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.
Credits
I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.
Although I'm not deep into Japanese folklore, I've heard that foxes possess magical powers that they use to trick and bewitch unsuspecting people. In the Marvel multiverse, I wonder whether any particular fox through magic or mutant genes evolved over centuries into a sentient and sapient super genius for good or evil. But I'll leave any other thoughts on this to Doctor Strange or The Watcher.
I get similar vibes when I listen to jazz pianist Ichiko Hashimoto's（橋本一子）"Kitsune" (Fox) from her 1984 or 1985 album "Beauty" (I opted for 1985 in Labels). Yes, I did say jazz pianist although "Kitsune" is obviously on the line between technopop and avant-gardism. "Kitsune" is indeed a glacially haunting piece with a rhythm and Hashimoto's own voice lending to a mesmerizing aural experience akin to a meditation session. It's almost as if the Marvel fox has evolved itself out of time and treats it as a wind chime. Would like to hear some of her other tracks from "Beauty".
Hashimoto hails from Kobe and aside from her music work which includes singing and composing, she has also acted on TV, movies and anime. When Akiko Yano（矢野顕子）had to go on maternity leave, she filled in for her on keyboards during Yellow Magic Orchestra's domestic tour back in 1980, so perhaps the arrangement in "Kitsune" and perhaps "Beauty" was influenced by her time with the band. Below is her album "Mood Music" from 1987.
Around Christmas last year, a commenter alerted me about the late Yoichi Takizawa（滝沢洋一）having a mystery 1982 album "Boy" which had been undeservedly shelved for decades until its unearthing in 2024. So I was happy to listen to the tropical City Pop from "Endless Summer" as one of the tracks on "Boy". One reason that I'm here in this article today is that a good fellow by the name of Ryusei Miyakodori（都鳥流星）let me know of his own English article on the album, so if you can follow this link right here, you can get his own personal take on Takizawa and his history with music from his childhood.
Well, today I'll be starting this session of "Kayo Kyoku Plus" with another track from "Boy", "Morning with Venus". Composed by Takizawa and written by Keisuke Yamakawa（山川啓介）, this takes things more into downtown Tokyo starting with a really attenuated twangy guitar before we have the lovely duo of Takizawa and an especially sultry-voiced Sumiko Yamagata（やまがたすみこ）coming up with a whimsical combination of City Pop and American variety show jazz. I was half-expecting the two to suddenly break into either a tap dance or a soft-shoe on stage during the instrumental bridge. I'd say that is one happy morning with Venus and one more reason that I'm glad for the revelation of "Boy".
J-Canuck here. Well, we've come to the 100th and final song in Yutaka Kimura's series of City Pop masterpieces that began all the way in the spring of 2023 with Hiroshi Sato（佐藤博）and Wendy Matthews' "I Can't Wait". And it seems rather poignant and appropriate that the long list finishes with another song that was one of the first that I encountered when I got into the whole City Pop thing years ago. Anyways, let's get you reading the final entry.
Number: 100
Lyricist: Akiko Matsushita
Composer: Makoto Matsushita
Arranger: Makoto Matsushita
From Matsushita's 1981 album "First Light"
Getting away from the rat race of city life, you take the highway and head to the ocean. What awaits you are the hot sands and summer love...this is the scenario in "One Hot Love", and it's not an exaggeration to say that it's the once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece by Makoto Matsushita（松下誠）. The tight sound of the Doobie Brothers-like blue-eyed soul in the latter half and the bouncing chorus line really get me excited.
The above comes from "Disc Collection Japanese City Pop Revised"(2020).
With Kingo Hamada and Mariya Takeuchi（濱田金吾・竹内まりや）earlier today, we were talking about original and cover when it came to their "Lonely Wind". Now, we come to a cover of a cover.
One of the earliest Japanese pop songs that I fell for when I really got into kayo kyoku in the early 1980s was Circus'（サーカス）"Mr. Summertime", thanks to that episode of "Sounds of Japan" on CHIN-FM here in Toronto. However, I wouldn't find out for years that the 1978 hit for the vocal group was actually a cover for Michel Fugain's"Une Belle Histoire" in 1972. By the way, I never mentioned it in the original Circus article, but Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）had been responsible for the Japanese lyrics.
