Reimy -- Niji no Asa Kaze no Sora（虹の朝 風の空）

 

The late 1980s for me in terms of Japanese pop music meant a lot of things: overt diversification of the genres as we moved from kayo kyoku to J-Pop, a fresher and brasher type of aidoru in the form of Shizuka Kudo（工藤静香）and Miho Nakayama（中山美穂）as examples. And also, the emergence of female pop singer-songwriters coming up with some very mellow and eminently listenable material. Of course, I think of Miki Imai（今井美樹）, Midori Karashima（辛島美登里）and the young lady of note here, Reimy Horikawa（堀川麗美）.

But I have to admit that this final track, "Niji no Asa Kaze no Sora" (Morning Rainbow, Windy Sky), from Reimy's 3rd album, "Pansy", from May 1985 is perhaps one of the earliest examples of this breezy girl pop that I've discovered. With the melody by Reimy herself and then lyrics by Shun Taguchi（田口俊）and arrangement by Masataka Matsutoya（松任谷正隆）, the singer's oh-so-adorable and comforting vocals are the maraschino cherry on top of this swooning sundae that can actually induce images of morning rainbows and windy skies, and nope, nothing pharmacological is involved. Nice touch with the steel pedal guitar, too!

Shinichi Mori -- Bojou ~ Amakusa no Onna（慕情〜天草の女〜）

By STA3816 via Wikimedia Commons

Earlier this morning, I turned on Jme to see the NHK news when I saw the familiar blue frame surrounding the video, and I knew immediately that there had been some major disaster. Unfortunately, Kumamoto Prefecture was hit with a big earthquake a decade following the tremor that had slammed into it before. I'm hoping that everyone in the province is doing OK under the circumstances, especially the family of an old friend of mine.

To start off today's duo of articles, I've decided to go with a go-touchi song from Kumamoto Prefecture (specifically the city of Amakusa) by enka veteran Shinichi Mori（森進一）relatively early in his career. "Bojou ~ Amakusa no Onna" (Longing ~ Woman of Amakusa). Released in April 1971 as Mori's 19th single, it's a bittersweet enka regarding the theme of "parting is such sweet sorrow" as one-half of a once-happy relationship is now on a boat slowly puttering away from the Amakusa shore (you can hear the engine itself at the beginning and the end) while the other half is probably standing devastated on that shore. Mori was most likely already the go-to singer for heartrending enka thanks to his weeping vocals.

Written by Akari Yamaguchi（山口あかり）, "Bojou" was composed by Masaaki Hirao（平尾昌晃）. It's not everyday that Hirao came up with an enka melody so I consider this quite the revelation. It broke the Oricon Top 10 by coming in at No. 9 and it sold 300,000 copies in the first month following its release. 

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.