Well, I'm still waiting for that latest installment from the "Light Mellow" series of City Pop/J-AOR songs. I had been hoping that it would arrive today since all of us here in Toronto will be entering a long holiday weekend but since it didn't come to the door, any potential arrival will therefore now be Tuesday at the earliest. Ugh, is all I can say for now.
One of the reasons that I decided to get "Light Mellow - Wave" was for a cool song by a musician-songwriter that I hadn't heard of before by the name of Makoto Saito（斎藤誠）. And while waiting for that CD, I decided to take a gander at another YouTube ad video for another in the "Light Mellow" series, with this disc called "Travellin'". The usual urban contemporary material from Japan was present but then I got intrigued by the 4th track's excerpt. Looking up the tracks at Amazon, I discovered that it was once again Mr. Saito.
Fortunately, the whole song could also be found on YouTube. Allow me to introduce "Aru Gray na Koi no Baai" (The Case of a Certain Gray Love), a groovalicious number by Saito that was his 3rd single from 1984, and a track on his 2nd album from that same year, "Be-Gray". One of the commenters stated that Saito has some Michael McDonald influence, and yup I think there is a nice amount of Doobie Brothers in the arrangement. It does sound light and mellow although Saito is singing about trying to get a relationship out of the gray zone. Saito did indeed write and compose the single.
As for Saito himself, he was born in 1958 in Tokyo but moved about with his family during childhood to places like Hiroshima, Takarazuka and Shizuoka. In 1977, when he entered the prestigious Aoyama Gakuin University, he also entered a music circle called Better Days which also included his senpai, Keisuke Kuwata（桑田佳祐）of Southern All Stars. Kuwata was indeed the inspiration for Saito to become a professional musician and songwriter. Saito would make his major debut (although he had already become involved with the music industry before then) with the album "LA-LA-LU" in 1983.
When Saito consulted Kuwata after graduating from university about his next steps into the music world, the latter simply told him "You're 10 years too early to quit music!", perhaps suspecting some trepidation in his Padawan. Luckily for us Japanese music fans, Saito heeded his advice. Now I'm not only going to have to get "Light Mellow - Travellin'" but also the original "Be-Gray". So many aural temptations out there.
Love the post, but someone pls just can put the lyric of Aru Gray Na Koi No Baai, i cant find it and i wanna know what the song says:c
ReplyDeleteHello, Gigi!
DeleteWhy so quiet darling? Don't show me that long face.
Those hard days are getting too long, you're getting distant
In the city that you've been gazing at
That lovely wink I love, that entertaining smile of love
All of the things that we decided upon together, all of them now,
Don't be gray, don't be gray yeah
Hiding in the night dew on the glass at the time of gray
Why don't you listen to me, darling? Leaving me alone like that
Saying nothing on the phone last night
Though you were laughing as usual
That teasing kiss, that sexy joke you pretend not to know
The night we danced losing track of time, all of it now
Don't be gray, don't be gray yeah
The depressing darkness wraps around the heart
Don't be gray, don't be gray yeah
I'm losing sight of the true you
Sleeping without holding you
You just turn your back on me in my dreams
The countless troubles that keep hurting me
The nights that we cried our eyes out, all of them now
Don't be gray, don't be gray yeah
Even if we feel far away, not meeting
Don't be gray, don't be gray yeah
We forget without searching for words