Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi o – Kyu Sakamoto | 1963

見上げてごらん夜の星を [Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi o]
坂本九 [SAKAMOTO Kyū]
Words : 永六輔 [EI Rokusuke]
Music : いずみたく [IZUMI Taku]

Continuing from the previous article, I would like to introduce another popular song by Kyū Sakamoto.
“Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi o” was originally created as a song in a musical. Later, in 1963, a record sung by Kyū Sakamoto was released and became very popular. Additionally, a version covered by “Yuzu” in 2016 became widely talked about after being featured in a commercial.

見上げてごらん夜の星を
miagete goran yoru no hoshi o

見上げる（みあげる） [miageru] : look up
夜（よる） [yoru] : night
星（ほし） [hoshi] : star

(translation) “Look up at the night stars.”

“ごらん / Goran” is a word used for commands, especially in a gentle, loving way, as a parent might do with a child.

Since the lyrics often use inversion, they can be read by translating in the same order as English. This song’s lyrics frequently use inversion, making them easy to follow.

小さな星の　小さな光が
chiisana hoshi no chiisana hikari ga
ささやかな幸せをうたってる
sasayaka na shiawase o utatteru

小さな（ちいさな） [chiisana] : small
星（ほし） [hoshi] : star
光（ひかり） [hikari] : light
ささやか [sasayaka] : modest
幸せ（しあわせ） [shiawase] : happiness
歌う（うたう） [utau] : sing

(translation) “A small star’s small light sings of modest happiness.”

見上げてごらん夜の星を
miagete goran yoru no hoshi o
ボクらのように名もない星が
bokura no yō ni na mo nai hoshi ga
ささやかな幸せを祈ってる
sasayaka na shiawase o inotteru

僕ら（ぼくら） [bokura] : we
名（な） [na] : name
ない [nai] : not exist
星（ほし） [hoshi] : star
祈る（いのる） [inoru] : pray

(translation) “Look up at the night stars.
Nameless stars, like us,
Are praying for modest happiness.”

手をつなごう　ボクと
te o tsunagō boku to
おいかけよう　夢を
oikakeyō yume o
二人なら
futari nara
苦しくなんかないさ
kurushiku nanka nai sa

手をつなぐ（てをつなぐ） [te o tsunagu] : hold hands
僕（ぼく） [boku] : I
おいかける（おいかける） [oikakeru] : chase
夢（ゆめ） [yume] : dream
二人（ふたり） [futari] : two people
苦しい（くるしい） [kurushii] : painful

(translation) “Let’s hold hands, me and you.
Let’s chase our dreams.
If it’s the two of us,
It won’t be hard at all.”

“Boku” means “I,” and adding “ra” to it makes “bokura,” which means “we.” It can also be expressed as “bokutachi.”
“Futari” means “two people,” but in the lyrics, both “bokura” and “futari” can be translated as “the two of us.”

見上げてごらん夜の星を
miagete goran yoru no hoshi o
小さな星の　小さな光が
chiisana hoshi no chiisana hikari ga
ささやかな幸せをうたってる
sasayaka na shiawase o utatteru

見上げてごらん夜の星を
miagete goran yoru no hoshi o
ボクらのように名もない星が
bokura no yō ni na mo nai hoshi ga
ささやかな幸せを祈ってる
sasayaka na shiawase o inotteru

These lyrics have a very musical feel.
The lyrics share many common words with “Ue o Muite Arukou (Sukiyaki)“, such as “night”, “star”, “happiness”, and “look up”. These words feel closely associated with Kyū Sakamoto.
Kyū Sakamoto tragically died at the age of 43 in the Japan Airlines Flight 123 crash ^wiki in 1985, the worst single-aircraft disaster in history. The accident caused great shock in Japan, as did the loss of this great singer.
In Japanese, when referring to someone’s death, phrases like “became a star” or “went to the sky” are often used. Those who love Kyū Sakamoto look up at the stars while listening to these melodies, remembering him.