I've been a fan of Japanese popular music for 40 years, and have managed to collect a lot of material during that time. So I decided I wanted to talk about Showa Era music with like-minded fans. My particular era is the 70s and 80s (thus the "kayo kyoku"). The plus part includes a number of songs and artists from the last 30 years and also the early kayo. So, let's talk about New Music, aidoru, City Pop and enka.
A few days ago on Thursday, my fellow KKP writer and co-administrator Noelle Tham posted her "Noelle's Favourite Hachiro Kasuga Songs Composed by Tadaharu Nakano"(中野忠晴作曲お気に入りの春日八郎曲) article in tribute to the fact that the First Enka Singer had been born in 1924, a hundred years ago. She also kindly extended the invitation to anyone else involved in the blog to provide their own angle on the late Fukushima native who had passed away in 1991 at the age of 67.
Well, I'm never going to decline that invitation especially when it seems as if I haven't heard many renditions of his old songs recently on shows such as "Uta Con"（うたコン）. But not being as much of an expert on Kasuga as Noelle, I hadn't been sure about how to go about it. Therefore, I've opted to take a slowly, slowly approach and take a look at his first several appearances on the national broadcaster's New Year's Eve special, the Kohaku Utagassen.
For the record, Kasuga appeared a total of 21 times on the Kohaku ranging from 1954 to 1989. His longest continuous stretch went from 1956 (the 7th edition) to 1969 (the 20th).
So, without further ado:
(1954) Otomi-San (お富さん) 1st appearance on the 5th edition in 1954
Noelle posted an article on "Otomi-san", based on the kabuki play of a cad trying to extort money from a wealthy merchant's concubine only to find out that the lass is his ex-girlfriend. Well, that's dang awkward...sounds perfect for a rom-com/thriller movie if updated. And as Noelle pointed out, the melody by Masanobu Tokuchi (渡久地政信) sounds so up-and-at-'em cheerful so I'm hoping that there was at least some humour in the original play. Actually, I got to know "Otomi-san" through a skit involving the late comedian Ken Shimura（志村けん）and aidoru/tarentoYoko Ishino（石野よう子）. You can take a look below at the video at 2:53.
One of the most famous kayo kyoku around and perhaps Kasuga's most representative recording, "Wakare no Ippon Sugi" is a melancholy song reflecting what was happening in Japan at the time as it struggled to recover from the ashes of war. Tens of thousands of people were being heavily encouraged to move from the countryside to the cities to work in the factories and the offices to get the nation back on its feet again, and the song itself was the story of one person making that lonely move away from his hometown. The above video shows Kasuga performing "Wakare no Ippon Sugi" for the 2nd time on the 1969 edition. He wouldn't appear again until the end of 1974.
(1957) Haha no Tayori（母の便り）3rd appearance on the 8th edition in 1957
I was scrolling down the Kasuga file on KKP to see if either Noelle or I had actually covered it. Maybe it's included in one of Noelle's compilations but I know now that it hasn't been done under my watch, so here it is. Written by Ryo Yano（矢野亮）and composed by Akira Maki（真木陽）, as with "Wakare no Ippon Sugi", "Haha no Tayori"(A Letter from Mother) is something to get the tears flowing as a son working far away from his family gets that letter from his mother to see how things are (and probably when he's coming back). The opening bars of "Haha no Tayori" say it all: it feels/sounds like a mother diligently doing the regular chores at the farmhouse knowing that her boy is giving it his all for home and country.
(1958) Wakare no Toudai（別れの燈台）4th appearance on the 9th edition in 1958
Another song that I haven't covered in the Kasuga file, initially I'd thought that "Wakare no Toudai"(Farewell at the Lighthouse) was a song of heartbreak because my impression was that the titular lighthouse would be the ideal sight in the distance for a romance to end tearfully. But perhaps I've been watching one too many J-Dramas in the past. Reading the lyrics by Kikutaro Takahashi（髙橋掬太郎） , it's more along the theme of the immediately preceding two songs...a man leaves his seaside town by ship to a faraway place in Japan or even completely overseas to make his own mark. Kenji Yoshidaya（吉田矢健治）was responsible for the wistful melody.
(1959) Tokyo no Ari（東京の蟻）5th appearance on the 10th edition in 1959
Both Noelle and I have given our respective articles regarding "Tokyo no Ari", and now having this song alongside some of Kasuga's other entries here, this 1959 hit stands out even more for its Mood Kayo sense complete with tinkling piano and bluesy saxophone. The theme of loneliness in the big city continues here as well but while the others dealt with it from the wistful rural side of things, "Tokyo no Ari" has Kasuga commiserating over his beer from the frustrating city side as he feels little different from Family Formicidae in terms of his service to the nation.
As I mentioned in the article for Akiko Yano's（矢野顕子）"Cream Stew"（クリーム・シチュー）, I rather preferred the beefier taste of minestrone soup over cream stew, a dish that I only found out about in Japan along with corn potage soup at a McDonalds near the Tokyo Prince Hotel back in 1981. Cream stew has been hit-or-miss with me. I've had some very nice bowls of the stuff but then I've had other examples which could be compared to umami-filled Elmer's Glue. However, it seems like cream stew is the go-to slurping dish in Japan because just like clockwork, commercials for the stew start popping up like the mushrooms that may go into it once the colder months arrive.
Yano's "Cream Stew" was used for a House Foods cream stew commercial in 1997 but a few years earlier, singer-songwriter MANNA, who I've usually associated with the quirky 1980 technopop tune "Tokio Tsushin"（TOKIO通信）, came up with the wholesome "Onaka Suita ne" (Boy, I'm Hungry) as a single in September 1993. Even more than the playful "Cream Stew", the folksy arrangement of "Onaka Suita ne" brings the images of kids running as fast as possible through the cold weather to hit home and kitchen to have a steaming bowl of cream stew.
