The band was originally conceived as a one-off studio project by Hosono, the other two members being recruited session musicians - the idea was to produce an album fusing orientalist exotica (cf their cover version of Martin Denny's Firecracker) with modern electronics. However , the first album (with its cutting-edge production) was very popular, and the studio project grew into a fully fledged touring band and career for its three members.
Making abundant use of new synthesizers, samplers, digital and computer recording technology as it became available, their popularity and influence extended beyond Japan. Generally, the band was highly regarded as electronic pioneer and continues to be remixed and sampled by modern artists. The members have also worked with European synth/new romantic artists, such as David Sylvian of the band Japan. The single Bamboo Houses is one such example (Sylvian/Sakamoto).
The band stopped working together by 1984, the three members returning to their solo careers. They released a one-off reuinion album, Technodon, in 1993.
The early 2000s saw Hosono & Takahashi reunited in a project called Sketch Show. On the occasions when Sakamoto joined them in concerts, they called themselves Human Audio Sponge (HAS). The band played Rydeen at the 2007 Live Earth concert in Kyoto, Japan. They released two new singles that summer under the band name of HASYMO, an updated version of Rydeen and the new song Rescue.
Read more here.
Seoul Music
Yellow Magic Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The girl wouldn't let me take her picture
Dongdaemon
Kimpo Airport
An old man with a stick, in white baji chogori,
With a black katsu on his head
The taxi driver kept asking if I wanted a woman
Myongdong St. has no neon signs
Roadside pillboxes with armed police in front
Kuni no hana wa mukuge
There is a curfew from midnight till 4
Haikara na Myongdong musume
From Busan you can see Tsushima
The speed limit for passenger cars is 37 miles per hour
Yakan no dorojo de no chusha wa
Chushato o tento suru koto
Korea has air raid drill once a month
Tokyo-Seoul kan wa yaku nijikan
People over 46 speak Japanese
The Yellow Magic Orchestra's song "Seoul Music" is a curious exploration of Korea, as seen through the eyes of a foreign visitor. The lyrics describe a number of sights, sounds, and experiences in the city of Seoul, giving the listener a glimpse of what life might have been like in old Korea.
The opening lines, "An example of life in old Korea / The girl wouldn't let me take her picture," suggest a certain level of traditionalism and caution, which is further elaborated upon with the mention of an "old man with a stick" and a curfew enforced from midnight until 4. The setting moves to various landmarks and neighborhoods throughout the city, including Dongdaemon, Kimpo Airport, and Myongdong St. While the latter is noted for its absence of neon signage, the former two are depicted as having more sinister associations, such as a taxi driver trying to solicit a woman for the traveler and roadside pillboxes with armed police.
Line by Line Meaning
An example of life in old Korea
Yellow Magic Orchestra is providing a glimpse into life in Korea in the past
The girl wouldn't let me take her picture
The singer wasn't able to take a photo of a specific girl
Dongdaemon
A location in Korea
Kimpo Airport
Another location in Korea
An old man with a stick, in white baji chogori,
Description of an elderly man wearing traditional Korean clothing
With a black katsu on his head
The man is wearing a particular type of hat called a katsu
The taxi driver kept asking if I wanted a woman
The taxi driver was making inappropriate advances towards the singer
Highway wa kassoro
The artist is on a highway
Myongdong St. has no neon signs
The street Myongdong does not have neon signs
Roadside pillboxes with armed police in front
There are military checkpoints along the roads with armed police
Kuni no hana wa mukuge
The flowers of the country are magnolias
There is a curfew from midnight till 4
There is a specific curfew time in place in Korea
Haikara na Myongdong musume
There is a fashionable young woman in Myongdong
From Busan you can see Tsushima
Tsushima island can be seen from Busan
The speed limit for passenger cars is 37 miles per hour
There is a maximum speed that passenger cars are allowed to travel
Yakan no dorojo de no chusha wa
There are checkpoints on the streets at night
Chushato o tento suru koto
It is necessary to get permission to enter certain locations
Korea has air raid drill once a month
In Korea, there are monthly air raid drills
Tokyo-Seoul kan wa yaku nijikan
The flight time between Tokyo and Seoul is approximately two hours
People over 46 speak Japanese
There are specific age groups in Korea that speak Japanese
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: RYUICHI SAKAMOTO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-uh1li8gx6c
{歌詞の英語部分を日本語に日本語部分を英語に訳してみました。/ I translated the English part into Japanese and the Japanese part into English.}
東大門
金浦空港
白いバジチョゴリに黒いカッを頭に被った棒持ちのおじさん
タクシーの運転手は「女が欲しいのか」と聞き続けていた
The highway is the runway
明洞通りにはネオンサインがない
武装した警察官を前に道端にある薬箱
The nation's flower is Rose of Sharon
旧韓国での生活の一例
あの娘は 写真を撮らせてくれなかった
12時から4時まで門限がある
Fashionable Myeong-dong girl
釜山からは対馬が見える
乗用車の制限速度は時速37マイル
Parking on the road at night, parking lights must be turned on.
