Welcome to another KKP Urban Contemporary Friday as we in Toronto await another winter storm in the next several hours. I've decided to start with something that ought to get folks shimmying in their seats since frankly I would like to warm up considerably. By the way, let's give another warm welcome to KKP AI-created representative Kayo Grace Kyoku above standing in front of a cityscape.
Ah, yes...I have heard of the term hako iri musume（箱入り娘）which literally means "girl in a box" but is used in conversation as "a girl who has had a sheltered life" or "a naïve girl". Maybe the biggest thing that comes to mind when the term pops up is Episode 3 in Season 1 of the anime "Kaguya-sama: Love Is War"（かぐや様は告らせたい〜天才たちの恋愛頭脳戦〜）when it's discovered that young Kaguya really has had no idea of what it means by "the first time" since she was only given a smidgen of somewhat inaccurate intelligence on the whole birds-and-the-bees thing.
Well, City Pop master Toshiki Kadomatsu（角松敏生）released his 5th single in October 1984 titled "Girl in the Box ~ Ni-juu-ni-ji made no Kimi wa" (Until 10 pm, You Are...) which does indeed describe a young lady out on the town with her beau but has to take off a couple of hours before midnight back for home. Of course, the boyfriend isn't too thrilled about the lass' primness when it comes to a night out but I'm somehow not all that surprised by the early end since Showa era Dad is more than happy to keep her sheltered for as long as possible. The ironic thing is that even back then, Tokyo tended to shut down right before midnight which is surprising for a huge metropolis with its bars and discos.
The above is the 12-inch single version of "Girl in the Box" which was released several weeks later and it's another Toshiki bopper with the bass and bass synth whomping away as the other keyboards have their own funky fun. Of course, the master of ceremonies himself, Kadomatsu, is soaring over the rhythm and the city through his famous vocals.
I can't help but feel a number of the early 80's songs seem to be pushing the boundaries of some new freedom the youth had found. Back then though school we still pretty strict and the effects of so-called relaxed education (that kind of began in the 70's) wouldn't be felt until much later in the late 80's and early 90's.
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