:Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)
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{{Infobox song
| name = Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)
| cover = QueenTeo.jpg
| alt =
| border = yes
| caption = Japanese single picture sleeve
| type = single
| artist = Queen
| album = A Day at the Races
| B-side = Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy
| released = 25 March 1977{{Cite tweet |number=1507211047027228673 |user=queen40jp |title= |language=ja |script-title=ja:今から45年前の今日、1977年3月25日は |trans-title=25 March 1977 was the day that {{Interp|...}} "Teo Toriatte" was released as a single. |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240826135909/https://x.com/queen40jp/status/1507211047027228673 |archive-date=2024-08-26 |url-status=live}}
- Validation of official twitter account queen40jp: {{Cite web |url=https://www.universal-music.co.jp/queen/ |title=Queen |access-date=2024-08-26 |website=Universal Music Japan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240730062401/https://www.universal-music.co.jp/queen/ |archive-date=2024-07-30 |at=ath the bottom of the page |language=ja |quote=X:
http://twitter.com/queen40jp }}
| recorded = July – November 1976
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Piano rock, power ballad
| length = {{ubl|5:55 (LP version)|4:47 (single version)}}
| label = Elektra
| writer = Brian May
| producer = Queen
| prev_title = Tie Your Mother Down
| prev_year = 1977
| next_title = Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy
| next_year = 1977
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|n_1oZwOe0z8|"Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)"}}}}
}}
"Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)" (Japanese title: {{lang|ja|"手をとりあって"}}, {{Transliteration|ja|te wo toriatte}}) is a song by Queen from their 1976 album A Day at the Races. Written by guitarist Brian May, it is the closing track on the album.
The song is notable for having two choruses sung entirely in Japanese, and it was released as a single exclusively in Japan,{{Cite web|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.jp/columns/queen-teo-torriatte|script-title=ja:クイーンが日本語で歌った「手をとりあって」：誕生の軌跡と日本で愛され続ける理由|date=2021-07-16|access-date=2021-07-26|website=udiscovermusic.jp|last=Masuda|first=Yūichi|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721085331/https://www.udiscovermusic.jp/columns/queen-teo-torriatte|archive-date=2021-07-21|url-status=live|publisher=Universal Music Group|language=ja|trans-title=The song Queen sang in Japanese: "te o toriatte" : its origin, and why Japanese always love it|quote=(crude translation): ... the single released exclusively in Japan in 1977 reached the top 50s on the Oricon Singles Chart. {{Interp|...}} In the fan vote to chose 12 songs for the 2020 album Greatest Hits in Japan, it earned the 3rd place, more votes than "Bohemian Rhapsody" or "Killer Queen".}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/day-races|title=Discography – A Day At The Races|website=Queen official site|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826174002/http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/day-races|archive-date=2016-08-26|url-status=dead|at=Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)|language=en}} reaching #49 on the charts.{{Cite web |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/60447/rank/single/ |script-title=ja:クイーンのシングル売上TOP4作品 |trans-title=Queen's 4 topmost selling singles |access-date=2023-10-07 |website=Oricon |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221001254/https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/60447/rank/single/ |archive-date=2022-12-21 |url-status=live |language=ja}} (The B-side was "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy".) This song features a plastic piano and harmonium, both of which are played by May. They brought in a local choir to sing the chorus at the end.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}} On the album, the song is crossfaded to a one-minute instrumental featuring a Shepard tone melody, which is actually a reprise of the beginning of the album.
Personnel
; Queen
- Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals{{Cite web |url=https://www.queensongs.info/album-analysis/a-day-at-the-races |title=Archived copy of Queen Songs website|access-date=17 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618052410/https://www.queensongs.info/album-analysis/a-day-at-the-races |archive-date=18 June 2018 |url-status=dead }}
- Brian May – harmonium, acoustic piano, Vox electronic piano, guitars, backing vocals
- Roger Taylor – drums, tambourine, percussion, backing vocals
- John Deacon – bass guitar
; Additional musicians
- Uncredited choir - backing vocals
Live performances
It was performed live in Tokyo during the Jazz Tour in 1979 and again when the band visited Japan during The Game and Hot Space tours in 1981 and 1982, respectively. When Queen returned to Japan with Paul Rodgers in 2005, a truncated acoustic version was played during May's solo set. The same arrangement was used for Queen + Adam Lambert's festival appearances in Japan in summer 2014. Two years later, during the Japanese gigs of the Queen + Adam Lambert 2016 Summer Festival Tour, the song was played in its entirety featuring the full band.
