What Japanese sounds like sung - LAT.43° by Dreams Come True (ドリカム)

There's a fairly (okay, really) popular band in Japan called Dreams Come True (abbreviated as　ドリカム) that is probably one of the best bands to listen to for someone first learning the language or who just wants to hear what it sounds like sung, because the singer has an exceptionally clear voice and pretty much all their songs are catchy. Most of their songs are about happy subjects (which I'm usually not a fan of in music), but there's one I like in particular called LAT.43° which is the opposite:



I won't translate the song (I don't feel I can give the 切なさ of the lyrics justice) but I will provide the transcription in romaji for anyone that just wants to follow along to get an idea of how Japanese sounds when sung. I'll also explain what the song's actually about. First the real lyrics:

どんなに愛しても 電話のkissじゃ遠い
冷たい受話器に 口びる押しあてて
あなたの街では もう雪が降りる頃
会えないもどかしさが 不安に変わる

約束も何もない あなたの言葉も
信じていなければ 明日さえ暮らせない

彼女はどうしてるの 今度はいつ会えるの
どこまで愛していいの 繰り返しては
いつまでこうしてるの 私を愛してるの
一度も聞けないまま また胸にしまって…

どんなに思っても 伝わるのは半分
あなたの口ぶり いつもどこか嘘ね
電話の遠い声 感じない訳じゃない
でもそれ認めたなら 恋が終わるの

淋しい夜を いくつ越えればあなたは
私の心の中 気付いてくれるの

私を見つめてほしい きつく抱いてほしい
私を愛してほしい ただ1人だけ
ほかの誰も見ないで 彼女のこと忘れて
一度も言えないまま また胸にしまって…

一緒に見る約束 ホワイトイルミネーション
かなわぬ願いなら うなづいてほしくない

今頃雪が降って 街中白く染める
私のことを思う あなたを消して
こんなに遠い場所で どんなに思っていても
いつかは忘れられる 雪と距離に邪魔されて…
ほんとは気づいているの
あなたは彼女を忘れない

Lat. 43 is where Sapporo is located (the largest city in Hokkaido in the north), and the song's about a woman who is having (or trying to have) a long-distance relationship with someone living there, but he's also attracted to someone else and the main character wants to get him to forget the other woman and think about her alone but she can't really do anything through the telephone alone, and now the irritation she first felt when starting the long-distance relationship is turning into worry...but the only way she can get through the day is by believing him so she chooses to do so even though she knows that he's not going to forget about the other woman.

The bass line also fits in nicely with the song (modest but fitting), and the best part is probably where she says shinjite inakereba...

Anyway, here's the transcription:

Donna ni ai shite mo denwa no kiss (kisu) ja tooi
Tsumetai juwaki ni kuchibiru oshiatete
Anata no machi de wa mou yuki ga oriru koro
Aenai modokashisa ga fuan ni kawaru

Yakusoku mo nani mo nai, anata no kotoba mo
Shinjite inakereba ashita sae kurasenai

Kanojo wa dou shiteru no kondo wa itsu aeru no?
Doko made ai shite ii no kurikaeshite wa
Itsu made kou shiteru no, watashi wo ai shiteru no
Ichido mo kikenai mama mata mune ni shimatte...

Donna ni omotte mo tsutawaru no wa hanbun
Anata no kuchiburi itsumo dokoka uso ne
Denwa no tooi koe kanjinai wake ja nai
Demo sore mitometa nara koi ga owaru no

Sabishii yoru wo ikutsu koereba anata wa
Watashi no kokoro no naka kizuite kureru no?

Watashi wo mitsumete hoshii, kitsuku daite hoshii
Watashi wo ai shite hoshii, tada hitori dake
Hoka no dare mo minai de kanojo no koto wasurete
Ichido mo ienai mama mata mune ni shimatte...

Isshoni miru yakusoku, white illumination (howaito irumineeshon)
Kanawanu negai nara unazuite hoshikunai

Imagoro yuki ga futte, machijuu shiroku someru
Watashi no koto wo omou anata wo keshite
Konna ni tooi basho de donna ni omotte itemo
Itsuka wa wasurerareru yuki to kyori ni jama sarete...
Honto wa kizuiteiru no
Anata wa kanojo wo wasurenai



One of the reasons they're so popular is probably because they always write about regular everyday emotions that a lot of people have experienced more than once - another song of theirs called うれしはずかし朝帰り (happy-embarassing morning return) is about the half happy and half embarassing way you feel the day after spending the night with someone and are now going home in the morning.