Well in 2008, the duo paris match performed their own cover of "Mr. Summertime" for their February 2008 7th album "Flight 7". Compared to Circus' take, this one has a bit more oomph thanks to a rocking Shibuya-kei organ and an electric guitar. At the same time though, there is some lightness thanks to Mari Mizuno's（ミズノマリ）tender vocals. Basically, when compared to the relaxing Riviera vacation that I envision when I listen to "Mr. Summertime" 1978, this version thirty years later has a bit more of spy intrigue and jet-setting adventure perfect for a 1960s caper.
That dusk photo is of the Sony Insurance building just across from my final school in my Japan career in Nakano-Sakaue. Never been up there but the basement often had ladies selling some fine bento for lunch. I don't recall ever paying more than one coin of 500 yen for one of those. Not sure how much they would go for now, though.
The Kumi Miyasato（宮里久美）file on KKP isn't too large. In fact, this article will just be her third but it's the first non-anime-related song that I'll be writing about today when compared to "Lonely Sunset"（ロンリー・サンセット）which was associated with the "Megazone 23" franchise in the 1980s.
"Summer Lovers" is the first track on Miyasato's 3rd album "Unfinished" from July 1987. It begins life rather smoky and enigmatically before the singer's just-as-smoky vocals fill the space and time. Then the chorus rises into this late 1980s City Pop with those certain synthesizers which continue into the bridge along with a bluesy guitar. It all rather describes a smoldering romance in the big city. Etsuko Kisugi（来生えつこ）took care of the lyrics while Ken Sato（佐藤健）was the composer.
I recall a few years ago having posted an article on saxophonist MALTA's "A Letter From September"(1987), a romantic sunset or nighttime work that would make any romantic date sound even better.
Well, I've got something which comes in a little earlier in his career. The title track for MALTA's 2nd album"Sweet Magic" from September 1984 is definitely more upbeat and would probably fit the morning or early afternoon for any couple's walkabout on the beach. MALTA probably sweated a couple of litres' worth of sweat recording this one but it's well worth it, especially with some of his friends on piano and guitar. Also, I have to give a shoutout to that lovely cover. Looks like Tokyo Big Sight with an attitude!
Back in November 2019, I posted an article from Mariya Takeuchi's（竹内まりや）March 1980 album "Love Songs" regarding one of its tracks, "Lonely Wind", which has been noted in one of the comments underneath its YouTube video as sounding like an unrevealed "Grease" track. I can't deny that...it does have that 1950s or early 1960s romantic doo-wop feeling.
What I didn't know at the time was that Takeuchi's "Lonely Wind" which had been composed by Kingo Hamada（濱田金吾）and written by Kazuko Kobayashi（小林和子）was actually a cover of Hamada's original version. Mind you, it was only by a few months since his debut album of "Manhattan in the Rain" had come out in January 1980. It was also added as the B-side to the singer-songwriter's 2nd single"Hotel Surf-Rider" in June of that year.
Although Hamada's original "Lonely Wind" also retains that old-fashioned mid-20th-century flavour that would have Richie and Lori Beth swooning on the porch on that cool summer night (and was also a trope of Mariya's music back in the early days), his version seems to also possess some jazz and blues with an intro that's reminiscent of a Carpenters song. Overall, and this isn't to put down Mariya's cover (and how I could ever do that?), the original sounds a bit more mature and refined, for the lack of a better word.
Cosmetic ads on Japanese television have always had their flair and sensuality as they featured some of the most popular stars of the day. Above is a commercial for Kanebo's Testimo II range of makeup starring actress and model Koyuki（小雪）. Just to remind folks, she was in "The Last Samurai" with Tom Cruise. This is about as glammed-up as I have ever seen her; she usually doesn't have that much makeup on her face.
It's been a good long while since I've posted anything by singer tohko on KKP. I remember her primarily for her debut single"Bad Luck On Love ~ Blues On Life ~" from early 1998. However, this 3rd single"Fuwafuwa Fururu" from July that year also pinged my memory engrams so I figure that I must have seen the Testimo II commercial that it graced a number of times. However, I cannot find that specific ad on YouTube at the moment.
