Yoshiko Miyazaki -- Konya wa Futari（今夜はふたり）

 

Just returned from a popular Chinese restaurant after dinner with the family. I'm more than satisfied with the repast of Cantonese Chow Mein, Spicy Deep-Fried Squid and Beef and Broccoli, and my humble abdomen is obviously showing its happiness right now. However, my hands may have some problems reaching the keyboard so please bear with me.

Anyways, earlier in March, I provided an article on Yoshiko Miyazaki's（宮崎美子）2nd single "Watashi no Kibun wa Sangria"（わたしの気分はサングリア）from September 1982. The A-side is a delectably not-so-easy to categorize number with elements of City Pop, Latin, New Music and exotic kayo. However, the B-side of "Konya wa Futari" (The Two of Us Tonight) is most definitely old-style jazz from Note One. 

Perhaps I could be anywhere along the Mediterranean when I listen to "Watashi no Kibun wa Sangria", but with "Konya wa Futari", I imagine myself in the big lounge in Manhattan's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel either in the 1920s because of the Big Band jazz or in the 1960s because of the vocal chorus accompaniment. It's all classy and fun. At first thought, I'd assumed that Kingo Hamada（濱田金吾）had offered "Konya wa Futari" to Miyazaki because I know that he was just as much about the old-time jazz as he was about City Pop, but in point of fact, it was Yayoi Tanaka（田中弥生）who had come up with the melody, all arranged by Hiroshi Shinkawa（新川博）. Miyazaki herself wrote the lyrics. I can also imagine the singer doing the ol' soft-shoe with some of those backup dancers on the Vaudeville stage during the song.