In post 437, Vegito wrote:What prompted the avatar change Prism? Who is your new avatar?
I've been shopping around for a new one for awhile but couldn't find one to my liking until now, and I'm really glad you asked! There's a really interesting story behind it. The person pictured is Sakamoto Kyū, the singer of
"Ue o Muite Arukō," a worldwide number one hit in the early 1960s, and the only Japanese song to top the charts in the US. Usually translated as "I Look Up As I Walk," the song's lyrics are sorrowful but rather vague and generic (purposefully, it turns out). Lamenting his current sadness, Sakamoto looks up not only to hide his tears, but towards better days. What makes the song fascinating is that it was written in the wake of failed student protests in opposition to the signing of the
Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security Between the United States and Japan, or Anpo, which signaled the persistence of Japanese dependency on the US for security, and with it continued US military occupation. The lyricist, Ei Rokusuke, purposefully made the dejection and lament of the singer applicable to basically anything, giving it widespread appeal.
Where it
really
gets interesting is in its rise to become a worldwide #1. First recorded in 1961, it was brought to England in 1963 after . Because no European country was going to remember the name "Ue o Muite Arukō", rather than just translating the name the recording company decided to capitalize on its East Asian exoticism and instead named it "Sukiyaki," the name of a Japanese dish...despite having absolutely nothing to do with food. Despite its underlying anti-US sentiment, the song went on to become a worldwide #1, including in the United States. To give you a kind of comparison, discarding the anti-US sentiment element as that was purposefully written out, it'd be a lot like someone releasing Sinatra's "Fly Me To The Moon" in Japan and titling it "Hamburger". Sakamoto enjoyed a few years of international fame as a result but unfortunately better days were not to come, as he would never repeat this level of success. He died in 1985, still only 45, a victim of
the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123, one of the deadliest aviation accidents of all time. His death was largely overshadowed by the incident and its aftermath.
Still, the song provided a powerful, global message to the politically active youth of the 1960s: Despite how powerless they may feel now with the status quo, better days would come. For the American youth, the Vietnam War eventually came to an end and global stability largely followed. For the Japanese, while US occupation of Japanese soil continues to this day, the treaty fostered not only the strongest alliance in East Asia but also runaway economic growth domestically through increased trade and cooperation with the US-something Sakamoto
was
fortunate enough to see.
I think it's a very special portrait. It was taken in 1961, before the international explosion of "Sukiyaki". Sakamoto is youthful, handsome, and optimistic, looking forward much in the way "Ue o Muite Arukō". He had no idea just how big it would become. He had no idea that he would become a symbol, not just of an unempowered youth but of the return of Japan to the global stage as a cultural and economic force.
