Fubuki Koshiji -- Rokudenashi （ろくでなし）

This is the one other song by Japanese chanson singer Fubuki Koshiji（越路吹雪） that I've known for years, "Rokudenashi"(Good-For-Nothing). Although I've got little knowledge on the chanson genre per se, I don't think this song quite fits the chanson mold...it's a bit too frenetic. And Koshiji, as you can see below, is shaking it up quite a bit on the stage.

Originally written, composed and sung by Belgian singer-songwriter Salvatore Adamo in 1964 as "Mauvais Garcon", the lyrics were made into Japanese by Tokiko Iwatani（岩谷時子）. I'm just going by someone's Japanese blog here, but I think the Koshiji cover was also released later in that same year. The lyrics go into the life of an incorrigible bum who's content to drink away in his watering hole as his latest girl dumps him. As much as Koshiji is famous for the proud "Ai no Sanka"（愛の讃歌）, I've also remembered her for this short spicy number. In recent years, though, the song has mostly appeared on Japanese TV as a platform for parody by a comedian who dresses in drag and sings it while shooting peanuts out of his nose (yep, it's as "hilarious" as it reads).

Here is the original version by Adamo. It comes off as somewhat less spirited than the Japanese version, but I think it accurately reflects the state of mind of the so-called hero of the song..