This week, while updating some of my 80s aidoru files, and doing some research on the internet, I discovered that aidoru Miwa Kawagoe (川越美和) died in 2008, but it wasn’t until 2017 that it became public. Well, I’ve never been the biggest of her fans, and only knew some songs through the years, yet it was a sad surprise to discover that her death at a young age, more than a decade ago, was unknown to the public until very recently. It made me even sadder to know that, apparently, she was impoverished and with problems ranging from drinking to eating disorders at the time of her death. Anyway, after hearing such awful news, the one song from her that got stuck on my mind was “Yume Dake Miteru”.
Released in September 1989 as her
fourth single, “Yume Dake Miteru” is a sad tune with a very timeless and down
to earth arrangement, almost sounding like a folk song at times. Alongside the
beautiful melody, Miwa did an excellent job here with her vocals, showcasing
the vulnerability that is required from every aidoru when singing these types
of ballads. I think this style truly suited her, and that’s probably why,
according to generasia, she won the “Rookie of the Year” award at the “31st
Annual Nihon Record Taishou” with this song.
Despite winning an award, “Yume Dake Miteru” wasn’t a big hit, reaching only #29 on the Oricon charts. It ended being the highest charting single in Kawagoe’s career, but not near a true hit, if you ask me. Lyrics were written by Kei Ogura (小椋佳), while music was composed by Koji Tamaki (玉置浩二). As for the arrangement, Katsu Hoshi (星勝) was the responsible.
In the past, I’ve written
about her second single, “Tenshi to Yu-Waku” (天使とYu-Waku),
while J-Canuck also took care of “Namida-kun Sayonara” (涙くんさよなら).
As a side note, I was lucky enough
to buy one of her compilations, called “MIWA Best Selection” (1991), for a fair
price here in Brazil last December. That was quite a find, since Kawagoe was
never one of Japan’s major aidoru singers.
Listening to this track for the first time, it more closely resembles the sort of folksy ballad material that was an omnipresent staple throughout Japan during the '70s running into the early '80s. By 1989 J-pop was gravitating more towards upbeat pop/dance sounds. Not to say that ballads didn't remain popular, with artists such as Kazumasa Oda turning out hits which would go on to become radio staples, but the music industry is dominated by the younger demographic in sales and so that's the primary target of the big labels.
ReplyDeleteToo much emphasis is placed upon turning music (and everything else) into a competition, a vapid popularity contest. Some of the best music either never hit the top of the charts, if even, yet the artistry remains to be appreciated. So many hidden gems are out there waiting to be discovered.
How tragic that Miwa's life was cut short. RIP I hadn't heard of her until today. That song was very pleasant. Thanks for sharing this.
Hi, Anonymous, and thank you very much for your comment.
DeleteMiwa Kawagoe is a very forgotten aidoru these days, and was probably sidelined during the late 80s/early 90s, so it's no surprise that she doesn't get much attention. Until very recently, I also didn't care much for her material. In fact, I only started giving more attention to her after buying the CD last December.
As for the reflections, I couldn't agree more with everything you said, from how "Yume Dake Miteru" sounds like a folksy song that wouldn't be out of place in Japan's music industry during the 70s and early 80s (Chage and Aska during their very early years, for example), to the grand scheme of things regarding J-Pop in 1989. In fact, even Miwa had her share of upbeat/dance tunes around the time, which was almost an obligation for every aidoru that wanted to be popular back then.
Hi, Marcos. Hope you are doing well.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I think and hope that the fate which tragically befell Kawagoe is rare for many teen idols who opt out of show business, I wonder how easy it has been for some of these people going from the life of an entertainer to working in a company. Sometimes, I think that once someone gets into show business, it's almost like a sticky web that is awfully hard to get out of.
Considering this news about her death, listening to "Yume Dake Miteru" has become more poignant for me. It does have that haunting arrangement which sounds like something that Tamaki would create. Thanks for sharing the song!
Hi, J-Canuck. As far as possible, things are fine here. I also hope you are doing well in Toronto.
DeleteRegarding life as a teen idol in show business, I don't have much information about how things were during the 80s in Japan, but we can always remember what happened to Yukiko Okada, for example. Also, starting in the late 80s/early 90s, many fallen aidoru started doing nude photoshoots or turning into AV for making a living in the entertainment industry. I'm not trying to be judgemental of these activities here, but since we're talking about aidoru/tarento that had some success before, I see it as a way of staying in the public eye during their waning popularity years.
And, sure, listening to "Yume Dake Miteru" after hearing the news is a bitter experience. I felt the same, and still feel, whenever I listen to it.
Morning, Marcos, and I'm glad that things are OK over in Brazil.
DeleteI think the history of aidoru going into the adult entertainment industry can span back even into the 1970s. Mari Amachi who was a huge aidoru in the early part of that decade also did a nude photo shoot and one Nikkatsu video in the mid-1980s.
Oi, Marcos, tudo bem? Eu descobri sobre essa cantora/atriz enquanto procurava por um filme em que ela atuou, mas não está disponível em nenhum lugar, nem nos sites de torrent, parece que um dos motivos é por respeito a ela e a forma como ela morreu, já que no filme a personagem dela fala sobre a morte. O filme se chama The Girl Who Picks Flowers and the Girl Who Kills Insects. Fiquei triste em saber da história dela, é uma pena mesmo.
ReplyDeleteOlá, Yasmin. Muito obrigado pelo seu comentário, e, ainda por cima, em português.
DeleteEu apenas conheço a Miwa como cantora, portanto, nunca vi filmes ou dramas com a participação dela. Interessante essa questão do respeito para com ela sobre o tema da morte. Ainda hoje, quatro anos após a publicação desse post, o sentimento de tristeza me invade quando ouço "Yume Dake Miteru" e outras baladas gravadas por ela, infelizmente. Digo infelizmente por não gostar de associar algum artista à tristeza, mas com essa não tem jeito.
Apenas para confirmar, você é brasileira mesmo? Se sim, de qual estado? Eu sou do Rio de Janeiro.
E quais artistas japoneses você gosta?
Mais uma vez, obrigado pelo comentário.