Tomoko Kei -- Pink no Kuchibeni（ピンクの口紅）

 

I was listening to this cute little candy cane of a kayo and I was wondering what was it about "Pink no Kuchibeni" (Pink Lipstick) that fired off some memory engrams in my head. Well, first off, allow me to introduce Tomoko Kei（恵とも子）who had debuted in show business as one member of the dance-and-entertainment group Schoolmates back in 1963, joining the 1964-1966 NTV music show "Star Parade"（スターパレード）, and then she made her debut as a singer with the aforementioned "Pink no Kuchibeni" in October 1966. At one point, according to a very brief file at this website, the half-American/half-Japanese Kei had gained enough popularity that she was even compared to movie star Sayuri Yoshinaga（吉永小百合）.

Written by Kazuko Katagiri（片桐和子）and composed/arranged by Osamu Shoji（東海林修）, I like "Pink no Kuchibeni" for its arrangement that has me remembering some of that on-the-road country-style pop that I used to hear on the radio and see on TV via those old K-Tel record commercials. Even the lyrics are so innocent in that the heroine here is asking all listeners to keep the fact that she's putting on the titular cosmetic secret from Mom while she tries to lure in that boy of her dreams. 

From what little more I could glean about Kei's career, she put out one more single in 1967 and then called it a day in 1968 as she left for the United States.

Now, as for that melody of "Pink no Kuchibeni" that sparked off some hints of familiarity, I think Shoji's music was probably given some inspiration from The Cascades' classic doo-wop "Rhythm of the Rain" from 1962.