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"Tsugunai"
Japanese single cover
Single by Teresa Teng
from the album Tsugunai and Changhuan
Language	Japanese Mandarin
Released	January 21, 1984 (1984-01-21)
Genre	Pop
Length	3:53
Label	Taurus Records PolyGram
Songwriter(s)	Araki Toyohisa Lin Huang Kun
Composer(s)	Miki Takashi
Music video
"Tsugunai" (つぐない) on YouTube "Changhuan" (償還) on YouTube

"Tsugunai" (つぐない; meaning "atonement" or "expiation"), is a song recorded by Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng. The original Japanese version was released on January 21, 1984, while the Mandarin version titled "Changhuan" (償還) was released a year later in August 1985 as part of her Mandarin album of the same name. Both versions of the song was composed by Miki Takashi, with the Japanese lyrics written by Araki Toyohisa and the Mandarin lyrics written by prominent lyricist Lin Huang Kun.

The success of the song in Japan brought Teresa Teng to the international stage outside of the Chinese-speaking world, especially in Asia. Both versions are frequently covered by various Japanese-speaking and Chinese-speaking singers. "Tsugunai" and "Changhuan" are regarded as Teng's signature songs.

Background

Teresa Teng did not renew after she completed her contract with Polydor Records Japan, having seen lackluster sales result in Japan with her Japanese recordings and being temporary barred entry into Japan after her February 1979 passport fiasco, despite her moderate fame in Japan, in addition to already established fame in Chinese-speaking world. Meanwhile, she studied English and make music recordings in the United States. She also performed concerts both in US and Canada.

Two years later in 1981, after Japan lifted entry ban against her, she joined with her former Polydor agent Minoru Funaki and his followers who all left Polydor to found a new music company Taurus Records, and began working on a new album. Hiroshi Nishida was tasked with promoting the new album. Owing to her past passport scandal, a number of his colleagues weren't keen about promoting her upcoming album, regarded her as a jinx to music rating. One even bet against the album's success, saying he was willing to walk upside down along Omotesando street if the album did well. Under these circumstances, he was compelled to make the right moves strategically to overcome Japanese music chart behemoth and made the new album an extremely successful one. After this massive victory since her last 1974 hit song as a debutante in Japanese music scene, Taurus Records' confidence grew and went on next two years on two successive wins.

Regardless of version, the song tells a woman's story who had suffered too much for love. In the Japanese version, the song is about a woman who has to leave her lover. To her, leaving is the best way forward to make things right, wanting him to find a more suitable lover than her. Despite this, privately she wishes for him not to forget her.

In the Mandarin version, the role is somewhat different. The song is about a man who has cheated on a woman. He tried to make amends with her but still carried on the affair. Having continued to love him, she tells him expiation is not an excuse to break her heart anymore, and she reluctantly leaves him.

Music video

A music video for the Mandarin version of the song was filmed in Singapore, with some of the settings being pre-gentrified Boat Quay and Fort Canning Hill, specifically the Gothic Gates, during her concert tour in Singapore (and Malaysia) after her victory a year earlier.

Reception

"Tsugunai" and "Changhuan" sold a combined 1.5 million copies globally, including 442,000 copies in Japan. This was more than her 1974 debut bilingual hit song "Kūkō" / "Qingren de Guanhuai" (空港 / 情人的關懷; "Airport" / "The Care of a Lover") that sold 750,000 copies globally. It was a huge success after Teng's earlier Japanese recordings had lackluster commercial success, and it brought her out of relative obscurity there. It was the beginning of her global breakthrough, particularly in Asia, outside of the Chinese-speaking world. "Tsugunai"/"Changhuan" are regarded as her signature songs. "Changhuan" is also one of the most well-known classics within the Chinese-speaking world.

Tsugunai entered the Jpop ranking list in April 1984 and stayed on the list for a year, notably reaching first place in August. It also stayed within the top 10 for 41 straight consecutive weeks between April 1984 and February 1985. At a full year since the release, it still ranked at 7th place. It also charted on the Oricon Singles Chart at 6th place for 43 weeks, which also tied with another popular 1986 bilingual signature song "Toki no Nagare ni Mi o Makase" / "Wo Zhi Zaihu Ni" for the same 6th place but held position longer for 57 weeks. Hong Kong's IFPIHK had certified the album as platinum album as well.

Accolades

The song won the Japan Cable Awards (日本有線大賞) Grand Prix, All-Japan Cable Broadcasting Award Winner (全日本有線放送大賞) and Japan Enka Award (日本演歌大賞) in 1984, the first ever multiple wins in Japan.

