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  • Yumeko Kitaoka
    Yumeko Kitaoka – 憧憬(あこがれ)

    English translation

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Japanese
Original lyrics

憧憬(あこがれ)

風が薄紅に　揺れる桜並木
人ごみにあなたは　追いかけていたの
 
クラスも名前も　わかっているのに
声もかけず　二年が過ぎた
 
あ、十七才大人だって　思っていたのに
初恋の頃と変わらないね　切ない想い
 
青い定期　かくした写真
小さすぎて　わからないの
あこがれのまま
 
駅の階段を　駆けのぼった途端
窓越しにあなた　ドアが閉まったの
 
違う学園の　制服の人と
笑いながら　行ってしまった
 
あ、十七才淋しいほど　きれいな春です
胸の中創るストーリーに　泣いたりしたの
 
重い鞄　夢も未来も
想い出はいつも眩しい
あこがれだった
 
あ、十七才大人だって　思っていたのに
初恋の頃と変わらないね　切ない想い
 
胸の痛み　夢のひとひら
誰にも告げることもない
あこがれのまま
 
English
Translation

Crush

The wind looked pink with the swaying sakura trees
I was tailing you into the crowd
 
I know your name and your class but...
...two years have passed without us ever talking
 
Ah, I thought I'm already a grown up at 17 but...
...the sadness still feels the same as when I had my first love
 
The photo I hid under your commuter pass...
...is too small, you might not even realize it
I still have a crush on you
 
The moment I ran up the station stairs,
...the door had closed. I could see you through the window...
 
...with someone in different school uniform
You were laughing as the train left
 
Ah, I felt so lonely in my 17 in such a beautiful spring
Our stories kept rewinding in my mind, I couldn't stop crying
 
My bag felt heavy, so were the dream and the thought of future
Our memories always looked dazzling
I longed for them
 
Ah, I thought I'm already a grown up at 17 but...
...the sadness still feels the same as when I had my first love
 
Fragments of the dream leave pain in my heart
I never tell anyone...
...that I still have a crush on you
 
✕

Translations of "憧憬(あこがれ) (Akogare)"

English
Turkish
Comments
RetroPandaRetroPanda
   Thu, 16/11/2023 - 09:46

Kitaoka Yumeko (born: February 2, 1971), nickname: Muu-chan, Kiku-chan,  real name: Nakayama Kikuko, was an idol singer active in late 1980s. On August 31, 1985, she passed an audition by Sun Music, joined the agency, transfered to Horikoshi High School (*a high school full of idols and young celebrities), but only got her debut on April 6, 1988 (which made her a "class'88" idol, debuted at the same year as Wink, Nishida Hikaru, Takaoka Saki, Aikawa Eri, etc). She was said to have a great style, she was often featured in magazines.

In her career, Kitaoka Yumeko has released a total of 7 singles and 1 original album. Her first five singles charted between #28 - #65 in Oricon chart while the last two didn't make it to top 100. Her total song sales (all singles + album)  are about 46,022 copies. For her acting career, she has appeared in 14 dramas (1987-1997) and no movie. She hosted 1 radio show in 1988-1990. 

 

 

About this song

Released on April 6, 1988 as her debut song, this song reached #65 in Oricon chart with 7,330 sales. 

 

Her live performances:

video with youtube id 30W6AEa9enc was removed automatically due to unavailability

^ in "Super Idol Hits!"

 



 



video with youtube id sXiBRV5nF6I was removed automatically due to unavailability



 

 

 

 

 

...and decades have passed...

 

 

 

And....this was Kitaoka Yumeko, July 2020



^ thumbnail left to right: Nishimura Tomomi (green), Watanabe Minayo (white), Kitaoka Yumeko (black)



^ all three were former 1980s idols and classmates in Horikoshi High School



^ (11:45) + Ito Chieri. All four of them were former 1980s idols and classmates in Horikoshi High School.

 

 

 

There's even her more recent looks. This was Kitaoka Yumeko, September 2023

https://ameblo.jp/kuwata-yasuko/entry-12821124799.html

^ Kitaoka Yumeko is the woman with long hair and white dress. The other two are Kuwata Yasuko and Nishimura Tomomi, fellow former 1980s idols.

