Date: June 15, 1963
Weeks: 3
I remember in the 90s, there was an English-language cover of this song on the radio, by a Boyz II MEn clone band called 4pm. It came on once when I was in the car with my mom, and she recognized it as a cover of this Japanese-language song. She listened to the English lyrics and was surprised that they were so sad, because she said the singer of this song always sounded so happy. And the funny thing is that the lyrics to that cover song weren't even as sad the lyrics to the original, which I'll get to in a minute.
The music is really happy and pleasant. It's got a nice little beat, a basic but effective bass line, and some pleasant orchestral instrumentation accents. I like the use of strings here, and the horns are well-used, too. I don't particularly like the xylophone, though. It's a bit too bright and cartoony and out of place. The whistling is all right, although it really does contribute to the idea that this is a happy song. And it's really not.
Now, the song is enjoyable without considering the lyrics. And maybe I shouldn't criticize the lyrics for a song in a language I don't speak. But I do feel it's important to point out the general sentiment expressed in the lyrics. "I look up when I walk so the tears won't fall," says this translation. "Remembering those happy summer days, but tonight I'm all alone." There are various interpretations, of course, but all interpretations agree with the general sentiment that the singer is sad because of the end of a relationship.The 4pm version explicitly frames it as "you took your love away from me," and hopes they can get back together. However, the literal interpretations I've seen are a bit bleak on that front. "Happiness lies above the clouds... above the sky." I'm pretty sure whoever he's singing this about has passed. So it's even more sad than 4pm knew.
I suppose you could look at it as being a song that is happy "remembering those happy summer days." And maybe that's where the happy tone of the singing comes in. But most of the lyrics are sad, so the happy tone is really incongruous. I've probably spent way too much time analyzing the lyrics, and maybe I don't even have a satisfying translation. So I'll stop that now.
My verdict: Like it. It's a nice tune, it's performed well, and there's a part of me that likes songs that sound happy but are secretly sad. And this version from the 60s has aged better than the 4pm cover from the 90s.
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