Akiko Kanazawa -- Yellow Submarine Ondo（イエロー・サブマリン音頭）

I actually remember watching The Beatles' animated feature "Yellow Submarine" on CBS when I was a kid. For someone who was accustomed to watching cute animals via Disney and Warner Brothers, viewing this one had me creeped out and mesmerized at the same time. I think the squint that I had watching "Yellow Submarine" explains why my eyes look the way they do now.

Well, as I mentioned last night for that Mini-Moni article, "Uta Kon"（うたコン）a couple of nights ago had the mixed theme of spring songs and Beatles classics. Of course, there were the straight renditions but then there was this most unusual kayo-fied version of "Yellow Submarine" titled "Yellow Submarine Ondo" (Yellow Submarine Japanese Folk Song) performed by minyo singer Akiko Kanazawa（金沢明子）.

Released originally as Kanazawa's 16th single from November 1982, this Japanese take on one of The Beatles' most recognizable hits sounds as if The Fab Four had truly fallen in love with life in Japan and decided to stay. Some years later, Paul and John decide to whip up a tune for the local summer festival.

Actually, though, the idea to make an ondo out of "Yellow Submarine" came from a director by the name of Shinji Kawahara（川原伸司）who helped in the production of songs including "Aoi Sangosho"（青い珊瑚礁）by Seiko Matsuda（松田聖子）and Yosui Inoue's（井上陽水）"Shonen Jidai"（少年時代）. He had been thinking about converting a Beatles song into a traditional folk tune, and after a few stumbles, he met up with singer-songwriter Eiichi Ohtaki（大滝詠一）who decided to help out. Initially, it had been thought that comedienne Kuniko Yamada（山田邦子）would be the one to record it, but Ohtaki balked at that, stating that if Yamada went behind the mike, the song wouldn't be taken seriously enough (although I think, regardless, it does come off as a pretty comical tune...parts of it sound like Krazy Kats).

It was decided then that singer Kanazawa, who hails from my former home of Ichikawa in Chiba Prefecture, would be the one to record this new version of "Yellow Submarine" with Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）providing the Japanese lyrics. Of course, the finished product still has the basic familiar melody by McCartney and Lennon, but according to the J-Wiki article on "Yellow Submarine Ondo", some inspiration from Charles A. Zimmerman's "Anchors Aweigh" and "Gunkan Koushin Kyoku" （軍艦行進曲...Warship March）by Tokichi Setoguchi（瀬戸口藤吉）was added. As well, the first few bars of "Yellow Submarine Ondo" also has the opening notes for "I Want to Hold Your Hand". To wrap up the trivia section, the guys who can be heard caterwauling in the back are Masamichi Sugi（杉真理）, Ginji Ito（伊藤銀次）, Kawahara, Ohtaki, and Motoharu Sano（佐野元春）.

This special ondo didn't too shabbily on the charts by coming in at No. 64. There were some concerns about it, though, since the remaining Beatles and/or their representatives beginning from the 1980s  were getting strict with the copyrights for their creations so that any covers of their past songs including any parodies with changed lyrics were no longer accepted. However, fortunately enough, McCartney himself listened to "Yellow Submarine Ondo" and gave his blessings.

For interest's sake, here is the famous "Anchors Aweigh", the fight song for the United States Naval Academy and march for the US Navy itself. Below is "Gunkan Koushin Kyoku" which was the official march for the Japanese Imperial Navy and then the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force.