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.
風の世界
SUGAR BABE Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
尋ねて来た あなたは風
開け放した窓から
夜の影と忍び込んで渦巻く
心を覗かれないよう
固く閉ざしたまま
飛ばされ 吹き飛ばされ
からっぽの街の中 どこまでも
心を覗かれないよう
固く閉ざしたまま
さみしがりや 私を
尋ねて来た あなたは風
In "風の世界" (Kaze no Sekai), the singer is visited by the wind, who also goes by the name of "lonely seeker." The wind sneaks in through an open window and swirls around the shadows of the night. The singer fears that the wind will peek into her heart, so she locks it tightly shut. The wind blows her away, leaving her wandering aimlessly through the empty city.
This song is about the ephemeral nature of love and the loneliness that comes with it. The wind represents the fleeting nature of love, coming and going as it pleases. The singer, who is lonely and looking for love, ultimately realizes that love can be just like the wind - powerful and overwhelming, but also unpredictable and transient.
Interestingly, the lyrics were written by Mitsuru Igarashi, who was not a member of Sugar Babe but a Japanese author and translator. The music was composed by Masamichi Sugi, who was part of the band along with vocalists Taeko Onuki and Akiko Yano. The song was first released in 1976 as part of Sugar Babe's album "Songs," which was considered one of the most influential Japanese pop albums of its time.
Line by Line Meaning
さみしがりや 私を
You, like a lonely person, came to me
尋ねて来た あなたは風
You came as the wind to inquire about me
開け放した窓から
From the wide open window
夜の影と忍び込んで渦巻く
The night shadows sneaking and swirling
心を覗かれないよう
So as not to have my heart exposed
固く閉ざしたまま
I keep it tightly sealed
飛ばされ 吹き飛ばされ
Blown and blown away
からっぽの街の中 どこまでも
Through the empty streets, to wherever
心を覗かれないよう
So as not to have my heart exposed
固く閉ざしたまま
I keep it tightly sealed
さみしがりや 私を
You, like a lonely person, came to me
尋ねて来た あなたは風
You came as the wind to inquire about me
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: 妙子 大貫
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Paprika!!
I love this so much <3
ben Schuringa
So smooth!
Paprika!!
<3