Yup, I did buy Chisato Moritaka's（森高千里）8th album "Lucky 7" near the corner of Spadina and Dundas, the main intersection of the then-new Chinatown. As some trivia, the album was so titled since it heralded 7 years at the time since Moritaka made her debut. It was released in May 1993 but its most famous track came out a month earlier as her 18th single. "Watashi no Natsu" (My Summer) is all about having fun together during the hot season and it's hard not to enjoy it as you watch the music video of her bouncing about in that interesting outfit against a chromakey of clouds. Because it came out while I was studying back in T.O., most likely I became aware of "Watashi no Natsu" through the ANA commercials plugging Okinawa on video tapes from friends in Japan for which the song was the theme. Plus, it was Moritaka's contribution to the 1993 Kohaku Utagassen on NHK.
It's your typically fun and lively Moritaka music and I have to say that I love that feeling of old swinging 60s that's imbued in there. The singer provided the lyrics while Hideo Saito（斉藤英夫）provided the music. "Watashi no Natsu" managed to peak at No. 5 and ended up as the 75th-ranked single of the year.
Hi, J-Canuck.
ReplyDeleteWhen I thing about summer, "Watashi no Natsu" is one of the first songs that comes to my mind.
Honestly, I'm not a fan of the "Lucky 7" album, as it's far from the synthpop that made the girl famous in the late 80s, but I enjoy most of its singles (aside from the bright "Watashi no Natsu", "Watarasebashi" and "Kaze wa Fuiteiru" are among my favorite ballads), the only exception being the gimmicky "Haeotoko".
As for "Watashi no Natsu", it's a great piece of pop fun. The main synth line is captivating and the song, overall, is very warm (Chisato seems closer to the listener in this song, almost like a friend, and I don't know why) Also, it seems like Chisato herself enjoys performing this song a lot, even if some notes in the chorus are probably a little bit too harsh for her limited range.
In the end, "Watashi no Natsu" is surely one of the biggest standouts after her "disco queen" era, and listening to it in the article made me want to watch the "Lucky 7" live DVD, which I'll probably do tonight or tomorrow.
Hi, Marcos.
DeleteYeah, it's a fun and summery Chisato song that isn't quite the Chisato song from the turn of the decade. I think it's pretty much up there with any of the songs by TUBE and Southern All Stars.
This song was the equivalent of reflecting a resounding change in the way Chisato would continue to make music in the years to come. It's a fun, summery symphonic pop that I really like. The whole Lucky 7 album is great.
ReplyDeleteHello, El Bloc de Pipe9796 and thanks for the comments. Yeah, she did evolve her style going into the 1990s. I'll have to go through "Lucky 7" once more for old times' sake.
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