Akira Matsudaira -- Koi wa Hana yori mada Akai (戀は花よりまだ赤い)

1930s film quality will be in like 1p and  I'll still be like, "This is the most
adorable thing I've ever seen."
From 松平晃、ミス・コロムビアらが参加した、コロムビア芸
術団の慰問風景を収めた貴重映像！(YouTube)

 

I have to admit that Akira Matsudaira (松平晃) has grown on me considerably, which was the last thing I was expecting considering my initial cold reception of him. I wasn't a fan of his voice because it had a quality that, to my ears, made it sound dull on cursory listens for the longest time. But that ironically became what I like about it, and I now find it endearing. I don't really enjoy songs in the minor key very much, and his major hits were mainly in minor. But I came to realise that his softer and more forlorn tone complemented the darker sort of melodies, and slowly began to uncover his jolly tunes that were mostly hidden. I thought he always looked bored/mildly annoyed, or had the dopiest of smiles. But I now find that awkwardness cute in a warped way, especially after seeing how adorkable he seemed to have been.

I compare Akira-san to his Columbia Records senior Tadaharu Nakano (中野忠晴) A LOT. It's mostly because when I see one I would inevitably see the other, and lately I've just been seeing a lot of things where they were literally placed next to each other. This made me realise that they were like different sides of a coin, their works surprisingly complementing each other during my listening time. Mr. Nakano pulls of bright, cheery, and confident, but when it comes to the foreboding or sentimental, I'd say that Akira-san has him beat. His softer vocals were able to convey loneliness and, at times, a sort of naïve sweetness that can be heart-meltingly... adorable. A case in point is "Koi wa Hana yori mada Akai" (Love is still Redder than Flowers). 

"Koi wa Hana yori mada Akai" was composed by Yuji Koseki (古関裕而) and written by Kikutaro Takahashi (高橋菊太郎), a power combo if I've ever seen one, from 1937. The rosy waltz-inspired tune with its tender strings aptly expresses the ups and downs of being in love. Akira-san's subdued delivery makes it feel as though we are hearing the inner thoughts of a shy protagonist who is very much head-over-heels for his beloved. He's certainly on cloud nine when bringing her flowers and when taking her out on a date, but becomes extra gloomy when he is unable to see her. In a way, one could also interpret the narrative in the perspective of the protagonist nostalgically looking back at the memories he had of, say, his first love. 

Waltz-inspired melodies are more of a slow-burn for me, but the way Akira-san handled the tune really knocked it out of the park. He just conveys "shy protagonist" so well, and I don't really think any other singer from that era (1930s) can pull that off that convincingly. The closest I could think of was Bin Uehara (上原敏), but Bin-san just sounded sad and forlorn for the most part.

That photo was taken almost exactly a month ago after I went with some ryukoka enthusiasts to a record event organised by the one and only prof. Yoshinori Osakabe (刑部芳則), who's one half of my favourite podcast "Osakabe-Takehei Showa no Utagoe" (刑部たけ平昭和の歌声). I'd brought various photos/photo cards of my fellows in anticipation of scoring an oshikatsu hit on the event's program based on the prof's personal favourites. I even brought Akira-san's photo just in case because he'd been featured on the podcast. Little did I know he'd be the only one among my collection to show up. Turns out my taste is the complete opposite of the prof's save for my budding interest in Akira-san. After events like these, my tradition is to have dessert and take a snapshot of the photo/photo card I brought. Even though Akira-san wasn't yet of that caliber, prof. Osakabe did introduce his song and I brought his photo, so I got my tea and cake-tart at a cafe after the show and... *click*.

Matsudaira seems extremely popular among a wide-range of ryukoka fans, the professor included, and I couldn't understand what it was about him that made him so for the longest time. But hearing his song on a gramophone for the first time at this event and picking up the aforementioned nuances and gentleness in his voice allowed me understand why. I get it now.

 

They're all wearing bow-ties.

A few months ago, I joked that Matsudaira was the "Ichiro Fujiyama we have at home" (if you get the meme). A few months later, Matsudaira is the one I have at home. On my shelf. And in my photo card holder. They say irony is a dish best served cold, but this one feels like a bouquet of red flowers presented by a brightly grinning Akira-san. 

Alright, you've finally convinced me, Akira-san. Happy 113th! 💐(´-`*)