Misia -- The Glory Day

Years ago, I heard that R&B singer Misia had been inspired to enter a music career because of the musical "Mama, I Want to Sing!". I saw the commercial advertising it on TV years before that and saw one of the cast belting out the title song as a soaring gospel tune.

So I wonder if "The Glory Day", which was the gospel-influenced title track on her 1st mini-album from November 1998, was a tribute to that musical that so inspired Misia. Rousing and yep, I'm using that word again, inspirational, if you are going through the blues in Japan, track down this album and put it into the player (or download it into your computer). Chances are that you won't stay blue for long.

Pretty much every song that I've put onto the blog by Misia is a home run out of Candlestick Park but with "The Glory Day", I think I got a peek into where the singer-songwriter's roots first emerged. Misia and musician MASH wrote the lyrics while Shiro Sagisu（鷺巣詩郎）composed and arranged the song. The mini-album peaked at No. 6 on the charts while it ended up as the 174th-ranked release for 1998. However, it rocketed up to No. 46 on the 1999 yearly rankings and went Double Platinum.