阪本九於1942年出生於日本川崎,高中時期曾在一些俱樂部走唱,1959年參加東京一家才藝經紀公司徵選新人歌手而成為東芝唱片公司旗下的藝人。 1962年才20歲的他已經擁有8張專輯與15首暢銷曲,一時成為日本最受歡迎的影歌雙棲藝人,而推出“Sukiyaki”的成功更讓他的名聲攀上巔峰。不幸的是阪本九於1985年8月12日搭上了日航死亡班機於東京附近的空難中喪生,享年僅43歲。 “Sukiyaki”融合日本流行音樂與西方搖滾樂,在60年代的日本樂壇是很成功的嘗試, 有趣的是它的歌詞與歌名“壽喜燒”(火鍋)毫無任何關連,原曲歌名上を向いて歩こう,譯成中文是「昂首向前行」,聽說當時完全是為了打入歐美市場,洋人DJ覺得“Sukiyaki”比較好記、好唸而誤打誤撞的結果。後來很多西洋歌手翻唱此曲,都無法超越原唱,唯一僅有在1980年一個黑人團體 A Taste of Honey 向日本購買本曲版權再改寫成英文歌詞並且重新編曲,以更緩慢拍調的抒情曲風擠入了美國Billboard排行榜,到了1981年夏天晉升到排行榜第三名,那一年夏秋,這首歌成為學生舞會裡DJ的最愛之一。
歌詞 Sukiyaki A Taste of Honey
It's all because of you I'm feeling sad and blue You went away Now my life is just a rainy day And I love you so How much you'll never know You've gone away and left me lonely
Untouchable memories Seem to keep haunting me Another love so true That once turned all my gray skies blue But you disappeared Now my eyes are filled with tears And I'm wishing you were here with me
Soft with love are my thoughts of you Now that you're gone I just don't know what to do
*If only you were here You'd wash away my tears The sun would shine once again You'd be mine all mine But in reality, you and I will never be 'Cause you took your love away from me
Girl, I don't know what I did to make you leave me But what I do know Is that since you've been gone There's such an emptiness inside I'm wishing you'd come back to me (*)