Japan Echo Web

Ue wo Muite Arukou (Sukiyaki)

The Future of Ue wo Muite Arukou

Trying to extract the company from the worst-case scenario that had put its continued existence in danger, Ishizaka Noriichiro reverted to the original format, and gave his undivided attention to consolidating the whole company into a specialist in making, producing and selling records. It was at this critical point when an unexpected telegram arrived from Capitol in America.

It said that they wanted Toshiba to send a master tape of Ue wo Muite Arukou by Sakamoto Kyu as soon as possible.

The telegram said that Capitol had already distributed Ue wo Muite Arukou to radio stations all over the United States in the form of a radio release, and since the response from DJs and listeners was extremely positive, they planned a formal release in the United States as soon as the master tape from Japan arrived. The good news was that Capitol planned formal release on the American market, which as regarded as the most difficult one to crack. Unexpectedly, the day when Ue wo Muite Arukou would be recognized worldwide had come from the opposite direction.

It appeared that the song was frequently aired on the radio all over the United States, not only on the West Coast where there were many people of Japanese descent, but also on the East Coast and in the Midwest. It was clear that there was strong potential for a hit song. To have a hit in America in a language other than English, and in Japanese to boot, rather than in Europe where many people were said to appreciate the arts and culture of other countries, was an event completely outside the scope of the imagination.

Incidentally, during the talks with Capitol about a release, the Japanese side discovered something completely unexpected.

The Capitol radio release of the record had been given the title Sukiyaka. At first, the Japanese side thought that it was a simple spelling error, or a misprint in the telegram, but Capitol had intentionally given it the title of Sukiyaka.

Clearly, it was Dave Dexter, Jr. who was the man behind the title Sukiyaka.

With pop songs, the names of the artists and the names of the songs constantly roll off the lips in sets, such as Elvis Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel, Nat King Cole’s Love, or Yesterday by the Beatles So, it was advantageous to use words that radio station DJs found easy to say, and that listeners found memorable.

Compared to Ue wo Muite Arukou, Sukiyaki was easier to say and to remember, but Sukiyaka was even easier to remember. The reason is that the Saka in Kyu Sakamoto and the yaka in the song title have a similar ring, which emphasizes the accent. Consequently, when the radio DJs introduced the song, it stuck firmly in the mind.

When Ishizaka Noriichiro persuaded them to go back to Sukiyaki because the word Sukiyaka is impossible in Japanese, the record had been distributed to radio stations across the United States, and DJs all across America had already come to know it by the name Sukiyaka.

In fact, both the score and a cover record by the Billy Vaughn Orchestra had been marketed and sold as Sukiyaka. The record by Sakamoto Kyu was immediately changed to Sukiyaki, but the other versions on the market were sold as Sukiyaka, and the name remained in wide circulation.

Thanks to a music man who dreamed of making Japanese music popular around the world, Japan’s Ue wo Muite Arukou became Sukiyaki worldwide.

* At this time, Hitachi became affiliated with Colombia, and after an interval of four years, Matsushita incorporated Japan Victor in a capital affiliation.

* Born in Tokyo in 1886 (Meiji 19), Ishizaka Taizo became the second chairman of the Nippon Keidanren after his stint as president of Toshiba.

With the permission of the author and the publisher, this article was abridged and translated from the series “Ue wo muite aruko,” NEPPU, March 2010 – June 2011, [this series of article was published as Ue wo Muite Aruko by Iwanami Shoten, Publishers](Courtesy of STUDIO GHIBLI Inc.)