Hachidai Nakamura facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hachidai Nakamura
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| Birth name | Hachidai Nakamura |
| Born | January 20, 1931 Qingdao, Republic of China |
| Origin | Japan |
| Died | June 10, 1992 (aged 61) |
| Genres | Pop, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Composer |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1953–1992 |
Hachidai Nakamura (中村 八大, Nakamura Hachidai, January 20, 1931 – June 10, 1992) was a talented Japanese songwriter and jazz pianist. He is best known for writing many popular songs, including the worldwide hit "Sukiyaki."
Contents
Life and Music Journey
Hachidai Nakamura was born in Qingdao, which was part of China at the time. His parents were Japanese. When he was young, his family moved to Kurume, Japan. There, he went to high school and loved playing the piano.
During his high school years, Hachidai was invited to play with local bands. These included "Yasuhiko Taniguchi and Premier Swing" and "The Red Hat Boys." The Red Hat Boys was a student jazz group.
After high school, he went to Waseda University in Tokyo. He studied literature there. In 1953, he formed a jazz band called "Big Four." He played with other famous musicians like Hidehiko Matsumoto. The band did not stay together for long.
Hachidai Nakamura became a very successful composer. A composer is someone who writes music. He wrote many songs for different Japanese singers. These included Kyu Sakamoto and Saburō Kitajima. He also wrote for Johnnys, a popular music group.
He worked closely with a lyricist named Rokusuke Ei. A lyricist writes the words for songs. Many of their songs became very famous.
The Hit Song "Sukiyaki"
Hachidai Nakamura wrote the music for the famous Japanese song "Ue o muite arukō." This song was released in Japan in 1961. It became a huge hit around the world.
In the United States, the song was released in 1963. It was given the name "Sukiyaki." This song reached the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This was a big achievement for a Japanese song.
Hachidai and Rokusuke Ei also worked on other songs. They wrote "Wakai Namida" for Johnnys in 1964. They also created "Kaerokana" for Saburō Kitajima in 1965.
Famous Songs
Hachidai Nakamura composed many well-known songs. Here are some of his most famous works:
Songs for Kyu Sakamoto
- Ue o muite arukō (上を向いて歩こう)
- Ashita ga aru sa (明日があるさ)
- Hitoribotchi no futari (一人ぼっちの二人)
- Sayonara sayonara (さよならさよなら)
- Sekai no kuni kara konnichiwa (世界の国からこんにちは)
- Soshite omoide (そして想い出)
- Kuchibue dake ga (口笛だけが)
- Ikite ite yokatta (生きていてよかった)
Songs for Johnnys
- Wakai Namida (若い涙)
Songs for Saburō Kitajima
- Kaerokana (帰ろかな)