Norie Kanzawa（神沢礼江）was responsible for the heartwarming lyrics while MANNA herself took care of the melody. I'm not sure how well "Onaka Suita ne" did on Oricon but the song has been mentioned on her J-Wiki file as one of her trademark tunes.
To think, it all began a few years ago with an earthquake report which had one Japanese weathercaster going from lighthearted to serious on a dime. Saya Hiyama（桧山沙耶）wasn't the first charming and entertaining weather forecaster on Japan's "Weathernews Live" but the video of her doing the quick change in attitude somehow got people's attention and amity outside of Japan and maybe even within Japan regarding the station with the relaxed approach to talking about the weather.
Well, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. And Hiyama made her announcement several days ago that she would be leaving "Weathernews Live" as of March 30th. Of course, much lachrymal fluid was shed. 😭 To be honest, even before the announcement, I'd thought that Hiyama's presence on the channel was starting to wane a tad so perhaps there was something afoot. But in any case, the face that has launched a thousand clips including those of her belly laugh at microwave ovens and okonomiyaki and apples will be going onto bigger and better things since she has now appeared on other television programs and has even become a cultural ambassador for her native Ibaraki Prefecture.
Because Nash Music Library has been the provider of background music for "Weathernews Live" (and that's how I learned about NML), I thought it would be appropriate to come up with something from them to commemorate the occasion. I was fortunate enough to find the tenderhearted "Last Letter". After all, it's the tradition for a soon-to-be former colleague to read that last letter to the departing person, and that was the case for Hiyama as weathercaster Mizuki Tokita（戸北美月）tearfully read the message (I'd actually expected Saya's best bud Yui Komaki to do the honours but that could have ended with an even larger briny puddle...dangerous for wiring...that sort of thing).
Anyways, "Last Letter" is the first NML song that I've heard that has vocals and it hails from the 2022 "Kokoro Uta"（心歌...Songs of the Heart） compilation. Unfortunately, I couldn't find out the two ladies who were singing "Last Letter" but the song was a very sweetly delivered tune, and I thought that it could have actually made for an anime theme song.
For those who are celebrating the Easter long weekend, I hope you are having a good time. Perhaps some of you may be searching for a fish n' chip shop somewhere.
I have a rather interesting song here to start off KKP on the final Saturday of March 2024. "Sayonara no Hohoemi"(The Goodbye Smile) is a track on Ruiko Kurahashi's（倉橋ルイ子）3rd album"Heartbreak Theater" from September 1982 and it's about as quintessentially Fashion Music as a Ruiko song can get. With all of the drama and existential uncertainty in the strings and the piano, this could have been inserted into the Japanese production of "Les Misérables" without anyone noticing. The singer herself sounds like she was about to succumb to some major tears.
"Sayonara no Hohoemi" was written and composed by Taeko Ohnuki（大貫妙子）with the arrangement by Mitsuo Hagita（萩田光雄）. Now, the interesting part was that the following year, Ohnuki herself would release her 7th album"Signifie" with one of the tracks being a cover of Ruiko's song. However, it would have a different title: "Genwaku"（幻感....Fascination） and instead of the heartbreaking atmosphere in a French castle for "Sayonara no Hohoemi", Ohnuki's own version adopts her style of the time of appealingly quirky technopop Frenchness which might suggest a modern-day Jean Valjean trying to escape the intrepid Javert while on a moped in Paris. I'll be honest when I say that although I have listened to both songs in the past, I didn't make the connection between them until relatively recently...the arrangements are that different.
Arrangers: Tsugutoshi Goto, Yukihiro Takahashi and Mitsuo Hagita
From Rajie's 1977 album: "Heart to Heart"
The original version of "THE TOKYO TASTE" had been a track on Sadistics' debut album. This version was recorded only some months after, but with an emphasis on a tight groove, it has an even more pronounced City Pop flavour. In addition to the speed of its evolution, I see the passion and fullness of the Tokyo pop scene of that time. The combination of Rajie's（ラジー）translucent vocals paired with Yoshitaka Minami's（南佳孝）quirky voice indeed makes for an exquisite and feel-good experience.
The above comes from "Disc Collection Japanese City Pop Revised"(2020).
One of the coolest elder statesmen of Japanese popular music and the God of Love Songs, Masayuki "Martin" Suzuki（鈴木雅之）, has enjoyed plenty of success working with some of the best such as Yoshiki Mizuno（水野良樹）from the band Ikimonogakari（いきものがかり）for the "Kaguya-sama" theme tunes and 1980s aidoru Momoko Kikuchi（菊池桃子）for the winning and spirited "Shibuya de Go-ji" (渋谷で5時）.
Suzuki is back in collaborating mode again. This time, he worked with the relatively new band Billyrrom to create the song "Magic Hour", part of Martin's new album"Snazzy" which came out a couple of days ago. With Billyrrom writing and composing "Magic Hour", it's a mysterious and intoxicating R&B tune thanks to the combination of dance club effects, old-style boppy bass and of course, the singer's silky vocals. That introductory rhythm does remind me a bit of a Backstreet Boys song, though.
Billyrrom is a 6-piece band that started up in 2020 with Mol, Rin, TaiseiWatabiki, Shunsuke, Yuta Hara and Leno. All of them hail from Machida City within Metropolitan Tokyo and their music runs the gamut of rock, soul, funk and pop. The unusual band name originates from a melding of famed jazz pianist Bill Evans who they admire and the nomadic Romani people with their music.
If I'm not mistaken, this is probably the third Japanese pop song that I've encountered with the title "Merry-Go-Round". I can only gather that the carousel has quite a lot of meaning for singer-songwriters.
This time, "Merry-Go-Round" is a creation by the DJ and music producer Night Tempo and his latest client is the Hiroshima Prefecture-born singer Hima（陽真）. Not sure whether this can be called a Neo-City Pop song or an especially groovy synthpop ditty but it fits that one mold of the urban contemporary in 2020s Japan. "Merry-Go-Round" is one part of the single that Hima released in February: "Want You/Merry-Go-Round".
