Kahimi Karie -- Humming ga Kikoeru （ハミングが聞こえる）

Considering that the long-running anime "Chibi Maruko-chan"（ちびまる子ちゃん）and its most famous theme song "Odoru Ponpokorin"（おどるポンポコリン） are pretty much tied at the hip, it's hard to imagine any other song being associated with it. And yet, for a brief time in the mid-90s, there was an opening theme that was truly different.

The ethereal beauty queen of Shibuya-kei, Kahimi Karie（カヒミカリィ） came up with "Humming ga Kikoeru" (I Can Hear Humming) in 1996, a short and fun piece of pop cultural nostalgia which brings together the opening notes of 60s US sitcom, "That Girl", Stephane Grappelli's violin and some old-style French pop. And of course, there are the breathy vocals of Karie.

The official video for "Humming ga Kikoeru" has Karie traipsing nonchalantly around a room of stuff to play with while filmed in a black-&-white that reminded me of some of those old French TV dramas that I inexplicably watched as a kid on Canada's CBLFT-25. The singer certainly got the tone right. And from watching the video, I certainly feel like skipping down to the nearest boulangerie to grab a croissant and café au lait.

And just for nostalgia's sake, here is the opening from "That Girl". Man, that show takes me back to my diapers!