Vaundy -- Tokimeki

 

Believe it or not, the above is the only one of the four illustrations that has the least dangerous-looking sight of a happy couple driving a Toyota that I whipped up on Bing. I've never seen a non-convertible acting as a convertible. Nice speed lines, though.

The reason that I've put that one up as a thumbnail was that a few years ago, singer-songwriter Vaundy had apparently been asked by Toyota to come up with a cool song for a campaign regarding their latest iteration of the Corolla Cross. After watching a rough edit of the ad, he started wondering about what he would like to listen to while driving. Ultimately, he came up with the idea of a tune whose rhythm and tempo conveyed not only a sense of speed but also one of calm. I gather that the Corolla Cross was equipped with some fine shock absorbers.

And so came "Tokimeki" as Vaundy's September 2021 single. The word "tokimeki"（ときめき）has been something that I've crossed paths with a number of times while writing the blog, and according to Jisho.org, it is defined as "beating (of the heart, with joy, excitement, etc.); palpitation; throbbing; pounding; fluttering". That's clear enough for me but when it comes to providing a proper translation for the title of a song, that Jisho definition is a bit academic so why not just say "Giddy"?

With words and music by the singer, it's a fun song that got me reminiscing of some of those upbeat Motown soul tunes from the early 1970s by acts such as the Jackson 5. Its history of fame certainly took its sweet time, though. For one thing, a music video for "Tokimeki" didn't get developed until 2023. At first, I'd assumed that the main actress in there was Non but it was actually Angela Yuen from Hong Kong. Nothing about driving and cars in this video, either, as it went more for something out of "The Wizard of Oz". 

Finally, there was more fame for "Tokimeki" as it was the song that Vaundy performed on the Kohaku Utagassen last week. The NHK YouTube channel had put several of its performances up including Vaundy's sparkling show but they've all been taken down unfortunately. However, there is this live performance above. The song reached No. 35 on Billboard Japan.