The above single is the fourth released by Hima since her debut in 2022, and I have to admit that I do like the anime cover. Hima herself moved to Tokyo by herself after entering high school and her singing career began after providing cover versions of songs on YouTube and then TikTok. She's already had a variety of live performances including one last month titled "The Night Tempo Show 2024" and she has one scheduled next week "& you".
Happy Good Friday to all those who follow the statutory holiday. That's right...most of us are off today in the days leading to Easter which is arriving a little earlier than usual in 2024. As such, according to our own traditions on KKP, we'll be doing a special Reminiscings of Youth.
Keeping with the theme for urban contemporary on Fridays here on the blog, I wanted to go with something AOR or R&B from my youth. I found just the song...The Doobie Brothers' "What a Fool Believes". I ought to re-title it as "What a J-Canuck Believes" since it's taken me so long to get this up here as a ROY subject. I had actually assumed that Michael McDonald and his band were already represented on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" because McDonald has shown up on a number of ROYs in the past as a guest for other acts such asKenny Loggins and Steely Dan, but this is the first official Doobie Brothers' appearance on KKP. I'm giving myself a Gibbs slap as penance.
Although "What a Fool Believes" first appeared in the band's 1978 debut album"Minute by Minute", the single version was released in January 1979. If anyone asked me for a typical Doobie Brothers' song, I would immediately point to this one. Created by McDonald and the aforementioned Loggins, it's got that famous keyboard hook which has acted as the aural logo for the Doobies all these years. That melody kinda mellows out the story behind the lyrics of a fellow trying to rekindle a romance with an old flame, only to find out that there hadn't even been a first romance in the first place. Along with the hook, there are the iconic McDonald vocals and the path that the music takes weaving between whimsical and elegant. "What a Fool Believes" hit No. 1 on both the American and Canadian charts.
Over the decades, there have been affectionate pokes at McDonald and the Doobies' sound. I know about McDonald's appearances on "Family Guy", but true to my age, I like to go back even further to "SCTV". It still kills me how Rick Moranis killed them. The wonderful thing is that both McDonald and Rick Beato referenced the two parodies involving the Doobie Brothers very magnanimously within the last couple of weeks.
As I said, "What a Fool Believes" was released in January 1979. Which Japanese singles did the same?
Welcome to another Urban Contemporary Friday here on "Kayo Kyoku Plus". The Bing AI art generator was kind enough to come up with this sunset (or sunrise) drive on a city highway, and I can imagine that the radio might be on for some accompanying music.
I can also imagine Ryo Saeba of "City Hunter" fame driving a red convertible on an intracity highway in Tokyo while listening to this soulful ballad. "Only In My Dreams" is sung by Yurie Kokubu（国分友里恵）and it hails from one of the many soundtracks for the long-running anime franchise. Specifically, it's on the soundtrack for 1989's cinematic entry "Ai to Shukumei no Magnum"（愛と宿命のマグナム...A Magnum of Love and Destiny [although the English title has it as ".357 Magnum"]）. Lyrics were by Momoko Kitadai*（北代桃子）while the melody was concocted by Tatsumi Yano（矢野立美）.
Strangely enough, "Only In My Dreams" doesn't strike me as having a really strong City Pop beat. This isn't to denigrate it in any way...I think the ballad hovers nicely over the dividing line between the Japanese urban contemporary and straight-up pop in terms of the arrangements. However, whichever way one slices it, it's got plenty of romance and perhaps it can involve the lone wolf Ryo and any number of his femme fatales...maybe even Kaori Makimura without the mallet.
*According to J-Wiki, she's now known as singer Momoko Suzuki（鈴木桃子）.
When I first heard the song and read the title to it, memories took me back to Cloud City from "The Empire Strikes Back".
Now, being a fellow who is fascinated by what future architecture might bring to the table over the next several years and decades, I do like to check out those YouTube videos on the subject. Fantastical as it may seem, wouldn't it be nice if I could somehow live long enough to actually head up to a city in the sky?
As for the song itself, I'm talking about "Takai Sora no Machi" (The City High in the Sky) by the duo The END of the WORLD which I think had their heyday in the 1990s. I couldn't find out much about them but on the "Light Mellow BU" website, I did find out that it consisted of former Pizzicato Five member Ryo Kamomiya（鴨宮諒）and vocalist Yoko. There was one album they put out in 1995 titled "Yasashii Tsunagari"（優しい繋がり...Gentle Connections）, and for a band whose name sounds rather depressing, Yoko beams out a very pleasant and kind face.
"Takai Sora no Machi" is the first track on "Yasashii Tsunagari" and it's a mellow beginning to the album with some bossa nova and Charles Shimizu's organ which perhaps takes things a tad into Shibuya-kei. Kamomiya was behind the melody while Yumi Iwaki（岩城由美）took care of the lyrics. I think "Light Mellow BU" was a bit harsh in describing Yoko's vocals as "dead", although I think perhaps what was meant here was "low-key". Personally, I think her singing is quite nice and sweet and well-fitting for the warm bossa.
Singer-songwriter Toko Okabe（岡部東子）may not have become a word in every household but I've liked what I have heard so far. Back in 2021, I posted a couple of articles regarding her music through the Xmas tune "Kata ni Fureta Christmas Eve"（肩にふれたクリスマス・イヴ）from her 1988 debut album"Amnesia" and "Vacancy", the first track from her second album"Stay the Sun" from 1989.
