Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Gosanke Imagined: Gosanke Girl Bands

 



Well, here I was thinking that I had basically exhausted all of the possibilities on the Gosanke(御三家)file, true and imagined which explains why nothing from that Label was posted over the weekend. And I was wrong, so perhaps there may be some hope to squeeze out a few more trios.

And yep, sticking with my JET days between 1989 and 1991, I remember that the massive blossom of diversification in Japanese popular music at that time included the proliferation of female pop and rock bands. So, when I look back on my two years in Gunma, the following three groups are who I think about.

Go-Bang's -- Ai ni Kite I Need You (あいにきて I Need You)


Pink Sapphire -- P.S. I Love You



Princess Princess -- Diamonds

4 comments:

  1. I the only group and song I knew this time around was Princess Princess and their 1989 smash hit "Diamonds!"

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    1. Yeah, I don't think Go-Bang's or Pink Sapphire ever enjoyed the same high profile that Princess Princess did.

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  2. Must have been a fun time to have been around since 1989 was Princess Princess' year. I remember doing a deep dive on them a little over a year ago and I came across a clip of them visiting New Orleans during Mardi Gras(or some festival) and they were so funny and charming.

    Also, while musical trends come and go(the female diva is an endangered species since Namie Amuro retired), I always appreciated that there was always new girl bands popping up in Japan.

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    1. It was a pretty giddy time there in 1989 as a fresh university graduate starting his first real job in the Japanese Alps of all places. Looking back, it was a great time discovering music especially by folks like Princess Princess, Miki Imai and Kazumasa Oda. Mind you, I did go through the ups and downs of culture shock like a lot of other people.

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