Lyrics Translation: okaeri (おかえり) ~ ayaka (絢香)
Hopefully, I'll be able to update this blog a little more frequently in the coming weeks to bring it closer up to speed with where I want it... Right now though, I'll have to play quite a bit of catch up in terms of translations, LOL.
Before I begin though, allow me to handle some matters of housekeeping as I note corrections and updates to previous posts. The first correction is for a relatively silly blunder at the end of the first segment in the last translation post, Fight The Blues. The second correction is a little more important as it was a correction of the translation to 恋愛写真 (renai shashin). That error was an honest mistake since I did believe that the word I translated really meant what it meant until I later learnt that I was only "almost right" but not quite "completely correct", LOL. (^__^")
Finally, I have updated the posts on 三日月 (mikadzuki) and 手をつなごう (te wo tsunagou) to reflect the fact that they now have alternative versions courtesy of ayaka's newer singles. I should have updated mikadzuki earlier since the live version was released in her previous single but I couldn't muster enough time to do so... Anyhow, with that out of the way, let's get back to discussing ayaka's latest offering - the very heart-warming piece, おかえり (okaeri).
I do have to admit that I really love this song because of the wonderful message it resonates. Indeed, my heart melted completely when the sound of bagpipes filled the air perhaps because I have always attributed the hymn of the bagpipe to the feeling of home. In a song that brings us closer to ayaka, the girl at 20, instead of ayaka, the artist at 20, we are invited to share in her most intimate thoughts as the lyrics unveil an open love letter to her most prized possession: her family.
Still, ayaka always amazes me with her writing and, although I didn't understand it in the right context at first, when I finally realised what she meant in "当たり前の幸せなんかこの世界に一つもない" ("There is no such thing as a normal happiness in this world") the floodgates of my heart opened as I am reminded of how blessed I truly am.
Well, since I am already beginning to talk about the contents of the song itself, perhaps it's time for me to don my rocket sneakers and blast off to the next segment to continue my chatter, LOL. (^__^")
Song information:
Track 1 from ayaka's single, おかえり (Released 2008/05/14).
PV availability:
A PV exists for this song and it features ayaka singing along the harbour. This is interlaced with segments that show soap bubbles floating home amidst snippets of everyday scenes (these segments are a lot more meaningful than they appear after one analyses the lyrics). There is also a scene after the song's bridge of ayaka standing in a sun-tinged waterfront that allows the unconventional beauty that defines her to shine through. Finally, and this may be reading too far into the PV, there is a lamppost that appears at the beginning and the end that is reminiscent of the second mikadzuki PV, which actually serves to deepen the concept of a return home if this connection is true.* Nonetheless, the PV is certainly worth checking out as it does very well to convey that warm fuzzy feeling of home sweet home.
*To understand how mikadzuki could relate to the concept of "home" for ayaka, it may help to check out the translation post here. The history of the song as well as its contents link up very well to that of okaeri and in fact, it added a twist to my understanding of mikadzuki's lyrics. Finally, if you were to watch the second mikadzuki PV again, you would realise that there were scenes related to the concept of "home" there as well... (^__^")
Theme song:
This song is used as the theme to the drama, 絶対彼氏 ("zettai kareshi"; trans. "the absolute boyfriend").
Alternative versions:
There are no alternative versions of the song as of now but a live version may emerge in later singles, LOL. (^__^)
Comments:
The beauty of okaeri lies in the intimacy of the thoughts that are set into the lyrics as the song reads much like a confession of love to her family while each verse introduces a separate reflection on the elements that inspire her to live each day. Nonetheless, there is one sentiment from the song that I would like to highlight because of how often it is forgotten despite how much we may be reminded of it - that the ordinary is always extraordinary.
