Team A - "Nagekiss de uchiotose!"

Here comes Queen Acchan! This fun, uptempo unit also has Tomochin and Miichan who went on to become frontgirls in their own right.
Also, in NMB's version my (probably) favourite NMB member, Milky aka Watanabe Miyuki, takes the centre position, and another favourite, Riichan aka Kondo Rina, has Tomochin's position. ♥

"Nagekiss de uchiotose!" (Shoot me down with a blown kiss!)
(from Team A 3rd stage "Dareka no tame ni")
Maeda Atsuko, Minegishi Minami, Itano Tomomi, Masuyama Kayano, Hirajima Natsumi, Narita Risa

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Okada Mio
point of view: female
theme: love song
original lyrics


listen to Nagekiss de uchiotose on youtube

La la la...

Every girl in school is aiming at him
His seniors, his juniors and even his classmates
Everyone's crazy for him
They're all my rivals, yeah!

I'm madly in love with him
I'm head over heels
Sorry, but I'll take this love for me

Shoot me down with a blown kiss!
I want to catch in my hands the hearts flying in the sky
Shoot me down with a blown kiss!
Your smile's missile
Hits the target more precisely than an angel!

After lessons, the American football club is training
His whole fanclub has gathered on the stands
Whenever he tackles they shout hysterically, yeah!

He's the best
He's just too cool
I'll have my happy end at all costs

You hit me repeatedly like a machinegun
Those darling bullets
Knock me out as I can't move
You hit me repeatedly like a machinegun
My whole body
This baptism is crueler than a gangster

When just one popular guy like you is here
This boring school looks like a pink paradise

Shoot me down with a blown kiss!
I want to catch in my hands the hearts flying in the sky
Shoot me down with a blown kiss!
Your smile's missile
Hits the target more precisely than an angel!

Comment
Not much to comment. It's a classic high school love song, where the girl likes the most popular boy and wants to have him for herself. The dance is really cute.

Team A - "Bird"

Despite having two popular girls in the unit alongside Takamina (Oshima Mai, now graduated, and Mariko), and although Takahashi now has a solo song (which I'll translate too, since I feel it's the follow-up to this song), Bird is Takamina's signature song even now. It's also one of AKB's best songs and performances.
(As a Sae-oshi, I feel compelled to inform you that whenever this song is performed in a non-shuffle occasion, Ms.Miyazawa is the substitute for Maimai. 8D)

"Bird"
(from Team A 3rd stage "Dareka no tame ni")
Takahashi Minami, Oshima Mai, Shinoda Mariko

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Morikawa Naoki
point of view: female
theme: love song
original lyrics


listen to Bird on youtube

Chased and surpassed by the dawn
Just when you turned off your car's headlights
The Aqua Line¹ that takes us back to our town
Is too long for us to talk
There's nothing to do but run

Love is a bird who's lost its wings and can't fly
I feel the wind from the passenger's seat's window
Love is a bird who's lost its wings and can't fly
Trapped inside the cage of my heart
Ah, the day when that sky is no longer mine has come

There aren't other cars either
So my loneliness just goes on and on
When we surpassed Umihotaru²
That profile of yours I used to remember
Got blurred by my tears

I am a sad bird who's forgotten how to fly
I just squat down in the place I am in now
I am a sad bird who has forgotten how to fly
I cannot make my way to your heart
Ah, on this ground,
Deprived of my freedom, farewell

Love is a bird who's lost its wings and can't fly
I feel the wind from the passenger's seat's window
Love is a bird who's lost its wings and can't fly
Trapped inside the cage of my heart
Ah, the day when that sky is no longer mine has come

Notes
¹ The Aqua Line is a freeway running from Tokyo to Kisarazu, a city in Chiba prefecture. Most of it consists of a tunnel + bridge combination crossing Tokyo Bay.
² Umihotaru (literally meaning "sea firefly" is an artificial island that lies in the middle of Tokyo Bay, at the crossover point between the tunnel and the bridge. It also has amusement and dining facilities.
If you want to know more about the Aqua Line and Umihotaru, you can check its English-language wikipedia page or just look at it on Google maps.

Comment
"Bird" tells us about a couple who's going back to their hometown in Chiba (after presumably a night out in Tokyo) at daybreak. The girl feels like she loves him much more than he loves her, therefore she feels like a wingless bird who has lost its freedom and can't fly anymore. The imagery perfectly conveys the sadness, and the words used are particularly suggestive - with most verbs and nouns chosen to represent certain feelings. I can only hope I have written a translation good enough for you to feel those feelings evoked by the original lyrics.

