Mariya Takeuchi: Record Day Special Interview 2021 (Part 2 Translation)

"Why does she have to be so
dang affectionate all the time?"

I found this representation of the First Couple of City Pop on Images in Google or Yahoo some time ago, and I found it so adorable that I felt the urge to put it up as a thumbnail. At first, I'd assumed that it was Rocket Brown's illustration but he reassured me that it wasn't. So, for whoever the above belongs to, if it's OK, I'd like to keep it up here with your permission, but if you prefer it taken down, I'll do that lickety-split, too.

Before I get into the remaining half of my translation for Mariya Takeuchi's（竹内まりや）Record Day 2021 interview which I began last Monday, I have to inform you that there was a one-hour segment devoted to City Pop on NHK's "Asaichi"（あさイチ）morning information variety show earlier today. In Japan, it starts at 8:15 am right after the usual morning serial drama and goes on for about one hour and forty minutes. It is hosted by Yoshimoto Kogyo comedy duo Hakata Hanamaru/Daikichi（博多華丸・大吉）and NHK announcer Naoko Suzuki（鈴木奈穂子）. On TV Japan here, it comes on at 1 pm and usually I just watch the first ten minutes slouched in my armchair before I head back to the laptop, but for obvious reasons today, I was fully engaged and sat there for the hour-long segment which also had EXILE member and actor Keita Machida（町田啓太）and former aidoru and actor Riho Makise（牧瀬里穂）as guests and City Pop fans.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any footage of that episode on YouTube as of yet but under the Twitter topic of 「あさイチ シティポップ」, there were plenty of tweets in Japanese. Of all the domestic TV features on City Pop that I've known about, the "Asaichi" segment was by far the longest. I'd half-expected Rocket and/or Van Paugam to have shown up but alas they didn't appear. 

In all honesty, although I was happy to watch the segment, my observation was that there was a bit of cringey tension in the air because Daikichi looked somewhat less than enthused about City Pop (which is his personal choice and that's fine), although the usual rule is that there has to be a level of enthusiasm, real or feigned, when on Japanese telly. Again, real or feigned, Makise was simply bouncing out of her seat like a cat who has just discovered catnip about the music, perhaps to compensate for Daikichi and everyone kinda got into the running joke (nudge nudge wink wink). Still, the viewers were full-in because within about 50 minutes, about 9,600 requests for City Pop songs poured in like rapids into the show which apparently was some sort of record.

Well, one question that I've always had about City Pop was finally answered during the "Asaichi" segment and that was "Does City Pop have some sort of physiological effect on people to explain its popularity?". According to one scientist, research on folks listening to different genres of music including classical, techno and 80s pop revealed that that final genre (presumably including City Pop) was able to decrease stress including heart and pulse rates because the variation of the sounds in songs like "Plastic Love" in terms of high and low timbre are very similar to the variety found in nature. So, City Pop can actually be healthy for you (tongue is slowly going into cheek).

Supposedly in terms of lyrics, it was also revealed that among the most popular words showing up in City Pop tunes, four are "boku"（僕...I）, "kimi"（君...you）, "machi"（街...city or town） and "yasashii"（やさしい...kind）. Just for kicks, researchers even had an AI come up with its own City Pop tune (lyrics included) which was played on "Asaichi". Let's say that good ol' artificial intelligence has a ways to go which will probably have Tatsuro Yamashita（山下達郎）crowing in glee. Anyways, I'll have my glass of "Stay With Me" for breakfast tomorrow.

Let's get onto Part 2 of the interview between Mayu Kakihata and Mariya.

Kakihata: The jacket designs also have an impact when the albums are sold at LP size, don't they?

Takeuchi: That size is great, isn't it? First of all, this works as an example of art. So much so that the enjoyment of thinking about the jacket design was cut in half when the age of CDs arrived and now that we are in the age of subscription services, the jacket design can end up being completed just by being thrown onscreen. So it's good to see analog LP jackets in this way once more. There are a lot of jackets that I'm interested in, including those for Joni Mitchell and James Taylor. Another way I enjoy them is feeling what the jacket is trying to tell me.

