Yura Yura Teikoku -- Lonely Satellite

Over the past week or so, I heard of the news concerning Japan's latest satellite, Hitomi, which may have gone kaput due to some sort of malfunction. It was apparently supposed to be studying black holes but it has perhaps gone into a black hole itself...a rather sad state of affairs for the nation's equivalent of NASA, JAXA.

Strangely enough, within the last few number of days, I coincidentally came across this video on YouTube called "Lonely Satellite" by a band called Yura Yura Teikoku（ゆらゆら帝国）which had its run between 1989 and 2010. According to its Wikipedia article, it was a unit specializing in psychedelic rock. However, "Lonely Satellite", which is a track on its eleventh and final album from 2007, "Kuudou desu"（空洞です...Hollow Me/Beautiful）, just comes off as a sweet and breezy pop ballad regarding a satellite which seems to be on its last legs or batteries and is making its goodbyes, but not before urging the citizens down below to get some sort of lasting peace. I have to give my thanks to the commenter jikotaka3 who provided the translation.

If Hitomi were indeed sentient, perhaps I would have pegged "Lonely Satellite" as an autobiography. Yura Yura Teikoku came up with the music while vocalist Shintaro Sakamoto（坂本慎太郎）wrote up the final words for the satellite. The way it sounds, it's definitely a relaxing-in-the-hammock type of song. And I am reminded of that New Music band about 40 years prior, Happy End, listening to this one. As for the album, "Kuudou desu", it got as high as No. 21 on Oricon.

Yura Yura Teikoku had a varying lineup but by the end of their run, it was Sakamoto with bassist Chiyo Kamekawa（亀川千代）and drummer Ichiro Shibata（柴田一郎）.