For the past two weeks I was lost in translation traveling around Japan, and what a fine experience I had. Among the many other pleasant surprises Japan had in store for me, while dining at a particularly sketchy restaurant in Kyoto last week I chanced to overhear a Japanese version of Peter Bjorn and John's 'Young Folks' playing on a local radio station. The lunchtime crowd of salarymen was largely unappreciative. After conducting further research I learned from Japanese friends that this rendition of PBJ's catchy tune is quite popular with the kids there and is commonly referred to as "the whistling song" in Japan.
I've not yet been able to track down that Japanese-lyric version, but did run across a nice late-2006 cover by Japanese musician Shugo Tokumaru. Tokumaru's cover is very similar to the original but with airy vocals and a slightly different hustling instrumentation. However, it is a charmer. Listen for yourself:
Peter Bjorn and John - Young Folks
Peter Bjorn and John - Young Folks (Shugo Tokumaru cover)
-Andrew M
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