Quick and dirty, here's the Japanese.
In a Strange World - Ranmadou
In a strange world
In a strange car
I had a strange dream
You said to me
"Let's go on a trip together!"
When I'm with you I
feel so good
In a strange world
In a strange car
I had a strange dream
You said to me
"Let's take a trip together!"
When I'm with you I
Would it be cool if yellow me were dyed black? [1]
Or white?
Cigarette smoke tickles my throat
What should I smear across the blue sky?
Ashes, this time?
Cigarette smoke tickles my throat
What should we hide? What's on the other side?
What around me is colorful? Ahh, I don't know.
I don't get it.
Curses and laughter make brilliant shadows
A silently sinking excitement [2]
falls on the highway
They say we were born
on a meaningless Saturday
When you're in a melancholy this deep
The words and the sky definitely don't have the answers [3]
A puzzle I can't solve
is wrapped in an overcoat
Summer comes to us, backlight
when we thread our way through the buildings
It's summer. Now, smile
They say it's summer!
In a strange world
In a strange language
I heard a strange story
You said to me
"Let's take a trip together!"
When I'm with you I'm
not scared of anything
In a strange world
In a strange language
We're having a strange conversation
Notes:
[1] Yellow or yellowed? Kind of different implications.
[2] In general this is so trippy it's hard to guess what they are getting at.
[3] Possibly interpreted wrong or overly.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Thursday, June 19, 2014
"Let It Go" in Japanese: The translation of the "Frozen" song is anything but stiff
I got addicted to this cover of the Japanese version of "Let It Go" before I had even heard the English version. When I finally did take a listen, I realized that, as you might expect, the differences in the translation are pretty fascinating. Let's take a look! (By the way, I still haven't seen "Frozen.")
Notes:
The back-translation (of the Japanese into English, by me) is in bold.
The actual English lyrics are next to that in regular.
Places where the Japanese translator rhymed with English are in blue.
"Let it go" and its corresponding Japanese are in green. (You'll see why.)
Commentary is in italics.
降り始めた雪は 足跡消して
真っ白な世界に ひとりのわたし
風が心にささやくの
このままじゃ ダメなんだと
Furihajimeta yuki wa ashiato keshite
Masshiro na sekai ni hitori no watashi
Kaze ga kokoro ni sasayaku no
Kono mama ja dame na n da to
The snow glows white on the mountain tonight / Not a footprint to be seen -- The snow has begun to fall, erasing footprints
A kingdom of isolation / and it looks like I'm the queen -- I'm all alone in a pure white world
The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside -- The wind whispers to my heart
Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I tried -- "You can't go on like this."
Basically the translation is even freer than it appears at first. When you look closely, the image of the kingdom is gone and the idea that there is a storm instead her is lost, with the wind outside giving her advice instead.
とまどい 傷つき
誰にも 打ち明けずに 悩んでた
それももう やめよう
Tomadoi kizutsuki
Dare ni mo uchiakezu ni nayande ta
Sore mo mou yameyou
Don't let them in, don't let them see -- Confusion, pain
Be the good girl you always had to be -- I was worrying
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know -- without opening up to anyone
Well, now they know -- I gotta quit doing that
Lol, really though, when I started this post I had these ideas about where I would be like, "Huh, this part is translated quite freely," but when you look at it, it's all different. Oddly I don't feel that makes it a bad translation per se; it's fun to sing. I especially like all the blue here. When I noticed those spots that matched the English vowels I was really impressed.
ありのままの 姿見せるのよ
ありのままの 自分になるの
何も怖くない 風よ吹け
少しも寒くないわ
Ari no mama no sugata miseru no yo
Ari no mama no jibun ni naru no
Nanimo kowakunai Kaze yo fuke
Sukoshi mo samukunai wa
Let it go, let it go -- I'll show you
Can't hold it back anymore -- my true self
Let it go, let it go -- I'll be me
Turn away and slam the door -- my true self
I don't care what they're going to say -- I'm not scared of anything
Let the storm rage on -- O, wind, blow
The cold never bothered me anyway -- I'm not cold at all
So the back-translation for ありのまま. I'm sure there are a zillion ways to do it, but I tried to make it something that could be repeated, like "Let it go." ありのまま means "as [x] is" so in this case, kind of like "as I am." So a literal (or even sense-literal…if that is a word) translation of "Let it go" it is not, but it captures the overall meaning of the song, I think. And it sounds great!!!! I wonder if a closer rendering of "Turn away and slam the door" would have seemed to random in Japanese? By the way, this is the only time "Let the storm rage on" gets translated as such.
悩んでたことが うそみたいね
だってもう自由よ なんでもできる
どこまでやれるか
自分を試したいの
そうよ変わるのよ わたし
Nayande ta koto ga uso mitai ne
Datte mou jiyuu yo Nande mo dekiru
Doko made yareru ka
Jibun wo tameshitai no
Sou yo Kawaru no yo watashi
It's funny how some distance -- All the stuff I was worrying about
Makes everything seem small -- seems it was like lie, huh
And the fears that once controlled me -- I'm already free!
Can't get to me at all -- I can do anything.
It's time to see what I can do -- How far can I go?
To test the limits and break through -- I want to test myself
No right, no wrong, no rules for me, I'm free! -- Yes, I will change!
In Japanese she's so confident she doesn't even think about the fears at this point! One thing you notice immediately about translated song lyrics is that the Japanese has to be less elaborate. Japanese may have the advantage space-wise when it comes to writing, because of kanji that contain a whole word per character or two, but in terms of syllables, English wins. There are nooooot a lot of one-syllable Japanese words.
ありのままで 空へ風に乗って
ありのままで 飛び出してみるの
二度と 涙は流さないわ
Ari no mama de sora e kaze ni notte
Ari no mama de tobidashite miru no
Nido to namida wa nagasanai wa
Let it go, let it go -- As myself
I am one with the wind and sky -- I'll ride the wind in the sky
Let it go, let it go -- As myself
You'll never see me cry -- I'll try leaping out into the world
Here I stand -- I'll
And here I'll stay -- never
Let the storm rage on -- cry again
Sorry, the back-translation for 飛び出してみるの is kind of wonky, but what else would it be? Maybe "I'm stepping out" would be better. "Coming out" brings up the wrong connotations.
But yeah, here I guess she just wanted to emphasize the not crying and needed to devote some syllables to it. Syllable piggy bank is lowww.
冷たく大地を包み込み
高く舞い上がる 想い描いて
花咲く氷の結晶のように
輝いていたい もう決めたの
Tsumetaku daichi wo tsutsumikomi
Takaku maiagaru omoi egaite
Hanasaku koori no kesshou no you ni
Kagayaite itai mou kimeta no
My power flurries through the air and into the ground -- My imagination wraps the world in cold
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around -- Soaring high above
And one thought crystalizes like an icy blast -- Like a blossoming crystal of ice
I'm never going back -- I've made my decision
The past is in the past -- I want to shine!
The back-translation for this part was kind of hard, but I imagine it was also hard to try to capture the English imagery in Japanese, so we're even, lol. It's interesting how the Japanese is affirming the future whereas the English is sloughing off the past.
これでいいの 自分を好きになって
これでいいの 自分信じて
光あびながら 歩きだそう
少しも寒くないわ
Kore de ii no jibun no suki ni natte
Kore de ii no jibun shinjite
Hikari abinagara arukidasou
Sukoshi mo samukunai wa
Let it go, let it go -- This is fine
And I'll rise like the break of dawn -- I'll love myself
Let it go, let it go -- This is fine
That perfect girl is gone -- I'll believe in myself
Here I stand in the light -- Bathed in light
Let the storm rage on -- I'll be on my way
The cold never bothered me anyway -- I'm not cold at all
これでいいの is probably the closest meaning-wise to "Let it go" of all the syllables that stand in for it in the Japanese song. 自分信じて could probably have been something like 完璧じゃなくていい but what do I know?
By the way, someone did a detailed comparison like this in Japanese.
Here's an interview with the translator, Chikae Takahashi.
She says she preps a lot to find out what movie itself is trying to say and then listens to the song repeatedly to translate, focusing on key words first (i.e. in this case, "Let it go").
She said matching the lip movements was really hard. "The part that is 'ari no mama no' in Japanese is 'let it go, let it go' in English. If you put importance on preserving the melody, only six Japanese sounds will fit. Plus her mouth is facing up, so the third and sixth sounds are limited to 'o.'"
Apparently she went through a lot of back and forth with the director to get the message right.
Her advice to people who want to translate lyrics:
"More than translating lyrics, you need to be able to write lyrics. Of course, knowledge of English (or your source language) is important, but expressing it in Japanese [your native language] is the real battle, so work to cultivate a rich vocabulary in Japanese through reading etc."
Sunday, March 17, 2013
ミュージック - サカナクション
Mmm, this song seems straightforward at first, but I'm not really sure I got it. It's definitely not an overly direct translation, so there is that at least (well, maybe in some spots it's a little too faithful...). But yeah, there are definitely some parts I am not sure on. See what you think.
Music - Sakanaction
Passing by, passing by
Do birds get nostalgic for far off rocks?
They flew high across the sky
No one knows
Looking down over a village no one knows, what do birds think?
Lonely like me, I wonder?
Separated
Does a bird miss its friends from the flock?
It called in a high-pitched voice
A secret town
listened quietly to that.
