Yuko Ohtaki -- A BOY

 

A little over three years ago, I encountered one of the coolest jingles for a yogurt drink. Of course in Japan, that would be the famous Yakult, and back in 1980, Yuko Ohtaki（大滝裕子）sang "Koi no Warming Up"（恋のウォーミング アップ）. I couldn't imagine a smooth City Pop song in tribute to a fermented drink, and Ohtaki was all of seventeen years of age when she recorded her 4th single.

Well, Ohtaki was all of sixteen years of age when she debuted with "A BOY" in July 1979. All about a girl pining for a tough boy to show some vulnerability so that she can mollycoddle him (heck, she even gives a shoutout to an infamous American bank-robbing couple), the singer sounds more like her rawer teenaged self (almost aidoru-ish) with "A BOY".

That wasn't the only observation. Launching out of the starting gate with a pretty boss bass riff, perhaps by bassist Tsugutoshi Goto（後藤次利）who also whipped up the melody, there is also some inspiration in there from the classic disco hit by the late Donna Summer "Hot Stuff". Yoshiko Miura（三浦徳子） provided the lyrics, as she also did for Ohtaki's "Koi no Warming Up".