Welcome to another weekly edition of Reminiscings of Youth. When it comes to the rocking New Wave band Talking Heads, the subject of this article wasn't actually the first time that I had heard them. That prize goes to "Once in a Lifetime" from 1981 with that weird video of David Byrne looking like the most unpopular professor on campus while he's repeatedly proclaiming "You may find yourself...".
I will eventually come to that one for a ROY article later this year but I wanted to begin the Talking Heads file on KKP with their July 1983 single "Burning Down the House". The song wasn't only popular but its music video was in heavy rotation on the local Toronto video show "The CHUM 30 Countdown" and other similar programs. With this one and the one for "Once in a Lifetime", I had assumed that Talking Heads was a British band because my impression was that the really oddball videos came from the UK. Actually, they were from another island altogether: Rhode Island in the United States.
There's something like a "OK...let's get down to business!" beat with "Burning Down the House" which is why I've liked this one for so long. Maybe there was a movie or TV drama that used it during some sort of caper montage but if that were the case, I have yet to see it. The drumming and then the slashing guitar (or is that a keyboard?) in the bridge are my favourite parts of the song along with Byrne's unique vocals. "Burning Down the House" peaked at No. 9 on US Billboard and it was the Heads' highest-charting single there while in Canada, it went a tad higher by placing in at No. 8.
So, what was hitting the Oricon Top 10 for July 1983? Well, we've got Nos. 4, 5 and 7.
4. Kozo Murashita -- Hatsukoi (初恋）
5. Masaki Ueda -- Osaka Bay Blues
7. Rats & Star -- Me Gumi no Hito （め組のひと）
Woah, two absolute classics with #4 and #5.
ReplyDeleteYes, absolutely.
DeleteLove seeing my favorite New Band make an appearance! I whole-heartedly endorse seeing their Stop Making Sense concert film, in case you haven't seen it. Easily one of the best of all time.
ReplyDeleteHello, Justin. Yeah, I've been seeing and hearing that Talking Heads have given some amazing performances live.
DeleteYou have got some great hits this time! However, I like Kozo Murashita's Hidamari (陽だまり) a little more than his more famous Hatsukoi (初恋), I vividly recall hearing 'Burning down the House' on the radio, and Rats & Star -- Me Gumi no Hito （め組のひと) is always a catchy tune.
ReplyDeleteHello, Brian. "Hidamari" is also a wonderful tune and with people taking a bigger notice of Japanese pop music of the past over the last several years, I'm hoping that Murashita is also a discovery for them.
DeleteWhen it comes to cover versions of kayo kyoku, I've usually maintained that the original version is the best version but I'm a bit torn here between Murashita's "Hatsukoi" and Chikuzen Sato's excellent funky cover.