The Three Degrees: 天使の囁き (When Will I See You Again)
Pusha T’s “Lunch Money,” the music from “Transparent,” Japan’s love for Soul Train and more in the music we tweeted this week
This week Japanese hip-hop scholar Dexter Thomas penned a second installment of his look into Japan’s connection to Soul Train, highlighting the band Yellow Magic Orchestra—the only Japanese band to ever perform on the show, and an Afrika Bambaataa favorite. As insightful as Thomas’ look at the gentlemen is, we had a look at his first installment, which focused on Soul Train theme song singers The Three Degrees, and were gobsmacked by the trio’s keen ability to sing in Japanese. They translated their 1974 hit “When Will I See You Again” in full (to 天使の囁き or “Tenshi no Sasayaki”), which became a hit both stateside and in Japan. They went on to translate several more songs and even cut a Japan-only release.
