My Favorite 360 or so…. J-Pop Songs of All-Time (Vol.2)

Sure you know the feeling, you’ve just completed a massive “best~of” list and then immediately without fail you begin questioning yourself.. did I leave a song out? Should this one or that one be higher? Lower? Or these ten I adore all the same so how can I possibly truly rank them?

And so with this new series here’s my quick criteria:

• Songs will be presented in no particular order.
• I must own the actual single or album, not an issue as I always support the artist(s).
• No Family48 songs will be included, as this series is meant to hopefully turn you onto beloved songs which aren’t of our currently collective awareness. I mean, I need not tell you how awesome this or that AKB48 song is as you already know.
• The “360 or so” is a very loose number =).

~DEEN “Hitomi sorasanaide”~

Yup! once upon a time you could walk into one of our local Japanese video/book stores and simply rent the latest releases right there off of their shelves =). And today’s select song happens to be, as you can see to the left… one of those very rental CDs as the store’s barcode is still stuck on there. And after a release had been out for awhile, the store’s would then sell them for a very fan friendly~price for usually just a few dollars. Today’s single is also in Japan’s most cool (and personally missed =(…) 3” CD format, now a nostalgic gem reflecting the time. So today’s song is DEEN’s “Hitomi sorasanaide” and if you just happened to have clicked~* play above before reaching this part of my write-up, hmm…. you may have noticed that it sounds most familiar?? Well that is if you’re a ZARD fan, you’re most likely readily recognizing that oh so familiar sweet melody here! ZARD’s Sakai Izumi had written quite a few songs which she lent to other artists/groups back then and this song in particular being my most favorite of those “lent” songs!! And while ZARD’s version is a lovely bossa nova ballad which appears as the final track on her “Forever You” album (released March 10th, 1995), Sakai Izumi gifted this song to DEEN about eight months earlier as DEEN released “Hitomi sorasanaide” as a single on June 22nd, 1994. Now DEEN’s version is most notably a 100% sweet rock~n~roll production which has a very very bright and euphoric tone about it which is in deep contrast to ZARD’s presentation, and so for comparison’s sake I’ve included both versions here ^^.

“Hitomi sorasanaide”

(note: DEEN’s final chorus differs from the translated ZARD version below)

Itsumo kono jikan wa uchi ni ita no ni…
(Although you were always home at this time…)
saikin kimi wa rusu gachi da ne
(Recently you tend to be away from home)
yatto deta denwa no koe mo
(Even the voice of the phone call that got through at last)
imamade to chigau kanji ga kawatta yo
(Differs thus far, the feeling is different)
mada kimi no naka ni boku ga dorekurai iru no ka
(Still in you how much of me is there)
tashikamete mitainda look in your eyes
(I want to ascertain and see the look in your eyes)

Hitomi sorasanaide aoi natsu no tokimeki no naka de
(Don’t avert your eyes in the palpitation of the blue summer)
summer breeze kokoro kusuguru yo
(Summer breeze my heart tickles)
hitorijime shitakute dakiyoseta atsui gogo
(Wanting to monopolize you I embraced the hot afternoon)

Ima no mamade wa shiya ga semaku narushi…
nanika ga owatte shimai sou to kanojo ga itta
(She said “As it is now my outlook becomes narrow, and it’s as if something is going to end”)
sono hou ga kimi ni totte yume ga aru no nara
(If there is a dream for you that way)
boku wa sou shiyou
(I will do that)
yakusoku dakara umi ni kitatte kanji ga
(I came to the beach because it’s a promised feeling)
isshoni iru noni samishii yo
(Even if we’re together it’s lonely)

Mou ichido…
(Once more…)

Hanashi sorasanaide aoi natsu no tokimeki no naka de
(Don’t avert from the conversation in the palpitation of the blue summer)
Summer days omoide ni shinaide
(Summer days don’t make it into memories)
ano koro no kimi ga ima mo mune no naka de waratteru
(You at that time is still smiling in my heart now)

Ano koro no kimi ga ima mo mune no naka de waratteru
(You at that time is still smiling in my heart now)

~ZARD “Hitomi sorasanaide”~