Tatsurō Yamashita (山下達郎, Yamashita Tatsurō, born February 4, 1953), occasi… Read Full Bio ↴Tatsurō Yamashita (山下達郎, Yamashita Tatsurō, born February 4, 1953), occasionally credited as Tatsu Yamashita or Tats Yamashita, is a Japanese singer-songwriter and record producer, who is known for pioneering the style of Japanese adult-oriented rock/soft rock music. His most well-known song is "Christmas Eve", the best-selling single song released in Japan in the 1980s, appearing on the Japanese singles chart for over 35 consecutive years. He is known for his collaborations with his wife, singer Mariya Takeuchi, on many songs including "Plastic Love" as well as with American songwriter Alan O'Day with whom he wrote hit songs "Your Eyes," "Magic Ways," "Love Can Go the Distance," and "Fragile." Active since the 1970s, Yamashita is considered an important contributor to Japanese music, ranked by HMV Japan as sixth in the Top 100 Japanese Artists.

Yamashita was a member of the band Sugar Babe with musicians Taeko Onuki and Kunio Muramatsu, who released their only album Songs in 1975. After the group disbanded in 1976, Yamashita signed to RCA and launched his career, releasing the solo album Circus Town the same year. Also in 1976, he teamed up with Eiichi Ohtaki, the producer of Sugar Babe, and Sugar Babe member Ginji Ito to release Niagara Triangle Vol. 1 which was cited by MTV as one of the finest collaborative efforts of that period. His 1979 award-winning album Moonglow gained moderate success, but his 1980 song Ride on Time peaked at No. 3 on the Japanese Oricon and the same-titled album topped the chart subsequently, propelling him to stardom.

Tatsuro's music has been regarded as a symbol of Japanese outdoor music, as represented by Ride on Time and For You in the early 1980s. In 2011, Yamashita's newly-released album Ray of Hope topped the weekly Oricon Albums Chart, making him the fourth singer to have topped the chart at least once per decade for four decades running. He has been called a "sound craftsman" because of his commitment to music-making. In addition to the vocal backing chorus, he handles everything from guitar arrangement, computer programming, synthesizer, and percussion by himself. Some of his songs are performed entirely by himself. He is particularly good at guitar rhythm cutting. His music is heavily acoustic, but he also has a wide range of knowledge about analog and digital recording due to utilizing the latest technology in music.

"Christmas Eve," Yamashita's best-known song in Japan and the best-selling Japanese single of the 1980s first appeared on his 1983 album Melodies. It topped the charts in 1990 and has since ranked in the top 100 on the Japanese charts every Christmas season. The song was most famously a commercial song for JR Central's "Xmas Express." It has sold nearly 2 million copies since its release and continues to be sold in small quantities as a limited edition every Christmas season.

As a solo artist, Yamashita has released 13 original studio albums, five cover albums, two live albums, multiple compilations, and over 50 singles. He is the most commercially successful Japanese male solo recording artist in the history of the Japanese album chart, selling approximately 9 million albums in total. He has also composed for films and television commercials, and worked on records by other artists. Yamashita frequently collaborated with Alan O'Day, who wrote the English lyrics for some of his most popular songs. He has also collaborated with his wife Mariya Takeuchi, whom he married in 1982. They have one daughter.

Morning Glory
Tatsuro Yamashita Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

東に向いているブラインド
目がけて射し込んだ

光に瞳を開いたら
昨夜の暗闇を濡らしてた雨音
微かに想い出して

表はきっと透き通る様な空の色

あわてて飛び立つ翼よ
こんな朝の様な心になれそうな

Morning glory 輝きを heavenly
浴びせかける softly
消えゆく悲しみに
Morning glory いつの日にも surely
君のそばに dearly
愛はあるから

昨夜の夢覚めずにまだ
寝ぼけている街並さえ
動き出すよほらもうすぐに
こんな朝の様な心になれるなら

Morning glory いつの日にも surely
君のそばに dearly
愛はあるから

こんな朝の様な心になれるなら
Morning glory いつもいつも surely
君のそばで dearly
愛は見つかるから
Morning glory いつの日にも surely
君のそばに dearly
愛はあるから whoa

Morning glory いつもいつも surely
君のそばで dearly
愛は見つかるから

Morning glory いつの日にも surely
君のそばに dearly

Overall Meaning

The song "Morning Glory" by Tatsuro Yamashita speaks of a moment of awakening, both literally and figuratively. The singer describes waking up to the light shining through the blinds, opening their eyes to the memories of the rainy night before. The colors of the morning sky peek through the window, and the singer feels as if they could take flight. The morning glory flower is used as a metaphor for the beauty and radiance of the morning, and the uplifting feeling it gives to the singer's heart. The chorus reassures that even in moments of sadness and darkness, love will always be present as a guiding force in life.

The lyrics of "Morning Glory" paint a vivid picture of a scene that most people can relate to. The imagery of light shining through the blinds, sounds of rain, and the breathtaking colors of the morning sky evoke a sense of peace and tranquility. The soothing melody adds to the serene feeling of the song, making it a perfect song to start the day with. The metaphor of the morning glory represents the beauty and brightness of every new day, and the hope it brings for a better tomorrow. "Morning Glory" is a song that encourages the listener to embrace each new day with hope and optimism, and to believe that love will always be there to guide them.

Line by Line Meaning

東に向いている
Facing east

ブラインド目がけて射し込んだ
Shot through the blinds

光に瞳を開いたら
When I opened my eyes to the light

昨夜の暗闇を濡らしてた雨音
The sound of rain that wet last night's darkness

微かに想い出して
Faintly remembering

表はきっと透き通る様な空の色
The surface surely has a transparent sky color

あわてて飛び立つ翼よ
Hurry and fly away, my wings

こんな朝の様な心になれそうな
I feel like I could have a heart like this morning

Morning glory 輝きを heavenly 浴びせかける softly
Morning glory, showering a heavenly glow softly

消えゆく悲しみに Morning glory
Morning glory for the disappearing sadness

いつの日にも surely 君のそばに dearly 愛はあるから
Surely, love is always by your side, dearly