Weak like me, I wonder?
Pain and hurt and lies, we're used to them, and our words
bob down the river's tired surface
in the town where you live
It's gone
It's gone
(The river flows)
It's gone
(I haven't been able to see it yet, I haven't been able to see it yet)
It's gone
It's gone
(The river flows)
It's gone
(I can't see it yet, I can't see it yet)
I want to sleep with wet hair
The clothes we stripped off and tossed
still as they were yesterday
A secret room
where the wall, you were leaning against it
as if watching me in my weakness
Pain and hurt and lies, I'm used to them, and I talk to myself
Tired nights and winds that blow
To your cheeks
Felt it
Felt it
(The night flows)
Felt it
(I'm not crying, I'm not crying)
Felt it
Felt it
(The night flows)
You
(Were crying, were crying, so)
The season we reflected on begins
Hating not being able to remember
Even the birds passing by
I bet they were crying in town
I bet they were crying
Waiting for a season that has already passed
Hating not being able to remember
Being separated and taking off
I bet the birds were crying too
I bet they were crying
We'll wait, no matter how long
Even tired pain and hurt
Even nights left as they are
continue singing
continue
We'll wait, no matter how long
We can't see it yet but we're just waiting
Even I, frail and weak
continue to sing
continue
Music - Sakanaction
Passing by, passing by
Do birds get nostalgic for far off rocks?
They flew high across the sky
No one knows
Looking down over a village no one knows, what do birds think?
Lonely like me, I wonder?
Separated
Does a bird miss its friends from the flock?
It called in a high-pitched voice
A secret town
listened quietly to that.
Weak like me, I wonder?
Pain and hurt and lies, we're used to them, and our words
bob down the river's tired surface
in the town where you live
It's gone
It's gone
(The river flows)
It's gone
(I haven't been able to see it yet, I haven't been able to see it yet)
It's gone
It's gone
(The river flows)
It's gone
(I can't see it yet, I can't see it yet)
I want to sleep with wet hair
The clothes we stripped off and tossed
still as they were yesterday
A secret room
where the wall, you were leaning against it
as if watching me in my weakness
Pain and hurt and lies, I'm used to them, and I talk to myself
Tired nights and winds that blow
To your cheeks
Felt it
Felt it
(The night flows)
Felt it
(I'm not crying, I'm not crying)
Felt it
Felt it
(The night flows)
You
(Were crying, were crying, so)
The season we reflected on begins
Hating not being able to remember
Even the birds passing by
I bet they were crying in town
I bet they were crying
Waiting for a season that has already passed
Hating not being able to remember
Being separated and taking off
I bet the birds were crying too
I bet they were crying
We'll wait, no matter how long
Even tired pain and hurt
Even nights left as they are
continue singing
continue
We'll wait, no matter how long
We can't see it yet but we're just waiting
Even I, frail and weak
continue to sing
continue
Sunday, February 3, 2013
太陽はどこ - OKAMOTO'S
This is my favorite song off the new self-titled album by my current favorite extant Japanese band :D Really good harmonies. Give it a listen if you get a chance!
Where's the Sun? - Okamoto's
No, I don't have a reason [1]
I was walking down the street
No, I don't have a reason
Towards your house
Look, you can see it now—that nostalgic scenery
the crescent moon suspended in the night [2]
Where's the sun, where's the sun
that we used to be able to see back then
Where's the sun, where's the sun
that set for good over there [3]
"Whatever's fine"
Even though I want to think that
No matter what I do
Nothing ever works out for me and
I'll never ever get used
to being cold in the dark, to you not being there
Where's the sun, where's the sun?
that was smiling down on us back then
Where's the sun, where's the sun?
If you were here now I could probably show you the kindness you deserve [4]
Where's the sun, where's the sun?
that we used to be able to see back then
Where's the sun, where's the sun?
that set for good over there
Where's the sun, where's the sun?
that was smiling down on us back then
Has the world stopped turning?
Where's the sun?
Notes:
[1] I angsted about how to best express the なんて here. Alternatives included "No particular reason" (which felt too glib) and "There's no point" (which felt too different).
[2] I didn't really get the image here. In English the moon would not "sway" I don't think. I considered going with "floating" cuz that seems poetically natural, but I dunno, I like suspended. "in the night" I added because it needed somewhere to be suspended.
[3] This "over there" is pretty wishy-washy, but it's what they said and I kept it mainly because it parallels the "back then." Some vague "other" time and place. I think that seems valid. My alt would have been "on that horizon."
[4] This line I basically rewrote based on how I read it. The literal translation is something like, "If it were now, [subject omitted] should be able to do it kindly [or "make it kind/nice/friendly"]. So yeah, I read this as him feeling guilty for their break-up, and that if it were the him of today (who is more mature), he could have done it right [by being nicer to her].
Where's the Sun? - Okamoto's
No, I don't have a reason [1]
I was walking down the street
No, I don't have a reason
Towards your house
Look, you can see it now—that nostalgic scenery
the crescent moon suspended in the night [2]
Where's the sun, where's the sun
that we used to be able to see back then
Where's the sun, where's the sun
that set for good over there [3]
"Whatever's fine"
Even though I want to think that
No matter what I do
Nothing ever works out for me and
I'll never ever get used
to being cold in the dark, to you not being there
Where's the sun, where's the sun?
that was smiling down on us back then
Where's the sun, where's the sun?
If you were here now I could probably show you the kindness you deserve [4]
Where's the sun, where's the sun?
that we used to be able to see back then
Where's the sun, where's the sun?
that set for good over there
Where's the sun, where's the sun?
that was smiling down on us back then
Has the world stopped turning?
Where's the sun?
Notes:
[1] I angsted about how to best express the なんて here. Alternatives included "No particular reason" (which felt too glib) and "There's no point" (which felt too different).
[2] I didn't really get the image here. In English the moon would not "sway" I don't think. I considered going with "floating" cuz that seems poetically natural, but I dunno, I like suspended. "in the night" I added because it needed somewhere to be suspended.
[3] This "over there" is pretty wishy-washy, but it's what they said and I kept it mainly because it parallels the "back then." Some vague "other" time and place. I think that seems valid. My alt would have been "on that horizon."
[4] This line I basically rewrote based on how I read it. The literal translation is something like, "If it were now, [subject omitted] should be able to do it kindly [or "make it kind/nice/friendly"]. So yeah, I read this as him feeling guilty for their break-up, and that if it were the him of today (who is more mature), he could have done it right [by being nicer to her].
Thursday, January 31, 2013
アーモンドのチョコレート ー ゆらゆら帝国
Is this the first request post I have done? I guess I might have done this song eventually, since it's so good. It was harder than it seemed like it would be at first. Japanese lyrics here, notes at the end.
Chocolate-Covered Almonds - Yura Yura Teikoku
I got by munching nothing but chocolate-covered almonds
I got by munching nothing but chocolate-covered almonds
One when I can't sleep, one when I can't move
One when I can't get up the courage, one when I'm bored
She's not coming back today either, I'm ok if I have a few friends
She's not coming back today either, If I have my friends, that's fine
I got by munching nothing but chocolate-covered almonds
I got by munching nothing but chocolate-covered almonds
Alright guys, let's go—hop in the back of my car.
Alright guys, let's go—hop in the back of my car.
One to kick, two to go
Three is the axel crashing into the frame
Four is the curve, five is you crashing
six, seven, eight, nine is four of us crashing
She's never coming back again. I'm ok if I have a few friends.
She's never coming back again. If I have my friends, that's fine.
Alright guys, let's go
Alright guys, let's go
Notes:
First, I am translating アーモンドのチョコレート as a generic reference to candy like this, which is really popular in Japan, to the point of beating out Pocky in a recent poll. I get that he's not saying アーモンドチョコ but he's not saying アーモンド入りチョコレート either, so I feel justified. Also the [x] 一つ [y] 一つ makes me think of him popping them in his mouth, and you don't really pop candy bars.
The bridge (?) was the hardest part, for sure. I feel like there are a lot of ways to interpret the katakana words. Did a bunch of research on what Japanese people thought of the lines. バーン could most quickly turn into "bang," but you can't apply that to people in English without turning this drive into an orgy. Then I saw some comments that seemed to imply that people read it as the car crashing. This led me to select that verb and specify that the axel is crashing "into the frame." That is info that does not appear in the original song, but from what I read that that is what is going on when the axel is making a banging noise, so it's natural and sort of even has a nice rhythm in English.
So if we are interpreting everything right (seems like Japanese people don't always really get it either, or think it is kind of goofy), the song gets really dark then, right? Like you can read it that he commits suicide with his friends and as long as they die with him he's ok. BTW, バーン is also (like English "bang") is used as a gun sound, too.
fhsfhfdah, hope this helps you understand the song!
Chocolate-Covered Almonds - Yura Yura Teikoku
I got by munching nothing but chocolate-covered almonds
I got by munching nothing but chocolate-covered almonds
One when I can't sleep, one when I can't move
One when I can't get up the courage, one when I'm bored
She's not coming back today either, I'm ok if I have a few friends
She's not coming back today either, If I have my friends, that's fine
I got by munching nothing but chocolate-covered almonds
I got by munching nothing but chocolate-covered almonds
Alright guys, let's go—hop in the back of my car.
Alright guys, let's go—hop in the back of my car.
