Came across this unusual Keiko Fuji（藤圭子）song today. I say "unusual" because "Aka Chochin Blues" (Red Lantern Blues) is pretty darn sprightly for a Fuji song, and an enka tune to boot, since I've been accustomed to her much darker Mood Kayo outings from the early 1970s. And although it does have the word "blues" in there, I'm not sure whether Fuji's bar mama-san is really all that down in the dumps as she describes the trials and tribulations of owning a watering hole for the variety of drunken fellows.
Words and music were provided by Daisaburo Nakayama（中山大三郎）and Toru Funamura（船村徹） respectively. The music by Funamura was especially notable in that with the skippy melody and the clarinet in there, I wondered whether he was going for something reminiscent of a chindon'ya（チンドン屋）, the Japanese traditional marching band. It definitely puts an interesting kick into the proceedings.
"Aka Chochin Blues" was released as the B-side to Fuji's 35th single from October 1979, "Kawaii Onna"（可愛い女...Pretty Woman）.
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