Sometimes, we just need to hear this song again. Enjoy watching this rare, vintage performance of Kyu Sakamoto in a Japanese video singing the "Ue O Muite Aruko" (I Look Up When I Walk) - the 'Sukiyaki Song'. See below for lyrics translated into English.
"I Look Up When I Walk"
The 'Sukiyaki' Song
Lyrics in English:
I look up when I walk so the tears won't fall
Remembering those happy spring days
But tonight I'm all alone
I look up when I walk
Counting the stars with tearful eyes
Remembering those happy summer days
But tonight I'm all alone
Happiness lies beyond the clouds
Happiness lies above the sky
I look up when I walk so the tears won't fall
Though my heart is filled with sorrow
For tonight I'm all alone
Whistling ........
Remembering those happy autumn days
But tonight I'm all alone
Sadness hides in the shadow of the stars
Sadness lurks in the shadow of the moon
I look up when I walk so the tears won't fall
Though my heart is filled with sorrow
For tonight I'm all alone
-------------------------------------------------------
For Lyrics in Japanese see here: "Ue O Muite Aruko"
It is said that this love song was written by Rokusuke Ei when his heart was literally broken by a Japanese actress, Meiko Nakamura.
It was nicknamed 'Sukiyaki' for the benefit of those in the west - a catchy name and unmistakably Japanese, but it has nothing to do with the song. "Ue O Muite Aruko" means "I look up when I walk".
This song hit #1 in 1963 for Kyu Sakamoto: On August 12, 1985 the singer, Kyu Sakamoto, was tragically killed in JAL Flight 123, a 747 bound from Haneda Airport in Tokyo to Osaka.