One to kick, two to go
Three is the axel crashing into the frame
Four is the curve, five is you crashing
six, seven, eight, nine is four of us crashing
She's never coming back again. I'm ok if I have a few friends.
She's never coming back again. If I have my friends, that's fine.
Alright guys, let's go
Alright guys, let's go
Notes:
First, I am translating アーモンドのチョコレート as a generic reference to candy like this, which is really popular in Japan, to the point of beating out Pocky in a recent poll. I get that he's not saying アーモンドチョコ but he's not saying アーモンド入りチョコレート either, so I feel justified. Also the [x] 一つ [y] 一つ makes me think of him popping them in his mouth, and you don't really pop candy bars.
The bridge (?) was the hardest part, for sure. I feel like there are a lot of ways to interpret the katakana words. Did a bunch of research on what Japanese people thought of the lines. バーン could most quickly turn into "bang," but you can't apply that to people in English without turning this drive into an orgy. Then I saw some comments that seemed to imply that people read it as the car crashing. This led me to select that verb and specify that the axel is crashing "into the frame." That is info that does not appear in the original song, but from what I read that that is what is going on when the axel is making a banging noise, so it's natural and sort of even has a nice rhythm in English.
So if we are interpreting everything right (seems like Japanese people don't always really get it either, or think it is kind of goofy), the song gets really dark then, right? Like you can read it that he commits suicide with his friends and as long as they die with him he's ok. BTW, バーン is also (like English "bang") is used as a gun sound, too.
fhsfhfdah, hope this helps you understand the song!
Saturday, January 26, 2013
News: I'm a translator :)
I don't know how many people actually read this blog like a blog, especially given how erratically it is updated, but for anyone who is interested in what I am up to In Life, I can say that I'm actually following my dreams like I meant to when I quit my job over a year ago. Tuesday is my last day at Waseda University's intensive Japanese program and on Thursday I'm starting a part-time gig translating in the children's books department at Kodansha. I don't think it has even sunk all the way in what a crazy opportunity this is, to be in-house at one of the biggest Japanese publishers working with a partner to create the best English text we can; I'm so excited.
I'm definitely going to keep practicing here with song lyrics (I know I'm behind on Kyary), and yes, keep in mind that it really is practice. I have a long way to go still, but I'm actually on my way, which is an awesome and inspiring feeling. Lately I've been getting pretty intimidated, but (and I tweeted this yesterday) in 10 years, I'll have 10 years experience! That's how this works. Also, I think it's ok to feel intimidated. If you're intimidated it means you will try your best and that you think what you are doing is actually worthwhile.
I'm definitely going to keep practicing here with song lyrics (I know I'm behind on Kyary), and yes, keep in mind that it really is practice. I have a long way to go still, but I'm actually on my way, which is an awesome and inspiring feeling. Lately I've been getting pretty intimidated, but (and I tweeted this yesterday) in 10 years, I'll have 10 years experience! That's how this works. Also, I think it's ok to feel intimidated. If you're intimidated it means you will try your best and that you think what you are doing is actually worthwhile.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Marshmallow Day - Mr. Children
I hear this every morning at least a couple time because they loop it in the study pit (aka the family restaurant where I do lots of homework). They have also been playing it in the street in Shibuya. I could never really catch the words, though, so I decided to investigate....
Beware, lol:
Marshmallow Day - Mr. Children
Like a race car engine,
my heart is rumbling
This feeling well up towards my center
You're beautiful
It's marshmallow day
Just like a 3D movie
A smile straight out of Hollywood
I lose myself
as I'm gradually captivated
Don't go disappearing
like the taste of chewing gum
We're blowing sweet memory bubbles
Carefully, then crazily
I want to savor your texture
Everything is a taste of you
Even though I know there are other things I really should be doing
I can't concentrate
Like bells ringing on high
You're beautiful
Echoing
Although we've been getting along just fine lately
wanting for nothing
I imagine of a world without you
and I'm terrified
Even if I can't get enough sleep
If I can see you, I'll come with bells on
I'm longing for that moment
I'll match your key
Let's hum the same song
Everyday I sing for you
My heart soars
when I touch the gentle warmth of your body
Ah, I'm so happy
I could die
Buried in your sighs
and this sweet mood
Don't go disappearing
like the taste of chewing gum
We're still blowing sweet memory bubbles
Carefully, then affectionately
I want to savor your texture
Everything is a taste of you
I'm gonna match your key
Let's sing a happy song
Everyday I sing for…
Everything is a taste of…
Everyday, marshmallow day
WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Proooobably nothing, but ok, pretty catchy. You listened twice, didn't you!
Beware, lol:
Marshmallow Day - Mr. Children
Like a race car engine,
my heart is rumbling
This feeling well up towards my center
You're beautiful
It's marshmallow day
Just like a 3D movie
A smile straight out of Hollywood
I lose myself
as I'm gradually captivated
Don't go disappearing
like the taste of chewing gum
We're blowing sweet memory bubbles
Carefully, then crazily
I want to savor your texture
Everything is a taste of you
Even though I know there are other things I really should be doing
I can't concentrate
Like bells ringing on high
You're beautiful
Echoing
Although we've been getting along just fine lately
wanting for nothing
I imagine of a world without you
and I'm terrified
Even if I can't get enough sleep
If I can see you, I'll come with bells on
I'm longing for that moment
I'll match your key
Let's hum the same song
Everyday I sing for you
My heart soars
when I touch the gentle warmth of your body
Ah, I'm so happy
I could die
Buried in your sighs
and this sweet mood
Don't go disappearing
like the taste of chewing gum
We're still blowing sweet memory bubbles
Carefully, then affectionately
I want to savor your texture
Everything is a taste of you
I'm gonna match your key
Let's sing a happy song
Everyday I sing for…
Everything is a taste of…
Everyday, marshmallow day
WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Proooobably nothing, but ok, pretty catchy. You listened twice, didn't you!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
エミリー - 井上陽水
If you think this is narcissistic, talk to my friend who recommended the song to me.
PS - This was actually quite difficult and you can read why in the notes and also why it might be partially incorrect (or just a wonky interpretation, let's say).
PPS - Here is a cover of the song:
Emily - Yousui Inoue
Emily
I can't forget the way
your eyes looked that evening
The sky was fading into twilight
As if it were whispering to the night
Emily
First love
is what summer is for [1]
The stars in the sky, too
Seem like they're wandering through the night
On rainy days, and farewell days
dreaming of summer sun
being loved, being swept away
I'll disappear on [2]
a star's revolving journey [3]
Emily
The important thing
is to be happy
But don't say anything
more than that, ok? [4]
On rainy days, and farewell days
dreaming of summer sun
being loved, being swept away
I'll disappear on
a star's revolving journey
Notes:
[1] I feel nervous about this because it hangs あこがれ out to dry, but I stand by it in terms of meaning and attitude.
[2] The subject is incredibly not literally in the song. At first I actually kept this as a gerund "disappearing" and I think you could do that, but then I realized he's not dreaming about that too. Someone is actually doing it. Either her, him, or both. I decided it can't be her because it's present/future tense. And dude wouldn't be singing this song if they were together, I don't think; seems pretty lonely. So I think he goes off alone.
[3] Then there's the other thing that throws a little chaos on the fire. I read たび as 旅 since the stars had already been kind of personified as wandering through the sky I figured it referred to that journey. Right? I think that is the correct interpretation but I realized that it MIGHT also be possible to read the whole two lines as, "When (度) the star goes around you vanish," or something hopefully less wonky than that. And it would have to be "you," cuz it's wouldn't be the singer or them together. SO. I don't really like that version and I don't think it's right (she doesn't seem like that kind of girl :P), but I do wonder if a Japanese person would read it like that way or not. I might just be overthinking it due to the hiragana.
[4] This strikes me as weird even in the original Japanese so for that reason I'm a little hesitant on the translation. If you think about it, it's really depressing, though, so maybe it's right...
Is this really that sad of a song or am I on crack? ( ﾉД`)ｼｸｼｸ…
PS - This was actually quite difficult and you can read why in the notes and also why it might be partially incorrect (or just a wonky interpretation, let's say).
PPS - Here is a cover of the song:
Emily - Yousui Inoue
Emily
I can't forget the way
your eyes looked that evening
The sky was fading into twilight
As if it were whispering to the night
Emily
First love
is what summer is for [1]
The stars in the sky, too
Seem like they're wandering through the night
On rainy days, and farewell days
dreaming of summer sun
being loved, being swept away
I'll disappear on [2]
a star's revolving journey [3]
Emily
The important thing
is to be happy
But don't say anything
more than that, ok? [4]
On rainy days, and farewell days
dreaming of summer sun
being loved, being swept away
I'll disappear on
a star's revolving journey
Notes:
[1] I feel nervous about this because it hangs あこがれ out to dry, but I stand by it in terms of meaning and attitude.
[2] The subject is incredibly not literally in the song. At first I actually kept this as a gerund "disappearing" and I think you could do that, but then I realized he's not dreaming about that too. Someone is actually doing it. Either her, him, or both. I decided it can't be her because it's present/future tense. And dude wouldn't be singing this song if they were together, I don't think; seems pretty lonely. So I think he goes off alone.
