Gaki N Me If you love to talk about the world, love Asian idols, this is the place.

I would like to highlight this song today because a member of my forum has asked for a translation of Anita Mui's version and I am more than happy to do it.  

  

The late HK pop diva, Anita Mui, was once the girlfriend to Masahiko "Matchy" Kondo, the pop sensation in Japan in the 80's,  for a year I believe. She was introduced to him through an agent.  From Anita Mui's past news, I understand that she really liked him and had toned down her career to spend time with him in Japan, fixing up his residence and waiting on him.  In the end, they split up. Before Anita died of cancer, she had specifically requested to meet with Matchy one more time, and during that visit, she did not tell him that she was dying. It's very sad just to read it.  Perhaps out of the seven loves of Anita, this must have meant most to her.  A word on Matchy.  Matchy switched to Formula 1 car racing for a while and has a very well known team in Japan.  You could look at his official site here.  But last Christmas, he announced a return to the entertainment industry and has released a single called Chosensya (Challenger/挑戦者), followed by a couple of compilations. Here is the SONY site to sample some of his songs.
http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Arch/SR/MasahikoKondo/

Yesasia.com
http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/code-j/section-music/pid-1004100190/



Anyway, Anita got to do cover songs of quite a few of Matchy's songs.  The Song of Sunset was adapted to be the movie theme song for A Better Tomorrow III : Love and Death in Saigon by Chow Yun Fat and Anita Mui. That is one movie I kept going back to and watch over and over again because Chow's charisma in it was brilliant, but Anita's gun toting suaveness was incredible. It's way better than The Executioners where she also toted a gun with Maggie Cheung and Michelle Yeoh, but A Better Tomorrow III had a heart to it.  When this song was played, she was on the helicopter, drifting off in consciousness and I would be moved to tears.

       

Here is the Japanese lyrics of Matchy's version. You could listen to entry 1 or 2 here.
http://m.iask.com/cgi-bin/mail_music/mail_song.cgi?_searchkey=%BD%FC%CC%D9%D5%E6%D1%E5


夕焼けの歌
作詞 大津あきら
作曲 馬飼野康二
唄 近藤真彦

“あばよ”と この手も振らずに
飛び出したガラクタの町
あんなに憎んだすべてが
やりきれず しみるのは何故か
憧れた夢さえ
まだ報われずに
人恋しさに泣けば…
ゆらゆらとビルの都会に広がる
あの頃と同じ 夕焼け空
クソ食らえとただ
アスファルト蹴りつけ
あぁ春夏秋…と
この都会 誰れを迎い入れ
また誰れを追い出すのだろう
はじめて恋したお前は
俺の目が 好きと言ったのに
握りしめたこぶしが
空振りする度
何が宝と言えば…
に焼きつく
あの頃と同じ 夕焼け空
土下座したいほど
愛が欲しいだけ
あぁ春夏秋…も
Oh 弱虫の涙が
こぼれないように
空を見上げ 歩け
ゆらゆらとビルの都会に広がる
あの頃と同じ 夕焼け空
クソ食らえとただ
アスファルト蹴りつけ
あぁ春夏秋…と
に焼きつく
あの頃と同じ 夕焼け空
土下座したいほど
愛が欲しいだけ
あぁ春夏秋…も


Here is Anita's version.  I think the Anita version might be a bit more poetic and grim. You could listen to it here.
http://218.57.9.57/m/try_zs.php?k=ec903791043d57d6&type=0&single=b6675344193c7dad

夕陽之歌
作詞：陳少琪　作曲：Kohji Makaino

斜陽無限　無奈只一息間燦爛　隨雲霞漸散
逝去的光彩不復還　遲遲年月　難耐這一生的變幻
如浮雲聚散　纏結這滄桑的倦顏　漫長路　驟覺光陰退減
歡欣總短暫未再返　哪個看透我夢想是平淡
曾遇上幾多風雨翻　編織我交錯夢幻
曾遇你真心的臂彎　伴我走過患難
奔波中心灰意淡　路上紛擾波折再一彎
一天想到歸去但已晚　啊　天生孤單的我心暗淡
路上風霜哭笑再一彎　一天想　想到歸去但已晚

http://www.coolmanmusic.com/female/anita/anita2004120.html

The Song of Sunset
Composed by Kohji Makaino
Lyrics by Chan Siu Kei

The unlimited setting sun, it couldn’t be helped that only a moment is brilliant, disappearing gradually along with the clouds

The brilliance that passed away would not come back, every year every month, it’s hard to bear the changes of this life

Like clouds gathering and dispersing, bringing such a sorrowful and tired looks, a long road, I feel the light is gradually reducing

Happiness and admiration is bound to be short lived and never comes back, whoever sees that my dreams are plain

I have met with many tumultuous storms, it weaved the wrong dreams into me

I have experienced you holding me up, accompanying me through my hardships

Amid the hectic pace my heart dies down, on the road I meet with obstacles once more

One day I think about returning but it’s too late already, Ah, the me who is innately lonesome, my heart is shadowy

On the road once more is a corner, one day I think about returning but it’s too late already.

And Hong Kong is coming up with a drama series on the life of Anita Mui and this is the actress, Alice Chan, who will portray her.