I can hardly say that, even with the decade-long work on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", I've come across just about every singer in the long history of kayo kyoku and J-Pop. But among the singers and bands that I've gotten to know over the years, the late singer-songwriter Yutaka Ozaki（尾崎豊）has come off as a balladeer with plenty of emotion on his sleeve for a fellow who wasn't in the enka category.
There is something about his music, his lyrics and his way of singing that has been able to bring a certain calmness into my surroundings (although I wouldn't compare him to a cup of chamomile tea), so I think that's one reason that he was able to get that certain legendary status amongst the most ardent of his fans. Maybe it was the impression of him being the young every man with troubles that anyone could relate to.
"Boku ga Boku de Aru tame ni" has the English subtitle of "My Song" although a direct translation comes out as "So I Can Be Myself". The final track on his 1983 album, "Juu-Nana Sai no Chizu"（十七歳の地図...Seventeen's Map）, there is an actual article on the song itself at J-Wiki in which album producer Akira Sudo（須藤晃）seems to describe the song as an ending to one journey begun by Ozaki from the first track "Machi no Fuukei"（街の風景...Scenes of a Town） where he's doing a self-assessment. "Boku ga Boku de Aru tame ni" is more of a resolution on what he must do to keep winning, and Sudo does mention that the singer hated to lose and worked hard from ending up that way.
Ozaki's melody is reassuring and comfortable, and I have to admit that even with some of his more high-profile hits such as "Oh My Little Girl" and "I Love You", I'm actually starting to prefer his more introspective tunes such as this one and "Donut Shop". The message of "Boku ga Boku de Aru tame ni" can be absorbed easily along with that cup of coffee. The J-Wiki article has some brief mention of Bruce Springsteen where it describes the song's lyrics and musicality, and perhaps there is that softer hint of The Boss in there, but if I were to bring in a fellow Japanese singer for comparison, I would go with Motoharu Sano（佐野元春）.
I am not sure how I feel about "Boku ga Boku de Aru tame ni" . I do like the lyrics, but the style of this song isn't really as melodic as the style found in let's say Motoharu Sano "someday". I think Boku ga Boku de Aru tame ni feels a lot more like some acoustic pre-grunge rock song. This is of course only my first impression of the song, as I have never heard it before. I am going to have to listen a few more times and ponder it a while before I know how I really feel about it.
ReplyDeleteHello, Brian. Have you had a chance to listen to it a few more times? Sometimes it takes a while for a song to sink in or not.
DeleteOzaki surely is master of conveying the feelings of especially the young and younghearted. I came across his music couple of years ago, it clicked right away. I'm sucker for songs with raw and powerful emotions that are not sugar coated with "overly proper" singing. Another thing Ozaki mastered in live performances in my books. Sometimes maybe going but over board but who cares. I only wished I'd have found his music a bit sooner, a slightly younger me would have greatly benefited from hearing the same feelings I experienced, been put to words and songs with both the raw untaimed and the calm soft vocals.
ReplyDeleteI agree on your opinions on the song. Reassuring and comforting are exactly the right words to describing it. It feels like watching a sunrise after long night.
Hi again. Ozaki hit a lot of people's nerves with his music and delivery partly because of the times. There were those young people during the impending Bubble Era who were worried about losing their own identity during a time when there was pressure to become part of the affluent crowd. On the other end, there were folks who thought that Ozaki was screaming in the dark.
DeleteFor me, I've found his music quite soothing and he struck me as being a modern-day balladeer.
Just want to ensure that what I meant by "...hit a lot of people's nerves..." was move people emotionally and not anger them.
DeleteOzakis songs and style could be described as something between fear of losing ones heart/sense of justice growing up and becoming "adult" (in a sense that "adults" often treat great injustice etc as normal, something that you can't do anything- and so don't care about) and "teenage angst". Depending where listerner personally stands.
DeleteDuring teenage years when we just start to learn how sociaties and the power dunamics work in the world, we were often feeling very angry why money and power deside everything instead people doing the right thing that'd benefite most people in the end. Of course the older one gets the more you understand why things are the way they are.
History likes to repeat itself and times surely haven't changed that much in the end. I think that's what makes Ozakis music timeless and universal in it's core.
Yeah, I can agree with your opinions. He was singing from his heart about those teenage frustrations especially against the previous generation who may have gotten wiser but also cynical and less idealistic.
DeleteTotally agreed.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to be able to have a talk about him with, a fellow fan If I may say so. There surely are not too many of us outside Japan.
I have heard his son is also following his footsteps. I've seen only couple of clips, but Jr. surely physically embodies his father, though when singing the old songs he is more of a washed down version of Ozaki. He lacks the raw aggressive passion, but since those are not his songs and he is different human being that's to be expected.
Do you happen to know more about the youngster?
Hello, Nukkuvahatkalat. Yeah, most likely Ozaki fans are much fewer and separated outside of Japan. His son, Hiroya, has been continuing his music career and hopefully not in the shadow of his father but under his own terms and power. His Wikipedia file is available:
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroya_Ozaki
The fact that he's outlived his father by several years is poignant but also reassuring that he has more stability.
Hello, from New York USA. I am an international fan of Ozaki-san, and I found your site. I was grateful for last dream international site for international site also. I first was introduced to his music long ago by someone. I feel I am the only uncommon non-minority fan of Ozaki-san here in NY. I am of India background over 35 yrs old woman born in USA. I try to not make this too long, I had and have depression and anxiety am kind of shy. Many of his songs, save my life. It's hard to find like-minded fans of him, if it were another simple time, perhaps they understand, now if I tell someone lately, ( at times, Japanese person at a social group) Many make a sour face. My favorite songs, that I'll still even cry to and can understand is boku de aru tameni, toki, existence, birth.. There are so many, I try to still support how Ozaki-san thinks about kindness, injustices, and he inspires me so much. I always somehow wanted to stand up for myself, and for being kind him, and many other artists showed how through lyrics, stories. I sing and write myself, not professional though. I feel he even introduced the Brooklyn bridge to his fans. When I walk the bridge as much as I can for his memorial day or birthday it's just special as a fan to. I never visited Japan, I even tried to read maboroshi no shounen. No international book of him to read. I don't know Japanese. I am interested in the culture, however. I wish there were international fan events in NY. ^-^ ;v Had he been around today, I would totally go to a concert! Well international if one ^^;? I am forever a fan. Please forgive the small novel, Anyway, good site here!
ReplyDeletep.s. sorry if I got any song title wrong ><;
ReplyDeleteHello, Teresa and thanks very much for your comments. You have spoken through the heart which is very much how Ozaki sang in concert and in the recording booth. I think he would have been very happy to have had you as a fan.
DeleteI'm not sure if there are a lot of Japanese who would think this, but at least some of them react in utter shock and maybe even dismay that non-Japanese would actually like any Japanese music, using the language barrier as an excuse. However, in recent years especially, it's been plainly evident that Japanese and Korean music have touched a lot of people who are neither of those nationalities and that's perfectly fine. We have a Singporean writer here who loves her enka and early Showa era music and another young woman from Portugal who is an expert on both Japanese and Korean idols. So, why not an Indian woman who loves Yutaka Ozaki? :) Please keep on reading!