Yesterday's article on the rock band One Ok Rock fronted by Takahiro Moriuchi（森内貴寛）was partially sparked by the revelation through a commenter that his father was none other than enka singer Shinichi Mori（森進一）. He's someone I've known for decades because of his raspy voice and the fact that he kinda looked like a Japanese Ensign Chekov when he was much younger.
Well, out of coincidence, when I was searching for some enka YouTube to show my enka-loving father, I just happened to come across a Mori tribute video, and though KKP has its fair share of his music, I hadn't known about his 28th single from October 1973, "Fuyu no Tabi" (A Winter Journey).
Filled with emotion as any enka tune should have, Mori was definitely the right singer for this one as he can be very heart wrenching with his vocals. This song created by lyricist Yu Aku（阿久悠）and composer Kosho Inomata（猪俣公章）is as bitter as can be, as a brokenhearted lover seethes angst, frustration and anger about the end of the two-year relationship and hopes that the former partner is as trapped in the existential trek in the cold as he is (freezing gusts of wind and a forlorn chorus start the ballad off). Yeah, no sweetness to this bitterness at all. "Fuyu no Tabi" reached No. 3 on the Oricon weeklies and ended up as the 23rd-ranked single by the end of 1974.
Shinichi Mori's voice is prefect for this song as his voice does sound like he is shivering as he goes on his journey.
ReplyDeleteHello, Brian. Mori has got that wonderful kobushi which could elicit tears from a hunk of rock.
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