Just as a preface, "Ginga Tokkyu" (Galaxy Special Express) has nothing to do with "The Galaxy Express 999" (銀河鉄道999), though both did come out at around the same time in the late 1970s.
Actually, "Ginga Tokkyu" was Shigeru Matsuzaki's(松崎しげる)16th single from April 1978 and I heard the veteran singer perform this one on a recent episode of "Uta Con"(うたコン)some weeks ago. It's quite refreshing because whenever Matsuzaki appears on any music show, it's usually de rigueur for him to sing his one-and-only "Ai no Memory"(愛のメモリー). Unless he made the request himself, I'm sure that he was in shock on being asked to perform anything other than his magnum opus.
"Ginga Tokkyu" was written by Takashi Taka(たかたかし)and composed/arranged by Kyohei Tsutsumi(筒美京平)as a happy musical journey for a couple of lovebirds around the Earth. As the tag for the video puts it, it's a slice of Japanese soul strutting with a touch of disco and a splendid background chorus. There's nothing like a love train of the 1970s to get everyone in a dancing mood.
Most likely so. Yep, the Japanese love their trains, and I think that they are very lucky that they have such good and extensive networks throughout the nation.
ReplyDelete