Fly Away

ⓘ This lostwave is classified as unsolved.
Fly Away
Alternative name(s)	The Akiba Tape
Language	Japanese
Year	1984-1995
Status	Unsolved
Original poster	tekibaka
Search started	2000

Fly Away (also known as The Akiba Tape), is an unidentified song of Japanese origin. The song was found on a cassette tape purchased in Akihabara.

Background

On August 5th, 2000, the song was first posted to the internet on the occult board of 2chan by an anonymous user in a thread dedicated to posting scary songs, saying that they bought the song from a blank cassette tape in an Akihabara music shop.

On March 18th, 2011, the OP uploaded the full song was uploaded to the Japanese video streaming site, niconico.jp, titled "Sadness of Dead Leaves, Lost in the Sea of Trees". This was followed by a blog post on May 12th, 2013, where they explain that they purchased the cassette at Radio Kaikan, a multi-level complex of independent shops, and that they bought the tape in the early 1990s.

On October 18th, 2021, YouTuber SakuraStardust posted a documentary about the song, which increased the song's popularity in the English speaking world.

It was discovered that the song uses the Yamaha RX11 drum machine and possibly the Yamaha DX7, which were both released in 1984. It is also noted that the tape has an "ARA" logo scribbled out with a marker, which stands for Audio Representative Associates and could be a potential distribution company for the song.

On September 8th, 2022, the OP discovered another tape with the same "ARA" label, which was discovered on April 28th, 2024 to be Even If It's Just a Dream by Sara Mizuse, and was found on the website recordcity.jp.

Lyrics (Japanese and English)

ExpandPresumed Lyrics (Verse 1)

風を追って何処へ行くの (Chasing the wind, where are you going?)

夕日色の枯葉達よ(Sunset-colored dead leaves)

扉を叩く音もない (There is no sound of a knock at the door)

壊れかけた椅子で眠る(I sleep in a broken chair)

窓の外は灯る明かり(Outside the window, the light is on)

見知らぬ街の夢を見る(I dream of a strange city)

(Chorus)

さようなら貴方は no say (Goodbye you no say)

悲しい笑顔でfarewell (Farewell with a sad smile)

fly away遠い国へ (Fly away to a faraway land)

旅立つ空には　あぁ(In the departing sky, ah)

星がかかる(There's a star in the sky)

(Verse 2)

青い鳥を逃がす前に (Before the blue bird escapes)

指でそっと羽に入れて (Gently with my fingers in the wings)

空を逃げて涙止まっている (Tears are still in the sky as you flee)

(Chorus)

さよなら貴方はgo away (Goodbye you go away)

優しい瞳がfarewell (Gentle eyes are farewell)

fly away遠い国へ (Fly away to a faraway land)

旅立つ夜には　あぁ(On the night of your departure)

fly away遠い国へ…(Fly away to a faraway land...)

Leads

Debunked

• Arika Takarano: Japanese singer known for the band Ali Project, which was investigated due to the similar vocals and lyrical themes, confirmed that they did not make the song.