The Red Balloon--A Sudden Release into the Sky (1973)

The Red Balloon--A Sudden Release into the Sky (1973)

Tokiko Kato's "Akai Fusen" is a song from her 1973 album "Ai no Kurashi. In the gentle melody of the song, which is like a fairy tale, there is a hint of a parting that comes suddenly.
In the lyrics, the balloon is quietly described as "flying into the sky," but this passage is not a mere symbol of a dream. It invites the imagination that something may have happened - a sign as if it was suddenly released from someone's hand one day.

At the time, Japan was in the throes of its rapid economic growth, and the annual number of fatalities from traffic accidents exceeded 16,000. Infrastructure could not keep pace with the rapid development of the car society, and there were many roads without pedestrian crossings and unimproved intersections, resulting in a string of accidents involving children and the elderly. A balloon playing on the side of the road unexpectedly soars into the sky--this is no coincidence, and may be a silent testament to lives lost.

Kato's songs do not directly depict the accidents, but rather blur the truth in the silence and blank spaces. This resonates with the listener's own memories and losses.

Akai Fuusen" is a song woven with the scars of Kato's own life and times, and reflects our hearts and minds as we watch something that is going away on the wind.