Recently, I was able to find this other track from "Stay the Sun" titled "Snow Candle no Yoru" (Snow Candle Night). Written and composed by Okabe herself, despite the title, it's not really a Christmas tune per se although I think the romance is still plenty imbued in there. The notable thing for me though is the arrangement by Kenichi Mitsuta（光田健一）with the strings and classy piano which brought all sorts of Fashion Music thoughts to my head. I kinda assumed that Fashion Music had been more of a late 70s/early 80s phase. What also adds to it is Okabe's vocals which automatically had me thinking of Chicaco Sawada（沢田知可子）and post-City Pop Yurie Kokubu（国分友里恵）. Just wanna cuddle up in a warm blanket with a hot mug of cocoa.☕
Well, baseball season got officially under way earlier this afternoon for our local Toronto Blue Jays. Happily, their first game against the Tampa Bay Rays was a successful one with the Jays defeating the Rays 8-2, so I guess then that at least for today, Torontonians and the Jays are on....top of the world!
OK, let us all get our coughs out of the way after that last statement. It's very healthy to clear our phlegm. 😖Anyhow, for this week's regular Reminiscings of Youth article, I've returned to Carpenters and their hit single "Top of the World". Released on September 17th 1973, this may have very well been the first Carpenters' song that I had ever heard about since it just seemed to be getting onto the radio all the time when I was a kid. I didn't know what a steel pedal guitar was at the time but it's the chief instrument that has always gotten into my head whenever I heard this feel-good tune.
And though "Top of the World" has been categorized as a soft rock song on Wikipedia. it's because of that steel pedal guitar and the chorus work that has made me consider it as more of a country pop tune. As I said, too, it was a very successful one since it hit No. 1 on both the American and Canadian charts as well as in Australia. Even in Japan, it made it up to No. 21 on the regular Oricon charts.
"Top of the World" has gotten its fair share of covers over the decades, and my first reference to the song was through Shonen Knife's cover which I posted about back in 2017. Of course, because Carpenters are absolute legends in Japan, the original song has been used for commercials and even television dramas. As well, personally, my friends and I have performed this one all the time at karaoke. But obviously, none of us hold a candle to Karen Carpenter.
September 17th 1973 was also a date that does show what was up at the top of the Oricon single charts thanks to the site which I discovered a few months back. What was up at Nos. 1, 2 and 3...and for that matter, what was up at No. 6?
2024 is Hachiro Kasuga's (春日八郎) centenary. Since Hachi is my No.1, I've decided to attempt a Hachi Centenary Project where I'll produce articles on him to commemorate the occasion. I'm aiming for one a month, should my schedule permit, but we'll see how things go. I'm saving a long overdue update on my Top Favourite Hachiro Kasuga Song List for his birthday and death anniversary month of October, so in the meantime, I'll either do the usual song features or Author's Picks lists. If any other KKP contributor would like to add to this project, please feel free to do so. And if readers would like to see certain songs/lists related to Kasuga, feel free to make requests. Anyways, this brings me to today's very specific list: My favourite Hachiro Kasuga songs composed by Tadaharu Nakano (中野忠晴).
Why this very specific list? It's simply because I've just been listening to Nakano and Nakano-made Hachi stuff a lot recently (as you can probably tell), so I figured that a list of some of my favourite stuff from the Hachi-Mr. Nakano combo would be a good start to this project. Also, I have monke brain: Me see favourite singer sing song made by other favourite singer, me happy. As I've been saying, this is essentially a "Buy 1 get 1 Free" deal.
Mr. Nakano from 1955; Hachi from around 1956 (?)
As I've mentioned before, from 1952 onwards, both Hachi and Mr. Nakano were under King Records. Technically speaking, Hachi had been under King since 1947, but more of a reserve singer in training of sorts and never got his official debut as a professional singer of the company until December 1952. Mr. Nakano signed on as a composer and singer some time in June (?) 1952, but dropped the latter role after his first single under this label didn't do so hot and simply stuck to melody-making. Mr. Nakano composed a fair number of songs for Hachi - around 26 songs over the span of 10 years between 1953 and 1963 or so, assuming I read and mathed Hiroyuki Kondo's (近藤博之) consolidated list on Nakano's postwar works right.
A cursory look at Kondo's list seems to show that Nakano composed more stuff for minyo star Michiya Mihashi (三橋美智也). My impression is that the Michi-Mr. Nakano combo produced more hits of a much larger scale compared to the Hachi-Mr. Nakano combo, which seemed to only produce middling hits at best. Conversely, it was Hachi's collaboration with Isao Hayashi (林伊佐緒), another singer-turned-(mostly) composer, that spawned well-known numbers. This being the case, this article will put the spotlight on some of Hachi’s lesser-known discography entries. Honestly, I wouldn’t even have known some of them existed if it weren’t for the fact Nakano’s name was pinned to it. Yay for my one-track mind! (?)
Even though I've yet to listen to every single Nakano-composed Kasuga song out there, I think it's fair to say that the former jazz singer created a wide variety of kayokayoku for the younger artiste. This ranged from stuff akin to traditional Japanese folk tunes to urban jazzy numbers. Suffice to say that I think Hachi handled them pretty well, owing to his flexible vocal delivery. But I have to admit that some of these Nakano Melody (this term feels so weird to say) don’t necessarily fit my image of Hachi and sound more like what I feel the composer himself would’ve sung and not the singer he provided for. And, objectively speaking, some of these just sound like any run-of-the-mill pop song from the 1950s-1960s. That said, there are some that stand out to me there with their unique and refreshing arrangements, giving them a sound unlike what I might ordinarily hear from that era.
In a short article on Nakano from June 1955, the musician compared his music-making process at King to adding butter to miso soup ("Tsumari, miso shiru no naka e bata wo ireyoutte, wake nandesuyo."). I'm fairly certain he was alluding to putting his own Western music flair (the butter) into Japanese kayokyoku (the miso soup) by playing around with the musical accompaniments. I wonder if that explains those stand-out bits. Then again, it could just be because I'm being unconsciously/consciously bias. Either way, perhaps you might hear what I find interesting in the Hachi-Mr. Nakano songs I've listed here. Some of these songs had been re-recorded around 1970, but I have put the original versions because they're where you can hear what Nakano had intended the music to sound like.
