[The JukeBox] #70 - Miki Matsubara - Stay with Me

Back in 1979, a few days from her 20th birthday, Miki Matsubara released her debut single Mayonaka no Door (Stay With Me) under the Pony Canyon label but this wasn't her first foray into music.

Matsubara's mother was in a jazz band called the 'Crazy Cats' and while attending school, Matsubara was in the rock band 'Kurei' and played the keyboard.'

Stay With Me released on November 5th 1979 and it's reached 28th on the Oricon charts. Matsubara would have continued success during her music career but Stay With Me is considered her best work.

In the 90's, Matsubara worked on music for anime's and commercials in Japan, most notably for Gundam

At the end of 2000, Miki Matsubara would inform her friends and colleagues to let her know that she could no longer continue her music career.

It was revealed that Miki Matsubara had a late diagnosis of uterine cervix cancer. Matsubara would battle the cancer for the last few years of her life. Matsubara died on October 7th 2004 at the age of 44.

Her music would live on in the great city pop resurgence of the 2010s when her song 'Stay With Me' would become a staple of the subgenre alongside Plastic Love.

The song would get another huge surge of popularity in 2020 when YouTuber, Rainych, created a cover of the song. The popularity would spread to platforms like YouTube, Twitter and TikTok.

Due to this popularity, Matsubara's first album Pocket Park got a repress on vinyl in late 2020.

Lyrics - English:

[Intro]
To you
Yes, my love to you
Yes, my love to you, you
To you

[Verse 1]
I am only me, you are only you
I said that last night and still feel the same way
You in your gray jacket with that familiar coffee stain
Just as you always are
Our reflection in the display window

[Chorus]
Stay with me
Knocking on midnight's door
Begging you not to go home (Ooh)
That season when I cried right in front of your eyes
Stay with me
Saying our favourite words
Holding on to our little moment (Ooh)
I'll never forget it as long as I live

[Verse 2]
They say love and affection are two different things
You told me last night
Sometimes I think so too
Winter comes again and your heart has gone away
If I look back I see
That I could always feel you by my sidе

[Chorus]
Stay with me
Knocking on midnight's door
There's a holе in my heart (Ooh)
That season when I cried right in front of your eyes
Stay with me
Distracted by my loneliness
The needle on my record player (Ooh)
Was stuck on a repeating melody

[Saxophone Solo]

[Chorus]
Stay with me
Knocking on midnight's door
Begging you not to go home (Ooh)
That season when I cried right in front of your eyes
Stay with me
Saying our favourite words
Holding on to our little moment (Ooh)
I'll never forget how warm it felt

[Chorus]
Stay with me
Knocking on midnight's door
Begging you not to go home (Ooh)
That season when I cried right in front of your eyes
Stay with me
Saying our favourite words
Holding on to our little moment (Ooh)
I'll never forget how warm it felt

[Outro]
Stay with me
Knocking on midnight's door
Begging you not to go home (Ooh)
That season when I cried right in front of your eyes
Stay with me

(Ooh, I'll never forget how warm it felt)

Lyrics - Romaji:

[Intro]
To you
Yes, my love to you
Yes, my love to you, you
To you

[Verse 1]
Watashi wa watashi, anata wa anata to
Yuube itteta sonna ki mo suru wa
Gurei no jaketto ni
Mioboe ga aru kouhii no shimi (Ooh)
Aikawarazu na no ne
Shou uindou ni futari utsureba (Ooh)

[Chorus]
Stay with me
Mayonaka no doa o tataki
Kaeranaide to naita (Ooh)
Ano kisetsu ga ima me no mae
Stay with me
Kuchiguse wo ii nagara
Futari no toki wo daite (Ooh)
Mada wasurezu
Daiji ni shite ita

[Verse 2]
Koi to ai to wa chigau monoda yo to
Yuube iwareta sonna ki mo suru wa
Nidome no fuyu ga kite
Hanarete itta anata no kokoro (Ooh)
Furi kaereba itsumo
Soko ni anata wo kanjite ita no (Ooh)

[Chorus]
Stay with me
Mayonaka no doa o tataki
Kokoro ni ana ga aita (Ooh)
Ano kisetsu ga ima me no mae
Stay with me
Sabishisa magirawashite
Oita rekodo no hari (Ooh)
Onaji merodi kurikaeshite ita

[Saxophone Solo]

[Chorus]
Stay with me
Mayonaka no doa o tataki
Kaeranaide to naita (Ooh)
Ano kisetsu ga ima me no mae
Stay with me
Kuchiguse wo ii nagara
Futari no toki wo daite (Ooh)
Mada wasurezu atatameteta

[Chorus]
Stay with me
Mayonaka no doa o tataki
Kaeranaide to naita (Ooh)
Ano kisetsu ga ima me no mae
Stay with me
Kuchiguse wo ii nagara
Futari no toki wo daite (Ooh)
Mada wasurezu atatameteta

[Outro]
Stay with me
Mayonaka no doa o tataki
Kaeranaide to naita (Ooh)
Ano kisetsu ga ima me no mae
Stay with me

(Ooh, mada wasurezu atatameteta)