J-WALK -- Neon Kagayaku Hibi（ネオン輝く日々）

Last night, on one of the City Pop radio channels, I got to hear a cool number by a singer named Kiyoshi Hasegawa（長谷川きよし）titled "Neon Kagayaku Hibi" (Neon Days). So I tried to track it down on YouTube but currently there isn't any sign of it.

But on the other hand, I did find another cover of it which could certainly rival Hasegawa's performance, and it's by the band J-WALK which has been going by the name THE JAYWALK for the past several years. Noelle has written about their most famous hit, "Nani mo Ienakute...Natsu"（何も言えなくて...夏）from 1991.

In the 1980s, though, they were known as J-WALK and in August 1984, they released their own take on "Neon Kagayaku Hibi", this soulful and bluesy ballad about casting everything to the wind and taking off on one's own on a trip of self-reflection. The guy's even letting his puppy go (don't tell John Wick!). The lyrics were provided by the whiskey-and-cigarettes-voiced Maki Asakawa（浅川マキ）with the hopeful melody by jazz saxophonist Toshiyuki Honda（本多俊之）. Definitely my compliments to whoever was handling the twangy blues guitar solo.

Found out how J-WALK got its name. In the beginning (circa 1980), the band had apparently been named Odan Kinshi Mushi（横断禁止無視）which translates directly as Ignoring The No Crossing Rule. Another way that it can be expressed is Jaywalking.

I will have to talk about Hasegawa pretty soon.