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Revision as of 20:59, 18 March 2006

"Sukiyaki", known in Japan as "Ue o muite arukō" (上を向いて歩こう "let's walk while looking up") is a Japanese song that was performed by Japanese crooner Kyu Sakamoto (坂本九, Sakamoto Kyū), and written by Rokusuke Ei and Hachidai Nakamura. It is best known under its alternative title "Sukiyaki" in English-speaking parts of the world. The song reached the top of the sales charts in the United States in 1963, and was the only Japanese language song to do so.

The recording was originally released in Japan by Toshiba in 1961. In 1963, the British record label Pye Records released a cover version of the song by Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen. They were concerned that English-speaking audiences might find the original title too difficult to remember/pronounce, so they gave it the new title of "Sukiyaki'". This title was retained when Capitol Records in the United States, and His Master's Voice in the UK, released Kyu Sakamoto's original version a few months later.

The term sukiyaki had absolutely nothing to do with the lyrics or the meaning of the song; the word served the purpose only because it was short, catchy, recognizably Japanese, and more familiar to most English speakers (very few of whom could understand the Japanese lyrics anyway). A Newsweek columnist noted that the re-titling was like issuing "Moon River" in Japan under the title "Beef Stew."

For the lyrics to the song in both Japanese and the English translation (but not the actual English lyrics) see here: [1]

For the English lyrics see here: [2]

After Sakamoto's follow-up to "Sukiyaki," "China Nights (Shina No Yoru)," charted in 1963 at #58, it was the last song by an artist from Japan to reach the U.S. pop charts for sixteen years, until the female duo Pink Lady hit in 1979 with their top 40 hit "Kiss In The Dark" (which was sung in English).

On March 16th 1999, Japan Post issued a stamp commemorating this song. [3]

Kyu Sakamoto (pronounced "cue") was one of the 520 people who died in the crash of a Japan Airlines Flight 123 near Gunma on August 12, 1985. He was 43.

Covers and variations

Several artists have recorded cover versions of the song, while others have written and/or performed songs based on the melody. A 1981 cover by A Taste of Honey reached #3 in the US Billboard chart (Adult Contemporary and R&B #1), while a 1995 version by 4PM reached #8.

Both the 4PM and Taste of Honey versions used the same English-language lyrics, written by Taste of Honey's Janice Marie Johnson. Johnson is quoted in The Billboard Book of Number One R&B Hits by Fred Bronson as saying that when she translated the original Japanese lyrics into English, she found out that the lyrics could be interpreted in three ways: as a man on his way to his execution, as someone trying to be optimistic despite life's trials, or as the story of an ended love affair. "Me being the hopeless romantic that I am," she explained, "I decided to write about a love gone bad." Thus, the English version featured lyrics like: "In reality/You and I will never be/'Cause you took your love away from me." Taste of Honey, who were quite popular in Japan (Johnson and her bandmate, Hazel Payne, often wore kimonos in concert), also considered their version of the song a tribute to one of the countries where they were most popular, and added a whispered, mournful "Sayonara" at the end of the song.


A Spanish version was also recorded by the late Tejano singer Selena in 1989.

Bands having recorded covers or variations of the original Ue o muite arukō:

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