Michi Aoyama -- Shikaranaide（叱らないで）

 

Michi Aoyama（青山ミチ）was born as Fusako Yagi（八木フサ子）in Yokohama in 1949 to a Japanese mother and an American soldier. She was barely into her teens when she won a prize in a jazz singing contest in 1961 which got noticed by the then Polydor Records, and by the following year, she made her debut as a singer. Over the next four years, she would release around 25 singles for the recording company which would have included a song called "Kaze Fuku Oka de"（風吹く丘で...On a Windy Hill） in late 1966 (and also her own cover of "Namida no Taiyo"（涙の太陽）in May 1965). However, Aoyama was then arrested for drug possession which got her kicked out of Polydor, and "Kaze Fuku Oka de" was shelved until a few years later, when it was given a new title and presumably new lyrics and arrangement. It was then called "Amairo no Kami no Otome" （亜麻色の髪の少女）which became a classic for The Village Singers (ヴィレッジ・シンガーズ) in early 1968.

Despite the seriousness of the incident, Aoyama was able to transfer to a new company, Nippon Crown, surprisingly quickly and was even able to release her first single with them in December 1966. In February 1968, at approximately the same time that her former song was released by The Village Singers, a new Aoyama single came out, "Shikaranaide" (Don't Be Mad). A relatively upbeat Mood Kayo written by Tetsuro Hoshino（星野哲郎）and composed by Jinzo Kosugi（小杉仁三）, it relates the story of a mother who beseeches the heavens above for mercy for her wayward daughter. Taking into consideration the genre, I can imagine that the daughter may be working in Shinjuku. There is also some irony of Aoyama singing this song considering her past troubles.

Unfortunately, the troubles continued for the singer going forwards. Aoyama was arrested for the same crime in 1978 and 1999. Earlier in 1974, she had even been arrested for shoplifting. There was a second release of "Shikaranaide" in 1975 but her final official single had come out in May 1972. In January 2017, Aoyama was found dead in her home in Yokosuka due to acute pneumonia. She was 67.