韓国は月に一度の空襲訓練
About 2 hours between Tokyo and Seoul
46歳以上の方が日本語を話す
@jeudieleslavavelasquez8410
An example of life in old Korea
The girl wouldn't let me take her picture
Dongdaemon
Kimpo Airport
An old man with a stick, in white baji chogori,
With a black katsu on his head
The taxi driver kept asking if I wanted a woman
Highway wa kassoro
Myongdong St. has no neon signs
Roadside pillboxes with armed police in front
Kuni no hana wa mukuge
There is a curfew from midnight till 4
Haikara na Myongdong musume
From Busan you can see Tsushima
The speed limit for passenger cars is 37 miles per hour
Yakan no dorojo de no chusha wa
Chushato o tento suru koto
Korea has air raid drill once a month
Tokyo-Seoul kan wa yaku nijikan
People over 46 speak Japanese
@doobop1999
古いコリアの暮らしの一例
女の子は写真を撮らせてくれなかった。
東大門（ドンデムン）
金浦（キンポ）空港
純白のバジ・チョゴリ、黒のカツをかぶり、
つえをついた老人
タクシーの運転手は
ムリヤリ女を紹介してくれる。
ハイウェイは滑走路
明洞（ミョンドン）通りネオンはない
トーチカの前で自動小銃を抱えた警官がいる
国の花はムクゲ
夜中の12時から4時までは外出禁止
ハイカラな明洞（ミョンドン）娘
釜山（ブサン）から対島が見える
乗用車の制限速度は６０キロ
夜間の道路上での駐車は駐車灯を点灯すること
月に一度防空訓練
東京-京城（ソウル）間は約2時間
46才から上の人は日本語がしゃべれる
https://ameblo.jp/iojoy/entry-10266952784.html
@user-uh1li8gx6c
가사를 한국어로 번역해 보았다.
[Verse 1]
히가시다이몽
김포공항
흰 바지저고리에 검은 갓을 머리에 쓴 막대기 소유의 아저씨.
택시 기사는 "여자가 필요해?"라고 계속 물었다.
고속도로는 활주로다
명동 거리에는 네온사인이 없다
무장 경찰들을 앞에 둔 길가의 피임 박스
나라의 꽃은 무궁화
[Chorus] x2
구한국에서의 생활의 한 예
저 아가씨는 사진을 찍게 해 주지 않았다
[Chorus] x4
[Verse 2]
12시부터 4시까지 통금 시간이 있다
패셔너블한 명동녀
부산에서는 대마도가 보인다
그 승용차의 제한 속도는 시속 37마일
밤에 도로에 주차할 때는 반드시 주차등을 켜야 한다
한국에서는 한달에 한번 공습훈련이 있다
도쿄에서 서울까지 약 2시간 정도 걸린다
46세 이상이 일본어를 한다
@user-ef6uu6xm9n
40年以上経っても色褪せない名曲。
数々の名曲をありがとうございました。
教授、幸宏さんのご冥福をお祈り致します。
@TT-yq9jv
40年も前の楽曲とは思えない
昭和56年でこれはかっこよすぎて理解できない
@t3chnod3lic
R.I.P Ryuichi Sakamoto (B: Jan 17th 1952 - D: March 28th 2023), We just lost another musical pioneer 😢
@tonymosquitos7418
Je pleure,.. UN GRAND 😢😢😢
@supadupahilton6848
😿
@exad28
パーから次のパーまでの間隔
全て5秒
素晴らしい…
@suneo3187
ああ…教授残念だ。
４０年以上前
友達の影響でYMOファンになり
今でもたまにテクノデリックのアルバムは聞く。
ああ…
@kraftverk2011
こういうドラムパターン作るの天才的ユキヒロ。one of yukihiro's artistic drum pattern
@massmade8362
The Oriental Magnetic Yellow Remix of this though!! >>>>>>>>>
@snobo
素敵なビートを奏でるユキヒロ氏が昔から大好きで私の憧れでした
今はひたすら聴き込んで癒します