Lyrics Translation: Beautiful World ~ Utada Hikaru (宇多田ヒカル)
Let me start off by congratulating Hikki on being crowned queen of the digital music world! Selling 7.7 million tracks online of her single Flavor of Life has effectively led to Hikki towering above all other artists worldwide - yes, the list does take into account American, British and other great artists from other nations as well in case you are still wondering what I meant by "worldwide". With the recent release of her full discography into the UK iTunes store, we are likely to only see that number grow.
It's ironic though - her misadventures into the English-speaking market earned her a phrase all to herself in the Japanese entertainment industry - "to pull an Utada", which means to seriously screw up in entering the English-speaking market even when you are at your peak. Indeed, I've always wondered why the lyrics for her English songs were not as good as they could be because it is clear that she could write excellent songs in Japanese (Hikki is solidly bilingual - heck, she speaks English with a New York accent and has written some of her most successful songs in English first before translating and releasing them in Japanese)... Ah, those were indeed trying times for Hikki...
But it seems I am digressing too far, time to get back on point! So, after translating one painful song comes yet another translation of a sad song, but this time it's from Hikki. Although the tempo of the song seems quite in contrast to the lyrics, when they are put together they do give off a unique feeling of pain. Beautiful World seems reminiscent of her most recent album ULTRA BLUE (when I first heard it, the songs from the album - Making Love and BLUE - came to my mind at the same time although I can't explain why).
The song was written as the theme to the ultimately depressing anime series, Neon Genesis Evangelion (they are "rebooting" the series in four movies) - the English title of this remake is known as Rebuild of Evangelion. Hopefully with this retelling they will also make it a lot easier for normal people to understand what they were going on about... Sure, I understood that there was plenty of religion, philosophy and psychology in there but it seemed too hard to grasp what was going on sometimes. Regardless, from what I do know of it, it's not for the faint of heart nor is it a "feel-good" anime - thus, perhaps this song hints at some of the more despairing themes from the movie (but I will never know, LOL).
As a note, the physical single is not actually on sale yet - that will take another three more weeks as August 29th is the release date of the physical single. The lyrics and the song itself has already been released to the public, though besides radio and chaku-uta (early release of full-length songs downloaded via mobile phones), there is no way of securing the song at the moment. Nonetheless, three weeks is not that long to wait... still, I can't wait to get my hands on the single!
Thus, in anticipation of the great successes that lie ahead for Hikki - and Beautiful World - here is an attempted translation of a beautiful song from a beautiful singer.
Song information:
Track 1 from Hikki's single, Beautiful World/Kiss&Cry (Released 2007/08/29).
PV availability:
A PV was released for the song. If you are looking for more Hikki though, the PV doesn't deliver because it's made up entirely of Evangelion scenes... Oh Hikki, where art thou?
Theme song:
This
is the theme song to the tetralogy of movies: ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版
("wevangeriwon shin gekijouban"; trans: "Evangelion - New Theatrical
Edition"; English title: "Rebuild of Evangelion")
Alternative versions:
There
are no alternative versions of this song at this time.
Comments:
Beautiful world is
a heartbreaking song that is filled with contradiction in the lyrics -
the entire song is, in itself, a contradiction to itself. Despite the
obvious sadness that the world has brought upon the protagonist, it's
still a beautiful world nonetheless and it seems that the only real
thing that is beautiful is the boy - which really represents an
unattainable object of desire. It is the boy, in this regard, that
makes the world beautiful but at the same time, the boy does not
recognise this effect nor does he realise his own beauty. The English
echo "It's only love" seems to hint that she is trying to justify her
intense feelings for him (notice how this line only comes in parts
where she speaks of the boy not knowing his own beauty).
There is a lot of hidden meaning to parts of the songs and I especially like the observation where newspapers have nothing relevant to the individual lives of most people - we are always worrying more about other things that are more personal to us. The background music also hints a sense of urgency (the haunting refrain of the piano does this quite well) and this feeling is reinforced near the end of the lyrics. As with some of her other songs, there are also hidden lyrics in this song - they grow louder with each refraining chorus probably to hint something of a realisation that becomes increasingly clear. If you listen, you can hear them coming after "Beautiful world" and "Beautiful boy"... They can be heard at their clearest at the end of the song.
[My problem is this... I can't really make out what is being said... Sometimes I am sure I hear: "Beautiful Life" and other times "Beautiful Lie" and then sometimes I also here "Beautiful prayer" but other times "Beautiful prey"... They all make for some really interesting perspectives to view the song with. Personally, I think it's really "Beautiful lie" followed by "Beautiful prayer" but I can't be certain.]*
In the end, Beautiful world is a great song which not only works to give off the feeling of sorrow but also a sense of urgency or at least a feeling of emotions swelling up in the melody. The addition of hidden messages only make the song even more intriguing. Alright, time to cut to the chase and get the lyrics going for this piece of musical magic.
