Kyu Sakamoto Memorial Best

"Ue o muite arukō" (上を向いて歩こう "(I) shall walk looking up") is a Japanese song that was performed by Japanese crooner Kyu Sakamoto (坂本九), and written by Rokusuke Ei and Hachidai Nakamura. It is best known under its alternative title "Sukiyaki" in English-speaking parts of the world. The song reached the top of the sales charts in the United States in 1963, and was the only Japanese language song to do so. In total it sold over 13 million copies internationally. 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.