Kazuya Kosaka -- Seishun Cycling (青春サイクリング)

Cycling, cycling! Yahoo! Yahoo!

That was the line from the classic kayo "Seishun Cycling" that kept going around in my head as I cycled down East Coast Park Wednesday afternoon to let off some steam - I was on study break before my exams next week. It was a clear day with strong winds blowing pushing me forward (and going against me in the return trip) and there were few people around as expected which made it peaceful and had me less on edge. However, rather than going, "Yahoo! Yahoo!" as actor-singer, Kazuya Kosaka (小坂一也), had so happily sang, it was more of "Uh-oh... Uh-oh..." for yours truly as the sun was burning hot in the early afternoon; my arms and knees were becoming more red the further I went. Thankfully I did not have to suffer from sunburns, but I did return home pink and eventually a shade darker.

Moving on, "Seishun Cycling" (released in 1958) is one of those popular old tunes I hear often on the music shows, more often than not being sung by all guests and sometimes by just one. I actually find it amusing that such a simple song about cycling can still be heard decades later. Contrary to what I had thought, the aged audience really love this song. Probably it makes them feel young again. Or perhaps it allows them to reminisce the times back in the day when they used to cycle about everywhere - cycling was one of the popular and primary modes of transport just like trains in that era, I learnt.

Writing the lyrics to "Seishun Cycling" was Kikuko Tanaka (田中喜久子). I can relate to the second stanza about riding down a path by the sea and taking in the salty breeze. As for its jaunty melody that makes you imagine coasting down a slope at high speed with the your hair billowing in the wind, Masao Koga (古賀政男) was responsible for it. Though I'm still having some trouble figuring out how to distinguish Koga's fast-paced works, I'm beginning to pick out 1 or 2 tropes, like hearing the clashing of cymbals.

During a break at a pavilion on my return trip, I was joined by this Common/Indian myna bird. With some thought I decided to name it Larry (by pure coincidence... One of the blog's contributors is also named Larry). He was first digging around in the sand for food, then came by and stood at the edge of the pavilion looking at me expectantly, no doubt hoping for a handout. Unfortunately for Larry the myna, I had nothing to offer but he just stood there fluffing his feathers. I enjoyed the company.