Saburo Kitajima -- Kaero ka na（帰ろかな）

I'm surprised that in all these years that I hadn't put this one up by enka legend Saburo Kitajima（北島三郎）especially since "Kaero ka na" (Maybe I Should Head Home) has been sung on NHK's Kohaku Utagassen seven times.

"Kaero ka na", Kitajima's 12th single was released in April 1965 and it was created by the legendary kayo-writing duo of lyricist Rokusuke Ei（永六輔）and composer Hachidai Nakamura（中村八大）who had made "Ue wo Muite Arukou"（上を向いて歩こう）for the late Kyu Sakamoto（坂本九）some years earlier. Paraphrasing from the J-Wiki article for "Kaero ka na", it was originally made as a not-too-serious paean to the old hometown as Sabu-chan's protagonist toiled away in Tokyo and wondered lightly whether to go see Mom and maybe even introduce a girlfriend. The song was a huge hit, becoming a million-seller and inviting the singer to the Kohaku later that year for what would be the first of several performances of the song over his decades-long career. Specifically, Kitajima sang it as well in 1973, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2007 and 2011.

Of course, Kitajima would sing "Kaero ka na" on other kayo shows besides the Kohaku Utagassen, so indeed it's one of his trademark tunes. Over the years, it would gradually take on a very epic gravitas when it has been performed usually with a chorus of probably dozens backing him up. In fact, even though this hasn't always been the case whenever he sang it, sometimes the arrangement would also include an excerpt from the Japanese children's song "Nanatsu no Ko"（七つの子...Seven Children）just to add to the nostalgia and homesickness.