I don't get too many opportunities in this category but I received a question through the Contact Form the other day from Fireminer, and I thought the question was intriguing enough to throw it to everyone else. So my thanks to Fireminer on giving me permission to post it up.
The question is:
Which English song sung by a Japanese artist makes the strongest impression on you?
I did give my own answer to Fireminer but I also came up with a different choice right now which I will put up here.
With my age, my choice is quite old but it does involve one of my favourite singers, Ruiko Kurahashi（倉橋ルイ子）, who is famous for seeing her cover of Bette Midler's "The Rose". Kurahashi's version seems a bit more delicate, almost elegiac.
The words and music were provided by Amanda McBroom, who actually played a Starfleet JAG officer on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" in the late 1980s. No idea on whether Patrick Stewart provided his own version of "The Rose" in outtakes.
In any case, if any of you readers or collaborators have your own answers to the question above, please let us know!
Hi, J-Canuck.
ReplyDeleteThat's an interesting question by Fireminer. For me, many oldies tunes I now love had been introduced by Duke Aces and Mae-Kiyo. However, I think the one that gave me the strongest impression was Hiroshi Tachi's rendition of Frank Sinatra's "Strangers In The Night".
Tachi's delivery can't really compare to that of Sinatra's, but the slower, more atmospheric arrangement of the cover makes it all the more romantic. Unfortunately, I can't find Tachi's cover - I think it got taken down from YouTube. It can be found in his compilation albums, though, like "ANTHOLOGY".