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I confess I always thought of Pizzicato Five as J-pop for the uninitiated, a band for tokenistic mixes. But musical snobbery aside, this song is killer — “The Night is Still Young”:

I came across it via the version below sung by Miku Hatsune — who is a computer, a version of Yamaha’s singing synthesizer Vocaloid:

We’ve all heard speech synthesizers before, but it seems that singing synthesis is a bit newer.

In other weird simulatory news, here’s ELIZA reacting to the recent death of her creator. (Who, I just learned, intended her to be a parody of a Rogerian therapist)

English lyrics under the cut:

tokyo, 7 p.m.
tokyo, 7 p.m.
yeh yeh yeh ooh!

as I watched tv vacantly
I had a strange dream
woke up and saw the time
tokyo, 7 p.m.

just to see you
I’ve been dressed up since morning
I want to be loved all night
tokyo, 7 p.m.

the restaurant
where we were to meet
had closed and disappeared
and I’m dying
from hunger
I wanna see you soon
I wanna see you soon

tokyo at 7 p.m.
this glorious city
is like a lie
I’m so lonely so I wanna see you

tokyo, 7 p.m.
I truly love you
but I’m so lonely and I wanna see you

a breeze hits me
as I open the taxi window
I’m rushing to see you
tokyo, 7 p.m.

suddenly, an answering machine
starts by itself
and talks all night
the tokyo night, mysterious

waiting for the lights
at a crossing
you are always so kind
today again
I’m a little late
I wanna see you soon
I wanna see you soon

tokyo, 7 p.m.
but it’s not christmas
i’m so lonely, so I wanna see you

tokyo, 7 p.m.
I truly love you
I’m so lonely, and I wanna see you

In the whole world
can you
love only me?
the restaurant
where we were to meet
had closed and disappeared
holding only a
bouquet of roses
you are waiting alone
the same roses
I saw in a dream
I wanna see you soon
I wanna see you soon

tokyo at 7 p.m.
this glorious city
is like a lie
I’m so lonely so I wanna see you

tokyo, 7 p.m.
I truly love you
I’m so lonely and I wanna see you

tokyo, 7 p.m.

(h/t)