I guess this would be a personal anniversary of sorts, but today is the 10th anniversary since I made my permanent way back from Japan to Canada after my long odyssey teaching and translating there. Time indeed flies like an arrow, and it wasn't too long after my return that I began "Kayo Kyoku Plus" which has kept my nights busy for nearly a decade.
(short version)
Therefore, I was looking around for what were some of the songs hanging about back in 2011, and I came across this song by Enka Prince Kiyoshi Hikawa（氷川きよし）called "Jounetsu no Mariachi" (Passion Mariachi). His 23rd single released in September of that year, I recollect that I've heard Hikawa singing it on the various kayo shows which is why I'm surprised that neither me nor possibly Noelle has covered it on the blog before.
"Jounetsu no Mariachi" was written by Reiji Mizuki（水木れいじ）and composed by Hideo Mizumori（水森英夫）. I recollect that even a number of enka tunes have absorbed some of that Latin flavour in the arrangement, but I think that his particular one really has that mariachi band infused in the melody. I'll be honest, there is a level of cheese permeating through this musical plate of nachos in the music video and the live performances, but the entertainment value is there and Hikawa's fans were having their share of fun performing it at the karaoke boxes, I'm sure.
"Jounetsu no Mariachi" hit No. 2 on Oricon and became the 65th-ranked single of 2011. It also won a Best Performance prize at the Japan Record Awards that year.
I have to honestly say that when I think I've seen everything, something like this comes along. Good one
ReplyDeleteHello, Ozzie. Yeah, I gotta say that this does take the enchilada.:)
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