Shinji Tanimura -- Subaru （昴）

"Subaru" by Shinji Tanimura（谷村新司）was one of the heavily-sung songs at Kuri. I didn't understand the lyrics back in the 80s, but just from the epic feeling of the melody and the way the karaoke folks sang it like an anthem (for which rousing applause was the usual reaction), I got the distinct impression that "Subaru" in Japan meant more than an expensive car.

But I found out some years ago that it is the Japanese word for the star cluster known as The Pleiades. And as that title would suggest, the lyrics talk of taking that big leap forward to the stars or making that big move into something better despite the odds. I just wondered if Tanimura, when he wrote and composed the song, had been channeling George Washington, Kiichiro Toyoda or Kal-El of Krypton. However, the inspiration for "Subaru" was somewhat more down-to-earth.

Actually, Tanimura got the idea and the lyrics for his 2nd single when he was helping out a moving company pack stuff in cardboard boxes as he was changing residences. Not sure if he had been doing this at night while facing the sky, but that's apparently how the song came to be. He also composed the rousing melody, and the song was released in April 1980. It managed to reach No. 2 on Oricon and became the 12th-ranked song of the year. But it would be 7 more years before he was able to sing his epic at the Kohaku Utagassen. However, in the meantime, I'm sure that Tanimura got the ultimate accolade via tons of karaoke lounges and international exposure for his song since it also became popular in China, South Korea and Cambodia.

In J-Wiki, the writeup for "Subaru" indicated that there was give-and-take as to whether the song was a pop song or an enka ballad. Although Tanimura has sung the genre since then, I never considered this particular song as an enka tune since I think the genre has usually been about the local or regional, but in contrast, "Subaru" goes beyond all borders. It could be played for anything from celebrating a buddy's promotion or Man's first landing on Mars (hopefully within my lifetime).

"Subaru" was used for a Nikka Whiskey commercial, but strangely enough not for any of the myriad moving companies in Japan. And frankly as a karaoke song, I couldn't touch it....I'd have to earn a lot more stripes before tackling that one.