Sayonara Ponytail -- Say Yes/Shin Sekai Koukyougaku（新世界交響楽）

 

I was doing the usual maintenance last night before heading to bed. As I was doing so, I encountered a couple of old articles and although they were handled separately by myself and KKP contributor Joana Bernardo, they both dealt with the same two acts who performed their versions of the same classic song: "Sora mo Toberu Hazu" (空も飛べるはず) by originating band Spitz (スピッツ) and the covering group Sayonara Ponytail (さよならポニーテール).

Well, I then thought to myself that the girl group Sayonara Ponytail, known also by their nickname SayoPony, has only had that one song to represent them through two articles on "Kayo Kyoku Plus". Therefore, it was time to look further afield.

The first song that I came across also happened to be a cover of another popular song from yesteryear. SayoPony performed their version of "Say Yes", the Chage & Aska megahit that became the No. 2 song for 1991. I remember that one very well since it was one of the last CDs that I purchased in the music store before heading back to Canada from the JET Programme and it was also the theme for the popular Fuji-TV romance-drama "Hyakuikkaime no Propose"（101 回目のプロポーズ.... The 101st Proposal).

Whereas the original by Chage & Aska was so heart-on-a-sleeve romantic that boyfriends were probably forced to kneel down in front of their girlfriends if they ever heard it on a store speaker, the Sayonara Ponytail cover is a happy and skip-worthy pop number which would probably have the members of the group sing this in front of a campfire. It's not so much romantic as it is singalong fun. Great harmonies among everyone, too!

This version of "Say Yes" was a track on a compilation album of cover tunes by various acts. It's called "Moteki-teki Ongaku no Susume: Covers for MTK Lovers-ban"（モテキ的音楽のススメ Covers for MTK Lovers盤...Moteki Music Recommendations... Covers for MTK Lovers Version） and it came out in September 2011. The album was a part of a series provided under the aegis of the live-action adaptation of a manga called "Moteki"（モテキ）.

The second song of this article just happens to be the first song that I ever heard by Sayonara Ponytail although at the time, I didn't pay much attention to the details behind it. I was more keyed to the anime that it had been attached to, the wild "Kill La Kill"（キルラキル）. It's hard to believe that we're approaching nearly a decade since the show about a tough-as-nails high school student and weaponized clothing became the talk of the town in the anime world.

Miku Sawai's（沢井美空）"Gomen ne, Ii Ko Ja Irarenai"（ごめんね、いいコじゃいられない）was the first ending theme for "Kill La Kill" and it was a rock number that reflected the student/warrior Ryuko Matoi and her plight in life. But then, the second ending theme came out halfway through and the credits showed a cute-as-kittens ending credit sequence which focused solely on Ryuko's best friend, the extremely gabby and girly Mako Mankanshoku. Accompanying it was SayoPony's very pop "Shin Sekai Koukyougaku" (New World Symphony) created by the group's dedicated songwriter Fukkun（ふっくん）. It was released as a single in March 2014 (peaked at No. 27 on Oricon) as their 2nd major release after their 2012 debut which just happened to be the cover of "Sora mo Toberu Hazu" by Spitz.

One amazing thing that I hadn't known about Sayonara Ponytail is that they are very much a secret society of singers. From their own Wiki, I discovered that their identities have never been revealed and they have never appeared on camera or even performed live. In fact, the story is that very few of the members have even met each other. As well, any representation of the group has been done through illustrations. 

As of 2022, the lineup is Miina, Ayumin, Nacchan, Yuyu, and Shuka, and they're backed up by five music team members (who include the aforementioned Fukkun) and two support staff. Under these circumstances, Sayonara Ponytail would make the mystery dentist band Greeeen appear like the most public-domain musical entity.

Of course, I have to finish this with footage of the one-and-only Mako.