As for the title, I can only guess that it's onomatopoeia to describe how the Kanebo cosmetics come out but maybe those who are well versed in anime and/or manga can set me straight. In any case, Tetsuya Komuro（小室哲哉）was responsible for words and music with Marc Panther, Komuro's bandmate from globe, also helping out on the lyrics. It definitely feels like a Komuro tune and both the arrangement and tohko's vocals lend to the dreaminess out there. "Fuwafuwa Fururu" scored a No. 16 on Oricon.
The first time that I heard of the word "obsession" was via the 1967 episode of the original "Star Trek" which had that very title. Basically in that adventure, Captain Kirk goes all Captain Ahab about a big white alien cloud which loves to suck blood. It's also notable for the fact that two of the usually doomed red-shirted security guys gets a bit more attention and a name to boot: Ensigns Rizzo and Garrovick. The latter guy even gets to punch out his captain.
But then seventeen years later, the word pops up again far more frequently. In this edition of Reminiscings of Youth, I give you "Obsession", the biggest single by the American synthpop band Animotion. And for a while by my recollection, it was a lot of pop music lovers' obsession after its release in October 1984, especially its video which I saw on heavy rotation on the various music shows on television here in Canada. I always thought it looked like a combination of extras from "Ben Hur" and a party that Crockett and Tubbs from "Miami Vice" would love to infiltrate secretly.
In Canada, it hit No. 7 on the RPM charts while in the United States, "Obsession" scored a No. 6 ranking. That bass rhythm and the crash-and-bang synthesizers made it not only a hit on its own but became a pop culture go-to song for TV shows such as the WWF's "Saturday Night's Main Event" and our own national program "FT ~ Fashion Television".
So the word "obsession" became a part of my own pop culture lexicon through "Star Trek" and Animotion. But then, not too long after the song became a hit, a certain American fashion designer jumped into the mix with his take on the word.
Let's see what was at the top of the Oricon charts in October 1984.
Last night's broadcast of NHK's morning show "Asaichi"（あさイチ）was once again truncated because of the government deliberations program, so what's a family to do? Instead of trying to search for stuff on Jme, I opted this time to look for something on YouTube because I've found that a lot of long-playing kayo kyoku programs have turned up on the platform. And sure enough, I hit the jackpot since there was a program titled "Jinsei, Uta ga Aru"（人生、歌がある...There's Music in Life）.
A show that's been on TV Asahi's satellite channel since 2020, it's been hosted by a mixture of TV Asahi announcers and enka singers, and at the time of the above video, it was the debonair veteran Hiroshi Itsuki（五木ひろし）and the lovely Natsuko Godai（伍代夏子）on hosting duties. That video was the one that we caught and it happened to be a 2023 episode commemorating the supposed retirement of kayo kyoku singer and actor Yukio Hashi（橋幸夫）who was 80 at the time. I'm surprised that I never mentioned it in any of past articles in 2021 or 2022 but Hashi actually announced back in 2021 that he would be retiring from the spotlight on his 80th birthday on May 3rd 2023 after decades of entertaining the masses.
What looked like the Avengers of the current group of kayo kyoku-singing professionals all assembled to pay tribute to Hashi through covers of his old hits ranging from the haunting "Muhyou"（霧氷）to the jaunty "Koi no Mexican Rock"（恋のメキシカン・ロック）. And it was indeed quite the show for me because I realized that a majority of the songs by him were ones that I had first heard as a diaper-wearing toddler. I repeatedly internally remarked "I know that song!".
However, there were a few songs that had escaped my ears with one being "Wakai Yatsu"(Young Guy) which was Hashi's 23rd single from June 1962. A proud and brassy kayo march, the song was created by the famous songwriting team of lyricist Takao Saeki（佐伯孝夫）and composer Tadashi Yoshida（吉田正）. It was also used as the theme song for the TBS drama of the same title "Wakai Yatsu ~ Hashi Yukio Show"（若いやつ〜橋幸夫ショー〜）. As shown, Hashi was the main star of the series which featured him as the young son in a wealthy family heading to a Tokyo university to learn about life and academics in the big city.