Before going into the list proper, I'd like to mention "Tsuma Koi Touge" (妻恋峠). It's a matatabi mono with the "Komoro Magouta" (小諸馬子唄)minyo spliced into it from 1955. It's a pleasant tune that I listen to occasionally when I want to hear Hachi's folk song prowess, but I wouldn't say it's a strong favourite of mine. I must admit, though, that the echo effect when Hachi warbles the "Komoro Magouta" provides quite the immersive experience.Was it a Nakano idea? I don't know, but it's likely since Michi's "Tassha de na" (達者でナ), another Nakano Melody, utilizes this echo effect too. Either way, this effect here makes it feel as though we are on the road with our wandering traveler and his voice reverberates through the Nagano mountain range as he belts out the "Komoro Magouta". I believe "Tsuma Koi Touge" was the first hit spawned by the Hachi-Mr. Nakano combo and likely the first middling hit after Hachi's unbeatably popular "Otomi-san" (お富さん), so I wanted to give it some acknowledgement.
I wrote about this tune ages ago in 2017, and I said that the music was "what first drew me to (it)." Finally, something 2024 Noelle can shake hands with 2017 Noelle on. "Otoko no Butai" seems to be a Kasuga fan favourite and, in fact, it's said that Hachi himself actually liked this quite a lot too. Apparently, in preparation for its release, our dear singer got himself a new outfit and even learned the dance moves. I mean, it's hard not to see why this was well-liked. "Otoko no Butai" is a dramatic kabuki-inspired tune which reflects the trials and tribulations of being a stage performer - thought to be a reason why Hachi liked it. The original recording is snappy and the traditional percussions and wind instruments go wild. Yet, despite its raucous sound, there is a refined elegance to it that showcases said performer's professional front as they step on to the stage. On a different note, the sound of "Otoko no Butai" reminds me of Taro Shoji's (東海林太郎) wartime entry "Ginza Owaricho" (銀座尾張町). I wonder if Mr. Nakano had been listening to that and took a hint.
I wish I could see that dance Hachi picked up. He merely bobbed up and down or did a muted jig in the clips I see of him. So to see a full dance from him would be akin to striking the lottery for me. Yes, I know my priorities are skewed.
Funauta Tsukiyo (船唄月夜) (1956)
Totemo su . te . ki janaika? Kono uta. In one of Hachi's 15th anniversary albums, King Records lyricist and creative director Ryo Yano(矢野亮) made a curious remark: Hachi's sailor-themed songs (madorosu mono) strangely tend to only receive lukewarm reactions. I'm inclined to agree, since my favourites don’t really include any specifically sailor tunes. Wharf-themed tunes, for sure. But not really tunes that feature sailors sailing the high seas. And then came "Funauta Tsukiyo". This is a jolly tune marked by this bouncy . little . bit towards the end of each stanza, giving the song an element of fun and mischief. This rhythmic segment is both memorable and a reflection of the trope of a carefree lifestyle in sailor songs, I feel. Admittedly, Hachi sounded a bit stiff in the original recording, but his delivery became much spunkier in the re-recorded version many years later. I wish I could see footage of Hachi singing this too. I can imagine him doing his little bounce.
This feels like the type of composition close to what Nakano would've ordinarily liked to make if he’d no obligation to “make (kayokyoku) that’ll sell”: Something bluesy/jazzy and mostly Western-sounding. He made many of this sort under King, but "Tokyo no Ari" seems to be one of the rare moderate successes. Its chaotic style isn't something I usually hear from Hachi, but it's pretty refreshing. This is another piece Hachi seemed to have taken a liking to for its unique sound.
Ore wa Hitoripocchi (俺は一人ぽっち) (1960)
I could be wrong, but it seemed like Mr. Nakano began incorporating what I think sounds like an electric organ (?) into his works from around this time. Or, at least, with more frequency. I like the deep, rolling drums and rattling percussions, especially at the start, which gives "Ore wa Hitoripocchi" a very slight bossa nova feel amid the swelling strings and frenetic piano. But I'm personally not a fan of the wobbly twang of the electric organ (?) as it kind of cuts the dramatic flair the song gives. Speaking of dramatic flair, my goodness, Hachi's vocals here felt off the charts! In general, I like Hachi's delivery for its gentleness, but can he heartily belt out songs when he needs to. And he can do so without losing that delicate and sentimental nature.
Hoshi yo Omae ga Koibito da (星よお前が恋人だ) (1960)
“Hoshi yo Omae ga Koibito da” is on a similar vein to "Tokyo no Ari", albeit less intense and of a more somber tone. I actually like melody of this one more than the more popular latter, and I think the wobbly whine of the electric organ (?) works better here when it does appear. It provides "Hoshi yo..." with a haunting atmosphere, but it does make it feel less raw than “Tokyo no Ari”. This tune showcases more of the lower range of Hachi's vocals. The lower range was what he struggled with most back when he was still in training, and even very early on in his career he did sound a bit awkward with his voice going that low. But as his voice matured as in "Hoshi yo...", I think it managed to convey the dark and more introspective nature of this tune pretty well.
Among the Hachi-Mr. Nakano compositions I've heard thus far, I love "Ruten no Yoru" the most. I'll say it now, but it's definitely within my Top 10 Hachi tunes overall. Mr. Nakano's melody sounds so lonely, yet it's so fascinating to listen to. Hachi sounds so sad, yet conveys the song so beautifully. Tamaranai.
Mr. Nakano from 1949; Hachi from the late 1950s/early 60s (?)
And with that, we've come to the end of the article. Of course, I think there are more entries by this combo that are either interesting or stuff that I enjoy, like "Tokyo Western" (this one isn't very Hachi, but it's so Nakano) and "Jirocho Tabi Shigure" (次郎長旅しぐれ) respectively. But what I've put here are a combination of both. My conclusion here is that butter in miso soup tastes good. And I'm saying it not because Mr. Nakano prepared it and Hachi served it... Okay, maybe I sort of am. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed some of Hachi's lesser-known works while also getting a little taste of what Mr. Nakano did during his postwar stint in music.
