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— by Chris Molanphy: On a business trip through Japan in 1962, the president of Britain’s Pye Records heard an enchanting pop song by the young Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto and brought a copy of the 45 back with him to the U.K. He gave the record, titled “Ue o Muite Arukō,” to Pye act Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen to record—but to make it more memorable for British listeners, the label issued Ball’s instrumental cover under the nonsensical, demeaning title “Sukiyaki,” the name of the popular Japanese hot-pot dish…

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