[3] Then there's the other thing that throws a little chaos on the fire. I read たび as 旅 since the stars had already been kind of personified as wandering through the sky I figured it referred to that journey. Right? I think that is the correct interpretation but I realized that it MIGHT also be possible to read the whole two lines as, "When (度) the star goes around you vanish," or something hopefully less wonky than that. And it would have to be "you," cuz it's wouldn't be the singer or them together. SO. I don't really like that version and I don't think it's right (she doesn't seem like that kind of girl :P), but I do wonder if a Japanese person would read it like that way or not. I might just be overthinking it due to the hiragana.
[4] This strikes me as weird even in the original Japanese so for that reason I'm a little hesitant on the translation. If you think about it, it's really depressing, though, so maybe it's right...
Is this really that sad of a song or am I on crack? ( ﾉД`)ｼｸｼｸ…
Friday, September 7, 2012
燃えるハートで〜レッドリボン軍をやっつけろ〜 - Wonderland Gang
Was searching for Dragon Ball on YouTube randomly and found this song that happens to correspond to the arc I am reading right now!
With a Heart on Fire: Beat the Red Ribbon Army! - Wonderland Gang
In the city, in the wilderness, rushing in [1]
with an over-developed sense of entitlement—hell soldiers
On the wing of their flying machine blocking out the sky
is an ominously red ribbon, ribbon, ribbon [2]
Don't be frightened of this encroaching evil's power
You can't lose
No matter who the enemy, head for your dreams
with no fear, fighter [3]
Let's go, Red Ribbon
This is gonna be one heck of a thrilling struggle
You have a friend who will fight against their evil ambitions [4]
Beat'em, Red Ribbon
For the best future [5]
Awaken your wild side
Set your heart on fire, go fight!
Over the sea, in the desert, across the great plains [6]
the roaring devil's murderous weapons
Wound around the arms of
these fearless killers: red ribbon, ribbon, ribbon
Yes, that's right—in anyone's heart lies
the bravery to protect their love
Believe in the intense bonds you have formed [7]
and outrun the wind, fighter!
Let's go, Red Ribbon
It's gonna be an exciting brawl [8]
You have a friend who will leap, even into a hazardous trap [9]
Beat'em Red Ribbon
For the sake of my wonderful friends
I'll summon a miracle
Set your life on fire, GO FIGHT
Go after the seven dreams
scattered around the world
Don't hand them over to the bad guys
We'll defend the future, fighter [10]
Notes:
[1] This 走る was kind of a pain in the neck.
[2] This would be really unfortunate to do as plural, i.e. "On the wings...red ribbons, ribbons, ribbons" so I did it singular...
[3] Made this a noun to be more natural.....it sounded so wonkadonk to say "without being afraid" or something, SO.
[4] I went back and forth between "their" and "these" but even though "their" kind of comes out of nowhere it sounds better, I think. No qualification sounds...too weird, I think.
[5]イカした未来 was a new one on me. Any advice appreciated :P Briefly considered going ultra cliché and saying "For a bright and shining future" but...not really appropriate :P
[6] Perhaps an unacceptable level of embellishment given it's all just に、に、に...
[7] What "bonds?" Sorry, I tried to make it make sense...
[8] I used "brawl" above initially and then changed it to "struggle" so I could use "brawl" for 大暴れ...
[9] This phrasing is pretty awk, but honestly I think it's kind of awk in the original too : /
[10] Translated "tomorrow" as "the future," yep, sorry. I dunno. I could see "fight for tomorrow" but "defend tomorrow" or "protect tomorrow" is a little rough sounding...Idk. I guess at some point in these songs it's all a bit rough sounding.
BUT DANG DON'T U FEEL PUMPED UP NOW?! :D
Update: Wow, now I know no one paid attention to this entry. You guys let me typo "desert" as "dessert" V_V #weallwantcake #corrected
With a Heart on Fire: Beat the Red Ribbon Army! - Wonderland Gang
In the city, in the wilderness, rushing in [1]
with an over-developed sense of entitlement—hell soldiers
On the wing of their flying machine blocking out the sky
is an ominously red ribbon, ribbon, ribbon [2]
Don't be frightened of this encroaching evil's power
You can't lose
No matter who the enemy, head for your dreams
with no fear, fighter [3]
Let's go, Red Ribbon
This is gonna be one heck of a thrilling struggle
You have a friend who will fight against their evil ambitions [4]
Beat'em, Red Ribbon
For the best future [5]
Awaken your wild side
Set your heart on fire, go fight!
Over the sea, in the desert, across the great plains [6]
the roaring devil's murderous weapons
Wound around the arms of
these fearless killers: red ribbon, ribbon, ribbon
Yes, that's right—in anyone's heart lies
the bravery to protect their love
Believe in the intense bonds you have formed [7]
and outrun the wind, fighter!
Let's go, Red Ribbon
It's gonna be an exciting brawl [8]
You have a friend who will leap, even into a hazardous trap [9]
Beat'em Red Ribbon
For the sake of my wonderful friends
I'll summon a miracle
Set your life on fire, GO FIGHT
Go after the seven dreams
scattered around the world
Don't hand them over to the bad guys
We'll defend the future, fighter [10]
Notes:
[1] This 走る was kind of a pain in the neck.
[2] This would be really unfortunate to do as plural, i.e. "On the wings...red ribbons, ribbons, ribbons" so I did it singular...
[3] Made this a noun to be more natural.....it sounded so wonkadonk to say "without being afraid" or something, SO.
[4] I went back and forth between "their" and "these" but even though "their" kind of comes out of nowhere it sounds better, I think. No qualification sounds...too weird, I think.
[5]イカした未来 was a new one on me. Any advice appreciated :P Briefly considered going ultra cliché and saying "For a bright and shining future" but...not really appropriate :P
[6] Perhaps an unacceptable level of embellishment given it's all just に、に、に...
[7] What "bonds?" Sorry, I tried to make it make sense...
[8] I used "brawl" above initially and then changed it to "struggle" so I could use "brawl" for 大暴れ...
[9] This phrasing is pretty awk, but honestly I think it's kind of awk in the original too : /
[10] Translated "tomorrow" as "the future," yep, sorry. I dunno. I could see "fight for tomorrow" but "defend tomorrow" or "protect tomorrow" is a little rough sounding...Idk. I guess at some point in these songs it's all a bit rough sounding.
BUT DANG DON'T U FEEL PUMPED UP NOW?! :D
Update: Wow, now I know no one paid attention to this entry. You guys let me typo "desert" as "dessert" V_V #weallwantcake #corrected
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
まじないの唄 - OKAMOTO'S
Have had this song in my head a couple days now.
Song of Charms [1]
Hey hey everybody, come on over
I'm not such a sketchy guy
I'll tell your fortune, I'll tell your fortune
I'll tell you your future
Put on a glittering ring
C'mere, I'll show you the way
C'mere, c'mere
Let's dance until the tomorrow we're all so excited about
Swing your hips, stomp your feet [2]
I'll play the fool for you
Leave it all, leave it all
to the tarot cards
Hey hey everybody, come on over
I'm not such a sketchy guy
I'll tell your fortune, I'll tell your fortune
Just like this, just like this, I'll take you along
Notes:
[1] Considered "Magic Song" but there is no charm to that lol "Incantation" is hard to fit. This was the hardest part of the song. Not sure "charms" is that good either. Honestly I think the title of the song is just a bit weird, but anyhow!!
[2] Subject is actually unclear. This verse is sort of hazy to me.
Song of Charms [1]
Hey hey everybody, come on over
I'm not such a sketchy guy
I'll tell your fortune, I'll tell your fortune
I'll tell you your future
Put on a glittering ring
C'mere, I'll show you the way
C'mere, c'mere
Let's dance until the tomorrow we're all so excited about
Swing your hips, stomp your feet [2]
I'll play the fool for you
Leave it all, leave it all
to the tarot cards
Hey hey everybody, come on over
I'm not such a sketchy guy
I'll tell your fortune, I'll tell your fortune
Just like this, just like this, I'll take you along
Notes:
[1] Considered "Magic Song" but there is no charm to that lol "Incantation" is hard to fit. This was the hardest part of the song. Not sure "charms" is that good either. Honestly I think the title of the song is just a bit weird, but anyhow!!
[2] Subject is actually unclear. This verse is sort of hazy to me.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Looks like my practice is paying off
Today I qualified to do standard jobs in Japanese->English at Gengo. I realize that that doesn't automatically make me brilliant, nor does it make translating any easier (wouldn't that be nice), but I'm pretty stoked to have passed their test.
DOWN TOWN - シュガーベイブ
Haven't listened to Sugar Babe since maybe...April.
Downtown - Sugar Babe
A rainbow-colored dusk has fallen
There's a little chill in the wind
Saturday night is hoppin'
The street corners are always a crush of people
but even so this is a cheerful city
Everyone always dressed to the nines
Even a gloomy mood
will brighten up right quick
Everyone is lighthearted
Let's head downtown
Let's head downtown
Let's head downtown
Romances that only last the night are fun, too
disappearing like soap bubbles
Tonight's just getting started
Even a gloomy mood
will brighten up right quick
Everyone is lighthearted
Let's head downtown
Let's head downtown
Let's head downtown
Maybe you like my liberties, maybe you don't. We can talk about it in the comments, if you like! I highlighted what I feel are the wonkiest bits.