Singer Yukino Ichikawa（市川由紀乃）provided her version of "Wakai Yatsu" for him on "Jinsei, Uta ga Aru". The tribute ended with both Itsuki and Hashi tearing up a bit at the significance of the event. However, the brine was rather wasted when several months later in 2024, Hashi showed up in Tokyo to announce that he just didn't have the heart to retire after all. And so, he's continued to sing and he has vowed that he'll do so until his final breath. I remember Harumi Miyako（都はるみ）doing much the same thing in the 1980s, so it's not unprecedented.
Gradually building up the Takako Shirai（白井貴子）file over the years, I've realized that she hasn't been all about the rock n' roll discography. Although she has come up with the rocking "Chance!" from 1984, I discovered several years ago that she has had her City Pop side, thanks to the David Foster-ish"Pillowcase ni Sayonara"（ピローケースにさようなら）from 1982.
And then there is her debut single from November 1981, "Uchiki na My Boy" (My Shy Boy). It's not rock or City Pop but something that resides somewhere in the middle...a mellow AOR number. Written by Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）, arranged by Kazuo Shiina（椎名和夫）and composed/written by Shirai herself, it's quite the breezy and summery song despite its autumn release. I get the impression from the lyrics that the young lass loves to tease and bother the bashful lad into a relationship. Hmmm...reminds me of a recent anime.
I guess we've been going on a meteorological theme over the past couple of days. I started off yesterday's duo of articles with Junko Yagami's（八神純子）"Ame no Kyuujitsu"（雨の休日）, and I'm beginning Hump Day's session with another rainy title.
But unlike the soft and melancholy "Ame no Kyuujitsu", "Ame no Highway"(Rainy Highway) by Shinji Harada & Crisis（原田真二&クライシス）is much more of an urgent pop/rock thumper, feeling a bit like an old Billy Joel song from a few years earlier, despite its May 1983 release as a single. Although Harada took care of music and arrangement, it was Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）behind the lyrics of a man desperately driving through a storm to reach his girlfriend to resolve an even stormier crisis in their relationship. The single reached No. 71 on Oricon. The song was also included in the band's July 1983 third album"Save Our Soul" which ranked in at No. 43.
If the name Shinji Harada rings any bells for you fans of 1970s New Music, indeed it is the same adorable teen that you see at the top of the article from the cover of his 1978 debut album, "Feel Happy"(just wanna pinch his cheeks). Back then, with hits like "Candy", Harada was the boy wonder of whimsical piano pop along the lines of Gilbert O'Sullivan and Al Stewart. However, going into the 1980s, the singer-songwriter opted to create a band, Crisis, to bring out a pop/rock (and maybe AOR) sound. Shinji Harada & Crisis lasted between 1980 and 1984.
There were two incarnations of the band depending on the record label. Its first couple of years were spent under Polydor with drummer/percussionist Takashi Furuta（古田 たかし）, bassist Masao Seki（関雅夫）and keyboardist/violinist Takashi Toyoda（豊田貴志）joining Harada as this group with a more progressive rock approach. The singer spent much of 1982 studying overseas in the United States after which Crisis was now under the For Life label with keyboardist/saxophonist Michihiko Ohta（太田美知彦）replacing Toyoda and then the late Nobuo Ariga（有賀啓雄）replacing Seki as the bassist later on. The For Life incarnation brought out a more theatrical flavour in live concerts with more elaborate sets, pantomime and even breakdancing.
One last piece of trivia is that a young Tetsuya Komuro（小室哲哉）was brought into one performance by the band in September 1980 at the time of their formation as an emergency keyboardist in the Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall. Komuro auditioned afterwards to become an official member of Crisis but didn't quite make the cut. But of course, there were no worries for him since he would become quite successful down the decade.
My growing knowledge of Kirinji（キリンジ）is still an ongoing project. Although it is currently just Takaki Horigome（堀込高樹）minding the store, I remember when it was a full-fledged band not too long ago with some spacy upbeat delights and then much further back at the entry point of the 21st century, when it was simply the duo consisting of Takaki and his brother Yasuyuki（堀込泰行）giving out some of the most wonderful soulful ballads such as "Aliens".
