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

In Tsuyoshi's drama Gakku no Sensei / ガッコの先生, he sang a song called Looking at the Starry Sky / 見上げてごらん夜の星を / Miagetegoran yoru no hoshiwo. Why am I writing about it when I haven't even watched the series?  Because I have been vetting my computer of all the songs that I don't want and after a few weeks of Tsuyoshi's singing, I am even chucking out all the Ken Hirai, Fukuyama Masaharu, Gackt, Koji Tamaki, Hyde songs.  I am now combing through everyone of Kinki Kid's album to find Tsuysoshi's solos and this is the first one I found today and I find his rendition superior to the several artists I find online. You could compare their singing.



Ken Hirai / 平井堅

The Gundogs

Kyu Sakamoto / 坂本九 (video)

Noriyuki Mikihara / 槇原敬之

And compare it to Tsuyoshi's here or here and you may find the difference.  This song is only recorded in the Hey!みんな元気かい? limited edition.  Tsuyoshi's voice I find compared to many artists is malleable and pliable to my needs. It is strong and deep without it being steely. It is powerful without it being cold and harsh.  He can also sing plainly but with emotion that outshines the old folks. And above all, his voice has a magnetism to it from deep inside.


Rokusuke Ei

A notable mention about this song is that it was penned by Rokusuke Ei / 永六輔 an extremely famous social essayist and commentator in Japan. His other very famous song was Sukiyaki / Ue-o Muite Aruko / 上を向いて歩こう (Lyrics by Rokusuke Ei and composed by hachidai Nakamura) made well known by Kyu Sakamoto, the first Japanese song to get a Gold Record in the U.S., in 1963, with 1.3 million records sold in about 70 countries.  I have written extensively about Sukiyaki here. Rokusuke writes many social commentary books and novels, one of which was made into a movie called Daiojo. Plus he has rewritten Gilbert & Sullivan's The Mikado into a Japanese script for local consumption.

Here are a few of his other musical involvement.

黄昏のビギン Lyrics by Rokusuke Ei, Composed by Hachidai Nakamura

こんにちは赤ちゃん  Lyrics by Rokusuke Ei, Composed by Hachidai Nakamura

遠くへ行きたい Lyrics by Rokusuke Ei, Composed by Hachidai Nakamura

So what was Tsuyoshi singing about?  Here is the translation.

見上げてごらん夜の星を

作詞：永六輔
作曲：いずみたく

見上げてごらん　夜の星を
小さな星の　小さな光が
ささやかな幸せを歌ってる

見上げてごらん　夜の星を
ぼくらのように　名もない星が
ささやかな幸せを祈ってる

手をつなごう　ぼくと
追いかけよう　夢を
二人なら苦しくなんかないさ

見上げてごらん　夜の星を
小さな星の　小さな光が
ささやかな幸せを歌ってる

見上げてごらん　夜の星を
ぼくらのように　名もない星が
ささやかな幸せを祈ってる
ささやかな幸せを歌ってる

Looking at the Starry Sky
Composed by Izumi Taku
Lyrics by Rokusuke Ei

Lifting my head to watch the starry sky
Little stars’ weak glimmer 
Is singing the little blessings

Lifting my head to watch the starry sky
Just like us Anonymous and unknown stars 
Are praying for little blessings

Come hold hands with me 
Bravely seek for your own 
As long as we two are together It would not feel diffifult

Lifting my head to watch the starry sky 
Little stars’ weak glimmer 
Is singing the little blessings

Lifting my head to watch the starry sky  
Just like us Anonymous and unknown stars 
Are praying for little blessings

Exclusive: Please do not repost this translation outside of this blog.