Credits

I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Chisato Moritaka -- Watashi ga Obasan ni Natte mo (私がオバさんになっても)


It's just one of those songs that you want to hug....it's so cute. Chisato Moritaka's(森高千里) 16th single, released in June 1992, is a half-teasing, half-joking joust that a steady girlfriend/fiancee would throw out at her beau. "Watashi ga Obasan ni Natte mo" (Even If I Become Middle-Aged) was written by Moritaka and composed by Hideo Saito(斉藤英夫), and was initially a track on her March 1992 6th album "Rock Alive" before getting its own release.

The lyrics go as so:

The winter comes as soon as autumn ends, time really flew by
We went together to Saipan during summer vacation
I still got that tan, it was an enjoyable memory
I wanna go to Saipan again next year and go swimming

You're a kind guy, hold me
When we were like this, you kissed me

Even if I become middle-aged, will you take me swimming?
The bright swimwear will be impossible, I'd lose out to the young girls
Even if I become middle-aged, will you really not change?
I'm really worried since you like the young girls

You said such talk is ridiculous
But you said that women go downhill from 19

But you looked at me with an innocent face
and said that was a joke and kissed me

Even if I become middle-aged, will you take me to a disco?
A mini-skirt will be impossible, I'd lose out to the young girls
Even if I become middle-aged, will you take me on drives?
Take the top down from that convertible and drive like a cool guy

When I become middle-aged, so will you
You can keep on saying just the cool things but you are gonna get a paunch
Even if I become middle-aged, will you really not change?
I'm really worried since you like the young girls


Not surprisingly, this song has become a popular one to play at the wedding receptions...just that little love jab from the bride saying that youth is not gonna be around forever. Ah, c'est la vie! And especially now that the average age of marriage has slowly gone up, perhaps Moritaka's ode to matrimony has taken on an even deeper meaning. According to J-Wiki, as the years have gone by, the singer has made one tiny change to one line; she changed the age that women go downhill at from 19 to 29. I'm not sure if she's made further upgrades since that time. And I'm not sure if that song even made it onto the playlist at her own wedding.

"Watashi ga Obasan ni Natte mo" peaked at No. 15 on the Oricon weeklies, but I think it has become one of the big Chisato favourites at the concerts and just overall. And it still got her a place at that year's Kohaku.

Thanks to www.kasi-time.com for the original Japanese lyrics.

6 comments:

  1. I just found your blog. I think that it and I will get along swimmingly. :-)

    I'm pretty amused at this being the first song that I came in at too. This is one of those songs that just makes me smile, really.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, ジョン.

      And thanks for your comments. Feel free to take a look around and leave comments where you want. Love to talk.

      Yeah, this song is definitely a jewel in Chisato's tiara. I sometimes wonder if she had written this just as much to talk about herself as an aidoru to the adoring audience.

      Delete
  2. Hey J-Canuck.

    "Watashi ga Obasan ni Natte mo" is one of those songs released by Moritaka in her "rock phase". With the exception of "Concert no Yoru", I'm not particularly in that phase of her career, because it was the start of the downfall of her "dancing queen" phase. But she had to inovate, I get it.

    As you have mentioned in the article, "Watashi ga..." is a big concert favorite. Since the '92 ROCK ALIVE Tour, the first one it was featured, this song was almost always present in her subsequent tours and concerts.

    My favorite performance of the song, though, is from her "PEACHBERRY concert", in 1997. Her look is very cute in this concert video. I originally bought this DVD because it included a "singles medley" with "Michi", "17sai", "NEW SEASON", "The Stress", "Watashi no Natsu" and "Haeotoko", but I ended falling in love with the whole concert, even though her '97 songs are not among my favorites.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDf79v1BQfs

    And thanks for the english lyrics. I had an idea about the general topic of the song, but nothing like knowing the entire lyrics.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Marcos. Good to hear from you.

      Yeah, I saw the video you told me about. She looks like a junior high school student at camp! :)

      I noticed as well that after "Rock Alive", she started getting into some more eclectic stuff. Your mention of "Haeotoko" reminded me of that, and I'm just looking at her album, "Pepperland" right now.

      Delete
  3. Thanks for sharing ideas about this song. Love to read it.
    I have watched this show a considerable number of times, which always bring me about the smile, the joyfullness and happiness. I can feel lots of positive energy from Chisato san thoughout this show.

    Chisato san, her voice, appearance and perfromance are so impeccable. I do really love her.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello, Alex. Glad that you have enjoyed Chisato and the Kohaku, and hopefully both can continue to entertain us for the foreseeable future.

      Delete

Feel free to provide any comments (pro or con). Just be civil about it.