Of course, I'm a huge fan of Kirinji, no matter the era and style of their music, and so is fellow contributor HRLE92. We communicated recently and he's been rather busy with his own academic pursuits but he was able to let me know of one of his favourites by the Horigomes, and that is the first song on their 8th single"Drifter/Taiyo to Venus"（太陽とヴィーナス...The Sun and Venus）, released in July 2001, not too long after "Aliens".
Written, composed and arranged by the Horigomes along with Keiichi Tomita's（冨田恵一）help on arrangement, "Drifter" starts off with a piano rhythm that feels like it's introducing a couple of old buddies in a retirement home going over old times, and then it slips into that familiar smooth blanket-swaddling Kirinji and Tomita balladry from their early years. From the title, I had initially assumed that it was about a lonely soul going through life, never sticking around one place or one person for long before moving on, but then looking at the lyrics, I realized that it was about a couple trying their best to hold onto each other during tempting turbulent times.
Reaching No. 43 on Oricon, the single's two main songs also ended up on Kirinji's November 2001 album"Fine".
Now that we're into March here, there's still a lot of snow on the ground after that major storm a couple of weeks ago but perhaps a lot of it may be disappearing in the next 24 to 48 hours with the forecast of some major rain tomorrow. We'll be a little closer to spring with the rising temperatures but we may have to go through some flooding.
One of the first Junko Yagami（八神純子）songs that I ever heard was her "Omoide no Screen" (思い出のスクリーン）from February 1979, and among other Yagami tunes that I heard back in those blossoming days of my love for Japanese pop music, it set the template for my initial impression of the Nagoya-born singer-songwriter. Back then, it was about the boogie-down downtown disco and Latin; I had yet to hear her very early works as a teenager in the early to mid 1970s.
Well, I got to get acquainted with the B-side of that 6th single recently. "Ame no Kyuujitsu" (Rainy Day Off) is very much a different animal. Written/composed by Yagami with arrangement by Masaaki Omura（大村雅朗）, it's a very somber ballad about a woman on a rainy day seeing a café or a restaurant that used to be frequented by her and a no-longer-present beau, and the reminiscings begin and perhaps some of her own water works. There is that dreamy feeling to the song as if the lady were seeing memories through rose-coloured glasses and a gauzy filter.
It's been a while since I've posted on electro pop unit MOTOCOMPO. Back in 2022, I wrote an article on the title track from the 2004 mini-album"Dream Flows", which is something that I compared to Pet Shop Boys and Tommy february6.
Well, back in 1998, MOTOCOMPO was placed with other bands such as Spoozys and Polysics as this music scene known as Tokyo New Wave of New Wave. From that same year, MOTOCOMPO (Dr. Usui and chiho) had come up with a demo tape called "Comin' After MOTOCOMPO" and on the B-side was "Coming Age". It is certainly a nostalgic age that hits me as I listen to "Coming Age"; one filled with sounds and images of Plastics and maybe even some B-52s. If the duo had put out a music video for this one, I could have imagined them pulling off some angular robotic dance moves.
As I was mentioning in the last article, we were watching the sumo variety special on Jme last night and it wasn't just enka singer Konomi Mori（杜このみ）performing. I also got to meet a singer by the name of Miisha Shimizu（清水美依紗）for the first time. She hails from Suzuka City in Mie Prefecture.
Shimizu performed her 10th single from October 2024, "Tip Tap", which was written by SHOW and composed by Mitsu J. It's quite the jive jazz and I got reminded by some of the jump jive and swing that had gotten a second wind back in the 1990s by bands such as Squirrel Nut Zippers. There's also something in Shimizu's delivery and the arrangement that had me thinking of jazz mode Ringo Shiina（椎名林檎）. "Tip Tap" was used as the opening theme song for the Fuji-TV drama "Zen Ryouiki Ijou Kaiketsushitsu"（全領域異常解決室...All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Room） which I've read is a series about a special investigative unit which only takes on the toughest cases to crack. I gather that jazz is the genre du jour for this sort of program.