I wonder what I shall do next in the Hachi Centenary Project. Perhaps a Hachi-Michi one, or a Hachi-Hayashi one. Hayashi did also make many interesting pieces for Hachi, after all. There is also the tune by the Sannin no Kai (三人の会), the Hachi, Michi, and Muchi (Hideo Murata... 村田英雄) trio. I guess we'll see what speaks to me first.
P.S. The Ms. C who made my Mr. Nakano photo cards also educated me on the term "Bias Wrecker". This refers to another artiste you're head-over-heels for and competes with your Bias/oshi for the No.1 spot in your heart. A threatening 2nd place, if you will. In my case, this title bounces around five other fellows, and it's currently held by Nakano. I told Ms. C that, hypothetically speaking, among the other five, Mr. Nakano is the strongest competitor for 1st place. Upon reflection, he does score extremely high on my Voice-Works-Looks chart. But Hachi need not worry since he occupies a very special spot: Oshi no.1 and primary research subject. That has essentially made it impossible for any bias wrecker to topple him.
The weather was gloomy out there at Haneda Airport on November 18th 2017 when I was waiting for my flight back to Toronto after a couple of weeks seeing friends and going to all of the old haunts in Tokyo. Happily though, there wasn't any rain.
Perhaps singer Feifei Ouyang（欧陽菲菲）wasn't quite as lucky with her 2nd single"Ame no Airport" (Rainy Airport) which was released back in December 1971. The song was on the heels of her hit debut single"Ame no Midosuji"（雨の御堂筋）which had come out earlier in September. I gather that the songwriters and all around her felt that anything with rain in it couldn't hurt her chances for another successful tune.
In any case, "Ame no Airport" was created by the golden partnership of lyricist Jun Hashimoto（橋本淳）and composer Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）. As has often been the case with kayo kyoku involving airports, there is much romantic heartbreak in the air as a couple say their goodbyes in a middle of a dreary precipitation-laden day at presumably Haneda Airport which had been at the time the main terminal for Tokyo until Narita wrested the title away for many years. Melodically, it has that familiar kayo sound of life in the city with the horns, shimmering strings and the rollicking percussion. Ouyang's sophomore entry hit No. 4 on Oricon and ended up as the No. 31 song for 1972.
But as the commercial pitchperson says, "Wait...there's more!". On Ouyang's 4th album "Return" from September 1979, she recorded another version of "Ame no Airport" with a very slight change in the arrangement.
The iconic "Sazae-san" has been in existence across the broad media spectrum in Japan since its appearance as a manga in 1946. I've known it mostly for the weekly anime series that has been on since 1969. Sometime in the last ten or twenty years, I was also aware of a live-action version of "Sazae-san" starring the adorably wacky Atsuko Asano（浅野温子）but unfortunately I haven't been able to find any clips from it on YouTube.
However, I only realized that there had been an initial live-action version decades previously within the last day or so. Only a couple of years following the debut of the manga, there was a 1948 movie with actress Takarazuka Revue graduate Tonko Azumaya（東屋トン子）in the starring role. But then less than a decade later in 1956, another film, also with the title "Sazae-san", was created, this time with actress-singer Chiemi Eri（江利チエミ）as Sazae-san herself. I'm not certain but perhaps the above clip may be from that movie. She's singing one of her earlier singles "A Guy is a Guy"（ガイ・イズ・ア・ガイ）while she's doing the laundry the old-fashioned way.
Eri must have really left an impression on producers and viewers alike because several years later in late 1965, she even got her own show "Sazae-san" on TBS which lasted a couple of years. The above was apparently the main theme, simply titled "Sazae-san", a brassy and upbeat ditty with a bit of a Latin cha-cha to it. It was written by Tatsuo Miyata（宮田達男）and composed by Yoshiyuki Kouzu（神津善行）.
Let's see...I just returned from a rather contentious condo owners' board meeting tonight pitting the board association against the owners. Hell was unleashed and ninety minutes into the meeting, we hadn't even gotten past the first item on the agenda. With all of the accusations and anger thrown at each other, it was time for me to leave since it was obvious that nothing was going to be resolved and there is now a somewhat toxic atmosphere in our neighbourhood.
However, before I witnessed our version of "Gladiator" tonight, I had encountered a piece of good news on the blog. Back on March 3rd, I sent out anAll-Points Bulletin regarding a mystery song that commenter Javier had told me about. Usually the results of our APBs have been rather hit-and-miss admittedly and it's even rarer when the person making the request for an APB actually tracks down the original song. Well, it's our lucky day.
The Future Funk song known as "Dreaming" as arranged by Cosmjc Burrito is actually singer-songwriter Kazuhito Murata's（村田和人）"Taiyou no Koibito" (Sun Lovers), and indeed Javier was the one who tracked it down. If Javier is reading this, I hope that he can let us know how he was able to figure it all out. "Taiyou no Koibito" is a track on Murata's 11th album "Sweet Vibration" from September 1995. Written by Yoshihiko Ando（安藤芳彦）and composed by Murata, it's a typically summery concoction of good vibrations and I'm indeed happy that the song has been uncovered. Some nice harmonies in there, too.
Usually when it comes to Murata's discography, I've focused on his 1980s stuff but including this 1995 entry, I have covered one other 90s song by him: "TRUST" from his 1994 album"evergreen". Anyways, a mystery is solved! Congratulations and thanks to Javier!
Probably like a lot of boys in my generation, one of the television stars that I rather fell hard for was actress Elizabeth Montgomery from 60s and 70s sitcom"Bewitched", so it wasn't a surprise that she's one of the earliest memories I had in my life. Perhaps a close second to her character of Samantha Stevens was Barbara Feldon's 99 from "Get Smart".
