Well, time for another Reminiscings of Youth article where we find out how the Oricon Singles chart was faring as one of my beloved Western pop songs was becoming a hit. Moreover, congratulations are in store for Daryl Hall and John Oates as they become the first act in a ROY article to show up twice in "Kayo Kyoku Plus", after their 1981 hit "Private Eyes", a popular one in Japan as well.
Now, we move on ahead a few more years to October 1984 as Hall & Oates were getting into something a bit more New Wave, a bit more dance remix. I first heard their single "Out of Touch" on Toronto's CFTR-AM when the station was still doing music (it's been doing all-news for almost 30 years) through their "Top 6 at 6", and I thought "Yeah, it's a pretty good Hall & Oates song".
Then, I saw the music video...and I went "Oh, man....this is a GREAT Hall & Oates song!". Daryl and John and their band were doing their usual hijinks but on a music set that seemed to have come from "Land of the Giants" and everything started out with "Dance On Your Knees" before exploding into "Out of Touch". These guys just went epic! After that, I wanted to hear the extended remix version on the Saturday-night radio remix shows (which I did). It hit the middle of the Top 10 here in Canada and hit No. 1 on Billboard, too.
But before I go into what the Top 3 singles were on Oricon, I have to detour since I only found out in the last couple of months that a couple of years ago, some enterprising anime fan had the bright idea to pull off a pop cultural Reese's Peanut Butter Cup thing and merge the opening credits of "Lucky Star" with "Out of Touch". I can truly say that I was out of touch since I didn't know about this. Although I can't say that it is a perfect synch, the creation does have its charms. I'm not sure how "Out of Touch" ever did in Japan but I can say that like "Private Eyes", this particular Hall & Oates number has its Japan connection.
Earlier this year, a YouTuber by the name of lamb sauce decided to provide a bit more "Out of Touch" and a bit more "Lucky Star". I may have to look forward to the extended treatment including "Dance On Your Knees".
One more further comparison can be made between "Private Eyes" and "Out of Touch" through the KKP crucible in that both songs made their premiere when a 1980s aidoru had the top spot on Oricon for that month. And here we go!
1. Kyoko Koizumi -- Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge （ヤマトナデシコ七変化）
2. Checkers -- Hoshikuzu no Stage（星屑のステージ）
3. Masahiko Kondo -- Eien ni Himitsusa（永遠に秘密さ）
That was around the tail end of their big creative run. I think their strongest artistic period was during the early '80s, although some prefer their more R&B-focused material from the '70s.
ReplyDeleteRegarding today's pop music, you have to dig outside the mainstream to find the good stuff.
One of the better pop music artists from this era would be Ginger Root, fronted by singer/songwriter Cameron Lew. Here's their song 'Weather'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8j2ipFkvlI
Another good modern pop artist is Benny Sings, a Dutch singer/songwriter. Here's 'Sunny Afternoon'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N9-sRrFjvg
Hello, Michael.
DeleteYeah, I haven't really been a fan of contemporary mainstream pop music for a number of years, although there was "Uptown Funk" a few years previously. I'll have to take a listen to what you've recommended.
I didn't mention it in the article, but yes, I was wondering how people considered Hall & Oates going into a more pop/dance direction in the mid-80s. There may have been some fans of their 70s Philly soul days who weren't too happy with their 80s stuff, but for me, I was good with both of their 70s and 80s phases. But I would agree that "Big Bam Boom" was probably their last great hurrah, although I also enjoyed Hall's solo "Dreamtime" a little later in the decade.