For some reason, I’m really in the mood to listen to a completely out-of-season song.

One that fits the bill is “Summertime Blues,” a Japanese re-lyricization of the rock ’n’ roll classic by the late musician Kiyoshiro Imawano (1951–2009).

A counterculture icon, Imawano delivered the song as a sharp, sarcastic protest in his unmistakable, piercing falsetto.

“A hot summer is just around the corner,” he sang.

Words that, for those in the know, signal a legendary anti-nuclear anthem.

Everyone heads out to the sea.

“Swimming alone in a deserted spot, I looked up—and there stood a nuclear plant.”

The song goes on to ask, “I don’t get it at all, what’s it even........

© The Asahi Shimbun