*[UPDATE] It took me quite some time to edit this but a while back I actually slid the CD single into my home stereo to listen to the songs in their full glory. From it, there is no mistaking that Hikki was actually singing "Beautiful lie" followed by "Beautiful prayer". Really, if you ever want to find out how much quality is lost by converting music into MP3 format - look no further for proof, LOL. (^___^") Yea, MP3 has spoilt me so much that I rarely slide in all the singles I bought to listen to them... it's a lot nicer to have an entire digital library playing than to slide CDs in and out all the time, no?
Lyrics:
Japanese lyrics retrieved from www.uta-net.com, with additions to make it easier to sing along from myself.
--------------------------------------
日本語:
Beautiful World
--------------------------------------
歌手: 宇多田ヒカル
作詞: Utada Hikaru
作曲: Utada Hikaru
--------------------------------------
It's only love
It's only love
もしも願い一つだけ叶うなら
君の側で眠らせて どんな場所でもいいよ
Beautiful world
迷わず君だけを見つめている
Beautiful boy
自分の美しさ まだ知らないの
It's only love
寝ても覚めても少年マンガ
夢見てばっか 自分が好きじゃないの
何が欲しいか分からなくて
ただ欲しがって ぬるい涙が頬を伝う
言いたいことなんか無い
ただもう一度会いたい
言いたいこと言えない
根性無しかもしれない
それでいいけど
もしも願い一つだけ叶うなら
君の側で眠らせて どんな場所でもいいよ
Beautiful world
迷わず君だけを見つめている
Beautiful boy
自分の美しさ まだ知らないの
It's only love
どんなことでもやってみて
損をしたって 少し経験値上がる
新聞なんかいらない
肝心なことが載ってない
最近調子どうだい？
元気にしてるなら
別にいいけど
僕の世界消えるまで会えぬなら
君の側で眠らせて どんな場所でも結構
Beautiful world
儚く過ぎて行く日々の中で
Beautiful boy
気分のムラは仕方ないね
もしも願い一つだけ叶うなら
君の側で眠らせて
Beautiful world... Beautiful
boy...
Beautiful world... Beautiful
boy...
Beautiful world... Beautiful
boy...
-------------------------------------------------------
romaji:
Beautiful World
-------------------------------------------------------
kashyu: utada hikaru
sakushi: Utada Hikaru
sakkyoku: Utada Hikaru
romaji: crystalise
-------------------------------------------------------
It’s only love
It’s only love
moshimo negai hitotsu dake
kanau nara
kimi no soba de
nemurasete donna basho de mo ii yo
Beautiful world
mayowazu kimi dake wo
mitsumeteiru
Beautiful boy
jibun no utsukushisa mada shiranai no
It’s only love
nete mo samete mo shounen
manga
yume mite bakka
jibun ga suki janai no
nani ga hoshiika wakaranakute
tada hoshigatte
nurui namida ga hou wo tsutau
iitai koto nanka nai
tada mou ichido aitai
iitai koto ienai
konjou nashi ka mo shirenai
sore de ii kedo
moshimo negai hitotsu dake
kanau nara
kimi no soba de
nemurasete donna basho de mo ii yo
Beautiful world
mayowazu kimi dake wo
mitsumeteiru
Beautiful boy
jibun no utsukushisa mada shiranai no
It’s only love
donna koto de mo yatte mite
son wo shitatte sukoshi keiken chiagaru
shinbun nanka iranai
kanjin na koto ga nottenai
saikin choushi doudai?
genki ni shiteru nara
betsu ni ii kedo
boku no sekai kieru made aenu nara
kimi no soba de
nemurasete donna basho de mo kekkou
Beautiful world
hakanaku sugite yuku hibi no naka de
Beautiful boy
kibun no mura wa shitakanai ne
moshimo negai hitotsu dake
kanau nara
kimi no soba de nemurasete
Beautiful world… Beautiful
boy…
Beautiful world… Beautiful
boy…
Beautiful world… Beautiful
boy…
-------------------------------------------------------
English:
Beautiful World
-------------------------------------------------------
Performed by: Utada Hikaru
Lyricist: Utada Hikaru
Composer: Utada Hikaru
Translated by: crystalise
-------------------------------------------------------
It’s only love…
It’s only love…
If I could only have one
desire fulfilled,
I would wish to be sleeping by
your side, wherever that may be
In this beautiful world.
I gaze at your determined
figure -
What a beautiful boy.
Yet, you are unable to see your
own beauty.
It’s only love...
