風靡世界的“壽喜燒”：Sukiyaki

蟬聯(lián)美國公信榜榜首的日文歌曲《壽喜燒》到底有何秘訣？

In June 1963, a Japanese pop song soared to the top of America's Billboard Hot 100 chart.More than 50 years later, “Sukiyaki” remains the only Japanese song to have done so.Ironic, when you learn that lyricist Rokusuke Ei wrote it partly as a lament over the Japanese government's capitulation to a treaty extending the status of American bases in Japan.

1963年6月，一首日文流行歌曲榮登美國告示牌最強單曲榜榜首。50多年以后，《壽喜燒》仍然是獲此殊榮的唯一一首日文歌曲。非常諷刺的是，作詞者永六輔（Rokusuke Ei）當時作詞的部分原因是為日本政府與美國簽訂安全協(xié)議表示悲哀。該協(xié)議旨在升級美國在日本的軍事基地。

Born in 1933 and raised in the grounds of Buddhist temple, Ei was evacuated to the countryside during the war, which informed a passionate, life-long support of pacifism.A popular radio personality right until his death last summer at the age of 83, Ei defended the military-renouncing Article 9 of the postwar constitution, and condemned a recent campaign to revise it.

永六輔生于1933年，在佛寺中長大，在戰(zhàn)爭期間，他搬到鄉(xiāng)下，發(fā)展成為一名狂熱的、終身和平主義支持者。永六輔去年夏天去世，享年83歲。在此之前，他一直是一名家喻戶曉的電臺主持人，他堅決維護以放棄發(fā)動戰(zhàn)爭為主要內(nèi)容的日本戰(zhàn)后憲法第九條（內(nèi)容：日本國民衷心謀求基于正義與秩序的國際和平，永遠放棄以國權(quán)發(fā)動的戰(zhàn)爭、武力威脅或武力行使作為解決國際爭端的手段），嚴厲譴責近期修改此條憲法的運動。

In the late 1950s he teamed up with piano prodigy Hachidai Nakamura , who had been turned on to jazz by US military radio.Both young men were part of a new generation bored by the sentimental and formulaic “mudo kayo?” songs popular with those drowning their postwar sorrows in Japan's blue collar bars.Nakamura wrote light, free, danceable melodies and Ei used vernacular lyrics：together they revolutionised Japanese pop.

在1950年代末，他與鋼琴天才中村八大（Hachidai Nakamura）合作。中村八大通過美國軍方廣播，喜歡上了爵士樂。這兩個年輕人都是新一代人，這一代人厭倦了感傷俗套的“mudo kayo”音樂。這種音樂在將戰(zhàn)后的悲傷情緒訴諸于日本藍領酒吧的人們之中非常流行。中村八大所寫音樂輕柔明快，讓人不自覺地想跟著跳舞；永六輔的歌詞用方言寫就。兩者完美結(jié)合重塑了日本流行音樂。

Despite Ei's commitment to leftist causes, their catchy hits were part of an escapist cultural movement targeted at the new, aspirational urban middle classes.Translating roughly as “I look up as I walk”, “Ue o Muite Aruko” reflects Ei's determination to remain optimistic for his newborn son in the face of political events that included the US treaty, the death of a student on a protest march and the assassination of a socialist leader live on TV by a samurai sword-wielding rightwing teenager.

盡管永六輔投身左翼事業(yè)，但是他們朗朗上口的歌曲卻促進了逃避現(xiàn)實的文化運動，該運動目標人群是有抱負的城市中產(chǎn)階級?！癠e o Muite Aruko”翻譯過來大致是“我一邊走一邊尋覓”，顯示了永六輔下定決心要為了他剛出生的兒子保持樂觀，盡管面對著一系列政治事件，包括日美協(xié)議，抗議游行的學生之死，以及電視上直播的日本右翼年輕武士舞劍暗殺一個社會主義領導者的事件。

Photo Credit：Amazon

When the song was premiered live in August 1961, Ei was upset that 19-year-old rockabilly singer Kyu Sakamoto bopped so glibly through his profound expressions of “hitoribocchi” （loneliness）.But the song was an instant earworm.British record executive Louis Benjamin snapped it up for jazzman Kenny Ball's Dixieland band while on a visit to Tokyo in 1962.Suspecting that the original title was too difficult for western audiences, Benjamin rechristened it, somewhat disrespectfully, after his favourite Japanese beef stew：“Sukiyaki”.

1961年8月，這首歌首次現(xiàn)場演出，當時，一個19歲的鄉(xiāng)村搖滾樂歌手坂本九（Kyu Sakamoto）意味深長地表達了孤獨“hitoribocchi”，他散漫地跟著音樂跳舞，這讓永六輔不太高興。但是這首歌迅速走紅。1962年，英國唱片公司高管Louis Benjamin到訪東京，立刻為爵士歌手Kenny Ball的樂隊Dixieland買下了這首歌。Benjamin懷疑，對于西方人來說，這首歌原來的名字太難了，所以他將這首歌曲重新命名，有點無禮的是，就用了最喜歡的日本牛肉燜鍋“壽喜燒”。

Soon American DJs caught on to the original record and Sakamoto's version became an international bestseller （though it kept its title, “Sukiyaki”）.Writing for the BBC on the song's 50th anniversary, American John Taylor said its popularity marked a turning point as his countrymen “began to see Japanese people not just as a former enemy or some mysterious, exotic race, but as people with feelings no different from their own, and capable of expressing beautiful, tender emotions”.