 

Feedeeri☆Feedeeri☆    Thu, 16/11/2023 - 13:44

I always found Yumekos name to be interesting, mainly because of how its writtem, but I really like it ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა

Tho I always felt bad, Yumeko was one of those late 1980's idol who could make it big, but the timing was sadly wrong. Kinda like Mariko Yoshida, Akiko Ikuina and probably many, many more. I think I've heard two/three song of hers, maybe I should add them when I have time ^^

RetroPandaRetroPanda
   Thu, 16/11/2023 - 14:58

Turns out that's her stage name totally different from her real name thanks to Minayo. 😅 And seems "Kiku-chan" is an exclusive nickname only used by Minayo. 

 

1988 was one of the worst years to debut for 1980s idols, seems like only Wink and Nishida Hikaru could make it big. 

 

Feedeeri☆Feedeeri☆    Thu, 16/11/2023 - 15:10

Yea, I wonder where they got the Muu-chan from tho XD

Yea, 1987/1988 had a lot of those "hit the top 15/10 once and then declined too fast" idols. They could go from performing at the newcomers awards in most famous tv shows to not entering the top 100 in a year or so. BaBe and Risa Tachibana were exceptions (and well, I dont think I have to tell you about Chisato). Onyanko soloists also had a bad time, shame because Akiko Ikuina and Kayo Agatsuma debuted at that time but they got buried down ^^". Personally, Akiko Ikuinas songs are my favourite among Onyanko Soloists

Also, on a side note, I saw that you updated Mikis picture! She looks so cute!! o(≧∇≦o)
If you want I have a good picture I found of Marumi Shiraishi, would you be interested in seeing it?

RetroPandaRetroPanda
   Thu, 16/11/2023 - 16:14

According to Wikipedia, the nickname was made by her agency, taken from the character "Yume" but I'm not sure how it works so I didn't write it. 😅

But I prefer "Kiku-chan". Only Watanabe Minayo calls her that, so it's similar to Nao Nao-Yoshi Yoshi situation, it's cute. And look at how cute the Minayo videos are, it's nice to see them still hang out together after decades. And that was in a newly opened Marriott hotel chain, so I assume they have a relatively good life. 😄

 

Idol winter period already set in. There's too many random idols popped up yet the market kept shrinking. But I think their mid levels were still better than early 1980s mid levels who could barely reach top 100.

Chisato stats in 1987-1988 we're actually quite low, she was a B-class for more than two years until her first 100k sales song: "17sai". If she had a smooth starts, her overall stats would already be in the same tier as Shi-chan / Miporin / Kyon². 

For ex Onyanko girls 🐾, the disbandment was already a blow, they still needed to compete among ex members. Even most popular members like Minayo, Marina, Yuuyu barely survived, let alone less popular members. For Ikuina, her sub-group trio suddenly became " Kudo Shizuka group" because the gaps between them and Shizuka, the other two only looked like her backup dancers. People already had enough of Onyanko, I doubt people wanted to watch more of Onyanko girls rather than newer idols (Shi-chan was anomaly but her quality was also anomaly compared to other Nyan Nyan girls). 

Agatsuma Kayo was actually extremely cute, but it showed that looks alone couldn't guarantee success. 

 

Lol. I finally found her picture with the right angle and the right size. Tachibana Risa and Matsumoto Noriko pics have also been changed. Finally Matsumoto Noriko looks like herself. 

Yes, the link please. 😆

 

Feedeeri☆Feedeeri☆    Thu, 16/11/2023 - 16:40

From Yume to Mu its quite something, but I guess there was a yuyu already on the market ^^"

Yea, it makes more sense and its cute that she called her by her real names nickname, its much more close then Yumeko or Muu-chan!

Thats not even talking about the 90's. I'm pretty sure that in 1994 or 1995 more than 100 idols debuted in a year (Found a site that compiled them), I'm actually surprised that labels and agencies didn't get the memo that idol's were not as appealing to the public as before

By sales I agree, but by music I can't decide wich I like more: the europop, fun music of the mid to late 80's or the classical feel of early 80's songs. By contrast, I don't really dip into 1970's songs too much. I've stopped at Hit-chan, Agnes Chan (my fave 1970's idol), Megumi and Pink Lady. Momoe is also good

There are so many ex nyan nyans that were supposed to go solo but then didn't. I think there are atleast 4/5. I wonder if audio recordings of those songs exist

The Risa pic looks so good! Noriko looks so cute in that picture ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა

Its this one! I already cropped the image, so if you like it then I'll add it straight away!

RetroPandaRetroPanda
   Thu, 16/11/2023 - 17:52

Maybe because it's weird to call her classmate by her stage name. In that video, Minayo even asked her what's her husband called her and she said "of course not Yumeko, that'll be so weird". 