Image found here
Downtown - Sugar Babe
A rainbow-colored dusk has fallen
There's a little chill in the wind
Saturday night is hoppin'
The street corners are always a crush of people
but even so this is a cheerful city
Everyone always dressed to the nines
Even a gloomy mood
will brighten up right quick
Everyone is lighthearted
Let's head downtown
Let's head downtown
Let's head downtown
Romances that only last the night are fun, too
disappearing like soap bubbles
Tonight's just getting started
Even a gloomy mood
will brighten up right quick
Everyone is lighthearted
Let's head downtown
Let's head downtown
Let's head downtown
Maybe you like my liberties, maybe you don't. We can talk about it in the comments, if you like! I highlighted what I feel are the wonkiest bits.
Image found here
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
A kind of old Shintaro Sakamoto interview
This is an interview I meant to translate last year around when it came out, but forgot. It's still interesting, especially if you like Shintaro Sakamoto and haven't read it already. There are notes at the bottom, but take this as a disclaimer that it's not perfect; I just tried hard. Practice makes...something.
Feature Interview: Shintaro Sakamoto
"Don't you have that feeling where even in the midst of something like despair, you want listening to music to be fun?"
Ending an almost year and a half silence since the sudden announcement of Yura Yura Teikoku's break-up, Shintaro Sakamoto is releasing a solo album, "How to Live with a Phantom," on November 18th. I'm sure there are many people who have already heard the first single off it, "In a Phantom Mood" on 7 inch. There are probably people with their hopes up imagining what the new album will sound like, as well as those who feel hesitant.
"How to Live with a Phantom" is Sakamoto's first solo album—in addition to guitar, he plays base, keyboards, etc. You can't simply say it follows in a straight line from the bewitched breakdown in the psychedelic rock album, "I'm a Cave;" something new is being born. No, these quiet expressions can't be called an extension of "I'm a Cave," but this album has even more of the casual groove and aloof atmosphere running through it. Light pop that slips right into your everyday. Even so, there's a depth there with no bottom in sight. You realize with a start that you're completely sucked into the image born of the sound, the melody, and the lyrics.
Through the lyrics comes a knowing heart mottled with dry nostalgia. Instead of pessimism in response to loss and loneliness, there's almost a kind of home sickness. Snuggled up close to the lyrics are the melancholic melodies. The jaunty sound that delivers them diffuses the atmosphere. If we say that Yura Yura Teikoku's sound was able to draw you in with its overwhelming presence, this solo work will slip in through the cracks in your heart and get cozy. A perfect mood.
Shintaro Sakamoto has kicked his solo career into gear, so we decided to start the man himself about this new album.
Specifically, when did you start thinking about doing a solo album? Did you have something like this in mind right after Yura Yura Teikoku ended?
Right after it was ended I was like an empty shell and wasn't doing anything.
So then when did you start working on it?
I started on it around the second half of last year. At first I was just messing around at home, had bits of songs like these…I guess I was just making music without any ambition of putting out an album.
So basically like playing, or a hobby.
Hm, yeah.
Then when did that turn into thinking about making an album?
Sometime near the end of the year I had about seven songs piled up, so I figured I would start on it.
Did you have anything like a concept for the album?
I guess rather than having a particular concept of what kind of album I should do I wanted to first off just make the sound that I wanted to make. I started from the bass line, then layered in the conga and percussion. Actually, at first I thought maybe that was good enough. I even did a test run just like that, but felt it wasn't the kind of album you could listen to over and over. So from there I added the guitar and a bunch of stuff.
Ah, so it's like you started from the rhythm section. By the way, that sound you wanted to make, what kind was it specifically? Well, I guess listening is the best way to figure out, but if you explain it in words, what does it sound like?
The drums and bass are muted, light sounds, unsustained; the bass is paired with the vocals and the rhythm bounces a little bit…
So it's not like something you couldn't do with Yura Yura Teikoku, no reactionary feelings, but just purely what you wanted to do?
Ahh, yeah, nothing like that.
Was there something you were listening to that influenced that sound you were explaining you wanted to make?
Ahh, I might have been thinking, "I always did like this kind of thing." By which I mean drums with no reverb applied, like no echo or something; I actually wanted to do that with Yura Yura Teikoku when we were recording for the first time. I like not applying reverb to anything. If I had done it at that time, we would have sounded really weak. At the time I didn't realize that with reverb, even when you don't think you're depending on it, you actually are. I gradually came to understand that (lol). Of course, the actual recording was done by (Souichiro) Nakamura.
This album is basically you playing bass and everything yourself—was there anything difficult about that?
Well there was the issue that it simply took a lot of time. To make make a phrase I'd practice until I was about to explode and then record, for example. And that's not just bass, but guitar, and the small organ parts, too. Also in a very real way it took a lot of time because we were recording parts separately. That said, since I was doing it all myself it was easy to think of things like, "To get this sound in, I'll take this out."
What kind so things were obviously different from recording with a band?
I wasn't playing the drums myself, but I was deciding when the bass and snare would be hit, where the hi-hat would open, and making the bass line respond to that; I was changing all those things at will, so I would say definitely the fact that every part is done according to my own idiosyncratic tastes, with timing that feels good to me. In the band, I was playing guitar and singing, and things would develop based on what kind of bass and drums came back at me, and then the recording would be mixed by (You) Ishihara. So this time there's quite a degree of purity, I guess—I think it's like a concentrated essence of me (lol). Whether that's good or bad is another story.
So it's an album that came not from the influence of some input, but from all your own controlled outputs, huh.
Hm, yeah. But, it's not the case that I broke up the band because I wanted to do this. More like there was no one else around, so there was nothing else to do but do it myself.
So was it the case that you felt some pressure to do something by yourself?
Rather than pressure, I had this feeling that if I could create something that I could accept and then everyone was disappointed, I wouldn't take it personally. Something that would pass my own standards...well, if I couldn't manage to do that I just wouldn't release it (lol).
When about did the plan for the album come together?
Before all the tracks were set, I had the feel of the songs with the congas in and everything, so I went from there.
If the period you were making the album was from late last year to this fall, that means right in the middle was the earthquake. Was there anything that changed as a result of that?
Well I think it had some effect on the lyrics, but the feel and direction did not change due to the earthquake.
So you mentioned lyrics. For example, I think "Dancing with Pain" could be taken as you singing about having a wounded heart after the disaster, but I think it could be taken as a love song.
This actually goes for everything, but I end up feeling like even songs made as love songs might have that meaning as well. And I don't think that's limited to my songs. In songs where there's a blank space for the listener's imagination to fill, I have the feeling that since the earthquake and the nuclear power plant accident, thoughts of those events (how can they not get entangled) have been on the rise.
So you're saying more than the artists putting it out there that it's the listeners who end up thinking that way?
Actually, I think there are other songs besides just the one previously mentioned, "Dancing with Pain" where I can't deny an influence.
But it's not like you're putting those parts in as a message?
I think if I were to mention a song, the lyrics of which I want to hear right now, it would not be one where they're about forgetting reality, or about a dream that has nothing to do with reality, or something disconnected from reality; I don't want to listen to songs to escape. But still, I also don't want to be forced to listen to how awful things are all over again. Don't you have that feeling where even in the midst of something like despair, you want listening to music to be fun? When it comes to what lyrics are most fitting at those times, that's kind of how I think about it. When I listen to—I guess, positive songs, like about doing your best and working together, it's just the opposite—I end up getting depressed. But I also hate pretending like nothing happened.
I have one more thing on lyrics… "In a Phantom Mood" which you brought out as your first single, I read too much into it and felt maybe you were maybe implying a declaration that you're going solo. Kind of like, "What should I do with this newfound freedom?"
That's not the case; it's more a song about how to make a compromise with your despair and continue living—despair…or maybe I should say the whole of society… The song touches on how we do what we can do, but at the point where I decide to do music, what should I sing about?
What about the album title, "How to Live with a Phantom?"
I also thought maybe the first track's title would be a good album title but…I guess if I did that it would be just saying the same thing over again.
By the way, what made you decide to make your own label?
I guess I don't really have a good way to explain it except as a natural course of events. I thought maybe it would be good if I did it myself.
Also, the first printing seems to come with an instrumental album?
The instrumental is really just a mixed down version. And it's kind of weirdly good. The backing vocals are still there, but the main vocals are taken out. Since I thought the backing vocals on their own were actually a really good amount, I was thinking I'd like to release it, but selling that (the instrumental) on its own would not quite cut it. So I released it as an extra.
Wouldn't live performance in this format be practically impossible? I guess you could do it if you found a bassist, but are there no plans for concerts?
Hmm, I kinda think it's ok to not do them until the feeling that I spontaneously want to arises.
So at this point what comes more natural is doing recordings?
Or I might just say that I haven't actually thought about it at all. I was concentrating on finishing up the album I had in front of me and the rest would just happen as it would. It's already done, so…
Title: How to Live with a Phantom
Artist: Shintaro Sakamoto
On sale November 18th, the long-awaited first solo album. Several guest artists participated, but besides guitar, he did bass, keys—almost everything himself, so it really is a "solo" album. Hip gaps and exquisite omissions in a casual groove make up this strange brand of pop. The first printing comes with an instrumental disk.
