The surprising thing I found out about her 6th single was that it had been written by Ryo Aska（飛鳥涼）of Chage & Aska fame and composed by Daisuke Inoue（井上大輔）. But remembering how the song sounded, I can imagine the lyricist tackling this one as well. Released in January 1983, "Bohemian" peaked at No. 3 on Oricon, and became the 21st-ranking song of the year.
In another cross-Pacific comparison, her voice sounds somewhat familiar to that of Bonnie Tyler (of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" fame). Strangely enough, Katsuragi did cover a couple of her songs: "Sitting on the Edge of the Ocean" and "Holding Out for a Hero".
December 5th 2023: J-Canuck here stating that I've found the original version of "Bohemian".
What a difference a decade makes! Previously, the only thing I'd heard by Yuki Katsuragi was the very traditional folk song "Kiso wa yama no naka" from 1974. I would never have guessed she'd turn into a rock & roller!
ReplyDeleteJust found out that another husky-voiced singer, Yuko Otomo, had a crack at "Bohemian" and...yes, it's a natural fit.
Hello, Mike.
DeleteThat's quite the revelation about Katsuragi. I only knew her as the growling rocker. From my observations, it seems as if a lot of folk singers during the 1970s went into some very different genres.
Hello, I had the nice chance to meet her and interview her for my radio show and she is a Bonnie Tyler fan for sure. If you have any questions for her let me know and I will pass them on.
ReplyDeleteHello, stevyn. Thanks very much for your comments. The only question that I would have for Ms. Katsuragi is a general one, and that would be her opinion on Japanese pop music and its popularity with overseas audiences in recent memory. Would she be pleasantly surprised or somewhat bemused?
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