Lost in Translation? Luka vs. Ruka

(Suzanne Vega – Original Artist)


(浅香唯 - Asaka Yui – Cover Artist)

I’m not entirely sold on this “J-pop” version of “Luka.” Perhaps Yui’s manager was fascinated more with the melody. I’m guilty of falling for the melodies of some Japanese pop songs now and then; I learn the lyrics without translating them first, only to be totally embarrassed to discover just how immature or wrong I was about the songs’ meanings. (Back in the 1980’s, Bruce Springsteen toured around the world and people sung along to “Born in the USA,” some people not even knowing what they were saying. They just liked the song.)

Also, I had this vision of Japanese kids dancing to this cover tune. Even though the lyrics were translated into Japanese, I wonder if they truly understood that this song was about child abuse. Dancing to this song, to me, would be like celebrating each time a child got beaten. Not the right thing to do. (Which begs the question: Why was Suzanne’s lead guitarist so spastically energetic during his solos?) I counted Yui smile twice during her performance and she appeared to bob her head a few times, as if rocking to a groove. The swaying near the end didn’t fit either.

Lastly, I was really disappointed in the quality of the musical arrangement and staging. It’s obvious that Yui lip-synched for TV, and the “musicians” behind her were just props. I’m not sure which brand of mic was on stage, but an attempt was made to copy Suzanne’s use of the Shure SM58. Suzanne performed in close proximity to the mic capsule, since it is omni-directional. If she stood back, her voice would be drowned out by other instruments. The net effect is: Both Suzanne and Yui hid their mouths behind the mic. Yui didn’t have to because she doesn’t play guitar like Suzanne. So to me, it appeared as if Yui was directed to “copy” Suzanne’s stage style. Speaking of style, what was the kogal outfit underneath the A-Ha “Take on Me” video trench coat all about, eh? Sure it’s 80’s J-pop, but see how conservative Suzanne appeared at the same time?

Yui was a child star TV actress then moved on to recording music when her acting career subsided. After a string of hit songs, she took time off from performing for awhile, but staged a comeback. Her outfit in the video could have been used to portray a connection to the youth culture of the time. I found a TV news interview of her shot ten years after this video. More mature, she now dresses main stream. If only she had a voice like Natsukawa Rimi…