Back in my early teens, one of my favourite songs was Sukiyaki which was sung by The Blue Diamonds. Until to day, I still love the song and recently I found the original Sukiyaki song which is a Japanese song. It brought all the memory of my younger years when this song was so popular.

If people talk about Sukiyaki, it can mean two things. It is either the food or the song.

The Song:
In 1961, a Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto released a single that in the future became the world sensation. It was a love song called "Ue O Muite Aruko" which literally means “I Look Up When I Walk”. It is a sad song about a man who lost his love.

This is the song translation in English:

I look up when I walk, so the tears won’t fall
Remembering those happy spring days, but tonight I’m alone

I look up when I walk, counting the stars with tearful eyes
Remembering those happy summer days, but tonight I’m alone

Happiness lies above the cloud, happiness lies above the sky
I look up when I walk, so the tears won’t fall

My heart is filled with sorrow, for tonight I’m all alone
Remembering those happy autumn days, but tonight I’m all alone

Sadness hides in the shadow of the stars
Sadness lurks in the shadow of the moon

I look up when I walk, so tears won’t fall
My heart is filled with sorrow, for tonight I’m all alone

Kyu Sakamoto's original Sukiyaki: Ue O Muite Aruko



In 1963, about two years after becoming a hit in Japan, Ue o muite aruko started to hit popularity in Europe and US.
From Wikipedia, it is written that in 1963, the British record label Pye Records released a cover version of the song by Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen. They were concerned that English-speaking audiences might find the original title too difficult to remember/pronounce, so they gave it the new title of "Sukiyaki'". This title was retained when Capitol Records in the United States, and His Master's Voice in the UK, released Kyu Sakamoto's original version a few months later.

Later on after the song was becoming a big hit in Europe and US, many singers and bands made their own version of the song. One was sung by an Indonesian-Dutch Duet called The Blue Diamonds. Then in 1981, a Sukiyaki cover by A Taste of Honey reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart (Adult Contemporary and R&B number one), while a 1995 version by 4 P.M. reached number eight in 1995. Sukiyaki was also sung in many different languages.

Sukiyaki by The Blue Diamonds:

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The Food:
It is known that Sukiyaki actually is a name of a Japanese popular dish. It is some type of one pot meal. The main ingredient is thin sliced meat, mainly beef, and it is simmered in a skillet or a pan using sukiyaki sauce. Then various of vegetables can be added along with noodles and slices of tofu.

This is how you cook Sukiyaki:



It is very nice to cook Sukiyaki in a cold wintry night, surrounded by family and friends or just with the company of some one very special, in the comfort of your warm and cosy home..... while from the back ground you hear the wonderful song is playing.