Kyu Sakamoto

Kyu Sakamoto "坂本九" (real name "Hisasi Osima") was a singer and actor, born on December 10, 1941 in Kanagawa, Japan.

Musical career

Sakamoto's song "Sukiyaki" became the first Japanese song in the United States to sell a million copies and reached No.1 on a music chart on June 15, 1963.[1] Its original (Japanese) title is "上を向いて歩こう" which means "I look up as I walk".

Death

On August 12, 1985, Sakamoto is one of 509 passengers on Japan Air Lines Flight 123 aboard from Kanagawa crashed into the Mount Takamagahara in Gunma Prefecture caused by in-flight structural failure due to improper maintenance leading to explosive decompression. He, along with 519 others were killed, including all 15 crew member on board and leaving 4 female passengers survived with their serious injuries. He is survived by his wife and their two daughters.[2]

His hit songs

His major hit songs were as follows.[3]

  • 何もいらない俺だけど (1959)
  • 悲しき六十才 (1960)
  • ステキなタイミング (Good Timi`n) (1960)
  • 月夜に歩けば (Walkin' in The Moonlight) (1961)
  • カレンダーガール (Calendar Girl) (1961)
  • 見上げてごらん夜の星を (1963)
  • 上を向いて歩こう (Sukiyaki) (1963)
  • 幸せなら手をたたこう (1964)
  • 涙くんさよなら (1965)[4]

Notes

  1. ↑ "今から50年前、全米を制したのは日本の音楽だった。 | Special". Billboard JAPAN (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  2. ↑ "特集：日航ジャンボ機墜落事故". www.jijiphoto.jp. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  3. ↑ "Single Record". Sakamoto Kyu Officiai Web-site (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  4. ↑ words and music by Kuranosuke Hamaguchi.
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