Tokyo Tower: Chapter 7
Tokyo Tower ~Me & My Radio, & sometimes My Mom~
(A semi-autobiography by Fukuyama Masaharu)
TV Drama “Hitotsu Yane no Shita” (「ひとつ屋根の下」Under the Same Roof) - 37.8% maximum viewership
CM songs signed up - 5 compositions within the year *
CMs involved as an actor - 5 CMs within the year
12.31 - Appearance in NHK’s annual “Kohaku Utagassen” (「紅白歌合戦」Red & White Song Contest)
1993 - not a day passes without seeing his smile on TV.
Since arriving in Tokyo in the summer of 1987, it had been 6 years.
Now having achieved nation-wide popularity, this was the 24-year-old Fukuyama Masaharu.
And this is the remarkable story of the 18-year old who set out from his hometown Nagasaki to become crowned as “Radio’s National Treasure” in Tokyo 20 years later.
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Two years after my debut, as a singer and as a host of the All Night Nippon radio show, on my way to becoming “Radio’s National Treasure”, I felt undeniably that some things had begun to change. At the same time, “Good Night”, the second theme song from the drama series “Ai wa Dou da” (「愛はどうだ」), became my first hit. And it was also the first time I experienced how to “open up my heart to convey my thoughts”.
When I was out on the streets, people would start calling me “Chiinii-chan” (「チィ兄ちゃん」 little older brother). As I had thought, I couldn’t go on the streets any more. What was incredible was, I couldn’t really remember the things that happened at that time. Within the same day, I would be recording songs, shooting a drama and hosting a radio show. In the weekends, I’d perform at the various local school or campus festivals. Especially in the autumn of 1992, I had a ’suicidal schedule’, which I still find unbelievable even now. Perhaps the agency managers were overjoyed to have been able to fill up the empty schedules of this “arrogant, conceited and filthy-minded idiot”. But the most important thing for me, outside of work, was to be able to sleep anytime anywhere.
The Band, the Studio, the Live House……this was my notion of the utopia in Tokyo. The “TV Drama Series” was a totally different ball game from the work I had originally wanted to do. So the popularity that I got from TV drama was, I felt at best short-lived and momentary.
Causing a commotion in the streets; endless screaming; being chosen as “The man I want to be embraced by most”……Rather than using these ways to assess my popularity, perhaps what I truly wanted were real actual numbers for a measure, like CD sales. I looked at the “image” of myself on the TV through sane and detached eyes, that “false image” of myself as a nation-wide popular artist, and I was more sane and detached than anyone else around me, had realized.
Marcy’s Song Marcy’s Song
作詞・作曲：福山雅治 Music/Lyrics by Fukuyama Masaharu
すべてウワサで固めた Marcy Everything was decided by the gossip, Marcy
夢は狂気に変わった Marcy The dream had changed into madness, Marcy
クールな仮面をかぶった Marcy (You) don a mask of coolness, Marcy
虚像を強制されたMarcy With the false image forced on, Marcy
メディアの力は おまえの人生を The power of the media…
バクテリアのように喰いつくす Like bacteria consuming your life
愛と自由と真実を探しても As you search for love and freedom and truth
今日の快楽やめられない The happiness of today could not be stopped
何処に隠れてるんだ Marcy Where can you hide to, Marcy
いつもの箱の中だろ Marcy In your usual box, Marcy
何処に逃げ込んだんだ Marcy Where can you run to, Marcy
虚像の電子マジック Marcy’s Song In the pretense of the electronic magic, Marcy’s Song
そんなに怯えてないで Marcy Don’t be so afraid, Marcy
そんなに震えてないで Marcy Don’t tremble so much, Marcy
そんなに疲れてないで Marcy Don’t feel so tired, Marcy
みんな楽しんでるぜ Marcy Everyone is enjoying themselves, Marcy
誰も止められないぜ Marcy No-one can stop it now, Marcy
死ぬまで目が覚めないぜ Marcy We’d rather die than wake up, Marcy
きっと躁鬱状態 Marcy You must be manically depressed, Marcy
やがて人間不信 Marcy Soon, you’ll stop believing in people, Marcy
いつか記憶喪失 Marcy Without realizing, you won’t remember anymore, Marcy
これはお前のことさ Marcy’s Song This is about you, Marcy’s song.
~ End of Chapter 7 ~
* LOTTE - “Melody”, MBS 「テレビのツボ」Opening Theme - “Baby Baby”,
Panasonic - “All My Loving” and “Koibito” (「戀人」Lover)
Daido New Blend Coffee (ダイドーブレンドコーヒー) - It’s Only Love
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Tokyo Tower Series
Chapter 1 (I / II) ………. Chapter 4 (I / II) ………. Childhood Chapter
Chapter 2 (I / II) ………. Chapter 5 / 6 / 7 ………..Mother’s Day Chapter
Chapter 3 (I / II) ………. Final Chapter (I / II)
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Translated from Fukuyama Honne (Article 524)
Original posted on ANN TamaRadi blog 2007.04.18 written by Fukuyama Masaharu
Lyrics of the song translated from Sunnydolphin’s blog here
This English translation was first posted on MashaPlus [dot] Info Forums. (Registration required to enter.)