Shintaro Sakamoto
Born in Osaka on September 9th, 1967. In 1989, he started singing and playing guitar in the rock band Yura Yura Teikoku. Over the course of 21 years they put out three cassette tapes, 10 studio albums, a mini album, two live albums, a remix album, and two best of albums. In 2006, the art book "Shintaro Sakamoto Artworks 1994-2006" was released. Yura Yura Teikoku broke up in 2010. After that, a two-part DVD box was released. Sakamoto wrote three songs for salyuxsalyu 「s(o)un(d)beams」in 2011. He also started a solo project under his own label, zelone records. The highly anticipated album was released in November 2011.
Notes:
The highlights designate parts that I'm either hesitant about or that were really hard. Not that there aren't other hazy or difficult bits, but these were the ones that really stuck out as "Hrm, not sure if I really got that..." Really the thing is that my understanding of the Japanese has to improve. I presented the last highlighted bit to some Japanese friends (in Japanese; they are translators in a way, since we're working on the same volunteer translation project) and they were not really sure what to make of it either, although their advice was still helpful.
Anyways, it would be great if I could just put this in a file somewhere and forget about it, but I have to put it up whether it's awesome or not because that is the point of this blog, to share my practice nonsense and mayyyyyybe get feedback if someone has time to leave constructive comments. Also I mean, even if my translation is not that great (I have no delusions!) you can get an idea of where Sakamoto is coming from, which is perhaps worthwhile...
Feature Interview: Shintaro Sakamoto
"Don't you have that feeling where even in the midst of something like despair, you want listening to music to be fun?"
Ending an almost year and a half silence since the sudden announcement of Yura Yura Teikoku's break-up, Shintaro Sakamoto is releasing a solo album, "How to Live with a Phantom," on November 18th. I'm sure there are many people who have already heard the first single off it, "In a Phantom Mood" on 7 inch. There are probably people with their hopes up imagining what the new album will sound like, as well as those who feel hesitant.
"How to Live with a Phantom" is Sakamoto's first solo album—in addition to guitar, he plays base, keyboards, etc. You can't simply say it follows in a straight line from the bewitched breakdown in the psychedelic rock album, "I'm a Cave;" something new is being born. No, these quiet expressions can't be called an extension of "I'm a Cave," but this album has even more of the casual groove and aloof atmosphere running through it. Light pop that slips right into your everyday. Even so, there's a depth there with no bottom in sight. You realize with a start that you're completely sucked into the image born of the sound, the melody, and the lyrics.
Through the lyrics comes a knowing heart mottled with dry nostalgia. Instead of pessimism in response to loss and loneliness, there's almost a kind of home sickness. Snuggled up close to the lyrics are the melancholic melodies. The jaunty sound that delivers them diffuses the atmosphere. If we say that Yura Yura Teikoku's sound was able to draw you in with its overwhelming presence, this solo work will slip in through the cracks in your heart and get cozy. A perfect mood.
Shintaro Sakamoto has kicked his solo career into gear, so we decided to start the man himself about this new album.
Specifically, when did you start thinking about doing a solo album? Did you have something like this in mind right after Yura Yura Teikoku ended?
Right after it was ended I was like an empty shell and wasn't doing anything.
So then when did you start working on it?
I started on it around the second half of last year. At first I was just messing around at home, had bits of songs like these…I guess I was just making music without any ambition of putting out an album.
So basically like playing, or a hobby.
Hm, yeah.
Then when did that turn into thinking about making an album?
Sometime near the end of the year I had about seven songs piled up, so I figured I would start on it.
Did you have anything like a concept for the album?
I guess rather than having a particular concept of what kind of album I should do I wanted to first off just make the sound that I wanted to make. I started from the bass line, then layered in the conga and percussion. Actually, at first I thought maybe that was good enough. I even did a test run just like that, but felt it wasn't the kind of album you could listen to over and over. So from there I added the guitar and a bunch of stuff.
Ah, so it's like you started from the rhythm section. By the way, that sound you wanted to make, what kind was it specifically? Well, I guess listening is the best way to figure out, but if you explain it in words, what does it sound like?
The drums and bass are muted, light sounds, unsustained; the bass is paired with the vocals and the rhythm bounces a little bit…
So it's not like something you couldn't do with Yura Yura Teikoku, no reactionary feelings, but just purely what you wanted to do?
Ahh, yeah, nothing like that.
Was there something you were listening to that influenced that sound you were explaining you wanted to make?
Ahh, I might have been thinking, "I always did like this kind of thing." By which I mean drums with no reverb applied, like no echo or something; I actually wanted to do that with Yura Yura Teikoku when we were recording for the first time. I like not applying reverb to anything. If I had done it at that time, we would have sounded really weak. At the time I didn't realize that with reverb, even when you don't think you're depending on it, you actually are. I gradually came to understand that (lol). Of course, the actual recording was done by (Souichiro) Nakamura.
This album is basically you playing bass and everything yourself—was there anything difficult about that?
Well there was the issue that it simply took a lot of time. To make make a phrase I'd practice until I was about to explode and then record, for example. And that's not just bass, but guitar, and the small organ parts, too. Also in a very real way it took a lot of time because we were recording parts separately. That said, since I was doing it all myself it was easy to think of things like, "To get this sound in, I'll take this out."
What kind so things were obviously different from recording with a band?
I wasn't playing the drums myself, but I was deciding when the bass and snare would be hit, where the hi-hat would open, and making the bass line respond to that; I was changing all those things at will, so I would say definitely the fact that every part is done according to my own idiosyncratic tastes, with timing that feels good to me. In the band, I was playing guitar and singing, and things would develop based on what kind of bass and drums came back at me, and then the recording would be mixed by (You) Ishihara. So this time there's quite a degree of purity, I guess—I think it's like a concentrated essence of me (lol). Whether that's good or bad is another story.
So it's an album that came not from the influence of some input, but from all your own controlled outputs, huh.
Hm, yeah. But, it's not the case that I broke up the band because I wanted to do this. More like there was no one else around, so there was nothing else to do but do it myself.
So was it the case that you felt some pressure to do something by yourself?
Rather than pressure, I had this feeling that if I could create something that I could accept and then everyone was disappointed, I wouldn't take it personally. Something that would pass my own standards...well, if I couldn't manage to do that I just wouldn't release it (lol).
When about did the plan for the album come together?
Before all the tracks were set, I had the feel of the songs with the congas in and everything, so I went from there.
If the period you were making the album was from late last year to this fall, that means right in the middle was the earthquake. Was there anything that changed as a result of that?
Well I think it had some effect on the lyrics, but the feel and direction did not change due to the earthquake.
So you mentioned lyrics. For example, I think "Dancing with Pain" could be taken as you singing about having a wounded heart after the disaster, but I think it could be taken as a love song.
This actually goes for everything, but I end up feeling like even songs made as love songs might have that meaning as well. And I don't think that's limited to my songs. In songs where there's a blank space for the listener's imagination to fill, I have the feeling that since the earthquake and the nuclear power plant accident, thoughts of those events (how can they not get entangled) have been on the rise.
So you're saying more than the artists putting it out there that it's the listeners who end up thinking that way?
Actually, I think there are other songs besides just the one previously mentioned, "Dancing with Pain" where I can't deny an influence.
But it's not like you're putting those parts in as a message?
I think if I were to mention a song, the lyrics of which I want to hear right now, it would not be one where they're about forgetting reality, or about a dream that has nothing to do with reality, or something disconnected from reality; I don't want to listen to songs to escape. But still, I also don't want to be forced to listen to how awful things are all over again. Don't you have that feeling where even in the midst of something like despair, you want listening to music to be fun? When it comes to what lyrics are most fitting at those times, that's kind of how I think about it. When I listen to—I guess, positive songs, like about doing your best and working together, it's just the opposite—I end up getting depressed. But I also hate pretending like nothing happened.
I have one more thing on lyrics… "In a Phantom Mood" which you brought out as your first single, I read too much into it and felt maybe you were maybe implying a declaration that you're going solo. Kind of like, "What should I do with this newfound freedom?"
That's not the case; it's more a song about how to make a compromise with your despair and continue living—despair…or maybe I should say the whole of society… The song touches on how we do what we can do, but at the point where I decide to do music, what should I sing about?
What about the album title, "How to Live with a Phantom?"
I also thought maybe the first track's title would be a good album title but…I guess if I did that it would be just saying the same thing over again.
By the way, what made you decide to make your own label?
I guess I don't really have a good way to explain it except as a natural course of events. I thought maybe it would be good if I did it myself.
Also, the first printing seems to come with an instrumental album?
The instrumental is really just a mixed down version. And it's kind of weirdly good. The backing vocals are still there, but the main vocals are taken out. Since I thought the backing vocals on their own were actually a really good amount, I was thinking I'd like to release it, but selling that (the instrumental) on its own would not quite cut it. So I released it as an extra.
Wouldn't live performance in this format be practically impossible? I guess you could do it if you found a bassist, but are there no plans for concerts?
Hmm, I kinda think it's ok to not do them until the feeling that I spontaneously want to arises.
So at this point what comes more natural is doing recordings?
Or I might just say that I haven't actually thought about it at all. I was concentrating on finishing up the album I had in front of me and the rest would just happen as it would. It's already done, so…
Title: How to Live with a Phantom
Artist: Shintaro Sakamoto
On sale November 18th, the long-awaited first solo album. Several guest artists participated, but besides guitar, he did bass, keys—almost everything himself, so it really is a "solo" album. Hip gaps and exquisite omissions in a casual groove make up this strange brand of pop. The first printing comes with an instrumental disk.
