Hachiro Kasuga -- Uramachi Yakyoku (裏町夜曲)

Omae ga baka nara ore mo baka (If you're stupid, I'm also stupid)

What an iconic start to a song, don't you think? I can relate to it on a spiritual level, especially on the occasion when a friend/some friends and I share the same dried-out brain cell. This line at the very start of "Uramachi Yakyokyu" is part of the reason why it manages to remain one of my top favourite songs by Hachiro Kasuga (春日八郎).

Original take

Of course, I highly doubt Akira Sugie (杉江晃) had the intention of portraying our protagonist and his lover in the same manner as I had implied above, i.e. a bunch of clowns arguing over silly things like the feasibility of eating a live cow. Whole. This tune, instead, follows our protagonist and his love interest in what is very likely a dingy bar in the cramped backstreets of Tokyo. Perhaps they were drawn together over mutual lamentations of being dealt the short hand by the cruel world, but at least they can temporarily take refuge from that in this bar and find solace in each other's company. In contrast, Shin Yamaguchi's (山口進) music sounds quite optimistic with swelling strings and a jaunty rhythm, but maybe it can reflect the momentary joy both characters have in the city's watering hole. Aside from the "baka" line, Hachi's delivery is what I enjoy most out of "Uramachi Yakyoku"... although I think I say that for pretty much all of his songs. His vocal gymnastics really shine here being able to convey a merry mood while still sounding forlorn. 

"Uramachi Yakyoku", being one of Hachi's earliest singles released in October 1954, was well-received enough to garner a re-recording later in his career - I'm not exactly sure when, but I think it was in 1970. With songs that get this treatment, I tend to have a clear favourite between the version with an updated melody and a mature-sounding Hachi or the version with a more simplistic melodic arrangement and a young-sounding Hachi. But in the case of "Uramachi Yakyoku", I'd say I like both all the same.

Re-recorded take

Despite being sort of considered one of Hachi's hits, I still feel that "Uramachi Yakyoku" is rather underrated and I don't come across covers of it as often. Fellow King Records legend Michiya Mihashi (三橋美智也) provided his rendition of it as part of "Ogon no Uta Goe 2 Mihashi Michiya Kasuga Hachiro wo Utau" (黄金の歌声 2 三橋美智也 春日八郎を歌う), the sequel of the Hachi-Michi collaboration in 1970.

Michi's take

In very recent times, as in quite literally just last week (early July 2022), budding enka singer Yutaka Hyoba (氷馬ゆたか) from The Netherlands had also provided his version too. I'd gotten to know him through Instagram and through the mention of "Uramachi Yakyoku" being a favourite from my beloved Hachi, it seemed like he was inspired to take up the challenge of tackling this old tune. Despite being more inclined to cover newer enka on his YouTube channel, I thought he did a pretty good job with Hachi's work and I look forward to what else he has in store.

P.S. "Uramachi Yakyoku" is one of my go-to choices when I do drop by my regular karaoke "club" haunts. But as much as I love the "baka" line, I admittedly feel slightly self-conscious when singing that in front of the elderly regulars... I can feel myself cringe a little on the inside every time I do. But then again, I reckon it's comparatively better than doing something like "Konna Watashi Janakatta ni" (こんな私じゃなかったに).