Song 54 ( Kyu Sakamoto - Sukiyaki or Ue o Muite Aruko )
There were about six songs vying for today's choosing and this one won out over the other five. The song is the best known song sung in Japanese internationally and hit number one on the American charts in '63. In Japan, the song is known as Ue o Muite Aruko (I Look Up When I Walk); here in the U.S. it is known as Sukiyaki , which is actually the name of a cheap Japanese noodle dish. From what I understand, the name change occurred because the record company thought that Ue o Muite Aruko or "I Look Up When I Walk" was too hard for DJs to remember. The lyrics were written by Rokusuke Ei about a lost love of his. Sadly, Kyu Sakamoto died in an airplane crash in 1985. I heard a "cover" of this song a while ago, which is good in its own right, however they used the tune but completely re-wrote the lyrics of the song in English; probably because the rhyming scheme would not fit. Granted they did sing it in English, which is a change in itself, however the or...