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.
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.
サンクト・ペテルブルグ ～ダジャレ男の悲しきひとり旅～
St. Petersburg
~The Sad Solitary Journey of a Man Who Loves Bad Puns~
It was — let’s see — around 9 hours after departure from Narita
As I sleepily saw from my window a faraway city, glittering with lights
“Seeing it this clearly without any clouds or mist…
I’ve actually flown this route many times,
But that’s not something you see very often.
It used to be called Leningrad…”
“Ah, Finland?”
“No, Russia.”
The stewardess smiled at me
Ah, such a pretty smile…!
This is how love stories begin
With meaningless, petty conversations like this
The sun sinks into the horizon and the sky turns dark
And if you were sitting beside me right now
I suppose you’d be giving me a proper scolding
By the way, my final destination is Paris
That’s difficult to pronounce — “Paris”
I’ll be spending a week there
Going around wine fields in a rental car
Speaking in simple French to everyone I meet, time passes slowly
And just like that, I have to fly home tomorrow, merci beaucoup
Ah, but I feel a bit lonely, beaucoup
Teary-eyed, I vigorously wave my hand
And before I notice it, I’ve lost the keys to my rental car
The children all laughing
Comment allez-vous?
This is how love stories begin
Right when you’re just sitting around off-guard
You won’t know what to do
Aren’t they pitiful, the skies so high?
And if you were sitting beside me right now
I suppose you’d be giving me another proper scolding
But in the end
No matter what I see or do
It all leads back to you
I loved you so much I could cry
If I could see you even just one time more
There are so many things I’d want to show you
So many things I’d want to talk to you about
Maybe one day we’ll randomly bump into each other
And maybe I’ll actually be able to tell you a joke or three
Like nothing had ever changed
Or maybe you’ll already be married to some elite businessman
言えずのI LOVE YOU
The Unspoken “I Love You”
I can’t sleep and I can’t eat
I’m so busy thinking about you
I think about you so much
I can’t make progress with anything
So today I came here to finally tell you how I feel
But honesty doesn’t suit me; I can’t find the timing
I want to start going out with you
If only I could play an introduction to my words
How easy that would make it
I must tell you today
Uhh, so, listen…
How do I put this…
So, umm…
Well, you know… right?
So, uhh…
Just how long will it take me
For me to say the words “I love you“?
I don’t mean to make you laugh
Yet you still laugh anyway
So I keep making jokes, never getting to the point
To you, I’m “someone understanding”
You see me as your friend; a confidante
But that’s not good enough
“Hey, I love you!”
I should just blurt it out like it’s nothing special
I must tell you today, no matter what
So, umm…
Just how long will it take me?
I can’t say the words, but I do love you
So, uhh…
I’m so close now
I can’t put it into words, but I do love you
So, umm… I was born in Kyushu…
And, uhh… My hobbies include walking…
So, umm… My point is…
That, uhh… Next week I’ll be free, so…
So, umm… What I’m trying to say is…
That, uhh… I love… skiing… not so much…?
So, umm…
君が好き胸が痛い
Love You So Much It Hurts
Even after spotting you in a crowd of people
I still pretend like I don’t see you
I just want to see your smile first
For no reason in particular
So many things I want to talk to you about
I don’t even know where to start
I’m just glad I got to see you
When you must be so busy
Ah, I love you so much it hurts
I want to be closer to you
I might be joking around
But you do not know
The crushing loneliness I feel
Walking with you in the evening
It feels awkward somehow
I have almost everything I want
The only thing missing is you
Ah, I love you so much it hurts
I want to see you closer
I might be acting cool
But you do not know
I’m so lonely I could cry
Time in this city will undoubtedly keep passing
Everyone around us will keep getting older
But the one thing that won’t change
Is the fact that I’ll still love you
As I alone remain in place
Just marking time
Ah, I love you so much it hurts
In the end it’s you I want to be with
I might be acting cool
But you do not know
You still do not know
I’m so lonely I could cry
