UE O MUITE ARUKOO / 上を向いて歩こう
(known as Sukiyaki)
The Japanese title is "Ue O Muite Aruko," which means "I look up when I walk." This is a vintage video of Kyu himself singing this international hit on a TV show in 1963 called "Shall We Meet At 7". Sung in Japan by Kyu in 1961, then retitled by an English Record Company "Sukiyaki" which is a Japanese food dish and nothing to do with the song itself, because a DJ couldn't pronounce the Japanese name, and became internationally famous from then on as "Sukiyaki". This is the only song by a Japanese artist to ever become a Number 1 music hit on the charts in America.Kyu Sakamoto tragically died in a Japan Airlines plane crash in 1985 at age 43, one of 520 passengers, but his classic megahit will continue to live on for generations.The song is about sadness and isolation in a post WW2 Japan. The Japanese lyrics and the English translation are below:Ue o muite arukoo------------I look up when I walkNamida ga kobore nai yoo ni----So the tears won't fallOmoidasu haru no hi---------Remembering those happy spring daysHitoribotchi no yoru----------But tonight I'm all aloneUe o muite arukoo------------I look up when I walkNijinda hoshi o kazoete------Counting the stars with tearful eyesOmoidasu natsu no hi--------Remembering those happy summer daysHitoribotchi no yoru----------But tonight I'm all aloneShiawase wa kumo no ue ni-Happiness lies beyond the cloudsShiawase wa sora no ue ni--Happiness lies above the skyUe o muite arukoo------------I look up when I walkNamida ga kobore nai yoo ni-So the tears won't fallNakinagara aruku-------------Though my heart is filled with sorrowHitoribotchi no yoru-----------For tonight I'm all alone(whistling)----------------------(whistling)Omoidasu aki no hi------------Remembering those happy autumn daysHitoribotchi no yoru----------- But tonight I'm all aloneKanashimi wa hoshi no kage ni-Sadness hides in the shadow of the starsKanashimi wa tsuki no kage ni--Sadness lurks in the shadow of the moonUe o muite arukoo--------------I look up when I walkNamida ga kobore nai yoo ni--So the tears won't fallNakinagara aruku---------------Though my heart is filled with sorrowHitoribotchi no yoru-------------For tonight I'm all aloneHitoribotchi no yoru-------------For tonight I'm all alone(whistling)------------------------(whistling)I hope you all enjoy this classic song and vintage vid by Kyu Sakamoto.