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In this fine example of a distinctly 1980’s video, Yoshiko Tanaka, a.k.a Suu, dances, in the style of the time, maintaining a serious face, to her own song which tells the story of a woman being callously abandoned after a one night stand, by a lover who smokes a cigarette, naps, takes a shower and leaves.
The lyrics are credited to a person named 与詞古. This is not a normal Japanese name, but the characters give rise to the onyoumi reading “yo-shi-ko”! Furthermore the 詞 character is taken from the word 作詞家 (sakushika, lyricist). Candies’ songs were written by other people, but Tanaka wrote this one herself.
Notes:
1. The particle “no” in Japanese denotes many kinds of relationships. So, when a lot of context isn’t available, there are multiple translation choices. “himizu no kaori” could be “the secret fragrance”, or “the fragrance of a secret” and other possibilities. I went with “the fragrance of secrets” which I believe to be the intended meaning.
2. Similarly, “jakou no tenshi” could mean “musk’s angel”, “angel of musk”, “musky angel”, “musk angel”, or even “angel made of musk”. These translations don’t work that well in English, so I chose “angel redolent of musk”.
3. “Sayonara” is rendered as “adieu”. Since it is French, this salutation coordinates with name of the perfume, Cabochard, and also with the shot of the Arc de Triomphe at Champs-Élysées. The “adieu” salutation is also suitable for final situations where a future meeting is not expected.
WACOCA: People, Life, Style.