Ann Lewis -- Shonan no Otoko-tachi（湘南の男たち）

 

I have to say that the above video is a lovely one showing off Shonan Beach in Kanagawa Prefecture, and to give credit where credit is due, the YouTube channel responsible is Peace Nippon Project. As it has been a long weekend in Japan due to Monday being Marine Day, despite the increase in COVID rates, I'm fairly sure that the beaches were quite full of summer lovers. Shonan would have been one of the more popular sites, too.

The above is a nice enough introduction to bring back singer Ann Lewis（アン・ルイス）into the "Kayo Kyoku Plus" fold after almost six years. Yup, the last time that I put up one of her songs onto the blog was back in late 2016 for her "Shampoo" (シャンプー). 

I realize that Lewis was famous for her rock and disco material from the late 1970s onwards, but I guess that as late as 1978, she had still been singing those more innocent pop kayo. Case in point is the B-side to her 14th single "Onna wa Sore wo Gaman Dekinai"（女はそれを我慢できない...Women Can't Stand That） from May 1978. "Shonan no Otoko-tachi" (Shonan Guys) is an upbeat if slightly teasing tune by Lewis about how women are looking for the truest purest love while guys (at least in the Shonan area) are merely searching for something more physical and less permanent; wolves they are! Written by Makoto Kitajo（喜多条忠）, composed by Kunihiko Kase（加瀬邦彦）and arranged by Motoki Funayama（船山基紀）, "Shonan no Otoko-tachi" has got a hint of some of that 50s or 60s rock n' roll underlaying the innocent tune. Meanwhile, it's good to hear Lewis' distinct and slightly pleading vocals once more. The single itself went up to No. 12 on the charts.