Probably like a lot of boys in my generation, one of the television stars that I rather fell hard for was actress Elizabeth Montgomery from 60s and 70s sitcom "Bewitched", so it wasn't a surprise that she's one of the earliest memories I had in my life. Perhaps a close second to her character of Samantha Stevens was Barbara Feldon's 99 from "Get Smart".
Maybe that was the thing regarding the late great singer-songwriter KAN's debut single from April 1987, "Terebi no Naka ni" (On TV). He is singing here about falling in love with some young and pretty lady who has been popping up on the tube all the time. Written and composed by KAN himself, it strikes me as being a 1960s rock n' roll-ish romp that I believe he's dipped into from time to time during his career, although I still see him more as the piano pop prince, a la "Ai wa Katsu"（愛は勝つ）, his most famous hit. Therefore, "Terebi no Naka ni" sticks out as something that's a little different for him especially with him crashing down on those synths pretty hard. I'd probably say that he's channeling Elvis Costello more than Billy Joel here.
Of course, KAN did a ton of concerts so he was prancing about on stage. But for me, someone who never got to see any of his performances live, it is something to see him doing so especially when my perpetual image of him is in a natty suit permanently positioned behind the piano keys.
Fireminer here. I've never watched the original Bewitched, only the 2005 movie (which is better than people think.) But I actually have more experience with reruns of I Dream of Jeannie.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, it's funny that you mentioned Kan, Billy Joel and Elvis Costello in the same sentence. Is it just me or does it feel like Kan's music in the 80s sounded like something from 70s America?
For me, the original "Bewitched" will be more of a nostalgia piece from my early childhood rather than something that tickled my funny bone. Still, it's nice to see what suburban America appeared like back in the 60s and 70s. Of course, Montgomery will always be lovely to my eyes. :)
DeleteI have yet to really explore how Kan sounded like overall in his very early years as an entertainer, so it's gonna be an exploration for the next little while.