I think I chose to schedule this song this week more for the sound rather than the lyrics because I have no idea what they mean, if it’s sad or happy. Given that this is the last post before the new year, I thought I’d give a song that reflected the simpler style of her earlier works (or at least, the ones on Yasashii Hana no Saku Basho / やさしい花の咲く場所) before “introducing” a her more “pop” style next week.
It’s a nice light song with a cute bounce to it. Not a bad way to end the year, I’d say.
I knew it would only be a matter of time before they announce it. It was announced on Barks earlier today that Kimi ga Kureta Natsu / 君がくれた夏 will be released as a single on March 18, 2015!
As I’ve said in my previous post on the song, the song is the theme song of the upcoming movie, Ashita ni Nareba / あしたになれば, which will be released on March 21, 2015, a few days after the single (the official site[jp] says something about February 14. Perhaps an early viewing?).
I expect the cover art to be revealed within the next few weeks. I’m very excited for this!
A particle used after a noun to indicate that it is the direct object
You’re in for a real treat today. Here’s a song from 2001, first sung live at Mosaic Mall Kohoku[jp] on December 23 and 24, not available on any of her albums or singles. She sang it again on her radio show, Kame Kame House, on December 18, 2005, and this is likely where this recording is from. The sole appearance of this song in her discography is in her 2010 Christmas concert DVD, released in 2011 (track 16).
The song is relatively short, just a little over 3 minutes, but it’s very satisfying to listen to.
“Aoi Heya” appeared as the eight track on her 2009 album, BIRTHDAY. As Solarblade put it, “She really shows off her skills in the song”, and I agree: her piano playing is really captivating in this song. Her singing is pretty good, too: it’s clear and controlled, but with a lot of emotion.
The song is a sad one, and even with a translation, I still don’t quite understand it. Regardless, the way she sings and plays makes you understand that the speaker is suffering, and that’s one of the things that makes this a good song.
“to want to say/convey/communicate”. This is the “desire” form of tsutaeru / 伝える (“to convey”, “to communicate”).
kotoba / 言葉
“word”
The translation on Generasia gives “cold words”, but I couldn’t figure out how that could be. Perhaps I should edit it.
Another one of her indies, and one of the better ones at that. Tsutaetai Kotoba first appeared in vol.3 and reappeared on vol.best. However, if I didn’t know that, I’d think that it’s from Yasashii Hana no Saku Basho / やさしい花の咲く場所.
From what I gather about the lyrics (and as usual, I could be completely wrong about this), the speaker is addressing one of her parents (I’m inclined to say her mother, but with little justification). I get the impression that her parent recently passed away and she wants to say “thank you” for all the things her parent has done for her. Given that, I don’t think Generasia’s translation of “cold words” fits at all.
Oh, that interlude! She really knows how to build up energy and give feeling to the song.
This song reminds me a little of Tori to Kumo To Ao / 鳥と雲と青. They’re both indies-era songs, and although Tori to Kumo to Ao was on vol.1 and Tsutaetai Kotoba was on vol.3, the arranged version of Tori to Kumo to Ao was released on the next album (Yasashii Hana no Saku Basho / やさしい花の咲く場所). Come to think of it, there may not be any connection besides being from the same era.
Oku Hanako made a tweet recently about the upcoming movie, Ashita ni Nareba / あしたになれば (“If Tomorrow Comes”; the AsianWiki has some info about the movie, including a plot synopsis). It looks like she had been asked to do the theme song; it’s called Kimi ga Kureta Natsu / 君がくれた夏（”You gave me the summer”, according to a machine translation).
There’s a trailer that features a clip of the song:
It blows me away! It’s too bad I can’t find the whole song anywhere; I’d love to hear it. However, the style differs significantly enough from her pre-BIRTHDAY works to say that we may never get that early Oku Hanako back.
Thoughts on Oku Hanako 