Live recordings
- Super Live in Japan (2005)
In other media
"Teo Torriatte" was covered by Japanese singer Kokia on her 2008 Christmas album Christmas Gift, and by Mêlée in 2010 and can be found on the Japanese version of their album The Masquerade released in Japan on 18 August 2010. Andre Matos (former Angra singer) covered the song on the Japanese Edition of his 2010 effort Mentalize. Queen's version is also one of 38 songs included on the benefit album, Songs for Japan (compiled in response to the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami in Tōhoku), released on 25 March 2011. An extract from the song was used as the musical accompaniment for a montage of the Olympic torch relay at the 2020 Summer Olympics opening ceremony ("Hope Lights Our Way") on 23 July 2021.
The song's alternative title is used on strategy video game Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together.
Romanisation of the title
The song's title is a romanisation of the phrase {{nihongo3|'holding hands'|手を取り合って|"te o toriatte"}}; "Teo" is the romanisation of {{nihongo3|hand|手|te}}, plus the Japanese particle {{nihongo||を|wo/o}}. "Torriatte", such as on the back cover of the A Day at the Races album and their official website, is spelled with a double "r", which does not conform to romanisation systems in Japan.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bunka.go.jp/kokugo_nihongo/sisaku/joho/joho/kijun/naikaku/roma/honbun.html|script-title=ja:ローマ字のつづり方 訓令，告示制定文 – ローマ字のつづり方 第1表・第2表|trans-title=Romaji spellings act Table 1 and 2|date=1954-12-09|access-date=2021-07-24|website=Agency for Cultural Affairs, The Government of Japan|publisher=Cabinet of Japan|language=japanese}} The Japanese single's cover gave the romanised version of the title as "Teo Toriatte", a standard single "r".
Chorus translation
File:"Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)" Lyrics in handwriting by Freddie Mercury.jpg
The chorus part sung in Japanese goes as follows:{{Cite web|url=http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/day-races|title=Discography – A Day At The Races – Lyrics|website=Queen official site|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826174002/http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/day-races#lyrics|archive-date=2016-08-26|url-status=dead|at=10. Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)|language=en}}
- Romaji: quoted from source, re-spelled to meet Japanese orthography.
- Japanese: re-constructed from romaji.
- English translation of Japanese part: translated from the Japanese reconstruction.
{{poemquote|
{{lang|ja|手を取り合って このまま行こう}} ({{Transliteration|ja|Te o toriatte konomama ikou}}/Let's go hand in hand)
{{lang|ja|愛する人よ}} ({{Transliteration|ja|Aisuru hito yo}}/my beloved.)
{{lang|ja|静かな宵に}} ({{Transliteration|ja|Shizukana yoi ni}}/In a quiet evening)
{{lang|ja|光を灯し}} ({{Transliteration|ja|Hikari o tomoshi}}/Light the light)
{{lang|ja|愛しき教えを抱き}} ({{Transliteration|ja|Itoshiki oshie o idaki}}/Embracing loving teachings)}}
The chorus part sung in English:
{{poemquote|
Let us cling together as the years go by,
Oh my love, my love,
In the quiet of the night
Let our candle always burn,
Let us never lose the lessons we have learned.}}
The Japanese version is an approximate translation from the English original.{{Cite web|url=https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20181227/k10011760211000.html|script-title=ja:クイーン単独インタビュー【後編】ブライアン・メイさん|date=2018-12-27|website=NHK|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807124315/https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20181227/k10011760211000.html|archive-date=2019-08-07|url-status=dead|at=「手をとりあって」の歌詞|language=ja|trans-title=Queen interview part 2 – Brian May|quote=(crude backtranslation): I managed to finalize {{Interp|my English version of}} the chorus quite early. Then I consulted Chika Kujiraoka (鯨岡ちか) to add Japanese lyrics, which she immediately accepted. {{Interp|...}}. So {{Interp|I / we}} spent a considerable time to develop the Japanese lyrics.}} The album liner notes includes a translation credit: "With special thanks to our Japanese friend and interpreter Chika Kujiraoka."
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160826174002/http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/day-races archived discography of A Day at the Races in Queen official website]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160826174002/http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/day-races#lyrics archived Lyrics]
- [https://brianmay.com/works/T.html#teotorriatte Lyrics on Brian May's official website] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20150329200102/http://www.brianmay.com/works/T.html#teotorriatte archive.org]) – Japanese part have several errors
{{Queen singles}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Songs written by Brian May