I came of age during the singer songwriter era in the early 70s. James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, Carole King, Laura Nyro... You get the idea. Matsutoya Yumi (aka Yumin, nee´ Arai Yumi) is a Japanese singer songwriter from the same era. She wrote some incredibly beautiful songs, many of which have been used by Studio Ghibli as soundtracks for its animated moves. In this video Yoshida Yuri covers Yumin's Sotsugyo Shashin ("Graduation Photo") beautifully. The tune sounds great on the uke and her vocals are spot on. Kind of like Dylan, Yumin isn't always the best singer of her own songs. But like Dylan what she writes is pure poetry. Read an English version here. You can hear the English version here. It's not a direct translation of the Japanese but it's close and maintains the spirit and feeling of the original. As with all translations, there's inevitably something that's lost. It's a shame that Americans don't listen to foreign music because Yumin would have been a great hit in the US. Visit her YouTube channel and let me know if you agree. Download words and chords for each version below.
4 Comments
9/30/2017 04:06:59 am
Reply
In Hawaii, the ukulele is a normal instrument. This is simply considering the fact that ukuleles have originated from Hawaii. Every one of the country's natives is especially adept at playing the ukulele. I remember when my family and I went there for a vacation, we spent a lot of hours on the beach. Hearing people sing and play the ukulele is a common occurrence in the beaches of Hawaii. You can really tell that they love their art and their music.
Reply
1/5/2019 11:37:11 am
It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
Reply
5/13/2020 09:59:48 pm
All the contents you mentioned in post is too good and can be very useful. I will keep it in mind, thanks for sharing the information keep updating, looking forward for more posts. Welcome people coming our site
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI'm an amateur ukulele player who happens to be fluent in Japanese. I hope that I can inspire you to learn more about the ukulele, Japan, or better yet, BOTH! Archives
February 2021
Categories |