Together for a brief three years and just one album, Sugar Babe has become somewhat of a legend in Japanese pop music circles. Featuring a pre-solo debut Tatsuro Yamashita (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Taeko Onuki (vocals), and produced by Yamashita and Eiichi Otaki (guitarist/vocalist for Happy End), Sugar Babe played melodic, well-crafted tunes heavily influenced by American pop. The group made its live performance debut in 1973 at the farewell concert for the band Happy End, with a tight set showcasing the members' strong musicianship and defined by vocal tradeoffs between Yamashita and Onuki, strong arrangements, and exquisite songcraft. Sugar Babe's lone album, Songs, produced and engineered by Otaki, was release in 1975 as the flagship release of Otaki's Niagara label. Songs channeled Yamashita's worshipful obsession with American pop from the '0s and '0s and soul music. While sales of the record were marginal, in retrospect it can be said that Songs was at least partially responsible for launching the fertile pop music scene that exploded in Japan through the '70s. From the funky, soul-laced euphoria of "Show" to the Isley Brothers influenced "Down Town", which became the group's signature tune, the record showed a band that was on top of its game. While the band broke up in 1976, due in part to the bankruptcy of their record label, both Yamashita and Onuki went on to have long and successful careers, and remain active as artists. Songs was re-released in 1999 on the Planets label, rekindling interest in the band and its music, and introducing it to a whole new generation of artists and music lovers. Even today, several decades after the dissolution of the band, their songs are a fixture on radio programs and in the sets of cover bands across the country.
ためいきばかり
SUGAR BABE Lyrics
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頭は重く
朝の気分は夕べの続き
夜は全ての影をおおうから
あの子がいなくても
いつもと同じことさ
ウイスキーグラス倒れ落ちて
たばこのけむリ
ゆらゆら揺れる
夜は全ての影をおおうから
あの子がいなくても
いつもと同じことさ
憂鬱な朝 カップにあふれ
かげろうのぼり
ためいきばかり あたりをうずめ
The lyrics of Sugar Babe's "ためいきばかり" express a certain melancholy that seems to arise from a sense of loneliness and longing. The singer tries to chase away their gloominess by drinking coffee and whisky, smoking cigarettes, and distracting themselves with the ticking of the clock. However, none of this seems to work, and instead of feeling better, they are reminded of the absence of someone they miss – likely a lover.
The repetition of the phrase "夜は全ての影をおおうから あの子がいなくてもいつもと同じことさ" (because the night covers everything, even if that person is not there, everything is the same as usual) emphasizes how the darkness of the night further emphasizes the singer's feelings of isolation. The line, "憂鬱な朝 カップにあふれ かげろうのぼり ためいきばかり あたりをうずめ" (overflowing cup on a melancholy morning, a shadow rises, I am surrounded by sighs) exemplifies the depth of the singer's despair. They are simply going through the motions of the day while all around them, they are constantly reminded of their sadness.
Overall, the lyrics of "ためいきばかり" convey a sense of loneliness that is heightened by the dark of the night and made all the more poignant by the small, everyday items that surround the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
熱いコーヒー 飲んでみても
Even after drinking hot coffee, my head still feels heavy
頭は重く
My head is heavy
朝の気分は夕べの続き
My morning mood is a continuation of last night's mood
夜は全ての影をおおうから
The night covers all shadows
あの子がいなくても
Even if that person is not here
いつもと同じことさ
It's the same as always
ウイスキーグラス倒れ落ちて
Whiskey glass falls over
たばこのけむリ
Cigarette smoke
目の前の時計も
Even the clock in front of me
ゆらゆら揺れる
Is swaying back and forth
憂鬱な朝 カップにあふれ
Overflowing cup on a gloomy morning
かげろうのぼり
The rise of the dawn
ためいきばかり あたりをうずめ
Surrounded by nothing but sighs
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: 邦男 村松
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind