Tag Archives: KAN

Imai Miki – Ame ni Kiss no Hanataba wo (English Lyrics)

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雨にキッスの花束を
Rain and a Bouquet of Kisses

Suddenly he says, “let’s get married right now!”
Storm warning, everyone in town hurrying home

Telling each other “I love you,” both of us grownups
But after all that talk about keeping a proper distance…

An out-of-the-blue proposal!
In the middle of an intersection!
You’re kidding me!
Frozen, my umbrella rolls over like a flower

Can’t even hear the car horns
So drenched I can’t move
The entire world holds its breath
As we stand here staring at each other
Kiss, kiss!

I’d always liked you — frankly, I was waiting for this
While doing my best to look all cool and indifferent

I cherish both my work and my love life
But really my biggest treasure is his smile

A dream-like proposal!
Lipstick running down my chin!
But a headstrong woman like me…
Am I really the one you want?

A ring of raindrops
Landing on my fourth finger
What a once-in-a-lifetime memory
Make me happy, okay? I love you!
Kiss, kiss!

Destiny beckons to us
A bouquet of tearful kisses
Brimming with the word “yes”

An out-of-the-blue proposal!
In the middle of an intersection!
You’re kidding me!
Frozen, my umbrella rolls over like a flower

Can’t even hear the car horns
So drenched I can’t move
The entire world holds its breath
As we stand here staring at each other
Kiss, kiss!

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KAN “Ai wa Katsu” Interview (1992)

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Yesterday, it was announced that this man—one of my favorite songwriters—has passed away.

I had been working on this interview about his most well-known single, “Ai wa Katsu,” and my intention had been to post it today. I’m going to go ahead and publish the interview as scheduled, but please allow me first to express a couple of thoughts.

I just want to say that I absolutely adored this guy. Everything about him. I loved his voice. I loved his singing. I loved his piano playing. I loved his sense of humor; how he had seemingly dedicated his entire adult life to never ever being serious when he spoke. Even his lyrics were silly and comical more often than not. Humor was his life philosophy, and deservedly so. After all, what point is there to life if you can’t even have a wink and a laugh about it?

Most of all, however, I loved his sense of melody.

We all have our “sweet spots” when it comes to music, and for me the things he did as a songwriter often hit those sweet spots exactly on the mark. Anyone could tell he was a real musician’s musician, always wearing his influences—Beatles, Billy, Stevie, et al—on his sleeve. I’m going to miss this guy so much, and I’m going to continue singing praises of his work forever.

I wish I had something more meaningful to say. I feel like there has to be a better set of words I could string together to express how I feel about him. But this is the best I can do for now.

I love you, KAN. Thank you for the music. ❤️

Is KAN‘s 1990 hit single “Ai wa Katsu” your favorite goddamn song of all time? If so, you’ve come to the right place. Here, you see, is an entire 5000-word interview dedicated to that very tune.

This interview was originally published in the 1992 book Boketsu Bari Hori.

Text: Morita Kyoko
English translation: Henkka
KAN links: Website, Twitter, YouTube

Note: You can buy KAN’s physical releases on CDJapan.


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KAN Liner Notes ② (1989–1991)

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Here are the liner notes for every song on KAN‘s 4th, 5th, and 6th studio albums, written by the artist himself. The albums featured here are HAPPY TITLE (1989), Yakyuu Senshu ga Yume Datta (1990), and Yukkuri Furo ni Tsukaritai (1991).

These liner notes were originally published in the 1992 book Boketsu Bari Hori.

Text: KAN
English translation: Henkka
KAN links: Website, Twitter, YouTube

Note: You can buy KAN’s physical releases on CDJapan.


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KAN Liner Notes ① (1987–1988)

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Here are the liner notes for every song on KAN‘s first three full-length studio albums, written by the artist himself. The albums featured here are TV no Naka ni (1987), NO-NO-YESMAN (1987), and GIRL TO LOVE (1988).

These liner notes were originally published in the 1992 book Boketsu Bari Hori.

Text: KAN
English translation: Henkka
KAN links: Website, Twitter, YouTube

Note: You can buy KAN’s physical releases on CDJapan.


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Henkka’s New Music Discoveries

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I love music, and I’m always—constantly—looking for new stuff to listen to.

Pretty much my favorite activity in life is to sit down in a dark room, pour myself a drink, put on some headphones, and listen to new music in search of gems I haven’t heard before. This is something I’ve been doing quite consistently since my early teens. (Well, the drinks may have come a little bit later.)

In any case, here are a few recent “fruits of my labor.”

These findings are from the past year or so. I’ve listed each song, in no particular order, with its musical genre and year of release. Feel free to grab a drink and listen along if you’d like.

Young Gun Silver Fox
“Lenny”
2018 | YACHT ROCK

I discovered these guys a while ago when I came across a collaboration they’d done with the amazing Rod Temperton. (On a side note, I would list Rod Temperton’s Heatwave among my favorite bands of all time.) They’ve released four albums so far, and each one consists of this sort of very friendly, sunny-sounding yacht rock. Awesome stuff.

By the way, I learned from an interview of theirs that the band name Young Gun Silver Fox is derived from its two members. One of them is a young gun, while the other is a silver fox.

Pretty academic stuff, I know. Really makes you think.

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