But it also depends on the person, I think. Shoko still calls Sachiko as Sacchin after decades. 

 

That'd be crazy to have 100 idols debuted together, then each of them sold few thousands if not hundreds copies, then they retired together. lol. Before the video was deleted, I saw one where a lot of random early 1990s idols (mixed with Tomomi and Ikuina) appeared in Yamada Kuniko show. I bet none of them really had any impressive sales. 

 

By "better" I meant their stats, not their musicality / songs. 

I think some early 1980s idol songs don't sound that different from 1970s idols, especially their melancholic songs. Iwasaki Hiromi is good tho. 

 

Fu-kun's sister and other newer Onyanko members also didn't get any success. 

 

That looks great. If possible, please crop it in position and size that looks proportionate to other idol pics in Retro Idol page so they all fit together. 

 

Bonus: cute duet that seems just aired yesterday. It will be deleted by YouTube soon. 😅

 

Feedeeri☆Feedeeri☆    Thu, 16/11/2023 - 18:17

Yea, someone can prefer to call someone by their name instead of a nickname, but Sacchin is still a cute nickname! This also reminded me of how Shoko Aida might not be Shokos real name, impressive that, it it is a stage name, she has kept her true name private for all of this time

It really is, 100 singers of the same niche in the same year, and thats not counting the male idols ^^". The idol industry really was over-saturated (Heres the list if you want, the 90 to 92 are probably the closest you'll get to traditional idols. The site also has a lot of Yasuko Endo pics, some with Miporin too). 

I always forget to include poor Hiromi despite her singing abilities probably being the best among all 1970's idols, no one can match to her

True, but I wonder if they ever offered a solo contract to Fu-Kuns sister and she refused it. I mean, it'd be strange if they didn't try to

I've added it as a picture, tell me if you like it and if it need any adjustments and I will do accordingly!

They sound so good ♪(´▽｀). I also saw that they remembered ASL even if its probably been 30 years since they've last used it

RetroPandaRetroPanda
   Thu, 16/11/2023 - 20:26

There're so many of them. I only know Takahashi Yumiko!!, Lip'S and Yamadakatsutenai Wink (*didn't expect Yokoyama Chie solo debut song reached #2 in Oricon) .  Some others have funny description tho ("tone deaf idol who represents the '90s", "fired for bad behavior", "the impression was so weak, no one remember her", "the last beautiful girl born in 1960s", etc) 😅

 

Aida Shoko is just her stage name but she keeps her real name secret. Suzuki Sachiko uses her real name. 

 

But I find it strange that  most of 1970s idols had amazing voices when they're young but most of them showed significant decline when they're old (obvious example: Amachi Mari, Asaoka Megumi, even my favorite: Ota Hiromi) 

Meanwhile 1980s idols like Seiko, Akina, Kudo Shizuka, Yakushimaru Hiroko, even Harada Tomoyo only sound better the older they get. Imagine if Honda Minako is still alive. 

I wonder if Yamaguchi Momoe and Kawai Naoko, once very good singers, still sound good after decades of retirement. 

 

That looks great. I'll help to edit it a little later. 

 

I don't know about Nori-P, but Tomomi has real certification in sign language. And both of them played in that drama in 1995. So I guess they didn't just memorize the movements but really understand the meaning. 

 

Feedeeri☆Feedeeri☆    Thu, 16/11/2023 - 20:55

Yea, I only recognized a couple of names, but I recognized a very special idol... I was thinking of introducing her soon, so be on the look out for her! I think I'll introduce her in a couple weeks time, maybe 3 to 4 ^^. Let's just say that I think you might be interested in her because of her special nature  o(≧∇≦o)

I read that a couple of days ago, but seems like Chie kinda became a mid-upper level idol thanks to the group ^^". I still haven't checked out her song yet

But yea, the descriptions are what made me click on the idols, like in 1991/92: "vocals like Eri Nitta", "Sang a tourism song for North Korea (Yes, you read that right), "Office Lady version"

That actually leads me to a question, do idols who weren't classmates or met on shows call eachother by their real names or by their stage names?

This is just personal speculation, but most of them stopped singing for decades and probably didn't train/continued hoaning their skill. I feel like 1980's idols, for better or for worse, continued to sing occasionally from time to time in shows and in concerts. Even idols who, lets just say didn't debut with the best abilities, got better because they got experience from singing and releasing new songs

If Minako were still alive, there would be no doubt that she'd be amazing. I wonder if she could reach even higher notes and if she would done things like opening an official instagram account ect

I wonder if Momoe even still likes singing, but if she didn't continue singing for herself or train/hoan her skill, she potentially might have declined ^^". Naoko I didn't even realised had retired, I always thought she was still active

As soon as I saw it I knew I had to show it to you, that official poster was in great conditions and it wasn't folded up or torn, and Marumi looked great in that picture!

