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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, May 22, 2013

Off Course -- Suiyoubi no Gogo (水曜日の午後)




Was looking for something seasonal to put up today, and then I remembered that I had "Spring Time Best From Off Course" on the shelves. I found the perfect song, "Suiyoubi no Gogo" (Wednesday Afternoon), not just because I'm writing this on Wednesday (night, mind you), but also because we got quite a bit of rain today here in Toronto, and the lyrics did make a lot of reference to precipitation. However, despite the rain mentioned in Kazumasa Oda's(小田和正)words (he also composed it), they come together in a way that is more optimistic than in some of the other Off Course(オフコース) songs he's been responsible for. There are no sad romantic breakups here in this song; instead, Kazumasa sings about getting that calmness and hope from the healing power of weather on a Hump Day.

"Suiyoubi no Gogo" was never released as an official single, but was included in the band's very first album, "Boku no Okurimono" (僕の贈りもの...My Present) released in June 1973. It is a lovely if short song that would be at home in any repertoire at an annual high school song contest. Below is a cover version.


2 comments:

  1. Thanks J-Canuck for this great post on オフコース's 「水曜日の午後」. Great song and love 小田和正's melodic vocals. I think 小田和正 was at his best when he was with オフコース singing such classic songs like 「さよなら」, 「愛を止めないで」, 「ENDLESS NIGHTS」, 「もっと近くに」, 「Yes-No」 among others.

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    1. Thanks, JTM. I think Mr. Oda will always be one of the big ones in Showa-era pop music along with Yuming and Tatsuro Yamashita. I've loved his work with Off Course, but also enjoy a number of his songs as a solo singer since the mid-80s.

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