Welcome to a torrid Canada Day! I'm trying to keep things cool without a fan or air conditioner in my room by keeping the lights off and the blinds closed. It's not too bad, all told. Of course, being a national holiday means that I have a bit more time to consider what to put up here on the blog as a tribute to my home nation this year.
After a bit of a look around YouTube and the rest of the Net, I did discover this jaunty tune by adorable aidoru Agnes Chan（アグネス・チャン）. It's a track from her November 1977 album "Canada yori Ai wo Komete"（カナダより愛をこめて...From Canada With Love）, and I do remember that the Hong Kong native had spent some time going to the University of Toronto in my hometown. There was even a short news feature on Chan on CBC with the only thing that has stayed in my memories being that she was having a slightly difficult time with the English language. Well, that was then but I think she's perfectly fluent now and has been for decades.
In any case, the tune is "Kokoro no Kakehashi" (Suspension Bridge of the Heart), and I think her singing here is quite good. Written by Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）and composed by Bread & Butter's Satsuya Iwasawa（岩沢幸矢）, it's quite skippy in that aidoru way but something about the arrangement by Motoki Funayama（船山基紀）has that certain element of the exotic kayo that was getting popular in the late 1970s. It reminds me of Machiko Watanabe's（渡辺真知子）classic "Mayoi Michi"（迷い道）which came out in the same month.
I can't be totally certain because it was such a long time ago, but the cover for "Canada yori Ai wo Komete" with Chan may have been taken in the tony Toronto district of Yorkville which isn't far away at all from the university. With the prices of restaurants in the area, I don't get to go there much but every time the Toronto Comic Arts Festival comes to town in May, my friends and I get some lunch at Sushi Inn in Yorkville. My impression is that Ms. Chan never got that opportunity to savor sushi in the neighbourhood back then.
I just stumbled upon this blog accidentally. I only wish I had found it years ago! My favourite genre is J-Pop from the early 80s, but I'm afraid my knowledge is limited. I'm going to have so much fun going through the last 7 years worth of info here!
ReplyDeleteSidenote: Sushi Inn is one of my favourite restaurants.
Happy Canada Day.
Hi, kmah88. Good to meet you and glad that you were able to find KKP. I just subscribed to your YouTube channel! I'm also happy to hear that you and your husband will be heading to Japan in the fall. Hopefully, the heat and humidity will be largely gone by then. Enjoy exploring through the blog.
DeleteAny particular favourite singers?
My trips to Sushi Inn are pretty much restricted to the weekend of TCAF but I've enjoyed the bento there.
Wow. Thanks so much for subscribing to our channel!
DeleteI'm also hoping the heat/humidity will be over with once we arrive in Japan as well. I can't stand either. That's the main reason I picked that time of year to go. Also to see as much as Japan as possible during the kōyō season.
As I said before, my knowledge is minimal but the first Japanese music I became familiar with was from PUFFY so they will probably always be a favourite of mine. Early years Morning Musume as well. But I also really like Seiko Matsuda, Spitz and Southern All Stars.
Hi again.
DeleteAfter several years living there, I don't even think the heat and humidity here are all that bad anymore...mind you, the Humidex is reaching 41 today.
Yep, PUFFY and Morning Musume had their banner years in the latter half of the 90s...had their own TV shows and everything for a while. Will always love Spitz's "Cherry". Seiko-chan was part of the reason that I started the blog in the first place!:) Take care!