Eating, sleeping and breathing
comics,*
I hated myself in that passing
dream filled with those images.
I know that I don’t know what I
want,
Nonetheless, I want it... As tepid
tears stream down my cheeks.
I really have nothing I want
to say to you,
But I still want to see you
one more time.
The things that I want to say
– I cannot say.
Perhaps I am a coward,
But it’s alright.
If I were to have only one
wish fulfilled,
It would be to lie sleeping by
your side, it doesn’t matter where that is
In this beautiful world.
I keep gazing at your
determined figure -
What a beautiful boy.
Yet, you still can’t see the beauty
within you.
It’s only love...
Trying my hand at almost
anything,
It all seems at a loss...
Perhaps besides gaining some experience.
I don’t see the need for
newspapers,
The things that are most
important to people are not even in there.
Have you been taking care of yourself
recently?
So long as you are well,
I’ll be fine.
If I don’t get to see you even
when my world disappears,
As long as I am resting beside
you, any place is bearable
In this beautiful world.
In the midst of these fleeting
days
There stands a beautiful boy.
My ever-shifting moods,
nothing can be done to help them.
If I could only have one wish
fulfilled,
It would be to be there lying
by your side.
Beautiful world... Beautiful
boy...
Beautiful world... Beautiful
boy...
Beautiful world... Beautiful
boy...
Notes:
*Note 1: Literally,
“sleeping and waking to comics”
Links:
Utada Hikaru Official Website (maintained by EMI Music Japan)
Purchase Beautiful World/Kiss&Cry online (via YesAsia Global)
Comments
Hey, thank you for that great analysis of the song! I was waiting for something like this and you delivered. Thank you very much! I have a question thought regarding one of the lines in the lyrics. I have read many times that "Boku" means "I" but used by males. In this song, when Utada sings "boku no..." is she singing in perspective to the guy?
As for "boku", just know that although it is often believed to be said by males - that's not entirely true. Many young females readily use it now and as Japan becomes more gender-conscious, some are challenging the distinction between "male" and "female" speech. Perhaps it also has to do with the difference between normal speech and music lyrics - the use of "boku" musically is quite normal for females. Take the now disbanded girl band ZONE (they were awesome!), they used "boku" so much it was as if they were obligated to use it, LOL!
The same can be said of "kimi" as many believe it is exclusive to male usage. The distinction is not completely true. It does sound odd sometimes in actual conversation but when it comes to music - it sounds natural. Hope that helps in clarifying some things! And again, thank you for your nice comments (^__^)v
i don't really know if she wrote in persective of a male but she uses boku in some of her other songs too...
and she says beautiful prayer and beautiful life at the end of the song and not beautiful prey and beautiful lie lol... it' better heard on the instrumental track than on the original...
Thanks for confirming what in the world she is saying in the refrain! I did hear the instrumental track actually... but still sit uncertain with the "lie" or "life" only because she never pronounces the "f" and there is one part where she goes "lie-ie-ie-ie..." LOL (then again, I heard her say "it's only life" when the lyrics said "it's only love").
Thanks for your comments! (^___^)
Hmm, thanks for that! Where can I hear the instrumental version of the song? Is that the same as the karaoke version?
About the "boku" thing in hikari, does she sing in male perspective in that one because I think it would make more sense to me if she did in that song.
Thanks again everyone for your help ^_^!
Sam, the karaoke version is the same as the instrumental version... They have tons of names for these versions (vocalless version, you version...) but they all essentially mean the same thing. (^__^)
I hate to say it, but in hikari there is no context for her to adopt the male perspective at any point. The entire song seems to be sung in the first person, so the boku very likely refers to herself. (^___^")
But I think it does because through out the whole song she is talking about destiny and how wonderful it is that she has finally found the right person because she has been alone for a long time. She feels that her destiny is being fulfilled and her life is brighter. But when she sings
Saki yomi no shisugi nante Imi no nai koto wa yamete Kyou wa oishii mono mo tabeyou yo Mirai wa zutto saki da yo Boku ni mo wakaranaiIt makes total sense if that is from the perspective of the guy because he is saying "stop looking so much into it." It completely, I think, contradicts this stanza especially:
I'm probably wrong about this but I don't know because there are so many versions of the translation. I got most of mine from here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=642syLMYpEA#
Another way to view the song that may make it work is to say that she is singing the entire song from the male perspective but that contradicts how much the song represents her though (since it would mean she is singing from another person's standpoint).
Personally, my view on hikari is a little different from yours - LOL. I feel that it is a song about living in the present - the light named "you" has given her some ability to better look into tomorrow (gaining hope for the future) but she is not ready to draw conclusions about the distant future with it. She is tempted to look into the future but she stops short of actually doing it.
