Marcos V.’s Special Selection: Love Letter to Brazil

 It seems long ago, but I took this picture in Rio de Janeiro in February 2019.

Brazil is not in its strongest moment right now, since it’s going through lots of hardships, and I’m not talking only about the COVID-19 situation, which, per se, is already very worrisome. Anyway, even though things are bad and there’s little to nothing to celebrate, I still like to remember how my country is special, since it’s a good way to continue moving forward. Also, I believe music is a great way to celebrate different cultures, just like we usually do here on Kayo Kyoku Plus, so here’s my “Love Letter to Brazil”, which is basically a selection of Japanese songs somehow connected to Brazil, even if indirectly.

Mako Ishino -- Omoikkiri Samba (思いっきりサンバ)

There’s plenty to like in Mako Ishino’s (石野真子) discography. The cute crooked teeth aidoru from the very late 70s and early 80s even had her share of hits, like the aidoru-like “Haru La! La! La!” (春ラ!ラ!ラ!) – which, by the way, wouldn’t be out of place in Seiko Matsuda’s (松田聖子) discography – or the catchy unrequited love-themed “Shitsuren Kinenbi” (失恋記念日), but it’s the dazzling “Omoikkiri Samba” that fits this list with its mixture of samba, disco and aidoru pop. Released in February 1981, it may not be one of Ishino’s most noticeable singles, but I never resist how bouncy it sounds.

Carlos Toshiki -- BRAZIL NIGHTS

“BRAZIL NIGHTS” is a song from Carlos Toshiki’s (カルロス・トシキ) “Emotional~Migigawa no Heart-tachi e” album (Emotional〜右側のハートたちへ), which was released in 1991 and marked the start of his solo work after the end of Omega Tribe (オメガトライブ). This jazzy tune is one of his solo highlights to me, and, even though Carlos was born in Paraná state, in Brazil’s Southern region, which is primarily known for German immigration (but also Polish, Italian, Japanese and many others) – therefore not a region with a strong samba tradition –, he ended recording some samba songs in Japan, like this one, probably because it’s Brazil’s representative music genre alongside bossa nova worldwide. The Portuguese lines in the chorus, though, are almost meaningless, but they’re charming in a strange way. Also, the energy is great (the pianist was on fire in the live performance above).

Hidemi Ishikawa -- Motto Sekkin Shimasho (もっと接近しましょ)

“Motto Sekkin Shimasho” is probably not directly related to Brazil or its music genres, but the title and how Hidemi Ishikawa (石川秀美) sings it, coupled with the Latin and almost Carnival-like rhythm, of course, is just something very Brazilian to my ears. I think what triggers this reaction are the “motto” and the “shimasho” words in the “Motto Sekkin Shimasho” title, which could be translated in a cold way as “let’s get closer”, in English, or “let’s get even closer” if we want to use and put some emphasis on “motto”. As I can see, and I can be wrong, since I’m not an expert in Japanese language, both “motto” and “shimasho” could turn this innocent, almost cold or neutral sentence, “let’s get closer”, into something not very innocent… and that’s how I always connect it with the Brazilian Portuguese. Let me explain: here in Brazil, we use a kind of baby talk and diminutive language (here’s a great BBC article discussing the subject), even in our daily life, to soften words, give them nuances and sometimes change their meanings. For example, Ishikawa’s “let’s get closer” means “vamos ficar juntos” in Portuguese, but for it to have the warmer meaning I think the “motto” and the “shimasho” are meant to in the original title, we would have to turn the “juntos” (together) into its diminutive version, which is “juntinhos”. It's a tender way of speaking, which shows affection and takes the load off some situations, even in serious talks. It's like the suffixes "-chan" or "-kun" in Japanese, or also a kawaii way of speaking that I know also exists in Japan, but here in Brazil we use for everything, not only for people, and in a very natural way. In the end, “vamos ficar juntinhos” (“let’s get together”, but using the diminutive version of “together”) would have a more romantic, and even sexier, meaning, just like I hear in the way Ishikawa sings it. Well, I ended talking more about language and my own interpretation of the song’s title in a confused way than of Hidemi Ishikawa herself, but that’s it. We all know she’s one of the quintessential 80s aidoru singers in Japan, and, regarding “Motto Sekkin Shimasho”, it was a single released by her in 1985.

Eliana -- Salsa Bonita (サルサ・ボニータ)

As the title already implies, this is obviously salsa, and not samba, bossa nova or any other Brazilian music genre, but the singer, Eliana (エリアナ), is actually Brazilian, according to the single’s liner notes, and she also mentions Brazil in the lyrics penned by Yukinojo Mori (森雪之丞). Anyway, “Salsa Bonita”, or “Beautiful Salsa” in English, is a very curious single released in 1980, but, unfortunately, I couldn’t find much information on Eliana besides the fact that her family name is Freitas, she was born in Rio de Janeiro, recorded this single after winning the Brazilian leg of a tournament called Horipro Talent Scout Caravan (ホリプロタレントスカウトキャラバン), and is, apparently, already dead (here's the link for this info). However, is she the cute girl on the cover? I don’t know… there are still so many unanswered questions about this single, so I wish I could find more about it.

Miyuki Utsumi -- Fire Dance (ファイヤー・ダンス)

Known for the hit song “Yopparachatta” (酔っぱらっちゃった), which I love in Ryuko Mizuta’s (水田竜子) voice, Miyuki Utsumi (内海みゆき) came to Rio de Janeiro in early 1990 to record an album called “Alô, Alô, Brazil!” (アロー,アロー,ブラジル!) under the wings of famous musician, and one of the founders of bossa nova, Roberto Menescal, probably trying to score a hit during the worldwide lambada fad. Released later in the same year as the coupling song to the “NASCI PARA BAILAR” (“I was Born to Dance” in English) single, and anticipating the aforementioned album, “Fire Dance” is a cover version of the Brazilian hit song “Fricote” (something like having a fit, or showing anger towards something/someone, in English), which was originally released by singer-songwriter Luiz Caldas in 1985. In general, when it comes to Brazilian music, international audiences are most familiar with samba or bossa nova, but not other music genres, so it’s surprising to see a Japanese artist recording an axé song, which comes from a specific region of the country, Bahia state, in the northeast region. In the end, since I already like the original version and its summery energy, this Japanese version with bits of Portuguese language sang by Utsumi and the background singers is really interesting to my ears.

Luiz Caldas -- Fricote

To finish, just out of curiosity, here’s the original version of Miyuki Utsumi’s “Fire Dance”, which is “Fricote” by Luiz Caldas. The video was shot in the beautiful Salvador, Bahia state’s capital city, and Brazil first national capital, from 1549 until 1763, when Rio de Janeiro took its place (since 1960, the national capital is Brasília) Like I said before, the song was originally released in 1985.