Cheuni -- Wasurenagusa（忘れな草）

 

When it comes to South Korean singer Cheuni（チェウニ）, I've always known her as someone who had gotten her career in the 1990s singing a mix of enka and other genres mixed together...something that I've labeled New Adult Music. It was quite the musical version of blended refined whiskey.

However, after I'd posted my previous Cheuni song, "Glass no Tokyo Tower"（ガラスの東京タワー）, a month ago, one commenter had to give me a correction in that Cheuni's debut had actually happened perhaps as much as a dozen years earlier than expected. For some reason, although J-Wiki had noted her debut as a child singer in the early 1970s at the age of 8 and a Japanese album release at the end of that decade via what is now known as the Taihei Record Company, there is currently no mention at all of a couple of singles in 1979 and 1981.

The anonymous commenter thankfully guided me to the above video on YouTube and it was for her debut single in Japan, "Wasurenagusa" (Forget-Me-Nots), which was released in 1979. She was in her mid-teens at the time so there was of course none of that familiar rasp in her vocals but listening to them now, I can still recognize them as Cheuni's. Considering her age, the single may have indeed been marketed as one belonging to an aidoru and there is something in the arrangement that hints at enka but I think most of the song gives me folk and kayo vibes.

Yoko Yamaguchi（山口洋子）provided the lyrics while the melody was composed by Masaaki Hirao（平尾昌晃）, the veteran songwriter who also had a hand in bringing over another lovely teen ingenue from overseas to Japan: Agnes Chan（アグネス・チャン）.

Hideo Murata -- Otoko no Dohyo（男の土俵）

Tsubame98 via Wikimedia Commons

The Nagoya Sumo Tournament wrapped up yesterday afternoon with Ukrainian wrestler Aonishiki（安青錦） grabbing the championship. Not only that, but he also secured his second promotion to the second-highest tier of ozeki as well. 

I thought then that perhaps we can start this week's edition of KKP in this final week of July with something related to sumo. And sure enough, we come to the legendary enka singer Hideo Murata（村田英雄）. He was known for bringing in some oaken manly-man verve into some of his discography, namely into those songs celebrating Japanese pastimes such as judo via "Sugata Sanshiro"（姿三四郎）and "Judo Ichidai"（柔道一代）, and even shogi through "Osho" (王将).

Well, Murata presented his take on sumo with his January 1964 single "Otoko no Dohyo" (The Man and the Sumo Ring), and once again led the way on the odyssey to become a worthy rikishi in this ancient sport of Japan. This was actually written and composed by Murata himself and does so in a way that reminded me of the musical story of a masterless samurai wandering the Earth that often provided material for an enka tune...aside from the peppery percussion in the middle that often signals a sumo bout. Interestingly enough, "Otoko no Dohyo" was released in the same month as the judo-based "Sugata Sanshiro". As well, "Otoko no Dohyo" was performed by Murata on NHK's Kohaku Utagassen but not until 1976.

Kiyotaka Sugiyama & Omega Tribe -- Misty Night Cruising

 

The above photo comes from flickr and Wikimedia Commons via author aotaro and it's quite the gleaming Tron-friendly photo of the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line spanning across the titular body of water between Kanagawa and Chiba Prefectures. Imagine crossing this one in the wee hours.

Now, the Aqua-Line opened around thirteen years following the introduction of this opening track from Kiyotaka Sugiyama & Omega Tribe's（杉山清貴&オメガトライブ）December 1984 album "Never Ending Summer", but I'd imagine that current City Pop fans would be more than happy to traverse the Aqua-Line while listening to this one in the coupe.

What I'm talking about is "Misty Line Cruising" which was written by Chinfa Kan（康珍化）, composed by Sugiyama himself and then arranged by Makoto Matsushita（松下誠）. From the title and one early lyric, I'd assumed that the story was going to take place on a cruise ship but by the end, I was convinced that the cruising involved was through a car...an automobile occupied by a handsome couple out on their second date after meeting cute in a cafe somewhere. The feeling from the rest of Kan's lyrics is that the sky's the limit now as to what could happen in this relationship. The romantic vibe is thrumming as smoothly as that engine in the car and the melody in "Misty Line Cruising".

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu -- KURU KURU HARAJUKU

By Chris 73 via Wikimedia Commons

I've made my fair share of visits to Harajuku. Takeshita-douri, all those crepe stands, the fashionistas and the bubblegum-coloured stores...it's quite the amusement park. Of course, by entering the area (even back in my old Japan days), I immediately skewed the age line so I can't even imagine what it would feel like going there now. 

