Harajuku Blue

harajuku blue

Field Notes

“Harajuku Blue” begins with the ten years Angie and I lived in Japan.

Our first home was Tachikawa, in western Tokyo. We lived there for a year and often took the Chuo Line into the city and on to Harajuku. After a year in Osaka, we returned to Japan and lived in Yokohama—first for two years, then later for another four. From there, Harajuku once again became a frequent destination.

We loved its energy. The streets were stylish, contemporary and unmistakably Japanese, filled with good restaurants and some of the best people-watching anywhere. It was a place that always seemed to be changing, where something—or someone—could catch your eye for a moment and then disappear back into the city.

I took a lot of street photographs during those years. One was of a young Japanese woman dressed entirely in denim. I kept that photograph for years, and it continued to stand out long after many of the others had faded into the background.

Much later, during a burst of songwriting inspired by photographs, I returned to that image. The title came first: “Harajuku Blue.” From there came the central idea:

Harajuku Blue, the world spins fast,

A fleeting moment, a shadow cast

she fades away in the city’s view
Forever lost, Harajuku Blue

The photograph gave me the character and the feeling, and the rest became an exercise in craft—trying to capture the transience of that encounter and the strange permanence a photograph can give to someone you saw only once.

Finding the sound of the song took much longer. I didn’t want it to sound traditionally Japanese or to rely on obvious musical signifiers. I wanted something modern, slightly electronic and international—a sound that didn’t feel locked into one particular place or time.

Eventually, I found a keyboard sound and pattern that immediately opened the door. As soon as I heard it, I knew: This is the song I can write.

One of the ideas behind The Glenn Coast is that every place has a song, and every song has a place.

“Harajuku Blue” may express that more personally than almost any other song I’ve written. A million people could visit Harajuku and come away with a million different impressions of how it sounds.

But for me, this is the sound of Harajuku—the version that has lived in my mind all these years.

Lyrics

VERSE 1:

she walks the streets where the neon glows

a quiet storm that nobody knows

her denim fades like the morning light

HARAJUKU BLUE, lost in the night

in the heart of a tokyo rush

her world is still, her voice is hushed

denim wrapped around her frame

HARAJUKU BLUE, whispers her name

CHORUS:

HARAJUKU BLUE, the world spins fast

a fleeting moment, a shadow cast

she fades away in the city’s view

forever lost, HARAJUKU BLUE

VERSE 2:

the crowded streets, they pass her by

a thousand faces, not one replies

she hides her thoughts in the city’s hue

HARAJUKU BLUE, forever true

the cherry trees no longer bloom

her world feels small, inside her room

she walks through streets of endless hues

HARAJUKU BLUE, no life to lose

CHORUS:

VERSE 3:

her heart beats slow, a lonely tune

a fleeting dream beneath the moon

through alleys bright and skies of gray

HARAJUKU BLUE won’t go away

the city hums, the skyline calls

but she remains where silence falls

her gaze is soft, her steps are slow

HARAJUKU BLUE, the only glow

CHORUS:

Cool Harajuku Girls "she walks the streets where the neon glows" (© glenn hughes)	Harajuku Blue "her denim fades like the morning light" Alternate cover image (© glenn hughes)	Cool Harajuku Girls "Harajuku Blue, the world spins fast" (© glenn hughes)
Cool Harajuku Girls "the crowed streets, they pass her by" (© glenn hughes)	Cool Harajuku Girls "her gaze is soft, her steps are slow" (© glenn hughes)