Lyrics Translation: renai shashin (恋愛写真) ~ Ai Otsuka (大塚 愛)

It is not often that a production team commissions a song for a movie then, upon hearing it and its lyrics, decide to change the title of the movie because the lyrics were so darn good. Yet, this is exactly what happened with 恋愛写真 - the movie was renamed after the chorus of the song. The movie, of course, was a Japanese film about love and loss called ただ、君を愛してる ("tada, kimi wo aishiteru"; trans: "I only love you"; English title: "Heavenly Forest").

I fell in love with the song without really knowing much about the movie since I've been a big fan of Otsuka's for quite some time now. Her ballads are always emotionally charged and lyrically beautiful. Of course, all this is best enjoyed in its original language, Japanese, because though translators do their best, the full extent of subtleties can never really be conveyed in a different language. Japanese, for example, is a relatively imprecise language compared to English and much of its understanding depends on heavily on contextual interpretation.

Anyhow, that is beside the point. 恋愛写真 remains one of my favourites to this day (I am, after all, only translating the songs which I really like - although I have plans to begin translating almost anything from a few artists in a bit). In fact, the instrumental background to the song is my mobile phone's ring tone - that's why I don't hear my phone until a little later, when more instruments start to kick in!! (^__^")

Well, moving forward - here is 恋愛写真 written and performed by Ai Otsuka.

Listen to a sample of 恋愛写真 (~1:50 mins)

恋愛写真 (Sample, ~1:50 mins)

Ai Otsuka (大塚 愛)

8 comments

PV availability:
Yes, a PV was released with the single in 2006.

Theme song:
The song is the theme to the movie: ただ、君を愛してる ("tada, kimi wo aishiteru")

Alternative versions:
There is one alternative version to this song:
1. 恋愛写真-春- (Released with the single PEACH/HEART on 2007/07/25)
It can be romanised as "renai shashin -haru-" and translated as "Picture of Love -Spring-". This version has a line added to the lyrics and took out some grammar particles that is of small consequence to the translation itself (I have added the line to the lyrics section below, but have not taken out the parts that were changed - the change in emphasis, however, means that the protagonist has come to accept that they are no longer together and has moved on with a grateful heart). Musically, this version also places more emphasis on Ai's instrumental specialty - the piano - and expresses an emotion that is more raw. The added line adds to the concept of framing unforgettable moments in the past and seeing them as one recalls it today. Refer to the "comments" segment below for more on this.

Comments:
Much of the song revolves around the framing of moments - the concept of a "picture" as used in the title of the song is portrayed throughout the song as the "capture" of a moment. In this way, the two major themes of the piece is simply the framing of important moments and the understanding of inevitable change. The significance of shapes (or as I translated it, "figures") is related to the concept of framing (associating meaning to important events). In this way, the song highlights how things tend never to stay the same. In fact, if one observes the lyrics in the chorus closely - Ai actually shows that even the most important of memories go through change. "ただ、君を愛してる" - though the repetition expresses the yearning and how much those words mean, they are not immune from the effects of time.

Ultimately, the song reminds us that though we have unforgettable memories, the way we remember them can, and likely will, change. In another light, the lyrics also note that one can also change their memories to meet the significance of their emotional attachment. As the song draws to its end, the concept of framing moments is made ever clearer - the entire song was given life in a memory, a memory framed in one small picture in a tiny room. At first glance, the words set to the soft melody seem to only unveil a beautifully written story, but there is actually more to this piece than meets the ears.

Lyrics:
Japanese lyrics retrieved from www.uta-net.com, with some modifications by myself.

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日本語:
恋愛写真
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歌手: 大塚 愛
作詞: 愛
作曲: 愛
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碧々とした 夜空の下で
あなたが見てた 後ろ恋姿

時折見せる 無邪気な寝顔
あたしが見てた 恋しい姿

どんなひとときもすべて
忘れないように
夢中でシャッター切るあたしの心は
切ない幸せだった

｢ただ、君を愛してる｣
｢ただ、君を愛してる｣
｢ただ、君を愛してる｣
ただそれだけでよかったのに

雨降る時の 交わしたキスは
つながれていく 2人の姿

一生にもうないこのキモチ
うまく言えないけど
あなたに出会ってあたしの毎日は
キラキラと輝いたよ

****恋愛写真-春-に****
あの頃の二人を　今　春　めぐり合う
****恋愛写真-春-に****

｢ただ…君を愛してる｣
｢ただ…君を愛してる｣
｢ただ…君を愛してる｣
あなたがくれた幸せよ
｢ただ、君を愛してる。｣
｢ただ、君を愛してる。｣
｢ただ、君を愛してる。｣
ただそれだけでよかったのに