I'm glad that they took their role with care and Tomomi even decided to get a certification. The song incorporating the SL in it is also very good, its clear that care was put into it (๑>ᴗ

RetroPandaRetroPanda
   Thu, 16/11/2023 - 23:55

I'm looking forward to it then. ٩(^ᴗ^)

 

Can't find her stats but from what I read, Yokoyama Chie was a one hit wonder. After her debut song, her sales kept declining (+the parody duo disbanded), then she had a hiatus and went to college, then she became indie singer.

 

Poor Nitta Eri being made as standard for idol who can't sing. She was quite bad at singing, but I think she's not the worst, I've seen 2 or 3 random small idols worse than her. Here Nitta Eri actually sounds quite okay (by Onyanko standard). 

 

Actually I've observed the patterns of how retro idols call each other:

- Superior/subordinate at work: in Onyanko backstage video, I saw Akimoto Yasushi called Onyanko girls just by their family name: "Kokusho", "Takai", "Jounouchi"; meanwhile they should call him Akimoto sensei. I think I also saw some older male presenters called them that and acted like their "superior". 

- Not really friend, just colleagues / acquaintances / senpai-kouhai (senior/junior) relationship: Moriguchi Hiroko called Matsumoto Iyo as "Iyo-san". Asaka Yui called Saito Yuki as "Yuki-san".  Nishimura Tomomi called Oginome as "Yoko-san". Tomomi called Kokusho as "Sayuri-san" in Hawaii video. Akina called Seiko as "Seiko-san" meanwhile Seiko called Akina as "Akina-chan". 

- Friends, classmates : Hayami Yuu and Matsumoto Iyo calling each other "Iyo-chan" and "Yuu-chan". Akina and Kyon2 calling each other "Akina-chan" and "Kyoko-chan". This is the most commonly used among them. "Tomomi-chan", "Minayo-chan", "Yuki-chan", etc. 

- (Very(?)) close friends: Nanno called Sagara Haruko just "Haruko" (without "chan" or any honorific). Nanno and Honda Minako called each other "Yoko" and "Minako". Sacchin called Shoko just "Shoko". The seven "Class'83" might also calling each other just by name ("Yumi", "Akko", etc), I can't remember.

*Not sure how Shi-chan and Miporin called each other when they were still friends.

 

I think so, just like professional athletes who stop competing would get rusty in their skills. I forgot to include Aida Shoko as 1980s idol who get better with age. Her vocal started to improve in mid 1990s (ironically that was when Wink sales declined). This video from 2013 is probably her best vocal. Her single from 2013 also shows her vocal had matured significantly.

I'll be sad if current Momoe, and especially Kawai Naoko have been reduced into Nitta Eri level. ૮₍˶Ó﹏Ò ⑅₎ა

 

Yeah, it's rare to find ideal picture like that. 

 

It's always nice to see Nori-P and Tomomi performing together. 

 

Feedeeri☆Feedeeri☆    Fri, 17/11/2023 - 06:47

Thats sad, but atleast she got to experience what it was like being a top singer for a while (≧▽≦)

Yea, she kept singing and she got more experienced by her last single/album. And I've heard two idols who are really bad at singing, and one of them even got a top ten hit that sold 200,000+ copies (;ŏ﹏ŏ)

I Guess Akimoto would be kind of a superior at work for the nyan girls, while it makes sense for idols who dont really know eachother to just refer to one another with honorifics

I think they'd call eachother by different nicknames, but I can tell you for sure that Shi-chan wouldnt have liked being called by her onyanko days nickname (ꏿ﹏ꏿ;)

Most 1980s idols that had week vocals or not so good singing abilities eventually got better

Shoko sounds wonderful, I wish Wink would re-unite more often

For Momoe, I think that it might sadly be the case. She has never done another concert or even appeared live, so I dont think her singing is the same as it once was. Naoko I'm not sure (I didnt even know that she had retired ^^"")

Some idols do get into music related job After they retire, like: Yuri Satō (became a singing coach iirc) and Yuki Ōi (we talked about her when we talked about 1960s idols and kamen rider idols. Theres a picture of a woman who looks very similar to her that teaches music, she even graduated from a uni for music!)

True! (≧▽≦)

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