Charts

Covers

Owing to the significance of both this widely-popular song and the singer, there are many other singers that covered this song in Japanese and Mandarin version alike. Some cover Japanese versions are:

• Chiyoko Shimakura on 特選集/人生はショータイム
• Sayuri Ishikawa on 昭和夢つばめ~あなたが選んだ好きな唄~
• Yuko Nakazawa on 1998 album 中澤ゆうこ 第一章
• Saori Yuki on 2016 album あなたと共に生きてゆく〜由紀さおり テレサ・テンを歌う〜, with both Japanese and Mandarin versions
• JUJU on 2016 album JUJU's Tavern – Song Request Night (スナックJUJU 〜夜のRequest〜)
• Misaki Iwasa on 2013 album titled Covered songs by request (リクエスト・カバーズ)
• VALSHE on 2014 album TRANSFORM/marvelous road
• Takeshi Tsuruno on 2016 album つるのうた3.5
• Keisuke Kuwata during his Act Against AIDS 2018 concert (Act Against AIDS 2018 平成三十年度! 第三回ひとり紅白歌合戦)
• Jun Shibata on 2019 album おはこ

Some cover Mandarin versions are:

• Fei Yu-ching on 2003 album titled When Will You Return? (何日君再來), containing his own works and various cover songs
• Daphne Tsai on 2003 Rare Love Songs – True Feeling (絕版情歌-真情)
• Sammi Cheng on 2004 Sammi vs Sammi
• Joanna Wang on 2011 The Things We Do For Love

See also

• "Toki no Nagare ni Mi o Makase" / "Wo Zhi Zaihu Ni" (時の流れに身をまかせ) / (我只在乎你) – Teng's most successful bilingual 1986 signature song that also charted at 6th place but held position longer for 57 weeks.
• 1984 in Japanese music

