The title of the song is literally ‘Love Karen’. Karen in Love is my translation of the song i.e., I think this is the translation but I am not 100% sure. Oh Karen is just a title I thought would fit better because the title literally reads ‘Love Karen’ where Love is an action as in Love you but it is not clear who it is directed towards. I have posted a question around this on Japanese StackExchange. Let’s what we get there. I will refer it as Oh Karen from here onwards.

Oh Karenn is a song by Eiichi Ohtaki from his 1981 album A Long Vacation. The song is at No.8 on B Side of the album.

Note: A Long Vacation is one of my favorite Japanese Albums. I wanted to translate this for a long time but never really got around it until mid of last month when I finally decided to buckle up and start translating it right from the first song.

キャンドルを暗くして
When candle lights are dimmed
スローな曲がかかると
and a slow song plays
君が彼の背中に手をまわし
踊るのを壁で見ていたよ
I was watching you by the wall
Dancing with him your hand moving on his back
振られるとわかるまで
何秒かかっただろう
I wonder how many seconds it took me
To realize I might get turned down
誰か話しかけても
Even when someone would come and talk to me
ぼくの眼は上の空
My eyes were in the sky above
君に釘づけさ
Glued at you

Oh! KAREN 浜辺の濡れた砂の上で
抱きあう幻を笑え
Oh! KAREN the dream I saw of us embracing each other
on the wet sand on the beach seems so silly/laughable now
Oh KAREN 淋しい片想いだけが
Oh KAREN these sad one sided feelings
今も淋しいこの胸を責めるよ
Torment my sad/lonely heart even now

ふと眼があうたびせつない色の
If our eyes happen to meet accidently
まぶたを伏せて頬は彼の肩の上
You cover your eyes of painful color with your cheeks on his shoulders
かたちのない優しさ
それよりも見せかけの魅力を選んだ
You chose visible charm/attraction over the
Formless kindless (you couldn’t see)

OH! KAREN 誰より君を愛していた
OH! KAREN I used to love you more than anyone
心と知りながら 捨てる
But you cast it away even when you knew
OH! KAREN 振られたぼくより哀しい
そうさ哀しい女だね君は
OH! KAREN you are a sadder woman than
Me who was rejected by you