July 19, 2024

Translation: Starry Night (Seiko Matsuda)

Starry Night opens Side B of Kaze Tachinu (the Shigeru Suzuki side — he wrote one song and arranged four) with lonesome fantasies and brief, beautiful dreams that confuse and hurt you when you wake.

Tulip's Kazuo Zaitsu pairs the nervousness and restlessness with another barrage of bubblegum pop.

So it seems that Kaze Tachinu's whole modus operandi is happy-sounding songs about unhappy situations. Of the six I've worked on so far, Rainy Resort has the most serious disconnect, but Starry Night is in the neighborhood.

As usual, I've left out the tag in the chorus ("oh starry, starry night").



:::



I'm half asleep. I'm almost dreaming.
My feelings are becoming shooting stars.
The wind is wide awake
and the sound it makes in passing
is like the thrumming of a piano
in my heart.

The night is azure blue.

Dreaming, I saw
the lonely silhouettes of leaves
on the stone paving slabs.
With your hands in your pockets,
you turn my way.

"I love you," I can't help but say.
You look like you're going to answer
but then cut your answer short.
And time stops in that moment.

The words  those words 
go tumbling about in the sky.
I feel wide awake
every time I think of you.

The night is azure blue.

The traffic light turns green.
As we start walking,
you put your arm around my shoulders.
Your tenderness catches me completely by surprise.
And I wake up, alone.

I'm half asleep. I'm almost dreaming.
My feelings are becoming shooting stars.
The wind is wide awake
and the sound it makes in passing
is like the thrumming of a piano
in my heart.

The night is azure blue.


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