Mitsuko Horie -- Chigasaki Memory（茅ヶ崎メモリー）

 

One of my regrets when it comes to providing thumbnail photos in KKP articles is that I don't really have very many beach shots. At the time when I was living in Japan, I obviously had no idea that I would be doing a music blog that would be going for ten years and running, but I also have to confess that I was never a seashore-loving sun worshipper like so many other people.

I did have my walk along Shonan during my 2014 visit to Japan but never quite got to Chigasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture which is why I'm providing this YouTube video from Japan Life Channel. Of course, the city is the birthplace of Keisuke Kuwata（桑田佳祐）, leader of the legendary band Southern All Stars（サザンオールスターズ）which has been the pop cultural symbol of the summer life.

However, today's first article on Urban Contemporary Friday on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" doesn't involve SAS though it is all about the wonders of Chigasaki. Actually on the mike here is Mitsuko Horie（堀江美都子）, a singer that I've usually associated with anison such as the theme songs for "Candy Candy"（キャンディ♡キャンディ）and "Don Don Domeru to Ron" (どんどんドメルとロン), but on the first day of summer 1982, she released her third studio album "Ready MADONNA" and sometime in that June, she also put out her 5th single which is on that LP, "Chigasaki Memory".

"Ready MADONNA" was produced by Ichiro Nitta（新田一郎）, musician, songwriter and Spectre No. 1 of the dynamic band Spectrum（スペクトラム）, and he arranged all of the tracks along with composing most of them including "Chigasaki Memory". It's nice that it was Horie on vocals since she hails from Yamato City which is only about 32 kilometres away from Chigasaki or a short drive away. Yashuhito Miyashita（宮下康仁）wrote the lyrics of pining for the titular city and the summery spell that it casts on folks.

"Chigasaki Memory" really is one upbeat disco-powered pop tune and Horie sounds as if it were indeed Nitta channeling through her, and I think that it is Nitta on the trumpet in the refrain. In fact, I think the song is so up with the area that I swear that the Chigasaki Chamber of Commerce could have requested Nitta to come up with the tune.