Shintaro Sakamoto
Born in Osaka on September 9th, 1967. In 1989, he started singing and playing guitar in the rock band Yura Yura Teikoku. Over the course of 21 years they put out three cassette tapes, 10 studio albums, a mini album, two live albums, a remix album, and two best of albums. In 2006, the art book "Shintaro Sakamoto Artworks 1994-2006" was released. Yura Yura Teikoku broke up in 2010. After that, a two-part DVD box was released. Sakamoto wrote three songs for salyuxsalyu 「s(o)un(d)beams」in 2011. He also started a solo project under his own label, zelone records. The highly anticipated album was released in November 2011.
Notes:
The highlights designate parts that I'm either hesitant about or that were really hard. Not that there aren't other hazy or difficult bits, but these were the ones that really stuck out as "Hrm, not sure if I really got that..." Really the thing is that my understanding of the Japanese has to improve. I presented the last highlighted bit to some Japanese friends (in Japanese; they are translators in a way, since we're working on the same volunteer translation project) and they were not really sure what to make of it either, although their advice was still helpful.
Anyways, it would be great if I could just put this in a file somewhere and forget about it, but I have to put it up whether it's awesome or not because that is the point of this blog, to share my practice nonsense and mayyyyyybe get feedback if someone has time to leave constructive comments. Also I mean, even if my translation is not that great (I have no delusions!) you can get an idea of where Sakamoto is coming from, which is perhaps worthwhile...
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
私鉄沿線 ー 野口五郎
Perhaps you have missed Goro Noguchi. I haaaaaaaaaaaaaave.
Along a Private Railway Line - Goro Noguchi
There you were by the exit
always waiting for me
I loved getting off the train
and looking for you
I locked the sadness in my heart
and the flowers at the flower shop changed.
Won't you please have some hot coffee with me
once more in my part of town?
Someone there asked, [1]
"How are you doing?"
I write about you on the message board [2]
and go home
Perhaps if I search my memories
It'll be as if you've returned to this part of town [3]
I guess our love is over? [4]
The season has also changed.
When you visited
you were always cleaning my room [5]
I don't know either
"How are you doing?"
The lights will probably come on soon
in this district busy with shoppers
Today I'm going to avoid the crowd again
and just go home, all alone
Unable to leave this town [6]
I await your return
Notes:
[1] I changed this line out of passive voice and added the "someone" subject. In a way it's better because it preserves the vagueness of who is being asked? Maybe it's not vague to a native speaker. Well.
[2] UPDATE: YOU GUYS, I SAW THIS MOVIE, AND IN THIS MOVIE THERE ARE ACTUAL MESSAGE BOARDS, CHALK BOARDS, OUTSIDE TRAIN STATIONS THAT YOU CAN LEAVE MESSAGES ON. The second I saw it I was like WHOOOAAAAA. Original Note: Yeah sorry, I dunno what else to say here. Anyone know what this is actually referring to in 1975?
[3] Pretty pleased with myself for changing the tense of 来る. This is more natural English, right?
[4] T_T
[5] Feel like I smoothed this out a little bit in a good way? Also, wow this line lol Can't tell if I should find it cute or what.
[6] Out of the various ways this could have gone I felt like this sort of blunt way seemed the best translation. I dunno. I thought about going more dramatic with "unable to escape" but I don't think that nuance is in the original really? I'm not entirely sure I got it right to begin with, but it does make sense in context....
Along a Private Railway Line - Goro Noguchi
There you were by the exit
always waiting for me
I loved getting off the train
and looking for you
I locked the sadness in my heart
and the flowers at the flower shop changed.
Won't you please have some hot coffee with me
once more in my part of town?
Someone there asked, [1]
"How are you doing?"
I write about you on the message board [2]
and go home
Perhaps if I search my memories
It'll be as if you've returned to this part of town [3]
I guess our love is over? [4]
The season has also changed.
When you visited
you were always cleaning my room [5]
I don't know either
"How are you doing?"
The lights will probably come on soon
in this district busy with shoppers
Today I'm going to avoid the crowd again
and just go home, all alone
Unable to leave this town [6]
I await your return
Notes:
[1] I changed this line out of passive voice and added the "someone" subject. In a way it's better because it preserves the vagueness of who is being asked? Maybe it's not vague to a native speaker. Well.
[2] UPDATE: YOU GUYS, I SAW THIS MOVIE, AND IN THIS MOVIE THERE ARE ACTUAL MESSAGE BOARDS, CHALK BOARDS, OUTSIDE TRAIN STATIONS THAT YOU CAN LEAVE MESSAGES ON. The second I saw it I was like WHOOOAAAAA. Original Note: Yeah sorry, I dunno what else to say here. Anyone know what this is actually referring to in 1975?
[3] Pretty pleased with myself for changing the tense of 来る. This is more natural English, right?
[4] T_T
[5] Feel like I smoothed this out a little bit in a good way? Also, wow this line lol Can't tell if I should find it cute or what.
[6] Out of the various ways this could have gone I felt like this sort of blunt way seemed the best translation. I dunno. I thought about going more dramatic with "unable to escape" but I don't think that nuance is in the original really? I'm not entirely sure I got it right to begin with, but it does make sense in context....
Saturday, August 11, 2012
SOLID SLIDER ー 山下達郎
I've liked this song for a while, but never tried to translate it. Kind of harder than I anticipated.
Solid Slider - Tatsuro Yamashita
SOLID SLIDER
In the stillness of the night
In the stillness of the night
I'm well hidden [1]
Keeping an eye out
from within this
tense tense [2]
atmosphere
One thing I say to myself
"This is it"
My eyes are dry I've hunted
him down [3]
SOLID SLIDER
The knife glints
The knife glints
Illuminated by the moon
One thing I say to myself
"This is it"
SOLID SLIDER
In a heartbeat [4]
In a heartbeat
I can kill him
Notes:
[1] This is weak, but I don't want to say "under cover" because that has other connotations that would be unavoidable here. I don't see him as creeping, more like lying in wait. Maybe I should just say that...
[2] This is also weak. 気配の中 seems to be used mostly to describe a day where the change of seasons is starting to gel.
[3] More weak nonsense lol. But I'm not gonna say "hunted down his heart" or "cornered his chest." I considered it! And then I considered it awk as hell lol
[4] I'm glad I googled some more. Basically this just means "really quickly" (and/or without pause). I thought about "in no time" and some other non-set phrases, but then I kind of liked "heartbeat" because it brings back the chest reference that I was unable to get to work for above.
Not sure if it's just my admittedly still wonky translation or if this song just really does fall kinda flat in English. Hrm hrm.
Solid Slider - Tatsuro Yamashita
SOLID SLIDER
In the stillness of the night
In the stillness of the night
I'm well hidden [1]
Keeping an eye out
from within this
tense tense [2]
atmosphere
One thing I say to myself
"This is it"
My eyes are dry I've hunted
him down [3]
SOLID SLIDER
The knife glints
The knife glints
Illuminated by the moon
One thing I say to myself
"This is it"
SOLID SLIDER
In a heartbeat [4]
In a heartbeat
I can kill him
Notes:
[1] This is weak, but I don't want to say "under cover" because that has other connotations that would be unavoidable here. I don't see him as creeping, more like lying in wait. Maybe I should just say that...
[2] This is also weak. 気配の中 seems to be used mostly to describe a day where the change of seasons is starting to gel.
[3] More weak nonsense lol. But I'm not gonna say "hunted down his heart" or "cornered his chest." I considered it! And then I considered it awk as hell lol
[4] I'm glad I googled some more. Basically this just means "really quickly" (and/or without pause). I thought about "in no time" and some other non-set phrases, but then I kind of liked "heartbeat" because it brings back the chest reference that I was unable to get to work for above.
Not sure if it's just my admittedly still wonky translation or if this song just really does fall kinda flat in English. Hrm hrm.
"Music Moral Keepers" Manga
CR readers probably already saw, but in case you missed it, I translated the Japan Association of Music Enterprises' manga about why illegal uploading and downloading is bad.
Then I joked (more like angsted) with my editor that pretty soon I will have to distance myself from the "Wonky" thing, lol(sob).
Then I joked (more like angsted) with my editor that pretty soon I will have to distance myself from the "Wonky" thing, lol(sob).
Friday, August 10, 2012
おやすみ ー きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ
Moving backwards through the album...
Good Night - Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
The good times, right, they go by so fast, but
Let's get together again soon, everyone—for sure!
Thanks With a heart full of memories [1]
I'll say good night for today
This story has come to an end Close the book
Close your eyes and let's float in the night sky
If you wake up with the sun
Remember what happened today C'mon, smile!
A pretty box When you open a present
If the wrapping sparkles, you'll sleep soundly
Ding dong the park's closing chime rings out. I'm sad but
I'm sure we'll meet again in our dreams
Thanks With a heart full of memories
I'll say good night for today
A pretty box When you open a present
If the wrapping sparkles, you'll sleep soundly
We'll sleep soundly
We'll sleep soundly
Notes:
[1] "heart full of memories" is kind of tidy compared to たくさん思い出胸にかかえたまま but I think it does it decent justice.