That sentiment is elevated beyond its common understanding in the line, "There is no such thing as a normal happiness in this world," as it pinpoints how that particular emotion is usually taken for granted by those who are lucky enough to experience it. Indeed, in this line, ayaka points out that happiness is always a very special feeling no matter how normal it may seem because the feeling of happiness is always a blessing. This draws out the extraordinary from what is sometimes considered ordinary to reveal how fortunate we are to be touched by the warmth of an "ordinary" happiness.
Apart from this, each verse carries its own weight in expressing the thoughts of ayaka, which certainly makes it very rich in regards to the themes that could be derived from it. Overall, the music supports her vocals very well and the tune of the bagpipes certainly accentuates that feeling of "home" ever further. In the end, it needs to be said that ayaka's masterful adjustment of her vocals to concord with the softness and strength of the music and lyrics does nothing short of painting the most wonderfully vivid display of affection for her family.
Once again, ayaka does not fail to impress; and once again, it's time to move on to the most important part of the post - the translation segment, LOL. (^___^)
Lyrics:
Japanese lyrics are retrieved from www.uta-net.com as always.
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日本語:
おかえり
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歌手: 絢香
作詞: 絢香
作曲: 西尾芳彦・絢香
--------------------------------------
おかえり sweet home
帰る場所 愛をありがとう
また平気なフリをして
悲しみの色を塗りつぶして 笑ってしまうんです
信じることの大切さ わかってるのに
いざという時 疑ってしまうんです
空っぽの体 流れる時に
浮いてしまいそうになるけど
あなたのこと 抱きしめたい
このキモチが突き動かすの
おかえり I'm home
一言で満たされる心
おかえり sweet home
帰る場所 愛をありがとう
sweet home
自分のことばかりを考える大人はズルイんだと
思っていたんです
でも必死で変えることを
叫んでる人もいるんだと やっと知ったんです
当り前の幸せなんか この世界に一つもない
あなたのため そう思えた
このキモチが突き動かすの
おかえり I'm home
スピードが加速してく毎日
おかえり sweet home
変わらない ずっとある景色
sweet home
探して なくした
心の傷が
立ち向かう 強さに変われたのは
「おかえり」があったから
おかえり I'm home
一言で満たされる心
おかえり sweet home
帰る場所 愛をありがとう
sweet home
おかえり I'm home
大丈夫 あなたがいるから
おかえり sweet home
待っててね もうすぐ着くから
sweet home
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romaji:
okaeri
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kashyu: ayaka
sakushi: ayaka
sakkyoku: nishio yoshihiko・ayaka
romaji: crystalise
-------------------------------------------------------
okaeri sweet home
kaeru basho ai wo arigatou
mata heiki na furi wo shite
kanashimi no iro wo nuri tsubushite waratte shimaun desu
shinjiru koto no taisetsu sa wakatteru no ni
iza to iu toki utagatte shimaun desu
karappo no karada nagareru toki ni
uite shimaisou ni naru kedo
anata no koto dakishimetai
kono kimochi ga tsuki ugokasu no
okaeri I’m home
hitokoto de mitasareru kokoro
okaeri sweet home
kaeru basho ai wo arigatou
sweet home
jibun no koto bakari wo kangaeru otona wa zuruin da to
omotte itan desu
demo hisshi de kaeru koto wo
sakenderu hito mo irun da to yatto shittan desu
atari mae no shiawase nanka kono sekai ni hitotsu mo nai
anata no tame sou omoeta
kono kimochi ga tsuki ugokasu no
okaeri I’m home
supiido ga kasoku shiteku mainichi
okaeri sweet home
kawaranai zutto aru keshiki
sweet home
sagashite nakushita
kokoro no kizu ga
tachi mukau tsuyosa ni kawareta no wa
“okaeri” ga atta kara
okaeri I’m home
hitokoto de mitasareru kokoro
okaeri sweet home
kaeru basho ai wo arigatou
sweet home
okaeri I’m home
daijoubu anata ga iru kara
okaeri sweet home
mattete ne mou sugu tsuku kara
sweet home
-------------------------------------------------------
English:
Welcome Home
-------------------------------------------------------
Performed by: ayaka
Lyricist: ayaka
Composer: Yoshihiko Nishio & ayaka
Translated by: crystalise
-------------------------------------------------------
On the way to my sweet home, I can already hear the words, “You’re home!”*
I am returning to the place that gave me the love that I am so thankful for.**
Blotting out my sadness and painting a smile on my face,
I pretend as if everything is alright.
