It is #SongLyricsSunday! It has been a loooooooooooooooooooong time! I think the last time I took part in a weekly prompt was in October. That was when my life got really crazy as I got sick, my coworkers got sick, and then we had Christmas performances and celebrations. I am hoping for life to slow down in January, but it will get busier as I have more students and starting up play practices again (I am in “Our Town” and we are going to practice on Zoom, it will be an interesting experience). Cross my fingers that I can do this weekly!
Without further ado, I present today’s song! Today’s prompt is finding a song with a P or a G. The first song that came up in my mind was “Paprika” by Foorin Team E. Originally a support song for the now-doomed Tokyo Olympics 2020, this feel-good tune was sung by two teams: one for the Japanese version and one for the English version. I picked the English version today as it seems easier for readers to follow along.
The English version (which I picked as today’s song) was released last year, but the Japanese version was released in 2019. And, it was everywhere! My students, who were only 3 and 4 years old, knew that dance. It was THE Sport’s Day song to dance to for 2019 (in Japan, almost every school has a sports day. And there is a dance performance done by each grade.) When the English version premiered, my students wanted me to play it every day during lunch. It was so popular!
Although the lyrics might seem a bit childish in the context, I just think they are great for any age. They are sweet and encouraging, a perfect song for looking for hope in the future. “Everything will be ok, you are loved” and “follow your dreams” are the messages I hear when I listen to “Paprika”. How about you* What do you get out of the song?
The Japanese lyrics were written by Kenishi Yonezu, who is popular here for his song “Lemon”. However, the English lyrics were written by an American singer-songwriter named Nelson Babin-Coy. He writes and performs his own music as well as writes for various Japanese bands and artists.
Here is a little news clip of introducing both Foorin and Foorin Team E:
Lyrics for “Paprika” by Foorin Team E
Twisting and turning down this road we go
Running to the forest where we can play all-day
The sun shines so brightly on our country town
Someone’s always calling out your name
And when summer comes, see our shadows grow
Always know I will miss you so
Come on, look up, find the first star in the sky
I hope tomorrow will be sunny, too
Paprika, when our flowers start to bloom
Put the seeds into your hands and throw them in the sky
Paprika, we can make our dreams come alive
Rain or shine, we’ll find a way to play again another day
It’s raining and pouring, the moon’s hiding away
I think I can hear someone crying in the shade
Don’t worry I promise, there’s no need to be afraid
Someone’s always calling out your name
Come and count with me all the happy things
So much joy you always bring
Now it’s time to go, I’ll see you tomorrow
Memories will light the way back home
Paprika, when our flowers start to bloom
Put the seeds into your hands and throw them in the sky
Paprika, we can make our dreams come alive
Rain or shine, we’ll find a way to play again another day
I will run to you
Through the forest where we played
Singing songs we made
And I will fill both hands with flowers along the way
La-di, la-di-da
I will run to you
Through the forest where we played
Singing songs we made
And I will fill both hands with flowers along the way
La-di, la-di-da
Paprika, when our flowers start to bloom,
Put the seeds into your hands and throw them in the sky
Paprika, we can make our dreams come alive
Rain or shine, we’ll find a way to play again another day
Let’s all come together now, point our fingers to the sky