Team A - "Tanjoubi no yoru"

Sorry for not updating for days x_x! "Tanjoubi no yoru" is musically my least favourite song from Team A's 3rd Stage "Dareka no tame ni", so I guess my mind was unconsciously postponing it? (that, and the fact that I am currently without a job, and looking for employment is a full-time job, at least in this part of the world >_>)
Without further ado, here we go! Unit songs coming up next. Bird = ♥

"Tanjoubi no yoru" (Birthday night)
(from Team A 3rd stage "Dareka no tame ni")
Team A (full team)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Okada Mio
point of view: female
theme: love song
original lyrics


listen to Tanjoubi no yoru on youtube

Love me, darling!
Love, Love me, baby!
We can't say, yet.
Kiss me, darling!
Kiss, Kiss me, baby!
We can't do it, yet.
Love me, darling!
Love, Love me, baby!
We're fighting now.
Kiss me, darling!
Kiss, Kiss me, baby!
Cause we're stubborn.

Since you like doing childish things
Like shaking a can of coke on purpose
And then handing it to me looking all innocent,
Of course I immediately realized
That your unconcerned-looking face
Was scheming something

You said we'd celebrate my birthday together
And at the seats booked at a restaurant...

Happy!
Happy birthday to you!
You've started singing out loud
Putting on airs as if you were an opera singer
Even though there are other customers in the restaurant
Happy!
Happy birthday to you!
I'm embarassed,
Everyone is looking at us
You just keep on singing
Earnestly, your eyes closed

On top of the cake in front of me
As many candles as the number of my years are swaying
I wonder from which candle
Since what candle have the two of us been together?
I have to blow them out in one breath
I kind of feel under pressure
I'm a coward, aren't I?

The only person in the world
Who'd sing to me so proudly
Is you

Happy!
Happy birthday to you!
Everyone in the restaurant starts singing
There's no turning back now
Yes, I am the leading actress tonight
Happy!
Happy birthday to you!
I did the impossible to catch as much breath as I could
And on that second,
You had the nerve to kiss me suddenly on my lips

Amidst the cheers and applauses
You whispered to me
"I'll sing next year, too"

Happy!
Happy birthday to you!
You've started singing out loud
Putting on airs as if you were an opera singer
Even though there are other customers in the restaurant
Happy!
Happy birthday to you!
I'm embarassed,
Everyone is looking at us
You just keep on singing
Earnestly, your eyes closed

Notes
The lines in italics are in English in the original lyrics.

Comment
I might not like the tune of this song but the situation depicted in the lyrics is rather cute. I love how it's like a short story, telling us a little anectode from beginning to end.

Team A - "Warning"

Here is the second song off Team A's 3rd Stage "Dareka no tame ni".

"Warning"
(from Team A 3rd stage "Dareka no tame ni")
Team A (full team)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Ezaki Masaru
point of view: female
theme: love song
original lyrics


listen to Warning on youtube

Giving my all for a pure love isn't worth it even for 10 minutes
Even if I were too honest it'd be incorregibly hard
I rather look at things case-by-case
See, when tomorrow comes I won't be able to meet him
But I want to

If sticking my tongue out becomes the best part of it, that'd be nice
If it's for the sake of being loved why not try to depend on you
Side by side, in a girly way
I whisper to you as if you've already spoiled me, I'm the worst

Love is a girl's ambition
I want to get it more easily
Even if I try to look more adult than I am
If it doesn't match reality
I won't be able to put the pretense on for long

Of course I want you to change me
But if you restrain me, I want to cancel it immediately
Yeah, surprisingly I'd just go bye-bye-bye
If I make you feel good
I won't even be able to keep breathing

Love is everything for a girl
I don't need anything else, no
I believe that meeting you by chance is destiny
Although there are exceptions...

Love is a girl's ambition
I want to get it more easily
Even if I try to look more adult than I am
If it doesn't match reality
I won't be able to put the pretense on for long

Wow wow wow・・・
Warning!
Warning!
Warning!

I'll warn you!
Don't be let girls deceive you!
Because
Despite only saying selfish things
They are fickle double-tongued beings

Warning!
Warning!
Warning!

Comment
There isn't much to say. The theme is: don't trust girls cause they'd do anything when they want to win over someone. I like the music and the performance much more than the lyrics, in this case.

