Plastic Love – Mariya Takeuchi | 1984

プラスティック・ラブ [Purasutikku Rabu]
竹内まりや [Takeuchi Mariya]
Words & Music : 竹内まりや [Takeuchi Mariya]

“Plastic Love” is originally a track from the 1984 album “Variety”. The song was written and composed by Mariya Takeuchi, and produced with the arrangement of her husband, Tatsuro Yamashita. The sophisticated, Western-style arrangement is believed to reflect Yamashita’s tastes.

In the late 2010s, a wave of reevaluation of 1980s Japanese sophisticated pop and funk, now referred to as “City Pop,” began overseas, leading to numerous remixes and re-edits being uploaded to the internet.
Among them, an unofficial upload of “Plastic Love” on YouTube in 2017 has recorded over 24 million views. “Plastic Love” became a staple in the genre of “Future Funk,” being widely featured in overseas media and becoming famous among music enthusiasts.

突然のキスや熱いまなざしで
totsuzen no kisu ya atsui manazashi de
恋のプログラムを狂わせないでね
koi no puroguramu o kuruwasenai de ne

突然 [totsuzen] : suddenly
キス [kisu] : kiss
熱い [atsui] : hot
まなざし [manazashi] : gaze
恋 [koi] : love
プログラム [puroguramu] : program
狂わせる [kuruwaseru] : disrupt

(translation) “Don’t disrupt the love program with a sudden kiss or a hot gaze.”

What does “love program” mean?

出逢いと別れ上手に打ち込んで
dea to wakare jōzu ni uchikonde
時間がくれば終わる Don’t hurry!
jikan ga kureba owaru Don’t hurry!

出会い（であい） [deai] : encounter
別れ（わかれ） [wakare] : farewell
上手な（じょうずな） [jōzu na] : skillful
打ち込む（うちこむ） [uchikomu] : input
時間（じかん） [jikan] : time
くる（くる） [kuru] : come
終わる（おわる） [owaru] : end

(translation) “Skillfully input encounters and farewells,
and when the time comes, it will end. Don’t hurry!”

The phrase “when the time comes, it will end” is spoken as if it’s office work. Love is being treated as if it’s a job. “Program” and “input” are being used as office work terms.

愛に傷ついたあの日からずっと
ai ni kizutsuita ano hi kara zutto
昼と夜が逆の暮らしを続けて
hiru to yoru ga gyaku no kurashi o tsudzukete

愛（あい） [ai] : love
傷つく（きずつく） [kizutsuku] : hurt
あの [ano] : that
日（ひ） [hi] : day
ずっと [zutto] : all the time
昼（ひる） [hiru] : day
夜（よる） [yoru] : night
逆（ぎゃく） [gyaku] : reverse
暮らし（くらし） [kurashi] : living
続ける（つづける） [tsudzukeru] : continue

(translation) “Ever since that day when I was hurt by love,
I’ve been living with day and night reversed.”

はやりのDiscoで踊り明かすうちに
hayari no Disco de odori akasu uchi ni
おぼえた魔術なのよ I’m sorry!
oboeta majutsu na no yo I’m sorry!

はやりの [hayari no] : trendy
ディスコ [Disco] : disco
踊る（おどる） [odoru] : dance
明かす（あかす） [akasu] : stay up
覚える（おぼえる） [oboeru] : learn
魔術（まじゅつ） [majutsu] : magic

(translation) “While dancing all night at the trendy disco,
I learned this magic. I’m sorry!”

Disco refers to what we now call a nightclub. It’s a term reflecting the popularity of the 1970s and 1980s.
“明かす / akasu” implies staying up all night and reaching the morning as a result of dancing.

The subject is omitted in this sentence, so it’s unclear what the magic is exactly, but perhaps it means that becoming able to treat love as if it were a job is like being a magician?

