I remember
that the first time I heard this Minako-chan (本田美奈子) song was on a mixtape called
“Tokyo Boogie Night” that was created by Ansai Osamu featuring some interesting
80s Japanese funk/city pop songs (click here if you’re interested in hearing
the mixtape. I easily recommend it).
Originally
released in Minako Honda’s “OVERSEA” album, in June 1987, the simple yet
interesting “That’s The Way I Want It” was recorded entirely in English. In
fact, the entire “OVERSEA” album was recorded in English. Also, according to this
source, Minako worked with Michael Jackson’s staff in the record. Being more
accurate, she worked with some musicians that were involved with Janet and La
Toya careers, but not directly with Michael’s team (Minako even invited La Toya
Jackson to sing Lipps Inc.’s classic disco song, “Funkytown”, with her in the
“DISPA [short for Disco Party] 1987” concert. It was a very odd moment that,
unfortunately, isn’t on YouTube anymore). About “That’s The Way I Want It”, for
me, it’s not a late night song, but one that combines better with the sunset in
a highway near the beach. Although far from being a complex or very notorious
song, it’s one of my favorites. I just love the twinkling synths and its
laidback breezy feel.
According to
J-Wiki, the “OVERSEA” album reached #4 on the Oricon charts, but another source
talks about a #5 position. Also, this same source points out that the album has
sold around 58,000 copies (source: http://wagamamakorin.client.jp/saku-minako.html).
As for “That’s The Way I Want It”, it was written and composed by Mike
Piccirillo. As for the arrangement, John Wilson was the responsible.
Hey, Marcos.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that "That's The Way I Want It" is pretty darn interesting since I only knew Minako Honda as that Madonna wannabe on the ranking shows and then going into hard rock later into the decade. I didn't know about her attempts at good ol' R&B.
I checked out the track list for "Tokyo Boogie Night" and was intrigued enough to download it. I'm definitely interested in hearing Miho Nakayama and Mari Iijima. Thanks for the tip.
Minako was a true chameleon in the aidoru world. She tried a lot of different styles in few years. The "OVERSEA" album features this type of sound in its entirety and, as a whole, it's probably my favorite of her.
DeleteI like "Tokyo Boogie Night" very much. The selection is pretty good, in my opinion. Also, I discovered a lot of great songs because of it, like Tetsuo Sakurai's "Kimono" and Toshiki Kadomatsu's "Lucky Lady Feels So Good", for example. Although you probably know the majority of the songs in the mix, I hope you likes it.