricon. The band also played at Live Aid. In 1986, Matsuo released his first solo record, and Oda and Shimizu followed suit; the band held together for a couple more years and put out two more albums, but threw in the towel in 1989 after a gig at the Tokyo Dome. Since then, the label released half-a-dozen compilations of their music, and in 1999, Matsuo, Shimizu, and Ooma established the Acoustic Beatles Club, but the members stubbornly resisted all suggestions of an Off Course reunion.

(2) Off Course is a Hungarian jazz band. Core members are Gábor Juhász, Róbert Szakcsi Lakatos, and József Barcza Horváth. Their second album features trumpeter Erik Truffaz.

秋の気配
Off Course Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

あれがあなたの好きな場所
港が見下ろせるこだかい公園
あなたの声が小さくなる
ぼくは黙って外を見てる
眼を閉じて息を止めて
さかのぼるほんのひととき
こんなことは今までなかった
ぼくがあなたから離れてゆく

ぼくがあなたから離れてゆく

たそがれは風を止めて
ちぎれた雲はまたひとつになる
「あのうただけはほかの誰にも
うたわないでねただそれだけ」
大いなる河のように
時は流れ戻るすべもない
こんなことは今までなかった
別れの言葉をさがしている
別れの言葉をさがしている
あゝ嘘でもいいから
ほほえむふりをして
ぼくのせいいっぱいのやさしさを
あなたは受けとめる筈もない

こんなことは今までなかった
ぼくがあなたから離れてゆく

Overall Meaning

The song "秋の気配" or "Autumn's Presence" by Off Course is a melancholic song that talks about separation and the feeling of being left alone. The lyrics describe a scene where the singer is standing in a park overlooking the harbor, a place that the person they are talking about loves. The person's voice gradually becomes softer, and the singer stays silent, looking outside. They close their eyes and hold their breath, trying to relive the moments they spent together, which have never happened before. The song is tinged with nostalgia, regret and the feeling of being left behind. The singer knows that they will be leaving the other person soon, which will lead to separation.

The song is full of imagery and metaphors, such as the sunset stopping the wind, torn clouds coming together as one, and time flowing like a great river, never to return. The singer's search for farewell words conveys deep sadness and desperation, knowing that the separation is inevitable. The song ends with the singer knowing that the other person will not accept their kindness, and their separation is imminent. This beautiful song, with its heart-wrenching lyrics, captures the sense of loneliness one experiences at the end of a relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

あれがあなたの好きな場所
That place over there is your favorite place

港が見下ろせるこだかい公園
It's a small park from where we can see the port

あなたの声が小さくなる
Your voice becomes smaller and smaller

ぼくは黙って外を見てる
I stay silent and look outside

眼を閉じて息を止めて
Closing my eyes and holding my breath

さかのぼるほんのひととき
I go back in time, just for a moment

こんなことは今までなかった
This has never happened before

ぼくがあなたから離れてゆく
I am drifting apart from you

たそがれは風を止めて
Twilight stills the wind

ちぎれた雲はまたひとつになる
Torn clouds come back together again

「あのうただけはほかの誰にもうたわないでねただそれだけ」
"Um, please don't sing that to anyone else, just that."