新しい学校のリーダーズ (ATARASHII GAKKO!) have recorded 坂本九 (Kyu Sakamoto)’s 見上げてごらん夜の星を (Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi wo) as the theme song for 星の教室 (Hoshi no Kyoshitsu), opening in Japan on November 6.
The connection goes deeper than a familiar song finding a new interpreter. Originally associated with a 1960 musical about young people attending night school, “Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi wo” became one of Sakamoto’s defining recordings in 1963.
Hoshi no Kyoshitsu returns to a similar setting, following people of different generations studying at a night junior high school. Sakamoto’s original recording appears in the film, while ATARASHII GAKKO!’s new version serves as its theme.
The group described finding their own idea of “endless youth” in a story about people refusing to give up on tomorrow. Sixty-three years after Sakamoto’s recording, the song has found another classroom.