Original Lyrics 日本語歌詞
Oh, loveland
目くるめく夏の午後
mekurumeku natsu no gogo
誰もが木陰に逃げ込んでた
daremo ga kokage ni nigekondeta
焼けつく石畳の彼方に
yaketsuku ishidatami no kanata ni
揺らめく逃げ水の中から
yurameku nigemizu no naka kara
燃える様なステップに身を任せ現れた人は
moeru youna suteppu ni mi wo makase arawareta hito wa
Oh, loveland
頬に零れる汗が 乾いた道の上に落ちると
hoho ni koboreru ase ga kawaita michi no ue ni ochiru to
突然こんな砂漠の街が 南のオアシスに変わる
totsuzen konna sabaku no machi ga minami no oashisu ni kawaru
Oh, island
きっとあの人のせい あなたの瞳を向けて
kitto ano hito no sei anatano hitomi wo mukete
Oh, loveland, oh, island
I love you, I love you
Oh, loveland, oh, island
I love you
夢の後辿る様に 気が付くと 見えなくなっていた
yume no ato tadoru you ni ki ga tsuku to mienaku natteita
Oh, loveland
ふいに現れ消えた あの人 きっと夏の女神さ
hui ni araware kieta ano hito kitto natsu no megami sa
光の愛はここにもあると
hikari no ai wa koko nimo aru to
Oh, loveland 教えに来たんだ
oshie ni kitanda
Oh, loveland, oh, island
I love you, I love you
Oh, loveland, oh, island
I love you
English Lyrics
On a dazzling summer afternoon, everyone fled to the shade of the trees. She emerged with flaming steps from the mirage shimmering beyond the burning cobblestones Oh, loveland. Once the sweat running down her cheeks fell on the dry road, suddenly, this desert town turned into a southern oasis. Oh, island. It must be because of her. Turn your eyes towards me. [Chorus] Oh, loveland, oh, island I love you, I love you Oh, loveland, oh, island I love you As if following a dream, I found myself losing her out of sight Oh, island. She came and was gone out of the blue. I'm sure she's the goddess of summer. She came to tell that the shining love is here too.
Yamashita Tatsuro is definitely one of the greatest musicians in Japan.
Let alone the melodies and distinctive multi-layered back chorus; the lyrics are gorgeous and poetic. I hope you can still see it in the picturesque lyric of this song, which is always played in the encore of his concert.
This song was written in 1982 for a Suntory beer CM on TV, which is partly because it is associated with a summer-ish atmosphere. (For those who might be unfamiliar, beer is the most popular alcohol in summer in Japan.) Personally, his songs are the best go-to music for drives, especially for summer, sunny, seaside drives.