Teruhiko Saigo -- Juu-nana Sai Kono Mune ni（十七才のこの胸に）

 

The last time that I wrote about the late singer/actor Teruhiko Saigo（西郷輝彦）, who had left this mortal coil earlier in February, it was for his 1970s rocker "Rolling Stones wa Konakatta"（ローリング・ストーンズは来なかった）, a dejected paean to the fact that due to government intervention, Mick and his boys weren't allowed to continue their tour in Japan due to their connection with noxious substances.

Well, let's take things back to Saigo's teenage years in the 1960s and a few singles after his debut with "Kimi dake wo"（君だけを）. His 4th single was "Juu-nana Sai Kono Mune ni" (In My Heart At 17) released in August 1964. A haunting kayo (thank you, chorus) delivery resonantly by Saigo, written by Tetsu Mizushima（水島哲）and composed by Jun Kitahara（北原じゅん）, a teenage boy is contemplating the feelings of uncertainty although the source isn't made crystal clear. It could be due to the fact that he will be moving from his hometown to the big city to work for the first time or he is getting over his first big heartbreak. Both of those influences have filled early kayo numerous times.

As it turns out, the single was also the theme for a movie with the same title released in 1964 as well. In fact, "Juu-nana Sai Kono Mune ni" gave Saigo his first starring role. As I was looking at the footage and saw the scene in the hospital, my first thought was "Oh, man, his romantic lead is gonna end up dying there!" but that doesn't look to have been the case thankfully although the ending still seems bittersweet.