SHOGUN -- You Turn Me On

 

Yup, my first article today was Xmas-based as would be the case on any November 25th on KKP, but I haven't forgotten that it is also Urban Contemporary Friday. In a way, I guess that I was psyching myself up for this last night since I was listening to a string of my old City Pop favourites: Junko Yagami's（八神純子）"Jealous", Junko Ohashi's（大橋純子）"Nemurenai Diamond" (眠れないダイアモンド）and Fujimal Yoshino（芳野藤丸）& Haruko Kuwana's（桑名晴子）"Who Are You?".

While listening to that last one, I saw a video off to the side titled "You Turn Me On" by the band SHOGUN, which had Yoshino as a member. Knowing the group primarily for uptempo songs such as "Otokotachi no Melody"（男達のメロディー）, I'd first assumed that a tune with a title of "You Turn Me On" would be something fairly funky and raunchy.

The English-language "You Turn Me On" is indeed upbeat but it isn't actually a sex machine of a song. It's actually a very sweet paean to the one the protagonist loves, and I can picture some fellow finishing up a long day at work heading back home to happily see his wife. With lyrics by Casey Rankin and lovely melody by Yoshino, it's a gently galloping New Music/City Pop sound with the typical synthesizer haze effect of 70s City Pop gone even more spacey. The arrangements were handled by Kazuo Otani（大谷和夫）with "You Turn Me On" included as a track on the band's debut self-titled album from June 1979. Not surprisingly, "Otokotachi no Melody" is also in there.