Indeed, there are parts of the songs that she sprinkles in real world situations that call the other person back into attention and refocus it on either reinforcing the present or securing the future - "I'll introduce you to my family", "Let's go get something yummy to eat (and forget about all this future talk)", and "Turn off the TV and look at me (when I am talking to you)".
One key part that is mistranslated in the video is "put on the mask of destiny" (which implies that she believes in destiny). Hikki doesn't actually say that, she actually says "take off the mask of destiny" ("kamen wo toru" means "to take off one's mask" with the verb "toru" in imperative form).
If you listen carefully, the secret lyrics are found at this exact point and they go - "When you turn my way" "Take it all away"... So the phrase put together should say something like: "When you turn my way as we enter into a busy street, I take away the mask of destiny from you - take it all away." She also appears to "take off a mask" in the concert video too, LOL.
This positions him as her antithesis and she is telling him not to get ahead of himself (being a light, he illuminates the path forward) because it seems as though he's got their whole life planned out together already. By focusing so much on the distant future, Hikki is saying that the person is missing the best part of living - to live in the present.
Indeed, though he may be the light of her life and she is happy to be with him, his plans of the perfect future together are unrealistic and Hikki notes, when talking about the scenes, that it's not about making it perfect but about making it better. Only some foresight is needed to make things better...
The lyrics seem to make a point to distinguish the difference between the foreseeable future and the distant future. Hikki knows that they will always be together as they have always been together since they met. For a person who is so future-oriented as him, Hikki needs to reassure him that promises are only expressions of the present put into the hopes of the future - but she knows that they are in no way binding.
In this way, the whole song seems to give off the concept of living in the present and taking things one step at a time. "My pace" as the Japanese will call it, and this is what Hikki has always been known for - taking things at her own pace (which is perhaps why this song is so important in illuminating who Hikki is).
The PV for hikari also hints this concept - the entire PV is done with a "my pace" philosophy... LOL
Well, that's my interpretation... I saw it from your interpretation and it makes perfect sense too! So I guess it works both ways (a testament to the brilliance of Hikki)! LOL...
Lol, I can see how you would view it that way! I just have a hard time percieving the guy as someone who is less down-to-earth as the girl is, if you know what i mean? That is really stereotypical of me -_-.
It is interesting though, you're interpretation!
About Hikki's secret lyrics, does she do them in every song? And at what point did she start doing them? Because I couldn't hear anything in Eternally or First Love. Hm...
As for the secret lyrics, they don't occur in every song... they are considered secret only to the extent that they are not officially written down and they are always in English (so far, at least).
I can't actually remember when she started doing it, but if I recall correctly hikari was one of the first, if not the first... (^___^")
Ohhh okay, thanks! Lol, yeah, I like listening to them. I mean, if they weren't in English, I would probably not even hear them. ^__^
I started watching YamadaTarou and I have to say that it's REALLY GOOD! So funny and completely different role than Stand up!!! I really like it so thanks for the recommendation. I am only on episode 1 though so still a while...:D
Hope you spend your weekend well - like many other dramas, the season concludes tonight! So you should have a whole season waiting for you to watch, LOL \(^ o ^)/
I think this is being sung from Asuka or Rei's point of view rather than Shinji's. Both had a love for him which they never admitted:
If I could only have one wish fulfilled,
It would be to be there lying by your side.
Beautiful world... Beautiful boy...
Plus the fate of the world is held in Shinji's hands; a young teenage boy with no social skills who, throughout the series, wants to run away from everything. I think this is the girls reminding him of just how beautiful the world is!
I am so busy with studying, school, driving people around, sleeping, living, and then I actually have to be entertained and tonight I have too many to watch! HotaruNoHikari came out with 3 new subbed episodes, and then I have Yamada, then I have First Kiss, and I am also waiting for HanaKimi. Lol, I'm so excited! But study first!!!
Hope the season finale was good! :D
@Sam - LOL, study hard! If you happen to be doing anything on sociology, social theory, or criminology, don't be afraid to ask! But don't forget to reward yourself for all that hardwork you are doing!! (^___^)
Lol! I can't believe you've finally figured it out! Hahaha - and such a simple solution too! I finally hear what the secret lyrics are and it seems as if the meaning of the song changed a little for me!
After re-reading the translation, I have to say that I really really really like the line about not knowing what you want but still wanting it. I think that for a lot of people, that holds true. I know in my life there are cases like that! Lol!
I love this song. I think it could possibly be my favorite. One line that I never understood though was, "My every-shifting moods, nothing can be done to help them." I don't understand where her mood is coming from. Is she talking about the uncertainty of her world?
Hey, good job though on figuring it out! ^__^!!