Speaking of age, it's hard for me to believe that the vivacious Kyary Pamyu Pamyu（きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ）is 33 years old now. She has always struck me as someone stuck in her late teens or early twenties, and her overall aura is such that she doesn't even have to physically appear in a music video to make it worthy viewing. Et tu, "DODONPA"（どどんぱ）?

Well, a couple of days ago, her latest single just dropped. Titled "KURU KURU HARAJUKU" (Spinning Harajuku), it's another percolating blippity-bloppity technopop treat from KPP about a Harajuku denizen's dramatic day in her favourite area of Tokyo. And this time, the mesmerizing video has multiple Kyarys of differing sizes bopping about in what looks like a costume of the Michelin Man in battle mode. Maybe the techno trio Perfume is off on indefinite hiatus but producer/songwriter Yasutaka Nakata（中田ヤスタカ）still has plenty of work.

Nobue Matsubara -- Hotaru（蛍）

By Tyler Savitski via Wikimedia Commons

 

Kinda keeping on the summer festival theme that I started from the previous article, I gather that another sign of the summer is fireflies or hotaru as we say in Japanese. In fact, where I taught in the former town of Tsukiyono, Gunma Prefecture, there was a firefly festival each year. The usual food stands and other temporary establishments associated with a matsuri were all set up while next door in the woods, adults and kids alike could see the dozens or perhaps hundreds of glowing fireflies flitting about, providing the evening with its own organic illumination. 

This particular May 1990 single by enka singer Nobue Matsubara（松原のぶえ）, "Hotaru" (Fireflies), popped up on one of the NHK music shows recently. Up to now, I only really knew one other firefly-related kayo kyoku and that was "Hotaru no Hikari"（蛍の光）, otherwise known as the Japanese cover of "Auld Lang Syne", also used to signal the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one (and simply to signal closing time at some commercial complex).

Well, "Hotaru" is a much less grandiose song and much more of a grounded and calm enka about finding love among the flying fireflies. And certainly, I did see a few yukata-garbed young couples walking about at the Firefly Festival, so I guess that the hotaru season can also be another symbol for romance. Written by Takashi Taka（たかたかし）and composed by Tetsuya Gen（弦哲也）, I'd say that it is indeed a woodsy traditional ballad of love.

Japanese Pop Music x Bon Odori（盆踊り）

 

Being summer, it's festival season in Japan and I know that it's in full swing whenever I hear about or see Tokyo's Sumida River Fireworks Festival on the final Saturday of July. I've seen it on television from the air-conditioned comfort of my Ichikawa apartment and around thirty years ago, I actually saw it with my own eyes from the apartment of a student who generously invited teachers and fellow classmates over for a fireworks party. We were very fortunate in that the apartment was right by the Sumida River in Asakusa where I used to work, so the fireworks literally exploded right over our heads. Getting back home, though, was quite the adventure in time and physics.

Festivals in Japan also mean bon odori...the great communal dance around the raised stage all draped in red and white like the colours of the Japanese flag. Nothing says the dog days of summer than doing those rhythmic steps while sporting a colourful yukata and geta while a min'yo is being sung and performed on stage.

However, in the last several years, there has been some relaxation of the rules in terms of the music, so instead of the traditional stuff, examples of kayo kyoku and J-Pop have been used to get the crowds all roused up and dancing. Thanks to an NHK report yesterday, I was rather inspired to put up this list that I got from a far bigger list on Line Music. Yes, you can dance to these in the Bon Odori style!

(1984) Ann Lewis -- Roppongi Shinju （六本木心中）

(1985) Yoko Oginome -- Dancing Hero （ダンシング・ヒーロー）

(1993) Pizzicato Five -- Tokyo wa Yoru no Shichi-ji (東京は夜の七時）

(2001) B'z -- Ultra Soul

(2013) AKB48 -- Koisuru Fortune Cookie (恋するフォーチュンクッキー)

P.S. They could even make a Bon Dance out of this classic!

J-Canuck's Four Favourite Songs by Original Love

 

For the Friday edition of NHK's "Asaichi"（あさイチ）, we all got the delight of being serenaded by Takao Tajima（田島貴男）, aka Original Love. It was a reminder of how great a singer he has been for well over thirty years. Ever since I first heard one of his tunes on my friend's car radio, I've been hooked by his distinctive voice and his happy adoption of various genres including jazz, rock and soul.

Much to my surprise, I realized that I had yet to provide a Favourites list regarding Original Love so here it is to finish today's cadre of urban contemporary on KKP Friday! Have a great weekend!

(1993) Seppun (Kiss) （接吻）

(1993) Sunshine Romance (サンシャイン ロマンス)

(1994) Asahi no Ataru Michi （朝日のあたる道）

(1996)  Primal