I recall frequent commenter Brian Mitchell mentioning under Al Stewart's article that 1976 was a good year for the hits. I agreed with "Year of the Cat" becoming a classic and a few other songs that made it big then.
On the other side of the Pacific, I'm pretty sure that there were a fair share of hits on the Oricon list during 1976 that left a good feeling in people's hearts and minds and ears. This particular song went no higher than No. 60 on the charts but the melody and arrangement were cheerful enough to leave that good feeling. In fact, I'm talking about "Good Feeling", Midori Kinouchi's（木之内みどり）6th single from July 1976.
The same songwriters who were at work on Kinouchi's previous single "Gakusei Douri"（学生通り） were responsible for "Good Feeling". However, this time around, lyricist Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）, composer Kazuo Zaitsu（財津和夫）and arranger Masataka Matsutoya（松任谷正隆）didn't make a solemn and wistful paean to a setting that will slip away due to the inevitability of time and maturity. Instead, the three of them created an appropriately happy-go-lucky and summery ditty about a lass going out on a much-awaited date with her beau...without telling the stern father, of course. Nothing melancholy about this one at all...it's about enjoying the present. And considering that we here in Toronto are about to get hit with 10 centimetres of snow in the next several hours, we need all of the good feeling inoculated into us.
"Good Feeling" became the title track for Kinouchi's fourth album which was released in September that year.
I am surprised that the broadcast was still in black and white in 1976. I would have thought there would be some version of Technicolor? Midori Kinouchi's dress, however, would even look contemporary today! We've got a lot of snow here in the Blue Forest as well, so I am very thankful for this light-spirited, happy-go-lucky tune! Also, thanks for the mention! Yeah, I do think 1976 was a good year and also one which has been overlooked when Japanese music TV programs do their ranking of the top songs from the Showa period! So, I am glad to see that 1976 is getting some much need love!
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