Kakihata: I think that in recent years, many young people and overseas listeners have come to enjoy City Pop music by becoming fans of listening to your music. How do you feel about that phenomenon?

Takeuchi: I was recently made aware of the phenomenon regarding "Plastic Love" being played over and over again on YouTube, but initially I went "What the heck is going on here?" (LOL). I think there are various complex factors that have led to this. South Korean DJ Night Tempo was kind enough to introduce my songs, and maybe there was a synergy by matching edited animation with the songs. And there have been a lot of covers, too. But ultimately, I believe that this song holds a certain omnipresence as a track produced and arranged by Tatsuro, and what I mean is that it has a good sound that holds true for today's youth. Also, by writing the lyrics about the loneliness within a slightly nihilistic city, a nostalgic world view of that era was born, and I think there were people overseas who admired and sympathized with it.

Kakihata: "Plastic Love" portrays an isolated woman of the city who manipulates love as if she were programming a computer.

Takeuchi: That's right. It's a song I created that initially involved having a standard 16-beat constantly sounding away in a rhythm box while adding the chords, the melody and then finally the lyrics. I felt that this image of a woman in an isolated nocturnal city fit this melody with this sort of darkness. It's also a song with a bit of playfulness, but even now, I think that it's the best track for me. We layered the rhythm section of bassist Koki Ito and drummer Jun Aoyama, the strings and the brass arranged by Tatsuro, and the back chorus by me and Taeko Ohnuki. I think it became popular over time because everything was brought together and arranged without any waste. I am truly grateful that this song that I really love has once again been loved by all generations. Having said that though, even when I tried to analyze why young people have given their all to the Japanese AOR of that era or the genre of music called City Pop, I still have to say that I don't really understand it and to be honest, it's still really weird to me. (LOL).

Kakihata: I've come across a lot of settings where your songs were being played by many DJs at entertainment venues such as clubs before the pandemic. I think that there are many young people now who relate to those lyrics that you wrote.

Takeuchi: I feel that today's younger generation, regardless of background knowledge and regardless of whether the things that catch their attention are old or new, have an intuitive way of listening when "good things are good". A lot of music co-exists within these people without much in the way of categorizing genres that goes beyond Japanese and Western music, so in a way, they may be obedient listeners. There's so much information pouring in that they can make their own choices, so the degree of freedom may have increased, but on that point, they may still have to make the right choices. When we were kids, one record cost so much that we had to try it out at the record shop and even though we really liked the album jacket, we felt we were taking a leap of faith when we bought it (laughs). After buying it just on the jacket alone, we really tried to listen to the tracks that weren't very good (laughs). So I really envy the fact that it's a truly lavish age now.

Kakihata: What's left an impression on me is that cover versions of "Plastic Love" by many artists have been popping up in recent years.

Takeuchi: You're so right. Even I'm surprised. Among these artists, there are these great bands such as Fryday Night Plans and Tofubeats who've left quite the impression. And about two years ago, I'd listened to Fujii Kaze's rendition just before he made his debut, and I thought it was fresh and great that a guy would sing "Plastic Love". There are videos of overseas fans singing and dancing to it, and I enjoy them every time I see them. There's even an Indonesian girl who is singing it in perfect Japanese. It's a wonderful thing then that there have been so many cover versions coming out because of my own song.

Kakihata: And to wrap up, what do you want to convey through your music?

Takeuchi: To me, music is something that I always feel that I would like to cherish through the sharing of the overall mood born from song and sound rather than the conveyance of the message from the lyrics. As well, if the listeners find something in their lives that connects with my music or find a little comfort, that's my greatest joy. I would love to have that in my music. I myself have many genres that I love so I like bringing those out in my own music, so I'd like to create and sing songs of a variety of types and I hope that I can freely choose from some of those so that they can be listened to. What I aim for is to continue to create universal songs that can be enjoyed by people of all generations. I want to try new things and enjoy the reaction that comes out of it, rather than imitating myself. I want to continue tackling various challenges such as collaborating with a whole bunch of musicians, for example. In life, age may become a limitation, but even so, I want to do what I can and enjoy it, and I think my curiosity about music will continue. Thanks to everyone for their continued support.