Fly Me to the Moon - Three Essay Stories

Fly me to the moon

　When you hear this phrase, what comes to mind?

　A jazz standard

　Moon landing

　....

　-- Fly me to the moon --

　"Fly me to the moon"

　It is a familiar jazz standard, isn't it?

　It was written in 1954 by the songwriter Bart Howard.
　Initially, it was titled
　"In Other Words"
but was later changed to
　"Fly me to the moon"
.

　This song became a massive global hit after being covered by Frank Sinatra.

　"Fly me to the moon"

　If translated literally, it would be
　　"Fly me to the moon"
, but due to the romantic nuance of the lyrics, it is often translated as
　　"Take me to the moon"
.

　The feeling of wishing for a loved one to "take me to the moon" is sung in a sweet and poignant way.

　In fact, it is said that this song was played inside the spacecraft during the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969.
　In other words, the first song humanity ever heard on the moon was this "Fly me to the moon".

　Try to imagine it.
　The moment that melody played quietly in the pitch-black void of space, and humanity stepped onto the moon for the first time while listening to it.

　Isn't it incredibly dramatic that the moon and music could be connected in such a romantic way?

　-- Fly me to the moon --

　The grand project where humanity actually aimed for the moon was the Apollo program by NASA.
　It was carried out from 1961 to 1972, and in July 1969, Apollo 11 succeeded in the first human moon landing.
　Through this program, a total of six manned moon landings were achieved.

However, the human dream of reaching the moon existed long before the Apollo program.

Are you familiar with the science fiction novel "From the Earth to the Moon" published by French author Jules Verne in the late 19th century?
It is a story consisting of two parts, "From the Earth to the Moon" and "Around the Moon," in which a group of firearms experts called the "Gun Club" in post-Civil War America manufacture a giant cannon to shoot a manned projectile at the moon—a truly wild tale.

The first part depicts everything from the planning of the project to the firing of the projectile, while the second part follows three men inside the projectile as they orbit the moon and, after many twists and turns, return safely to Earth.
Although they could not land on the moon, it is a truly dreamlike story packed with ideas that were unimaginable with the science and technology of that time.

By the way, I would like to share a piece of black humor.

It is a story that while various countries were competing to land on the moon and return to Earth, the first human moon landing was actually achieved by the Japanese.
It was a "one-way suicide mission."
Of course, it is a joke that is hard to laugh at, but perhaps it speaks to just how reckless a challenge reaching the moon was considered to be for humanity at that time.

— — Fly Me to the Moon — —

Perhaps a time will really come when people go to the moon for their honeymoon.
Just imagining it makes me excited.

By the way,
"Fly me to the moon"
When I hear that phrase, for some reason, I am reminded of a certain movie.

"Take Me to the Ski Slope"

This is a 1987 Japanese film starring Tomoyo Harada.

If you know this movie, then...
"You might think I'm an old-timer, but the older the timer..."

Yes, I am one of those "old-timers" myself.

This film, which depicts the frenzy of the bubble economy and the romantic lives of young people, remains in many people's hearts today, along with the insert song by Yumi Matsutoya,
"Koibito ga Santa Claus" (My Lover is Santa Claus).
It is still covered today as a classic Christmas song, isn't it?

Snowy mountains and Christmas. Even though it is midsummer now, this topic is certainly out of season.

But for some reason, this phrase "Fly me to the moon" resonates with "Take Me to the Ski Slope" in my mind.
Perhaps it is because both contain a slightly spoiled wish for someone to "take me there."

"Fly me to the moon."

This single phrase has invited us to various "moons"—the romance of music, the challenges of humanity, and even personal nostalgic memories.

The moon always shines quietly in our night sky.
While it is a distant existence, it sometimes accepts the wishes of lovers, sometimes stimulates the inquisitive minds of scientists, and at other times, simply by being "there," it wraps us in peace.

What kind of existence is the "moon" to you?

Perhaps it is a place of longing you have yet to see.

Or perhaps it is a symbol of a precious memory, quietly tucked away in your heart.

Why not look up at the sky tonight?

Your own "moon" might be there, smiling gently down at you.