Maybe that was the thing regarding the late great singer-songwriter KAN's debut single from April 1987, "Terebi no Naka ni"(On TV). He is singing here about falling in love with some young and pretty lady who has been popping up on the tube all the time. Written and composed by KAN himself, it strikes me as being a 1960s rock n' roll-ish romp that I believe he's dipped into from time to time during his career, although I still see him more as the piano pop prince, a la "Ai wa Katsu"（愛は勝つ）, his most famous hit. Therefore, "Terebi no Naka ni" sticks out as something that's a little different for him especially with him crashing down on those synths pretty hard. I'd probably say that he's channeling Elvis Costello more than Billy Joel here.
Of course, KAN did a ton of concerts so he was prancing about on stage. But for me, someone who never got to see any of his performances live, it is something to see him doing so especially when my perpetual image of him is in a natty suit permanently positioned behind the piano keys.
"Asaichi"（あさイチ...Morning Market） is the weekday morning program on NHK appearing right after the daily morning drama serial. It's been broadcasting since about 2010, I believe.
Currently hosted by comedians Hanamaru-Daikichi Hakata（博多華丸・博多大吉）and NHK announcer Naoko Suzuki（(鈴木奈穂子）, "Asaichi" is devoted to various lifestyle topics and issues along with celebrity interviews. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any clips of the hosts themselves bantering but the above is an example of what they cover.
The show begins in Japan at 8:15 am and usually runs until 9:55 with a 5-minute interlude for a news recap although it sometimes gets truncated during the high school baseball championships or a really rousing round of parliamentary debate (yeah, I'm being sarcastic about the latter). However, my family has been watching it on TV Japan from 1 pm to around 2:35. But as quite a lot of folks know now, TV Japan will be finishing its broadcasting history this coming Sunday to be replaced by the online streaming service Jme as of April 1st. I've been prepping things for the transition but it appears that Jme will be showing "Asaichi" via NHK Premium, the network's live streaming service so we'll be watching the show from 7:15 pm Eastern Daylight Time as of next Monday. Mind you, we'll be getting a little taste of the future tonight since TV Japan will be showing a rare nighttime version of "Asaichi" as a special.
Although it's heard only very briefly at the top of the show, there is a theme song for "Asaichi" created by musician TENDRE (pronounced "tender"). Titled "Switch (TV Edit)", it's barely over two minutes long which is too bad since it is a nice slice of light pop (sprinkled with a bit of bossa in the beginning) for which I would have enjoyed a longer version, but perhaps the lad just wanted to make an quick and unobtrusive ditty to herald the arrival of the show rather than a full-blown single. "Switch" is available as a track on his 2nd major album"Prismatics" from September 2022.
The first time that I heard this song, I kinda figured that the singer must have come from the Takarazuka Revue Company, the famous all-woman song-and-dance-and-acting troupe, just from the elegant delivery and the fact that her name was quite stylized. To be honest, she also had a certain timbre in her vocals that also reminded me of the dulcet tones of Misato Watanabe（渡辺美里）.
But indeed, Maki Ichiro（一路真輝）is a graduate from the Takarazuka Revue who first entered the troupe as a teen in 1982, reaching the heights as a top star. But in 1996, she left the revue to pursue other acting opportunities on television and stage. Ichiro also released a few singles which included her debut of "Ameagari no Hoshizora" (The Starry Sky After the Rain) in October 1997. Written by Kyoko Tomita（とみたきょうこ）and composed by Joe Rinoie（ジョー・リノイエ）, it's an OK pop song of its time with a funky beat that kinda skirts with Shibuya-kei. From seeing the top of that CD single in the thumbnail, the song was used as the theme for a TBS drama, "Bancha mo Debana"（番茶も出花）which also starred Ichiro.
Happy Monday! I may have mentioned this in a past article but I've been subscribed to the YouTube channel Kuga's Travel for a few years. His stock-in-trade is traveling on a myriad of trains and ferries not only within Japan but also internationally and he obviously doesn't skimp on the good stuff. Last night, I caught his latest video which shows him booking the first-class suite on the new overnight ferry, the Sunflower Murasaki, which heads from Osaka to the onsen city of Beppu in Oita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu within about twelve hours. Of course, being the foodie glutton that I am (or was), I was laser-focused on the observation that he only had to pay 2000 yen for an all-you-can-eat buffet onboard and the buffet looks like it has plenty of variety.
Part of the video showed the Murasaki sailing underthe Akashi Kaikyo Bridge（明石海峡大橋）which used to be the longest suspension bridge on Earth (completed in 1998) until its record was taken over by the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge in Turkiye in 2022. The light then lit over my head wondering whether there had been an enka or kayo kyoku created regarding the bridge. After all, the Japanese love to make songs about their natural and man-made structures.
Well, it wasn't exactly the bridge itself but the strait. Enka singer Kaori Mizumori（水森かおり）, the Queen of Go-Touchi Songs, had recorded "Akashi Kaikyo"(The Akashi Strait) in September 2009 although it wasn't released as a single. It was actually a song on her album "Kayo Kikou VIII ~ Aki no Miyajima"（歌謡紀行VIII〜安芸の宮島〜...Song Travelogue 8 ~ Miyajima of Aki）. Written by Akiko Shimoji（下地亜記子）and composed by Ryu Morikawa（森川龍）, it's fairly evident that enka singers love to cry into their straits rather than their beer (I guess the salt ruins the taste). Mizumori sings about a lady traveling to the titular strait to muse about a recent romantic breakup. Melodically, it feels like a cooperation among the chanteuse's tender vocals, the dramatic strings and the bluesy saxophone.
Now that we're approaching the end of March, it looks like the anime winter season for this year is also coming to an end. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the totality of some of the series on air over the past few months.