不久，原版的錄音帶在美國的電臺主播間流行起來，坂本九表演的版本成為了世界范圍內(nèi)的暢銷唱片（不過歌曲名字仍沿用了“壽喜燒”）。在這首歌的50周年紀念時，美國人John Taylor為BBC撰文，他表示這首歌能夠流行起來，標志著一個轉(zhuǎn)折點，顯示了美國人“開始不只是把日本人看做以前的敵人，或者是神秘的異域民族，而是與自己沒什么不同的有感覺的人，能夠表達美麗、細膩的情感”。

Covers soon blossomed in many languages.1963 welcomed a Portuguese version by Brazil's Trio Esperan?a, and Indo-Dutch duo The Blue Diamonds sang it in German.Soul man Jewel Akens wrote the first English lyrics on his brassy “My First Lonely Night” （1966）.

許多其它語言的翻唱很快如雨后春筍般涌現(xiàn)出來。1963年，巴西歌手Trio Esperan?a演繹了一個葡語版本，印歐語系二重唱組合The Blue Diamonds用德語翻唱，靈魂歌者Jewel Akens第一次作了英語版本的歌詞，來搭配粗獷的歌曲《My First Lonely Night》（1966）。

The best known English lyrics were written by Californian disco duo A Taste of Honey, who turned it into a break-up ballad in 1980.The duo's singer Janice-Marie Johnson was heartbroken herself when she recorded it and credits “Sukiyaki” with “teaching me you can't cry and sing at the same time”.

最著名的英語歌詞是由加州迪斯科二重奏組合A Taste of Honey創(chuàng)作的，1980年，他們將其變?yōu)橐皇字v述分手的情歌。這個組合的歌手Janice-Marie Johnson在錄制歌曲時，自己都感到心碎。她感謝《壽喜燒》教她不能一邊唱歌一邊哭泣。

It was A Taste of Honey's version that infiltrated early hip-hop, sung by London-born Slick Rick （on 1985's dexterous, misogynist “La Di Da Di”）and Snoop Dogg on his 1993 tribute “Lodi Dodi”.

倫敦出生的說唱歌手Slick Rick在1985年發(fā)布了嫻熟的、體現(xiàn)厭惡女人情感的單曲《La Di Da Di》，饒舌歌手Snoop Dogg在1993年的致敬專輯《Lodi Dodi》中再次演繹。A Taste of Honey組合的版本影響了早期的嘻哈音樂。

The most poignant recent rendition came from British-born violinist Diana Yukawa, whose father was killed （before she was born） in a plane crash in 1985.In 2000, aged just 15, she played it on the mountain where Japan Airlines Flight 123 hit the ground after 32 minutes of worsening technical failures during which some passengers had time to scribble final words to their loved ones.520 people were killed; also among the dead was the song's original singer, Sakamoto.

近期最深刻的演唱則來自于英國出生的小提琴手Diana Yukawa，她的父親1985年（在她出生前）死于飛機失事。2000年，還在她僅僅15歲的時候，她在一座山上演奏了這首歌。日航123經(jīng)過32分鐘機械故障后墜毀在這里，在這32分鐘里乘客給他們的深愛之人留下了最后的話語。在這次事故中，520人喪生，其中包括這首歌的原唱，坂本九。

詞匯總結(jié)

prodigy['pr?d?d??]

n.天才

In the late 1950s he teamed up with piano prodigy Hachidai Nakamura.

在1950年代末，他與鋼琴天才中村八大（Hachidai Nakamura）合作。

vernacular[v?'n?kj?l?]

adj.本國的；地方的；用本地語寫成的

n.本地話，方言；動植物的俗名

Nakamura wrote light, free, danceable melodies and Ei used vernacular lyrics：together they revolutionised Japanese pop.

中村八大所寫音樂輕柔明快，讓人不自覺地想跟著跳舞；永六輔的歌詞用方言寫就。兩者完美結(jié)合重塑了日本流行音樂。

escapist[?'ske?p?st]

n.逃避現(xiàn)實者

adj.逃避現(xiàn)實的

aspirational[,?sp?'re??nl]

adj.有雄心壯志的；（生活形態(tài)等）夢寐以求的

n.成功指南；處世自助手冊

Despite Ei's commitment to leftist causes, their catchy hits were part of an escapist cultural movement targeted at the new, aspirational urban middle classes.

盡管永六輔投身左翼事業(yè)，但是他們朗朗上口的歌曲卻促進了逃避現(xiàn)實的文化運動，該運動目標人群是有抱負的城市中產(chǎn)階級。

infiltrate['?nf?ltre?t]

v.潛入；滲入，浸潤

It was A Taste of Honey's version that infiltrated early hip-hop, sung by London-born Slick Rick （on 1985's dexterous, misogynist “La Di Da Di”）and Snoop Dogg on his 1993 tribute “Lodi Dodi”.

倫敦出生的說唱歌手Slick Rick在1985年發(fā)布了嫻熟的、體現(xiàn)厭惡女人情感的單曲《La Di Da Di》，饒舌歌手Snoop Dogg在1993年的致敬專輯《Lodi Dodi》中再次演繹。A Taste of Honey組合的版本影響了早期的嘻哈音樂。