Memorial Best

坂本九 (Kyu Sakamoto's) most popular song, 上を向いて歩こう (Ue o muite arukō / I look up when I walk) was popular in Japan and the United States. Released by Capitol Records in the US as Sukiyaki (Capitol 4945), it topped the Billboard pop charts in the United States for three weeks in 1963 -- to date the first and only song sung entirely in Japanese to do so. The lyrics were written by Rokusuke Ei and the melody was composed by Hachidai Nakamura. Read more on Last.fm.

Kyu Sakamoto, born Hisashi Oshima - December 10, 1941 - August 12, 1985 - was a popular Japanese singer and actor. He was born in Kawasaki, Kanagawa prefecture as the youngest among 9 siblings and his parents; Hiroshi Sakamoto and Iku Sakamoto. His most popular song, Ue o muite aruko (Looking up while walking) known as Sukiyaki in the US, was a hit in Japan and topped the Billboard pop charts in the United States in 1963 -- the first to ever hit the charts in full Japanese until Idol by YOASOBI in 2023. In 1985, Sakamoto was killed in the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123. Before the doomed aircraft hit the ground, he managed to write a farewell note to his wife Yukiko Kashiwagi. Married in 1971, they had two daughters, Hanako and Maiko. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.