"Snack Basue"（スナックバス江）is one of them. As one YouTuber reviewed it, it won't be for everyone and I kinda figured that most of the scenes will just be in the titular cozy bar with the regulars doing all sorts of inside banter. But that's the type of stuff I like, so "Snack Basue" and I ought to get along just fine. Besides the whole thing about foot massage in Episode 5 is a literal whack at all that Japanese television coverage of one famous foot masseur easing/torturing female tarento.
One of the gimmicks of the show that I've already cottoned onto is the rotating series of ending themes per each episode which has been focused on some of those songs of yesteryear. They've been provided via the characters' karaoke performances in Snack Basue. It was almost a couple of months ago when I posted the first one of these covers, Anri's（杏里）debut single "Olivia wo Kikinagara"（オリビアを聴きながら）by proprietress Akemi（明美）as played by seiyuu Rie Takahashi（高橋李依）.
For Episode 7, the song du nuit is another favourite of mine: "Lonely Chaplin"originally by Masayuki Suzuki（鈴木雅之）and his big sister, Kiyomi Suzuki（鈴木聖美）back in 1987. This time though, it's seiyuu Kimiko Saito（斉藤貴美子）as Basue Mama（バス江ママ）and Fukushi Ochiai（落合福嗣）as regular customer Tatsu-nii（タツ兄）behind the mikes. Watching and hearing these guys perform is rather ironic since that is exactly the way that I first found out about the cool tune...watching a couple of people perform "Lonely Chaplin" at a karaoke bar over thirty years ago, though this was in Gunma instead of Hokkaido. Definitely link back to the original song and listen to Martin and Kiyomi!
Easter is coming along the way so I figured that it was time for a rabbit song once more. So we've got Kayo Grace cuddling the bunnies.
Perhaps I can give the moral of the story right from the beginning: be careful of what you ask for. Back in early February, I noted that singer-songwriter Minoru Komorita（小森田実）was finally getting his own byline on a KKP article after just getting his deserved songwriting bona fides in Labels all these years, and then a few weeks ago, he popped up again as the lead singer for the 80s band Alpha. And today, he's back here again with his own third byline...you might say that he's multiplying like bunnies.
Strangely enough, that is the title of a perky little tune that he composed: "Bunny, Bunny" (2020) under a slightly altered form of his name...Minoru Comorita. The lyrics were written by Hiroshi Yamada who may just be the same fellow who had come up with the words for Mineko Nishikawa's（西川峰子）February 1977"Guitar Nagashite Konbanwa"（ギター流して今晩わ）, a song that I featured on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" last night. Mind you, the name is a common one in Japan and I could only find the romaji form of the name under the YouTube video so he could also be a totally different Hiroshi Yamada.
Anyways, the music is a happy-go-lucky techno funk-boogie tune as Comorita sings seemingly in the style of Yasuyuki Okamura（岡村靖幸）. I have to admit though that I never thought that I would ever hear a nihilistic party tune with rabbits as the theme animal; the guy whose parents have left his mortal coil is now nonchalantly and hedonistically heading into the abyss...and singing the praises of Tokyo as well, so I gather that "Bunny, Bunny" can also be considered as a go-touchi song. Especially with that music video, I can say that all involved in the production could have sipped a bit of that absinthe of malice.
Well, how about that? Kayo Grace Kyoku has decided to be a nagashi（流し）and stroll through the bar-filled streets to play old-style ballads on her guitar (might be more profitable than manning the cash register at a konbini). I just hope that she's legally of age to do that although frankly her age can vary from her late teens to her early twenties on "Kayo Kyoku Plus".
Anyways, allow me to introduce "Guitar Nagashite Konbanwa"(A Good Evening To You As I Stroll With My Guitar),enka singer Mineko Nishikawa's（西川峰子）February 1977 11th single. It would seem as if I always hear of a new song from the Fukuoka Prefecture native via old copies of the Fuji-TV music program "Yoru no Hit Studio"（夜のヒットスタジオ）, and this isn't any different. I was watching a March 1977 episode last night and sure enough, Nishikawa appeared to sing her latest at that time.
"Guitar Nagashite Konbanwa" is some bouncy enka; it's bouncy enough that I had first assumed that it was one of the singer's examples of madros kayo（マドロス歌謡）, one of the small kayo genres that I had described in my last article on Nishikawa, "Mineko no Madros-san"（峰子のマドロスさん）, her 9th single, before all of those little genres finally got merged into the big traditional one known as enka in the 1970s. But actually, Hiroshi Yamada's（山田宏）lyrics merely describe that aforementioned nagashi balladeer doing his job visiting various bars to see if any customer would like to hear a tune. My usual impression of a kayo kyoku regarding a nagashi is of a sad Latin-tinged ballad in the style of songwriter Masao Koga（古賀政男）. "Guitar Nagashite Konbanwa" is absolutely brimming with perky cheer thanks to Kosho Inomata's（猪俣公章）melody.
I actually saw a clip of that "Yoru no Hit Studio" episode with Nishikawa singing "Guitar Nagashite Konbanwa" on YouTube last night, but it appears that it has gotten that strike by the powers-that-be.
There is the Ruiko Kurahashi（倉橋ルイ子）song "Gas Tou"（ガス燈）, a jazz torch song from her "Main Course" album of 1986 which has had me envisioning a romantic couple experiencing a magical night walk down a street lit up with gas lights.
It was just about five years ago when I first heard and noted the eclectic duo Flat Face featuring Yoshiko Takatori（高取淑子）and Mitsutoshi Takesue（武末充敏）as they handled music and technology to come up with their own European pop sound. And from their lone album, also from 1986, "Face", is "Gas Tou no Shita de" (Under the Gaslights), but it's far and away from anything old-style jazz. Instead, true to Flat Face's nature, this particular track has got a pretty busy synthpop and Europop rhythm which does sound like it could have been a candidate for a Eurovision contest. Also, unlike that couple strolling in the romantically lit evening that I mentioned in Ruiko's "Gas Tou", "Gas Tou no Shita de" has me imagining a couple of punky teens running all over the street escaping from some sort of trouble elsewhere.
