Saturday, November 28, 2020

Yumi Matsutoya -- Shiranai Doushi(知らないどうし)

 

I've mentioned this in other articles but, with all love and respect to my fellow Yuming(ユーミン)fans, I've not been a huge fan of her vocal delivery for the past couple of decades since it's gotten a little too reedy for me. However, there's no denying that Yumi Matsutoya(松任谷由実)can still craft some pretty catchy tunes a half-century following her debut.

Par example...her 10th digital download single, the spicy "Shiranai Doushi" (Strangers) from some weeks ago in October. With a fun music video splitting time between a performance at a nightclub and a middle-aged guy's flight from all that has been ailing him, it looks like Yuming wanted to go for some Latin Steely Dan or Santana or Sergio Mendes, and I love all of those acts.


"Shiranai Doushi" was created as the theme song for the TBS Friday-night drama "Koi suru Haha-tachi"(恋する母たち)which has been anglicized as "koi haha" but my translation puts it as "Mothers In Love". The show is based on a 2017 manga by Fumi Saimon(柴門ふみ)who came up with the famous "Tokyo Love Story" whose TV drama adaptation sparked a kickass theme tune of its own almost 30 years ago. In fact, the cover for the single meshes together Yuming's face and the face of the main character of An Ishiwatari(石渡杏).


The single has also been recorded onto Yuming's next studio album (her 39th) "Shinkai no Machi"(深海の街...Deep Sea City) due out in just a few days on December 1st. The title track for that release has already been covered.

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