Team A - "Tsukimisou"

As I　mentioned, I'm going to tackle my first full stage translation ^__^
And the stage I chose is...
Team A's 3rd Stage "Dareka no tame ni"
The reasons are basically two. The first is that it's a really great stage, with a lot of good tracks. There are fun songs, melancholy songs, dark songs, cute songs. The second reason is that I have a soft spot for AKB's little sisters based in Osaka, NMB48; they've just debuted with a rehash of A3rd so this is to celebrate (original) Team A as well as the pretty, amazing, hardworking 25 girls of NMB48.

Let's start from the first song. Yoisho! (Yes, it's NMB in the image, simply because it's a pretty picture versus my HORRIBLE screencaps. XD)

"Tsukimisou" (Evening primrose)
(from Team A 3rd stage "Dareka no tame ni")
Team A (full team)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Goto Tsugutoshi
point of view: female
theme: allegory
original lyrics


listen to Tsukimisou on youtube

Passing by it on the road
I saw a flower bud that was looking downward
As if it was waiting for someone from somewhere
It looked up at the sky...

Eventually it becomes dusk
The colours of the capital blend into the night
The feelings inside my heart turn into a shadow
As I reach out my hands

The beauty of the ever changing nature
Where does the eternal wind come from?

Secretly meeting night after night,
Avoiding people's eyes
Our love will bloom one day
Watched over by the crescent moon
Dreaming earnestly,
Women are like evening primroses

How long do I have to wait for the sound
Of my loved one's steps until they come closer?
So many stars are twinkling
Enticing love

A summer night longer than today
In this forsaken place
The white flowers of an unforgettable pure love bloom

They look beautiful and noble...
Are they destined to be so short-lived?

All my feelings have stopped silently
Rather than fall, held by you,
I would bloom until morning
And then wither
My life lasts only for one night
Women are like evening primroses

The cicadas who can't give up
Suddenly started singing from the tree branches

Secretly meeting night after night,
Avoiding people's eyes
Our love will bloom one day
Watched over by the crescent moon
Dreaming earnestly,
Women are like evening primroses

All my feelings have stopped silently
Rather than fall, held by you,
I would bloom until morning
And then wither
My life lasts only for one night
Women are like evening primroses

Dreaming only for one night,
Women are like evening primroses

Comment
The main characteristic of this song is the distinct Japanese flavour of it. The melody is built on the classic Asian pentatonic scale, and the instrumental makes use of Japanese drums and instruments; during the song, there are a lot of kakegoe (the classic Japanese rhythmic cries, used, for example, during traditional festivals too - in this case the kakegoe that is repeated throughout the song is "yoisho!". Kakegoe have no literal meaning.)
Moreover, the lyrics are also written in a style reminiscing of classical Japanese.
They make a comparison between a woman who can only meet her lover at night and an evening primrose, a flower that blooms at night and wilts the following morning.

Team B - "Boku no sakura"

Again, a request. I'm starting my full stage project after this ^_^v

"Boku no sakura" (My cherry blossoms)
(from Team B 3rd stage "Pajama drive")
Team B (full team)

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Kashiwara Nobuhiko
point of view: male
theme: sakura song
original lyrics


listen to Boku no sakura

Tracing again the white lines on the field ¹
I have run under the sun
Throughout the days of my youth

Your path goes on straight
The wind that blows for a second
Goes beyond our memories
Carrying dust with it

What was I fighting against
When I said "I don't want to lose to anyone"?

I couldn't reach the goal I was aiming to
So I started walking
You, my seniors who ran before me
And wiped with the back of your hands
The tears you shed on the road to your dreams
The cherry blossoms that watched us go away
When our shadows were long ²
Have fallen, leaving only their branches
They will bloom again next year

When the cheers for the soccer club had died out
I watched the sun set
That summer's loneliness

I was troubled
And I had stopped in front of the curve of my dreams
That time, you patted me on my shoulders
And surpassed me

Your back told me
That every person runs with a different pace

The blue sky was waiting
At the goal I was aiming for
Who will cut the tape at the finish line first
Doesn't really matter
During the graduation season
Wind blows inside my heart
Today's cherry blossoms will go their separate ways
Somewhere, I'm thinking of you

I couldn't reach the goal I was aiming to
So I started walking
You, my seniors who ran before me
And wiped with the back of your hands
The tears you shed on the road to your dreams
Our long shadows

Notes
¹ One of the duties of a high school sports club's junior members is to trace the white lines on the field using a cart full of chalk powder.
² "Long shadows" means late afternoon or sunset, when the sun is low and thus it casts long shadows on the ground. So, it means that the club members practiced for a long time after the school lessons.