References

1. "つぐない[アナログ] - テレサ・テン -". Universal Music Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 5, 2021. トーラス・レコード時代のオリジナルアルバム
2. "寶麗金十五週年特輯". University of Macau Wu Yee Sun Library (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on June 23, 2024. 11. 償還-鄧麗君(國語)
3. ^ "IFPIHK". IFPIHK. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved October 15, 2007. 本地白金唱片 (Domestic (i.e. British Hong Kong) Platinum Album) 1988 鄧麗君 償還 寶麗金 (PolyGram) (n.b. IFPIHK didn't held award during 1986–1987 per IFPIHK website)
4. ^ "テレサ・テンのシングル売上TOP8作品" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023. つぐない 発売日 1984年01月21日 最高順位 6位 登場回数 43週 & 時の流れに身をまかせ 発売日 1986年02月21日 最高順位 6位 登場回数 57週 & 愛人 発売日 1985年02月21日 最高順位 10位 登場回数 53週
5. ^ "つぐない & 償還" (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016. つぐない 1984-7 & 償還 1985 寶麗金唱片
6. ^ Universal Music Hong Kong (March 11, 2016). "誠意十足的再版SACD專輯 – 鄧麗君「償還」 by馬田@音響技術 – Universal Music Hong Kong". Facebook (in Traditional Chinese). Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023. 1985年國語版〈償還〉在香港推出，同名專輯亦取得白金唱片成績
7. ^ 魏宏晉,滕淑芬 (March 2013). "十億個掌聲 鄧麗君文化傳奇 – 台灣光華雜誌" (in Traditional Chinese). Ministry of Foreign Affairs Taiwan (ROC). Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023. 一曲旋律優美的〈償還〉,被她詮釋得絲絲入扣,大賣150萬張...赴日本發展是鄧麗君突破語言國界，成為亞洲巨星的起點...1984年起...連續3年獲得「日本有線大賞」，聲勢達到頂點，紀錄至今無人可破。
8. ^ "日本人心目中永遠的亞洲歌唱女王–鄧麗君" (PDF) (in Traditional Chinese). Hsiuping University of Science and Technology. January 6, 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023. 1981 年鄧麗君和日本寶麗多的合約關係自動終止，舟木稔和一批願意跟他的人，自組「金牛座唱片公司」，就這樣鄧麗君和舟木稔再次合作...起初受護照事件的影響，公司大多數的同事並不積極推她的唱片，還有人打賭，如果這張唱片能暢銷，他願意在表參道倒立走。負責宣傳的西田裕司只好想了辦法做了戰略性的正確選擇，使「つぐない」這首歌在大阪著魔似大賣起來...甚至於到隔年的發行滿一週年為止，都還在十大金曲的排行榜上維持第7名。「 つぐない 」 獲得兩項大獎之後，金牛座公司信心大增，於1985年趁勝追擊，推出...「愛人」...「時の流れに身をまかせ」...雙料冠軍3連霸的新紀錄
9. ^ 林郁倫 (January 29, 2013). "攻進日本 鄧麗君兩階段升等 – 蕃新聞" (in Traditional Chinese). YAMEDIA. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023. 唱片..賣到...鄧麗君《償還》..150萬張...鄧麗君在日本歌壇沈寂數年，於1984年...登上日本的舞台...她這次復出，在日本、香港大紅...鄧麗君的三大金曲「つぐない」、「愛人」、「同時の流れに身をまかせ」都在Oricon排行榜停留超過一年時間
10. 谷璘秀 (June 1995). "永遠的鄧麗君 – 台灣光華雜誌" (in Traditional Chinese). Ministry of Foreign Affairs Taiwan (ROC). Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023. 1979: 首次在美加作個人演唱會。 停居美國並修讀英文、灌錄唱片。 1980: 在紐約林肯中心開個人演唱會，七月份在美國舉行個人演唱會，其中一場在羅省的「THE MUSIC CENTER OF LOS ANGELES」的表演
11. ^ "テレサ・テン データべース (Teresa Teng Database)" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 25, 2000. Retrieved December 14, 2007. 1984年(S59) 第17回 全日本有線放送大賞 グランプリ 第10回 日本演歌大賞 ベストヒット賞 第17回 日本有線大賞 大賞 ベストヒット賞 有線音楽賞 つぐない & 1985年(S60) 第18回 全日本有線放送大賞 グランプリ 第18回 日本有線大賞 大賞 ベストヒット曲賞 有線音楽賞 「愛人」 1986年(S61) 第19回 全日本有線放送大賞 グランプリ 第19回 日本有線大賞 大賞 ベストヒット曲賞 有線音楽賞 第28回 日本レコード大賞 金賞 「時の流れに身をまかせ」
12. ^ スージー鈴木 (February 2017). 1984年の歌謡曲. イースト新書 (in Japanese). イースト・プレス. p. 35. ISBN 978-4-7816-5080-7. 44.2万枚
13. "1984年間シングルヒット曲". Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. 42 – つぐない – テレサ･テン – 1984/01/21
14. "1985年間シングルヒット曲". Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. 58 – つぐない – テレサ･テン – 1984/01/21
15. つぐない · 島倉千代子 (in Japanese). Japan: Columbia Music Entertainment. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
16. 石川さゆり「つぐない 」1993.10 (in Japanese). Japan. October 31, 1993. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
17. "あなたと共に生きてゆく～由紀さおり テレサ・テンを歌う～ 【CD】由紀さおり". Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on July 27, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
18. 由紀さおり – つぐない (in Japanese). Japan: Universal Music Group. July 27, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
19. 由紀さおり – つぐない（中国語バージョン） (in Traditional Chinese). Japan: Universal Music Group. July 27, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
20. "つるの剛士「つるのうた3.5」で和田アキ子、中山美穂ほかカバー" (in Japanese). 音楽ナタリー. December 24, 2015. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
21. "桑田佳祐、『ひとり紅白』55曲熱唱で完結 西城秀樹さん・さくらももこさん追悼メドレーも – ORICON NEWS" (in Japanese). Oricon. December 3, 2018. Archived from the original on December 3, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
22. "何日君再來 – 費玉清專輯". Apple Music (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved December 21, 2023. 6. 償還
23. 陳慧玲 (May 8, 2015). "辭世20週年 追憶永遠的巨星鄧麗君" (in Traditional Chinese). Liberty Times. ...鄧麗君也將重新「復活」，和費玉清跨時空對唱...他也將重現鄧麗君《償還》、《再見我的愛人》等經典作。
24. 費玉清 Fei Yu-Ching – 償還 Reimburse (官方完整版MV) (in Traditional Chinese). Taiwan: Warner Music Taiwan (Timeless Music Warner Back Catalogue). September 2003. Retrieved November 1, 2023.

• Culture articles needing translation from Japanese Misplaced Pages
• Teresa Teng songs
• Songs in Japanese
• Mandarin-language songs
• 1984 songs
• 1984 in Japanese music