Tag Archives: KAN

KAN “Career Retrospective” Interview: Part Two (2020)

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This is the second part of a comprehensive, career-spanning interview with KAN. It comes from a book entitled KAN in the BOOK which was published in 2020.

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

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

2002–2004

— I’d like to ask you about your life in Paris.

KAN: I think it was around 1994 that I first started traveling to all sorts of different countries. Little by little, I began to feel like I wanted to try living abroad. And so, at the end of February 2002, I moved to France.

I started out by going to language school. In those early stages there were a few Japanese students, a Brazilian, a Nigerian, a Filipino, a Korean—our class of around ten people.

Japanese people are diligent when it comes to studying, but we tend to not really speak up, right? The teacher would ask the class a question and the students from all the other countries would be quick to respond, but of course all their answers would be wrong. Finally, they’d ask one of us Japanese, and we’d give the correct answer. In the beginning, that is.

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KAN “Career Retrospective” Interview: Part One (2020)

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KAN is and will surely always remain one of my personal favorite pop songwriters. Today, nearly 20 years since I first discovered him, I appreciate his music more than ever. This translation is my humble tribute to this funny, relatable, and really just immensely endearing man.

This is the first part of a comprehensive, career-spanning interview with KAN. It comes from a book fittingly entitled KAN in the BOOK which was published in 2020.

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

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

1987–2001

— To begin with, how did your debut come about?

KAN: I took part in Yamaha’s EastWest amateur band contest and Young Jump’s Sound Contest ’84, and I did okay—I won prizes in both, coming in 3rd place or so. I got like a “Merit Award” as well as a “Good Looks Award.” (laughs)

— Oh really? (laughs)

KAN: Back in those days, a lot of young sound directors at record labels were going around looking for promising musicians in hopes of discovering and developing them themselves, and they were attending all kinds of contests. That’s how I was approached by one Mr. Hirano from Polydor Records, and I went into the studio to record demos of six or so songs—some of them were programmed, and some I recorded with band members from my college days.

Then we started looking for a production company. But one of those candidates, that company said they wanted to work with a different label instead of Polydor. Hirano was all sullen, like, “I’m gonna be left out of this thing, huh…”

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KAN – 23sai (English Lyrics)

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23歳
23 Years Old

23 years old — I’m a fifth year college student
Going for that Ivy League look just as today, top to bottom VAN
Never having even been outside Japan yet
And my dream? Of course, to be a rock musician!

23 years old — living in a Shin-Nakano apartment
No bathtub, six tatami mats, only a piano and a synthesizer
Trying to somehow repay the loans on my instruments
Temp jobs and bands — uh-oh, guess I’m repeating a year!

Those days — reckless; frantic; all over the place
Filled with an illogical, unwarranted sense of self-confidence
Writing at a pace so incredibly fast, completely unthinkable today
Day and night I wrote, constantly — eight songs a month or so
At 23 years old

23 years old — I’m working part-time
As an Italian restaurant cameriere in Ginza
I always did love peeking into the kitchen
For a moment seriously thinking I’d become a chef

And naturally, I was in love back then
With a cute, somewhat selfish, beautiful girl — I was head over heels
My one-sided feelings where it didn’t matter even if she rejected me
On and on I held out, ceaselessly — for eight years or so

Those memories — some painful; some good; some strange
Chance, luck and fortune all interlinked
Life’s really not too bad at all!

23 years old — are you in love today?
The real-time-currently-23-year-old you
May all your days be filled with happiness
…Or so I now sing, but think nothing of it

If the me from back then was to meet you today
Without a doubt, it’d be love at first sight — I’d be head over heels
My one-sided feelings where it wouldn’t matter even if you rejected me
On and on I’d hold out, ceaselessly — yes, for 20 years or so
No, even longer, forever — at least for 35 years or so
And before I knew it, I’m 58 years old

You are 23
I am 58
Oh no…

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KAN – MAN (English Lyrics)

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MAN

MAN
I believe that a man should always
Always be kind to his woman
Flowers for her birthdays; a song for the sad moments
Sending love her way even on the ordinary days

Whatever your dreams may be
I’ll make them come true the best I can
Say you were to discover some new, beautiful world
It would be my role to open the door for you

But then if on that last day you’d made up your mind
Silently having decided you were going to leave me
Would I still open that door, only to see you off?
No, I would not — although I’m contradicting myself…

MAN
I believe that a man should always
Always be tough on himself

MAN
A man, no matter what kind of man
Always has a thing or two he must protect

Holding one another, facing one another
Always so busy glossing things over
People have this need to rank order things
And I’m sad to say it, but for me?
The most important thing is myself

But then I hit wall, and I find myself at a standstill
Because when I found you there, just watching me from behind
I now wish to protect you even if it means sacrificing myself

One day I will say it and I will truly mean it
When I have the courage — that’s when I’ll be a man

MAN
And like so, the man, to a foolish degree
Always tries to take responsibility for everything
Being the tiny little creature that he is

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KAN – Hizamakura (English Lyrics)

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ひざまくら〜うれしい こりゃいい やわらかい〜
Lap Pillow ~So Happy, So Good, So Soft~

Just once I wish I could show you
Show you what I’m like at work
Fighting like a real manly man’s man
You’d fall in love with me all over again!

Even at the standstill at today’s meeting
I gave those guys a piece of my mind
That’s all it took — the thing was settled
Bet you they all think I’m such a cool cat!

And like so, during the day
I’m pretty sharp and dandy
So at least when I’m with you
Let me be a bit of a baby
Surely it should be all right
If I have a little more to drink…?

Ahh, I’m drunk…
So drunk…
So drunk…
But please just give me a pass
And tomorrow I promise to do better

You know, I was thinking
Thinking about world peace
Mutual respect and forgiveness
Foundations for peace in the world

So even if I get a bit drunk like this
I’m really a proper social dandy guy
Or to put it in simpler terms
Surely you’ll allow me just a little bit
Of your lap pillow — for world peace…?

Ahh, so happy…
So soft…
So good…
If I could stay here forever
It would be heaven on earth

So please, just a tiny moment longer
Of your lap pillow — as a symbol of our peace…?

Ahh, so happy…
So good…
So drunk…
But please just give me a pass
And tomorrow I promise to do better

Forgive me
Pardon me
Excuse me
I love you

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