Chiharu Matsuyama -- Jinsei no Sora kara （人生の空から）

I first heard Hokkaido-born Chiharu Matsuyama's（松山千春）"Jinsei no Sora kara"....or part of it....back on "The Sounds of Japan" about 30 years ago. At the time, I'd forgotten that it was on....I probably got engrossed in a hockey game on TV...and ended up rushing to throw in an empty Canadian Tire tape. So I missed the first half of the song. Now, Matsuyama has been labeled as a folk singer, but "Jinsei no Sora kara"(From the Sky of Life), his 9th single (September 1980) since his debut in 1977, sounds more like a City Pop/Smooth Jazz hit with the synths, flute and saxophone in there. However, Matsuyama's characteristic high crooning voice is very much in charge.

Written and composed by Matsuyama, it peaked at No. 4 where it stayed for 6 straight weeks. It sold half a million copies and ended up as the 45th-ranked song of 1980. I'm happy to say that I was able to get a full copy of the song finally when I bought the 1980 disc in the "Seishun Uta Nenkan" CD series (profiled in the Media section).