Robinson – Spitz | 1995 – Words in Japanese Song

ロビンソン [Robinson]
スピッツ [Supittsu]
Words & Music : 草野マサムネ [KUSANO Masamune]

Spitz is a popular four-member band representing the 1990s. The person responsible for writing both lyrics and music is the vocalist, Masamune Kusano. In their amateur days, they performed as a punk band, and the name “Spitz” was chosen because it fit the concept of the Japanese Spitz dog ^wiki: “small but loud.”

“Robinson” is their 11th single, released in 1995, and it holds the record as their best-selling hit song. It’s said that the song’s provisional title, inspired by the impressive Robinson Department Store during a trip to Thailand, was adopted as the final name.

新しい季節はなぜかせつない日々で
atarashii kisetsu wa naze ka setsunai hibi de
河原の道を自転車で走る君を追いかけた
kawara no michi o jitensha de hashiru kimi o oikaketa

新しい（あたらしい） [atarashii] : new
季節（きせつ） [kisetsu] : season
なぜか　[naze ka] : for some reason
切ない（せつない） [setsunai] : bittersweet
日々（ひび） [hibi] : days
河原（かわら） [kawara] : riverbank
道（みち） [michi] : path
自転車（じてんしゃ） [jitensha] : bicycle
走る（はしる） [hashiru] : run, ride
君（きみ） [kimi] : you
追いかける（おいかける） [oikakeru] : chase

(translation) “A new season brought somehow bittersweet days,
and I chased after you, riding your bike along the riverbank path.”

思い出のレコードと大げさなエピソードを
omoide no rekōdo to ōgesa na episōdo o
疲れた肩にぶらさげてしかめつらまぶしそうに
tsukareta kata ni burasagete shikametsura mabushisō ni

思い出（おもいで） [omoide] : memory
レコード（れこーど） [rekōdo] : record
大袈裟（おおげさ） [ōgesa] : exaggerated
エピソード（えぴそーど） [episōdo] : episode
疲れる（つかれる） [tsukareru] : tired
肩（かた） [kata] : shoulder
ぶら下げる（ぶらさげる） [burasageru] : dangle
しかめつら　[shikametsura] : frown
まぶしい　[mabushii] : dazzling

(translation) “With a memory-laden record and an exaggerated episode,
you dangled them over your tired shoulders, frowning, dazzled by the light.”

同じセリフ同じ時思わず口にするような
onaji serifu onaji toki omowazu kuchi ni suru yō na
ありふれたこの魔法でつくり上げたよ
arifureta kono mahō de tsukuri ageta yo

同じ（おなじ） [onaji] : same
セリフ（せりふ） [serifu] : line
時（とき） [toki] : time
思わず（おもわず） [omowazu] : unintentionally
口にする（くちにする） [kuchi ni suru] : say
ありふれた　[arifureta] : ordinary
この　[kono] : this
魔法（まほう） [mahō] : magic
作る（つくる） [tsukuru] : create

(translation) “The same lines, the same moments, spoken unintentionally,
crafted with this ordinary magic.”

誰も触われない二人だけの国君の手を離さぬように
dare mo sawarenai futari dake no kuni kimi no te o hanasanu yō ni
大きな力で空に浮かべたらルララ宇宙の風に乗る
ōkina chikara de sora ni ukabetara rurara uchū no kaze ni noru

誰も（だれも） [dare mo] : no one
触る（さわる） [sawaru] : touch
二人（ふたり） [futari] : two people
国（くに） [kuni] : country
手（て） [te] : hand
離す（はなす） [hanasu] : let go
大きい（おおきい） [ōkii] : big
力（ちから） [chikara] : power
空（そら） [sora] : sky
浮かぶ（うかぶ） [ukabu] : float
宇宙（うちゅう） [uchū] : universe
風（かぜ） [kaze] : wind
乗る（のる） [noru] : ride

(translation) “In a country just for the two of us where no one can touch, I won’t let go of your hand.
With great power, we’ll float into the sky, riding the wind of the universe, lulala.”