I admit that although I can understand the importance of belief,
It is in the most critical of moments that I doubt myself.
And though this empty body of mine seems to
Almost float through the passage of time,
There is this feeling that always carries me forward:
The feeling of longing to hold you in my arms.
Before I could even say, “I’m home!” I could already hear, “You’re back!”***
Those very words are enough to cause my heart to brim over.****
Returning to my sweet home, I could already hear the words, “You’re home!”
I am returning to the place that blessed me with a love that I am forever grateful for:
My sweet home.
I truly believe that those
Who only keep their own interests at heart are characters of deceit;
But I also know that there are those
Who are desperately crying out for change.
Because of you, I have come to appreciate that
There is no such thing as an ordinary happiness in this world...
And it is this knowledge that continues to drive me forward.
Before I could even call out, “I’m home!” I can already hear, “You’re back!”
In this continued acceleration of everyday life...
I could hear the words, “You’re home!” echoing from my sweet home,
And therein lays a scene that remains eternally unchanging,
There in my sweet home.
Having searched and having lost,
There are emotional wounds that I have to face.
It was in the power of those simple words
That I drew my strength: the words, “You’re home.”
Already I can hear them say, “You’re back!” Before I could enter, “I’m home!”
Indeed, their words are more than enough to fill my heart over.
Returning to the sweetness of home, I can already hear, “You’re home!”
I’m heading back to the place where I owe my debt of gratitude for the love it bestowed upon me:
My sweet home.
I can already hear the words, “You’re home!” As I dream of replying, “I’m home!”
Everything is truly alright now because you are there.
On my way home, I could already hear the words, “You’re back!”
Wait for me, I’ll be soon arriving,
My sweet, sweet home.
Notes:
*Note 1: Literally, “Welcome home, sweet home.” When literally translated it actually makes no sense... which is why quite a number of words were added to make it more comprehensible in English.
**Note 2: Literally, “To this place I am returning, thank you for all your love.”
***Note 3: Literally, “Welcome home, I’m home.” This verse really caused me to mix up my “okaeri” and “tadaima” since I somehow ended up taking “okaeri” to mean “I’m home” after hearing this verse enough. I have a habit for interchanging between languages in mid-sentence or repeating the same thing in different languages when it’s short (for example, “itadakimasu, let’s eat!”), so by hearing “okaeri, I’m home” enough, my brain somehow managed to confuse the meaning of “okaeri”... so yea...
****Note 4: Literally, “That one word overflows my heart.” But as you noticed, although the Japanese have one word for “welcome home”, two words are required for the English language.
Links:
ayaka Official Website (maintained by Warner Music Japan)
Purchase おかえり online (via YesAsia Global)
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Comments
Feel free to share your thoughts - I am always more than happy to discuss! Thank you again for commenting! \(^ o ^)/
I missed your translations! So glad you that you are back as well! Tadaima! ^__^"
How everyone strives for happiness and take it for granted! I think that a lot of people think that happiness is something that is big and obvious but I don't necessarily think it's true. Happiness doesn't take the house down, it knocks on your door and says, "I'm home!" If you get my drift...sigh, I don't think I am making sense.
But another misconception is that happiness is pure. As in, when one is happy, they have no problems. I don't think that's true. I mean, everyone has problems because it's just a part of life but happiness can be there despite them.
Anyway, my lame attempt to understand the deeper meaning of ayaka's song...-_-.
I think I mixed up "tadaima" and "okaeri" as well...-_-. ayaka really did confuse us both! Haha!
"Okaeri" is what I was suppose to say, right?!