Good Night - Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
The good times, right, they go by so fast, but
Let's get together again soon, everyone—for sure!
Thanks With a heart full of memories [1]
I'll say good night for today
This story has come to an end Close the book
Close your eyes and let's float in the night sky
If you wake up with the sun
Remember what happened today C'mon, smile!
A pretty box When you open a present
If the wrapping sparkles, you'll sleep soundly
Ding dong the park's closing chime rings out. I'm sad but
I'm sure we'll meet again in our dreams
Thanks With a heart full of memories
I'll say good night for today
A pretty box When you open a present
If the wrapping sparkles, you'll sleep soundly
We'll sleep soundly
We'll sleep soundly
Notes:
[1] "heart full of memories" is kind of tidy compared to たくさん思い出胸にかかえたまま but I think it does it decent justice.
幽霊の気分で ー 坂本慎太郎
Was looking absentmindedly at blog stats and noticed lots of people seem to like Shintaro Sakamoto. WELL, so I do. Here is the first track off his recent solo album:
In a Phantom Mood [1]
I died on a wide street. Wandered in on purpose. [2]
I want to melt into the scenery [3]
Hum a melody to a far away friend
and send it on a gentle breeze
So where should I go? What should I be?
In a phantom mood
So what should I do? What should I be?
With my transparent body
I flew where I wanted, along a dark road
Threw away everything in my bag
Old textbooks, manga, my name, keys, and address
My games and my drawings, threw them all away
So where should I go? What should I be?
In a phantom mood
So what should I do? What should I be?
With my transparent body
So where should I go? What should I be?
In a phantom mood
So what should I do? What should I be?
With my transparent body
I flew where I wanted
Melted into the scenery
I flew where I wanted
Melted into the scenery
Notes:
[1] This is the official English title of the song, so I didn't mess with it.
[2] First line was the hardest line to translate! I dunno if I did it right. を死ぬ does not make sense to me. I tried to look it up. If anyone has advice... The second part of the line, too; the context is not entirely clear to me, but I read this whole line as basically, "I committed suicide in traffic today by wandering into the street on purpose." Could be wrong D:
[3] みせる in this case seems unnecessary to translate literally... It's not about "showing" or faking it. This dictionary example sentence informed my decision: "できるだけ若く見せる｜make oneself look as young as possible"
In a Phantom Mood [1]
I died on a wide street. Wandered in on purpose. [2]
I want to melt into the scenery [3]
Hum a melody to a far away friend
and send it on a gentle breeze
So where should I go? What should I be?
In a phantom mood
So what should I do? What should I be?
With my transparent body
I flew where I wanted, along a dark road
Threw away everything in my bag
Old textbooks, manga, my name, keys, and address
My games and my drawings, threw them all away
So where should I go? What should I be?
In a phantom mood
So what should I do? What should I be?
With my transparent body
So where should I go? What should I be?
In a phantom mood
So what should I do? What should I be?
With my transparent body
I flew where I wanted
Melted into the scenery
I flew where I wanted
Melted into the scenery
Notes:
[1] This is the official English title of the song, so I didn't mess with it.
[2] First line was the hardest line to translate! I dunno if I did it right. を死ぬ does not make sense to me. I tried to look it up. If anyone has advice... The second part of the line, too; the context is not entirely clear to me, but I read this whole line as basically, "I committed suicide in traffic today by wandering into the street on purpose." Could be wrong D:
[3] みせる in this case seems unnecessary to translate literally... It's not about "showing" or faking it. This dictionary example sentence informed my decision: "できるだけ若く見せる｜make oneself look as young as possible"
Thursday, August 9, 2012
ちゃんちゃんちゃんちゃん ー きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ
I skipped ahead in the KPP album because I need to get some advice :P Here is the last song off Pamyu Pamyu Revolution...
Chan Chaka Chan Chan - Kyary Pamyu Pamyu [1]
Chan chaka chan chan
We'll be able to meet again. It's not "good-bye" but "see you next time."
I DON'T WANNA GO HOME I just wanna argue for argument's sake
Do re mi fa so la ti so SEE YOU NEXT TIME
SEE YOU SEE YOU SEE YOU AGAIN
SEE YOU SEE YOU SEE YOU NEXT TIME
SEE YOU SEE YOU SEE YOU AGAIN
SEE YOU SEE YOU SEE YOU NEXT TIME
Should we head home? Should we head home? Should we hurry home?
Dad's pooped out and sleeping on the bench [2]
Let's get in the car and go home
I'll sleep peacefully in the backseat
Mumble mumble mumble mumble
Mumble mumble mumble mumble
'n I have school tomorrow
so I'll set the alarm for 7 AM
1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
One twooo one twooo one twooo one twooo
One twooo one twooo one twooo one twooo
Notes:
[1] As far as I know this is just cute nonsense, so I left it.
[2] I used "pooped out" not because the verb was different than the normal "tired" but because she said おとうちゃん. I dunno if that is a legitimate strategy or not, but it came immediately to mind. Kind of interesting.
I like how this song quotes other songs on the album. It's really like the closing credits :)
Chan Chaka Chan Chan - Kyary Pamyu Pamyu [1]
Chan chaka chan chan
We'll be able to meet again. It's not "good-bye" but "see you next time."
I DON'T WANNA GO HOME I just wanna argue for argument's sake
Do re mi fa so la ti so SEE YOU NEXT TIME
SEE YOU SEE YOU SEE YOU AGAIN
SEE YOU SEE YOU SEE YOU NEXT TIME
SEE YOU SEE YOU SEE YOU AGAIN
SEE YOU SEE YOU SEE YOU NEXT TIME
Should we head home? Should we head home? Should we hurry home?
Dad's pooped out and sleeping on the bench [2]
Let's get in the car and go home
I'll sleep peacefully in the backseat
Mumble mumble mumble mumble
Mumble mumble mumble mumble
'n I have school tomorrow
so I'll set the alarm for 7 AM
1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
One twooo one twooo one twooo one twooo
One twooo one twooo one twooo one twooo
Notes:
[1] As far as I know this is just cute nonsense, so I left it.
[2] I used "pooped out" not because the verb was different than the normal "tired" but because she said おとうちゃん. I dunno if that is a legitimate strategy or not, but it came immediately to mind. Kind of interesting.
I like how this song quotes other songs on the album. It's really like the closing credits :)
相合傘 ー はっぴいえんど
Haven't tackled a Happy End song in a long time...
Sharing an Umbrella
Always passing showers
Always passing showers
This town, that town
No matter what path we take, it's quiet [1]
Always passing showers
Always passing showers
The husk tomatoes are getting soggy
Walking along, sharing an umbrella
If the sun came up
we'd have to part
Rain, rain some more
Walking along, sharing an umbrella
If it rains tomorrow
If it rains tomorrow
This kid, that kid
I'm broke too
If it rains tomorrow
If it rains tomorrow
The husk tomatoes will get soggy
Looking forward to sharing an umbrella
Walking slowly
We have to be carefree
We'll rest tomorrow
Looking forward to sharing an umbrella
The path is quiet
I'm broke
We'll rest tomorrow
I love you [2]
I love you
Mr. Sun sparkles [3]
in the sunny sky
I love you
I love you
Giggling cheek to cheek
Walking along, sharing an umbrella
Even if the sun comes out
we won't part
Giggling cheek to cheek
Walking along, sharing an umbrella
The path is quiet
I'm broke
We'll rest tomorrow
Looking forward to sharing an umbrella
The path is quiet
I'm broke
The path is quiet
I'm broke
Notes:
[1] 路地はひっそり閑 is the hardest line to translate, and it recurs...
[2] Wish I could think of a better way to say this. Considered "Love ya" but that's not really it...
[3] おてんと様！Haha, I was happy to learn this.
I like that this is kind of a jumble of impressions, but it's interesting how the husk tomato image gets dropped half-way through while the quiet path and lack of money carry through.
Sharing an Umbrella
Always passing showers
Always passing showers
This town, that town
No matter what path we take, it's quiet [1]
Always passing showers
Always passing showers
The husk tomatoes are getting soggy
Walking along, sharing an umbrella
If the sun came up
we'd have to part
Rain, rain some more
Walking along, sharing an umbrella
If it rains tomorrow
If it rains tomorrow
This kid, that kid
I'm broke too
If it rains tomorrow
If it rains tomorrow
The husk tomatoes will get soggy
Looking forward to sharing an umbrella
Walking slowly
We have to be carefree
We'll rest tomorrow
Looking forward to sharing an umbrella
The path is quiet
I'm broke
We'll rest tomorrow
I love you [2]
I love you
Mr. Sun sparkles [3]
in the sunny sky
I love you
I love you
Giggling cheek to cheek
Walking along, sharing an umbrella
Even if the sun comes out
we won't part
Giggling cheek to cheek
Walking along, sharing an umbrella
The path is quiet
I'm broke
We'll rest tomorrow
Looking forward to sharing an umbrella
The path is quiet
I'm broke
The path is quiet
I'm broke
Notes:
[1] 路地はひっそり閑 is the hardest line to translate, and it recurs...
[2] Wish I could think of a better way to say this. Considered "Love ya" but that's not really it...
[3] おてんと様！Haha, I was happy to learn this.
I like that this is kind of a jumble of impressions, but it's interesting how the husk tomato image gets dropped half-way through while the quiet path and lack of money carry through.
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