Credits

I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Miki Nakatani -- Mind Circus


When most people hear the name Miki Nakatani(中谷美紀), they will usually associate it with the actress who often takes on the quirkier roles on TV and movies. But the Tokyo native started out from being part of an early 90s TV variety series,"Sakurakko Club"桜っ子クラブ) as a teen aidoru (or perhaps "baradoru"[variety idol] may have been more accurate) along with about-to-become-superstars Johnny's & Associates groups SMAP and TOKIO and future actresses Miho Kanno and Harumi Inoue.

Within the show, she was also one-half of the aidoru duo Key West Club, who did their own version of the "Sailor Moon" theme song "Moonlight Densetsu"ムーンライト伝説...Moonlight Legend). However, she did go solo and hooked up with Yellow Magic Orchestra's (and by the early 90s, Oscar winner) Ryuichi Sakamoto(坂本龍一)in 1996 which would begin a fairly long collaboration. "Mind Circus" was her 2nd single. Composed by Sakamoto and written by Masao Urino(売野雅勇), the song is a synth-pop candy concoction which goes down easy enough.

Nakatani would continue her singing career until 2001.



Miki Nakatani -- Absolute Value (1998)

3 comments:

  1. Just discovered this song today. Interesting composition by Ryuichi Sakamoto. The melody of this song reminds me of Francis Lai's "13 Jours en France".

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  2. Sorry, not "13 jours en France" but "Vivre pour Vivre"!

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    1. Hello there. After just listening to "Vivre pour Vivre", I can hear the similarities. That's just the amazing thing about Sakamoto...he was able to make these technopop delicacies along with sweeping classical scores but then he could also concoct hooky pop tunes for other singers.

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