Tatsuro Yamashita/Takahiro Matsumoto feat. Fayray -- Paper Doll

 

Over the past 11+ years on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", we've contributed articles on so many songs that at least in my case, I'm absolutely sure that I've ended up neglecting some major tunes that I had assumed were already covered. And especially with the backlog of tunes that I myself have, lasting for probably months, it's one of those Gibbs Slap-worthy moments when I realize that I haven't written about a special song. Unless this particular song which I first heard in the above BEST compilation has been able to conceal itself from me within Tatsuro Yamashita's（山下達郎）long list, then I'm about to strike the back of my head.

Yep, it's "Paper Doll". When I first heard this on Yamashita's "OPUS" some years ago, the two words that came to mind were "sexy" and "funky". "Paper Doll" was recorded onto Tats' 3rd studio album "GO AHEAD!" from December 1978. It seems to be the story of a rather cynical fellow in a relationship with someone that he actually does have feelings for, but believes that if she tires of him, she can crumple him up into a ball from the paper doll that he sees himself as. Man, talk about a guy in need of encouragement!

From what I've read on the J-Wiki article for "GO AHEAD!", Yamashita had wanted to release "Paper Doll" as a single but alas the powers-that-be at the record company gave him a hard NO, citing that the song wouldn't sell. Maybe it is a tad subdued but I would still politely disagree with that assessment. Besides, it's apparently a popular song at his concerts. The liner notes for the album state that the wah-wah pedal used in "Paper Doll" wasn't a strong suit for Yamashita at the time, so he put it in later.

Tats would probably nod in approval at the cover version recorded within "The Hit Parade" by Takahiro Matsumoto（松本孝弘）, the guitar-playing half of B'z. Released in November 2003 as his 6th album, and as an album of covers of the good stuff in the 1970s and 1980s at that, he has a number of artists helping him out including his B'z partner, Koshi Inaba（稲葉浩志）. For "Paper Doll", Matsumoto invited singer-songwriter Fayray. The sexy funkiness has been retained. "The Hit Parade" hit No. 2 on Oricon and finished 2004 as the 27th-ranked album, going Platinum.