Cocco -- Tsuyoku Hakanai-tachi（強く儚い者たち）

Okinawan singer-songwriter Cocco (nee Satoko Makishi/真喜志智子) is a singer that I've had to re-acquaint myself with after so many years. She is one of the names in my memories of J-Pop of the 1990s, and although she wasn't someone who had the media presence of Namie Amuro（安室奈美恵 ）or Morning Musume（モーニング娘。）back in that decade, she wasn't exactly a lady of enigma either such as the mysterious Takako Mamiya（間宮貴子）. She did make some occasional appearances on the music shows.

However, my own impression was that Cocco didn't go into interviews too often or readily. The only onscreen banter with her that I recall witnessing was on "Music Station" one Friday night when just before a performance on the cameras, the singer had to talk with host Tamori（タモリ）. It was a weird one since her eyes seemed unfocused and she spoke in a rather odd voice to the extent that I wondered whether she was a savant. And then right after she was done singing, she didn't stay there before the cut to commercial or Tamori; instead, she just dashed away like a frightened rabbit. And yet, I've seen her in an excerpt of a documentary, and she spoke and behaved absolutely naturally with those wide eyes and an even wider and lovely smile.

Cocco's first stint in show business lasted between 1996 and 2001 and during that time, her 2nd major single "Tsuyoku Hakanai-tachi" (The Strong and the Ugly) from November 1997 was the one that got her on the map. Written by the singer and composed by Rei Shibakusa（柴草玲）, listening to the song for the first time in a long while, I got to recognize it again as this swaying and happy tune that I used to hear pretty often here and there. There is that feeling of freedom in it as Cocco through her lyrics welcomes listeners to relax and stay a while especially if they have experienced some recent trials and tribulations. At the same time, though, she does fire at least a couple of barbs hinting that things are never as rosy or perfect as one would hope. Slightly tough love perhaps?

(short version)

One reason that I heard it often was because "Tsuyoku Hakanai-tachi" was also the song for a Hawaii campaign by Japan Air Lines. The song peaked at No. 18, and although later releases by her went even higher in the rankings, it has become Cocco's most successful entry in terms of sales. It finished the year at No. 68 for 1998 as a Gold single, and it can also be found on her May 1998 2nd album "Kumui Uta"（クムイウタ）which in the Ryukyuan dialect means "lullaby". The million-seller album hit No. 1 on Oricon and was the 31st-ranked release of that year.

Cocco did have a first retirement from 2001 but then decided to make a second go of it from 2006 onwards.