I do like how you noted that people misconceive happiness as something that appears to be pure, but I guess it really depends on how you frame the concept. I guess for me, happiness is a state of being, so when you are happy it is difficult for all those bad things that occur around you to shake you.
So it's not that happiness deletes all the bad things in life but instead it leads people to perceive bad events in a more positive manner - that is something that is implied by the soap bubbles in the PV and the verse on an empty body that is floating in time. The joy and security of "home" shields them from the elements despite their fragility.
Nonetheless, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the song as always - it's always nice to be able to discuss these things! LOL (^___^")
As for the band playing the music - well, there really isn't a consistent band per se unless you are talking about her live performances, of which there are some individuals that she consistently calls on to perform with her.
Nonetheless, your question did finally make me open up the CD to look at the credits... Apparently, the strings were performed by a group called Koike Strings (小池ストリングス) which is headed by a man named Hiroyuki Koike (小池弘之). You can visit their official website here. It last updated in December 2007, but if you click on the "Library" segments, you'll be treated to a healthy list of performances from them (full versions too, I might add!).
The rest of the instrument credits for okaeri are:
Acoustic Piano, Hammond Organ, Keyboards & Programming:
Akihisa Matsuura (松浦晃久)
Drums:
Yasuo Sano (佐野康夫)
Bass:
Yuuzou Oka (岡雄三)
Guitars:
Yoshito Tanaka (田中義人)
The names were credited in Japanese, so the romanisations are my own and therefore unofficial. I retained the Japanese names in case you wanted to do a search on them - it may yield more accurate results than a search in English. Anyhow, hope that helps! (^___^")
Nonetheless, thanks very much for pointing out a second PV and the question! If you have any other comments or if you spot a mistake, feel free to post another comment! LOL
^^
here's the link to the 2nd PV:
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v141671338akgraxm?rank=0&jsonParams=%7B%22numResults%22%3A20%2C%22rlmin%22%3A0%2C%22query%22%3A%22ayaka+okaeri%22%2C%22rlmax%22%3Anull%2C%22veohOnly%22%3Atrue%2C%22contentRatingId%22%3A2%2C%22order%22%3A%22default%22%2C%22range%22%3A%22m%22%2C%22sId%22%3A%22418608339538137737%22%7D&searchId=418608339538137737&rank=1
Or alternatively, go to veoh.com and search "ayaka okaeri"
*you can download it too*
Thanks for replying so fast!
^^
Anyhow, a small point of clarification, the video is of a live performance and is not a PV (since a PV is a pre-recorded, directed and choreographed music video) (^___^) The performance was part of the NHK's program called Eco-Uta (エコうた; trans: "ecology songs") where artists perform full versions of their songs live (ayaka was apparently in Hokkaido at the time, LOL).
Nonetheless, if you are asking about the violinist from that performance, her name is Reiko Tsuchiya - she does have her own CDs but in the context of ayaka, she appears regularly as the violinist for ayaka's live performances. I got her name from the credits of the First Message concert DVD and did a quick search, LOL.
Well, hope that helps but thanks for directing me to the video! Check out the other eco-uta performances too if you can - I was swept away by alan's performance of natsukashii mirai ~longing future~ with Ryuichi Sakamoto! LOL (^___^")
ありがとございます！
arigato gozaimasu. *bows deeply*
^^
I don't know all that much, but I am not too bad at hunting down information when needed. Keep a look out for ayaka's live performances if you are looking for more of Reiko Tsuchiya on a violin! LOL (^__^)
For more information on NHK's SAVE THE FUTURE programs visit: http://www.nhk.or.jp/savethefuture/
For information on Eco-Uta, including a rundown of all the artists involved and a video clip showing just how cute alan could be when she speaks in Japanese, visit:
http://www.nhk.or.jp/savethefuture/prog13/prog.html
Still, thanks for pointing out the YouTube - it's so much more helpful! (^___^)
本当にありがとうね
this has helped me a lot =)