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I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Hitomi Tohyama -- Cheek Dance(チークダンス)


It's still early in the week for one of these, and I say it this way since I think for such a song, I would probably have put it somewhere on a Wednesday/Friday night because it's one of those tunes that is so made for urban contemporary soothing duties after a hard day or week at work. However, there is also such a thing as a lousy Monday, so for those folks, here you are.


From Hitomi Tohyama's(当山ひとみ)7th studio album "Human Voice" from October 1981, here is "Cheek Dance", a tune that has been described on Hip Tank Records as "....a gorgeous skyscraper midnight ballad". Yep, it's a mellow City Pop romance but I think I can place this one any time between sunset to sunrise; the setting itself is fine...enjoying a glass of Chablis with the one you love while sitting atop one of the highest buildings in the city is supremely splendid, but I would give "Cheek Dance" much more time than just a sliver of midnight.

It has that wonderful slow groove and the lovely solo horn while Tohyama and her backing chorus bring me memories of some fine 70s soul. Too bad that it wasn't included on my BEST collection for the singer but that gives me the impetus to see if I can get my own copy of "Human Voice". Equally too bad is that I couldn't find out who was responsible for words and music. Even the JASRAC database couldn't assist this time. Maybe the wonders of Daemonskald can come to the rescue again. 😁

2 comments:

  1. Hi J-Canuck!

    Lyrics: Masami Tozawa (戸沢暢美)
    Composition: Takashi Tsushimi (都志見隆)
    Arrangement: Makoto Matsushita (松下誠)

    Drums: Masahiro Miyazaki (宮崎まさひろ)
    Bass: Yasuo Tomikura (富倉安生)
    Guitar: Makoto Matsushita (松下誠)
    Electric Piano & Synthesizer: Masato Matsuda (松田真人)
    Flugelhorn: Yoshikazu Kishi (岸義和)
    Background Vocals: Valarie Walker (バレリー・ウォーカー), Wornell Jones, Michael C. Wilson

    First 4 musicians are all members of Paradigm Shift.

    Background vocalists Wornell Jones & Michael C. Wilson are the ones who worked with Miho Fujiwara (Chocolate Lips and California Crisis)

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    Replies
    1. Hi, Daemonskald.

      Knew that you could come up with the goods, so many thanks there. :) Some pretty big guns behind the creation of "Cheek Dance", I see. And I figured those background singers sounded familiar.

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