負けないで [Makenaide]
ZARD [Zard]
Words : 坂井泉水 [SAKAI Izumi]
Music : 織田哲郎 [ODA Tetsurō]
Zard is a music group centered around Izumi Sakai. Due to Sakai’s stage fright and the strategic decision of their management agency, they rarely appeared in the media, maintaining an air of mystery while consistently producing hit songs.
The agency “Being”, to which Zard belongs, dominated the J-pop scene in the 1990s, with artists like Wands, Maki Ohguro, and Deen monopolizing the charts. Tetsuro Oda composed many of their songs. The B.B.Queens, who previously introduced the hit song “Odoru Pompokorin,” are also part of Being, and Izumi Sakai’s participation in the chorus auditions for B.B.Queens was her entry into the music world.
In recent days, as part of the Olympics-themed project, I have been introducing songs frequently used on TV in Japan as support songs for sports. “Makenaide” is used in many sports-related events, such as marathons, high school baseball, and Olympics-themed TV commercials. It is also Zard’s biggest hit song.
ふとした瞬間に視線がぶつかる
futo shita shunkan ni shisen ga butsukaru
幸福のときめき覚えているでしょ
shiawase no tokimeki oboete iru desho
- ふと [futo] : suddenly
- 瞬間（しゅんかん） [shunkan] : moment
- 視線（しせん） [shisen] : gaze
- ぶつかる（ぶつかる） [butsukaru] : collide
- 幸せ（しあわせ） [shiawase] : happiness
- ときめき（ときめき） [tokimeki] : thrill
- 覚えている（おぼえている） [oboete iru] : remember
(translation) “In a sudden moment, our gazes meet.
You remember the thrill of happiness, don’t you?”
パステルカラーの季節に恋した
pasuterukarā no kisetsu ni koishita
あの日のように輝いてる
ano hi no yō ni kagayaiteru
あなたでいてね
anata de ite ne
- パステルカラー [pasuterukarā] : pastel color
- 季節（きせつ） [kisetsu] : season
- 恋する（こいする） [koisuru] : fall in love
- あの [ano] : that
- 日（ひ） [hi] : day
- ように [yō ni] : like
- 輝く（かがやく） [kagayaku] : shine
- あなた [anata] : you
- いる [iru] : be
(translation) “I fell in love during the pastel-colored season.
Shine like you did that day.”
負けないでもう少し
makenai de mō sukoshi
最後まで走り抜けて
saigo made hashirinukete
- 負ける（まける） [makeru] : lose
- もう [mō] : more
- 少し（すこし） [sukoshi] : little
- 最後（さいご） [saigo] : end
- 走り抜ける（はしりぬける） [hashirinukeru] : run through
(translation) “Don’t give up, just a little more.
Run through to the end.”
“負けないで / makenaide” (=Don’t lose) is different from “win”; it means “don’t give up, keep challenging.”
Another topic, “頑張れ / ganbare” is a word quite frequently used in conversations but difficult to translate into English. It tends to be translated as “work hard” or “make an effort,” which might be perceived as a reflection of the diligent and work-centric nature of Japanese people from a Western perspective, but that’s not accurate. Both “頑張れ / ganbare” and “負けないで / makenaide” are primarily expressions of encouragement. Telling someone who is already making great efforts to “make an effort” is strange, right? It’s a simple cheer that can be used casually. Therefore, if someone says that this word reflects the strong sense of empathy typical of Japanese people, that might be true.
どんなに離れてても
donna ni hanarete temo
心はそばにいるわ
kokoro wa soba ni iru wa
追いかけて遥かな夢を
oikakete haruka na yume o
- どんなに [donna ni] : no matter how
- 離れている（はなれている） [hanarete iru] : be apart
- 心（こころ） [kokoro] : heart
- そば [soba] : nearby
- 追いかける（おいかける） [oikakeru] : chase
- 遥かな（はるかな） [haruka na] : distant
- 夢（ゆめ） [yume] : dream
(translation) “No matter how far apart we are,
my heart is with you.
Chase your distant dreams.”
We want to convey to the athletes in Paris that, “We are far away, but our hearts are with you.”
何が起きたってヘッチャラな顔して
nani ga okitattte hecchara na kao shite
どうにかなるサとおどけてみせる の
dō ni ka naru sa to odokete miseru no
- 起きる（おきる） [okiru] : happen
- へっちゃら [hecchara] : nonchalant
- 顔（かお） [kao] : face
- どうにかなる [dō ni ka naru] : it’ll be alright
- おどける（おどける） [odokeru] : joke around
(translation) “No matter what happens,
you show a nonchalant face and joke that it will be alright.”
Regarding “hecchara,” please also see “Cha-La Head-Cha-La.”
今宵は私と一緒に踊りましょ
koyoi wa watashi to issho ni odorimasho
今もそんなあなたが好きよ
ima mo sonna anata ga suki yo
忘れないで
wasurenaide
- 今宵（こよい） [koyoi] : tonight
- 私（わたし） [watashi] : I
- 一緒（いっしょ） [issho] : together
- 踊る（おどる） [odoru] : dance
- 今（いま） [ima] : now
- そんな [sonna] : such
- あなた [anata] : you
- 好き（すき） [suki] : love
(translation) “Let’s dance together tonight. I still love you like that. Don’t forget.”
Here’s a little grammar talk. Feel free to skip if you’re not interested.
“あなたでいて / Anata de ite”, “負けないで / Makenaide”, “走り抜けて / Hashirinukete”, “忘れないで / Wasurenaide”, all of these are imperative forms. The verb is in its conjunctive form rather than imperative, but if you consider that “ください / kudasai” is omitted at the end, it makes sense.
負けないでほらそこに
makenai de hora soko ni
ゴールは近づいてる
gōru wa chikadzuite iru
どんなに離れてても
donna ni hanarete temo
心はそばにいるわ
kokoro wa soba ni iru wa
感じてね見つめる瞳
kanjite ne mitsumeru hitomi
- ほら [hora] : “Look!”
- そこに [soko ni] : there
- ゴール [gōru] : goal
- 近づく（ちかづく） [chikadzu] : approach
- 感じる（かんじる） [kanjiru] : feel
- 見つめる（みつめる） [mitsumeru] : gaze
- 瞳（ひとみ） [hitomi] : eyes
(translation) “Don’t give up, look,
it’s there. The goal is getting closer.
No matter how far apart
we are, my heart is with you.
Feel it in my gaze.”
The lyrics are straightforward, the choice of words is natural, and it feels good. Instead of inducing tears, the upbeat melody energizes you, which is probably why this song has been loved for so long.
Izumi Sakai lived a life battling severe illness from 2000 onwards. After repeated hospitalizations, she tragically passed away in 2007 due to a fall at the hospital. Many fans were engulfed in sadness by this news, and 40,100 people attended the public memorial service. There were also memorial concerts and large-scale TV programs commemorating her.
Since this is a support song special, I want to take this song as a cheer from Sakai. Though Izumi Sakai has gone far away, her music remains close to us.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment if you have any feedback or questions.
Follow me on X.