私のことを決して本気で愛さないで
watashi no koto o kesshite honki de aisanai de
恋なんてただのゲーム楽しめばそれでいいの
koi nante tada no gēmu tanoshimeba sore de ī no
閉ざした心を飾る派手なドレスも靴も孤独な友だち
tozashita kokoro o kazaru hade na doresu mo kutsu mo kodoku na tomodachi

私（わたし） [watashi] : I
決して…ない（けっして…ない） [kesshite…nai] : never
愛する（あいする） [aisuru] : love
恋（こい） [koi] : love
ただの [tada no] : just
ゲーム [gēmu] : game
楽しむ（たのしむ） [tanoshimu] : enjoy
いい [ī] : good
閉ざす（とざす） [tozasu] : close
心（こころ） [kokoro] : heart
飾る（かざる） [kazaru] : decorate
派手（はで） [hade] : flashy
ドレス [doresu] : dress
靴（くつ） [kutsu] : shoes
孤独（こどく） [kodoku] : loneliness
友達（ともだち） [tomodachi] : friend

(translation) “Never love me seriously.
Love is just a game; it’s fine as long as you enjoy it.
The flashy dresses and shoes that decorate my closed heart are lonely friends.”

私を誘う人は皮肉なものねいつも彼に似てるわ
watashi o sasou hito wa hiniku na mono ne itsumo kare ni niteru wa
なぜか思い出と重なり合う
nazeka omoide to kasanari au
グラスを落として急に涙ぐんでもわけは尋ねないでね
gurasu o otoshite kyū ni namidagunde mo wake wa tazunenaide ne

誘う（さそう） [sasou] : invite
人（ひと） [hito] : person
皮肉（ひにく） [hiniku] : irony
いつも [itsumo] : always
彼（かれ） [kare] : he
似ている（にている） [niteiru] : resemble
なぜか [nazeka] : somehow
思い出（おもいで） [omoide] : memory
重なる（かさなる） [kasanaru] : overlap
グラス [gurasu] : glass
落とす（おとす） [otosu] : drop
急に（きゅうに） [kyū ni] : suddenly
涙ぐむ（なみだぐむ） [namidagumu] : become teary
わけ [wake] : reason
たずねる [tazuneru] : ask

(translation) “The person who invites me is always ironic, always resembling him.
Somehow, it overlaps with memories.
Even if I suddenly become teary and drop a glass, please don’t ask the reason.”

夜更けの高速で眠りにつくころ
yofuke no kōsoku de nemuri ni tsuku koro
ハロゲンライトだけ妖しく輝く
harogen raito dake ayashiku kagayaku

夜更け（よふけ） [yofuke] : late night
高速道路（こうそくどうろ） [kōsokudōro] : highway
眠る（ねむる） [nemuru] : sleep
ころ [koro] : around
ハロゲンライト [harogen raito] : halogen light
輝く（かがやく） [kagayaku] : shine

(translation) “Around the time I fall asleep on the highway late at night, only the halogen lights shine eerily.”

“高速” (kōsoku) is an abbreviation for “高速道路” (kōsokudōro) (=highway).

氷のように冷たい女だと
kōri no yō ni tsumetai onna da to
ささやく声がしても Don’t worry!
sasayaku koe ga shite mo Don’t worry!

氷（こおり） [kōri] : ice
ように [yō ni] : like
冷たい（つめたい） [tsumetai] : cold
女（おんな） [onna] : woman
囁く（ささやく） [sasayaku] : whisper
声（こえ） [koe] : voice

(translation) “Even if a whispering voice says I’m a cold woman like ice, don’t worry!”

The part “Don’t worry” feels more fitting as “I don’t worry.”
Since this is the first article, let me state that focusing too much on small details won’t help us progress (a reminder to myself as well).

I’m just playing games I know that’s plastic love
Dance to the plastic beat Another morning comes
I’m just playing games I know that’s plastic love
Dance to the plastic beat Another morning comes

The lyrics depict a city woman enjoying free love while sometimes feeling lonely. Regarding the lyrics,
it’s a bit unusual that the English interjections come in sporadically. Usually, English lyrics are inserted at the beginning of the chorus. It can be said that it was uniquely made to sound like Western music.
Musically, I think it’s really cool. A bit old-fashioned, but really cool, is probably the impression people have nowadays.