Credits

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.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Masahiko Kondo -- Midnight Station(ミッドナイト・ステーション)


One thing about 80s aidoru Masahiko Kondo(近藤真彦)is that I could never imagine the fellow singing or dancing anything half-assed. He goes down to town as fast and as hard as any of those high-flying motorcycles that fans imagine him riding in his songs. Even Marvel's Ghost Rider would probably go "Whoa! Steady on there.".


Once again, he goes (adorable) teen punk with his "Midnight Station", Matchy's 9th single released in January 1983. In the song penned by the perennial songwriting duo of Takashi Matsumoto and Kyohei Tsutsumi(松本隆・筒美京平), he's living life large, my friend, and considering how much he yells her name, perhaps the alternate title could have been "Bonnie".


Looking at that footage above (uh...that video has been taken down), I wonder if the various PTA's across Japan wanted to report him for musical delinquency while other folks wanted to say "Awwwww" and pat him on the head. But that is indeed Matchy in full bloom, and "Midnight Station", with the screaming guitar and the propulsive beat, is a Matchy tune.

The song hit No. 1 on Oricon and became the 23rd-ranked single of 1983, and won a Gold Prize at the Japan Record Awards.

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