The song of the day is one which I consider one of my favorite pieces of music ever composed and played. I speak of “Voices” from the Japanese OVA/film Macross Plus. The song was composed by Japanese composer Yoko Kanno and originally sung by singer-musician Akino Arai.

Anime has become of one my major hobbies and interests and during the early 90’s Macross Plus dominated my viewing rotation and it was partly due to this song. The moment I started the VHS tape (yes that’s how far this song goes back) and heard the very first verse of this song and the techno-tinged Japanese sound of the song I was hooked. I listen to it almost as much as I did when I first heard it 16 years back.

One of the best memories of this song just happened recently as Yoko Kanno made a surprise appearance at this past Anime Expo 2010 in Los Angeles. While sitting in the Nokia Theater for the May’n and Megumi Nakajima concert Ms. Kanno appeared on-stage to play the grand piano and started playing this particular song w/ J-pop singer and seiyuu Megumi Nakajima performing the lyrics. To say that this was the highlight of the Expo for me would be a huge understatement. Listening to the song done live showed me why I love this song and why it’s my pick for song of the day.

Voices (Japanese)

Hitotsume no kotoba wa yume
Nemuri no naka kara
Mune no oku no kurayami wo
Sotto tsuredasu no

Futatsume no kotoba wa kaze
Yukute wo oshiete
Kamisama no ude no naka e
Tsubasa wo aoru no

Tokete itta kanashii koto wo
Kazoeru you ni
Kin’iro no ringo ga
Mata hitotsu ochiru

Mita koto mo nai fuukei
Soko ga kaeru basho
Tatta hitotsu no inochi ni
Tadoritsuku basho

Furui
Maho no hon
Tsuki no
Shizuku yoru no
Tobari itsuka
Aeru yokan
Dake…

We can fly…
We have wings…
We can touch…
Floating dreams…
Call me from…
So far…
Through the wind…
In the light…

Mittsume no kotoba wa “hum”
Mimi wo sumashitara
Anata no fureru ude wo
Sotto tokihanatsu

Voices (English)

The first word in my dreams
I could clearly see
Planet Eden high beyond the skies

Beautiful and sad
is this story I’ll tell
of the winged travellers eager

’twas one day
the wind guided him where to go
like an eagle high above he flew

Waving from down below
he flew out of sight
into the mystical darkness

Neither a smile nor a cry
I gave when he left
feeling my spleen decline
And hoping
one day we’d fly over
back to the places we once shared

Where vessels glide
in silky waves and of gold
deep in the gulf such planet lies

Surrounded by this universe
of love and hate
confusion breaks through and dwells

Cast a spell
from the old magic book
set a path
in the black magic box
something strange will happen
it will take you so far
So try…

We can fly
We have wings
We can touch floating dreams
Call me from
so far
Through the wind
And the light…

Someone came from the dark
over from the stars
protecting my heart from crying

Taken back by surprise
my traveller returned
What went wrong? Why did he change.