“ルララ / rurara” is thought to be something like humming. However, some people think it might hold a deeper meaning.

片隅に捨てられて呼吸をやめない猫も
katasumi ni suterarete kokyū o yamenai neko mo
どこか似ている抱き上げて無理やりに頬よせるよ
dokoka nite iru dakiagete muriyari ni hoho yoseru yo

片隅（かたすみ） [katasumi] : corner
捨てる（すてる） [suteru] : throw away
呼吸（こきゅう） [kokyū] : breath
やめる（やめる） [yameru] : stop
猫（ねこ） [neko] : cat
どこか　[dokoka] : somewhere
似ている（にている） [nite iru] : resemble
抱き上げる（だきあげる） [dakiageru] : pick up
無理やり（むりやり） [muriyari] : forcibly
頬（ほお・ほほ） [hō / hoho] : cheek
寄せる（よせる） [yoseru] : press

(translation) “Even the cat discarded in the corner, not stopping its breath,
resembles something (about us). I pick it up, pressing my cheek against it forcibly.”

いつもの交差点で見上げた丸い窓は
itsumo no kōsaten de miageta marui mado wa
うす汚れてるぎりぎりの三日月も僕を見てた
usu yogoreteru girigiri no mikazuki mo boku o miteta

いつもの　[itsumo no] : usual
交差点（こうさてん） [kōsaten] : intersection
見上げる（みあげる） [miageru] : look up
丸い（まるい） [marui] : round
窓（まど） [mado] : window
うす汚れている（うすよごれている） [usu yogorete iru] : slightly dirty
ぎりぎり　[girigiri] : barely
三日月（みかづき） [mikazuki] : crescent moon
僕（ぼく） [boku] : I
見る（みる） [miru] : see

(translation) “At the usual intersection, the round window I looked up at
was slightly dirty, and even the barely-there crescent moon was watching me.”

待ちぶせた夢のほとり驚いた君の瞳
machibuseta yume no hotori odoraita kimi no hitomi
そして僕ら今ここで生まれ変わるよ
soshite bokura ima koko de umarekawaru yo

待ち伏せる（まちぶせる） [machibuseru] : lie in wait
夢（ゆめ） [yume] : dream
ほとり　[hotori] : edge
驚く（おどろく） [odoroku] : surprise
瞳（ひとみ） [hitomi] : eyes
そして　[soshite] : and
僕ら（ぼくら） [bokura] : we
今（いま） [ima] : now
ここ　[koko] : here
生まれ変わる（うまれかわる） [umarekawaru] : be reborn

(translation) “At the edge of a dream where we lay in wait, your surprised eyes met mine,
and here and now, we are reborn.”

誰も触われない二人だけの国終わらない歌ばらまいて
dare mo sawarenai futari dake no kuni owaranai uta baramaite
大きな力で空に浮かべたらルララ宇宙の風に乗る
ōkina chikara de sora ni ukabetara rurara uchū no kaze ni noru

終わる（おわる） [owaru] : end
歌（うた） [uta] : song
ばらまく　[baramaku] : scatter

(translation) “In a country just for the two of us where no one can touch, scattering an endless song,
we’ll float into the sky with great power, riding the wind of the universe, lulala.”

大きな力で空に浮かべたらルララ宇宙の風に乗る
ōkina chikara de sora ni ukabetara rurara uchū no kaze ni noru
ルララ宇宙の風に乗る
rurara uchū no kaze ni noru

My impression of Spitz’s lyrics is that many lines have an appealing charm that gently draws you in. There are some ordinary words, but not too many for their time. Overall, I don’t think there are particularly deep meanings. However, there is an atmosphere of something hidden, and many Spitz fans seem to enjoy analyzing such nuances.

The 1990s marked the beginning of the term “J-pop.” It was a time when Japanese music was created relatively independently, without much influence from the U.S. It was also the peak of CD sales, and when it comes to singles, it seemed that many hit songs followed a similar formula. So, I’d recommend music lovers give the other tracks on albums a listen as well. The album Hachimitsu, which includes Robinson, is a masterpiece.