小さな部屋に飾られている
2人の笑顔 恋愛写真

-------------------------------------------------------
romaji:
renai shashin
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kashyu: ootsuka ai
sakushi: ai
sakkyoku: ai
romaji: crystalise
-------------------------------------------------------
aoao to shita   yozora no shita de
anata ga miteta   ushiro koi sugata

tokiwori miseru   mujaki na negao
atashi ga miteta   koishii sugata

donna hitotoki mo subete
wasurenai youni
muchuu de shattaa kiru atashi no kokoro wa
setsunai shiawase datta

“tada, kimi wo aishiteru”
“tada, kimi wo aishiteru”
“tada, kimi wo aishiteru”
tada sore dake de yokatta no ni

ame furu toki no   kawashita kisu wa
tsunagarete yuku   futari no sugata

isshou ni mou nai kono kimochi
umaku ienai kedo
anata ni deatte atashi no mainichi wa
kirakira to kagayaita yo

****renai shashin -haru- ni****
ano koro no futari wo   ima   haru   meguri au
****renai shashin -haru- ni****

“tada... kimi wo aishiteru”
“tada... kimi wo aishiteru”
“tada... kimi wo aishiteru”
anata ga kureta shiawase yo
“tada, kimi wo aishiteru.”
“tada, kimi wo aishiteru.”
“tada, kimi wo aishiteru.”
tada sore dake de yokatta no ni

chiisana heya ni  kazarareteiru
futari no egao   renai shashin

----------------------------------------
English:
Picture of Love
----------------------------------------
Performed by: Ai Otsuka
Lyricist: ai
Composer: ai
Translated by: crystalise
----------------------------------------
Under the night sky that is slowly melting into the bluest of blues,
You glanced from behind... the figure of love.

Sometimes, as I look into your innocent sleeping face,
I saw only... the figure of endearment.

Every moment with you
Is an unforgettable moment.
In delirium, I snapped this picture... In my heart*
It was a picture of paining happiness.

“I am still falling for you, only you”
“I am still falling for you, only you”
“I am still falling for you, only you”
That was enough for me.

In the falling rain, when our lips first met,**
We became joined... the figure of two persons.

These feelings won’t last a lifetime
And though it is hard to place into words,
Seeing you everyday
Has only made me glow and sparkle.

****in Picture of Love -Spring-****
In the spring... I chanced upon who we were today.
****in Picture of Love -Spring-****

“I am still falling for you... only you”
“I am still falling for you... only you”
“I am still falling for you... only you”
Was your gift of happiness to me.
“I am still falling for you. Only you.”
“I am still falling for you. Only you.”
“I am still falling for you. Only you.”
Was it possible to ask for more?***

Adorning this small room,
Sits the tender smiles of two people... the picture of love.

Notes:
*Note 1: Literally, “Delirious, I snapped the shutter... My heart felt paining happiness”.  "Shutter" refers to a camera shutter – not something to shutter her heart off. I had also previously mistranslated this line because I misunderstood the word 夢中 to mean "in a dream" when it actually means "as if in a dream" or "in a state of delirium"... my bad... LOL (^__^")
**Note 2: Literally, “The time when it was raining, the kiss connected”
***Note 3: Really, this is the same line as the one above it – that is, “That was enough for me”… the meaning is still the same though.

There are some parts of this song when Ai doesn't pronounce the words as she writes them (actually she does that quite a bit). I have altered the romaji according to what she sings (as opposed to what she writes) because I am a little biased into viewing romaji versions of songs as "sing along" versions. Saying something is a "sing along" is not a bad thing by the way, I sing along to songs a lot and besides, who doesn't sing along to their favourite tunes? (^__^)v

Either way, it is likely that these pronunciation differences hail from the fact that Ai is from Osaka, which features its own dialect of Japanese known as Osaka-ben (which is grouped under a larger dialect group called Kansai-ben). In Japan, most people know standard Japanese (which is actually Tokyo dialect and part of the standardised national education system) and, of course, their own dialect of Japanese.

Links:
Ai Otsuka official website (maintained by avex trax)
Purchase 恋愛写真 online (via YesAsia Global)