Comment
One of AKB's many "sakura songs", school-themed songs set in April, the month when cherry blossoms bloom and school graduations take place.
This time the first-person character, a boy in a school's soccer team, reminisces about his club seniors who have graduated, and whom he is grateful to for teaching him to never give up. A really classic sakura song.
If you like the genre, I plan on having a "sakura special" in late March ^__^

Team K - "Kimi wa Pegasus"

Sorry for not updating earlier. I meant to, but things keep adding up and making me proceed at a turtle's speed T_T

Today, I happily fulfill a request I've received - I feel that Team K, despite being my favourite team, is under-represented on these pages, and moreover this is one of my favourite songs ♥
Next up I'm planning to translate my first full stage! Can you guess which one?
(For who made me other requests, don't worry, I'll get around to them soon ^_^)

Also, if someone is good at making screencaps (which sounds easy, but I obviously suck at it) and wants to help me out sending me good quality screencaps for about 50/60 songs, I'd be really happy to use your help. ;_;

-

"Kimi wa Pegasus" (You are Pegasus)
(from Team K 3rd stage "Nounai paradise")
Akimoto Sayaka, Miyazawa Sae, Sato Natsuki, Noro Kayo

words: Akimoto Yasushi
music: Oka Naoki
point of view: male language, but the song looks rather gender-neutral
theme: love song
original lyrics


listen to Kimi wa Pegasus on youtube

The wings on your back have broken
And the dream ends all too soon
Even if I try to stretch out my hand,
Our love waves goodbye without leaving a trace

Your glance looked sadder than a pearl
And it saw right through the loneliness inside me
Through the crack in my heart which no one ever filled up
One cound only catch glimpses of my deep despair

Ah, my Pegasus flying through the sky
What were you thinking when you chose separation?

You cast aside your wings yourself
And fall head down from above
Your heart bleeds
Our love story is like a red sunset
If the two of us had never met, I would have never lost you
I would have just looked up to the sky
And kept believing in legends

An uncorrupted affection is an illusory knife
Without even realizing it I hurt you, and that hurt me too
"If we got closer, we would understand each other more"
I mistakenly believed this was the only way

Ah, even if I can't see you anymore
Now I understand that you're always here

The wings on your back have broken
And the dream ends all too soon
Even if I try to stretch out my hand,
Our love waves goodbye without leaving a trace
For me, since the beginning,
You were the Pegasus I had imagined in my mind
This is my punishment for keeping on dreaming
Of a love that no one had ever seen

The wings on your back have broken
And the dream ends all too soon
Even if I try to stretch out my hand,
Our love waves goodbye without leaving a trace
For me, since the beginning,
You were the Pegasus I had imagined in my mind
This is my punishment for keeping on dreaming
Of a love that no one had ever seen

Comment
As I said above, while the lyrics use the pronoun "boku", generally male, the song could be sung from the point of view of a man or a woman as there aren't other elements that strenghten the "male point of view" theory.
This is a heartbreaking song that speaks figuratively about losing one's partner to depression or even suicide. Of course it is just my own interpretation which everyone is free to disagree with, but I think that behind the delicate, fable-like imagery of the beautiful Pegasus (the winged white horse of Greek mythology), there is a very dark, sad background.
"Pegasus", with his sad glance (let's set on Pegasus being a man and the first person being a woman just for the sake of explaining it easily - it wouldn't change if it was the other way around), could see through the sadness and loneliness the first-person girl was hiding, because he felt the same or even a sharper pain. The girl, who felt understood and saw his tragic beauty, fell in love with "Pegasus", and tried to get closer to him, trying to save him; but this had no other result than hurting both of them. "Pegasus" can't be saved. He eventually "chose separation" and "cast his wings aside", disappearing, leaving only his shadow behind.
I am amazed at the lyrical perfection of this song, at how the words can convey such a dark, heavy message in such a beautiful way. Akimoto Yasushi really is a master of words.
The performance is really good too, with all the girls (the best singers in Team K at the time) dressed as princes, singing out about "uncorrupted affection" with collected emotion. One of my favourite AKB performances ever.