The singer is half-Japanese and half-Filipino which is also the case with her fellow guest, sumo rikishiTakayasu（高安）. As a teenager, she entered a Nagoya audition on the same day that singer Ariana Grande arrived in Japan and won a special award after which she was sometimes referred to as the "Ariana Grande of Mie Prefecture". After attending school in New York City on two different occasions for language and music training, Shimizu made her debut in 2021 with a cover of Brandy's "Starting Now".
I'm not sure how often it happens during the year, but my family managed to watch a variety special last night featuring some of the star sumo wrestlers and some singers together to perform songs and games. Current ozekiTakayasu（高安）was one of the performers and as you can hear him above, he's no slouch in the karaoke department either.
The folks here in my household watch examples from both the worlds of sumo and music a lot and we are looking forward to the spring tournament in Osaka starting next week. What I hadn't been aware of, though, was that Takayasu, someone that we are familiar with in the dohyo, has been married to enka singer Konomi Mori（杜このみ）since 2020. Mori is also a singer that we've become familiar with on the usual kayo kyoku shows such as "Uta Con"（うたコン）. I never made the connection, although of course, I know that sumo rikishi and entertainers have gotten married such as former 1970s aidoru Mizue Takada（高田みづえ）and the former Wakashimazu（若嶋津）.
Mori has been mentioned once on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" in Noelle Tham's article on Takashi Hosokawa's（細川たかし）"Bokyo Jonkara" (望郷じょんから) since Mori was a student of the veteran Hosokawa. But I wanted to feature her via her most recent single from July 2024, "Yuugiri Minato"(Port of Evening Mist), a song that she performed on that variety special. Written by Kyouno Madoka（円香乃）and composed by Chiaki Oka（岡千秋）, it is a typical enka of love gained and lost with a pier as the site of reflection with a lot of fog rolling in. It reached No. 48 on Oricon.
I couldn't quite believe that this scene had been cut out of the DC movie "Justice League". I mean, it has one of the coolest examples of how the Flash can save people, and the effects here are better than a lot of what I saw in in his own movie back in 2023.
Now, if there had been a Japanese version of "The Flash" done for laughs, I could have recommended this ditty from Nash Music Library,"Miracle Tenshi Magical Q" (Miracle Angel, Magical Q), as an appropriately speedy background tune with a circus-like atmosphere for Barry Allen. It could have accompanied a typical rush job at going shopping for example.
Still, "Miracle Tenshi Magical Q" was part of the August 2011 album by NML, "Moe Moe Cute Pop"（萌え萌え Cute Pop）, so I gather that the song was more in line with a maid café rather than a day in the life of DC's fastest superhero. I certainly couldn't have imagined that this BGM would have been included in the typical "Weathernews Live" broadcast. It would have been too distracting and exhausting for the weather folks there, although I believe that at least one brief excerpt from the song has been used.
That's a nice photo of a street leading up to the tall Landmark Tower in Yokohama during the spring. I think that there are places in both Canada and Japan (including Toronto) that are just aching for some of that warm weather and cherry blossoms right now after a very wintry season. Simply think good thoughts for a few more weeks.
Plus, you can give Tsukasa Ito's（伊藤つかさ）5th single from November 1982, "Yokohama Meruhen"(Yokohama Fairy Tale), a spin on the record player or CD device. For a single coming out rather late in the year, it's got quite the spring bounce and there's very much of an Agnes Chan-like high-toned vocal coming out of Ito's mouth. Ryo Kawakami's（川上了）arrangement gives quite the 80s aidoru impression with the sliding strings and the twinkly keyboards. Singer-songwriter Mayo Shouno（庄野真代）took care of the lyrics while Masami Koizumi（小泉まさみ）was the composer.
It was one of the rare days yesterday (even rarer that it was the first day of the month!) that I didn't post anything on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", and that's because I was out noshing all day on March 1st. I met up with my old friend of thirty years+ standing and enjoyed a sumptuous lunch at Grazie, my favourite Italian restaurant. My main dish was the Prato (most likely named after the area in Tuscany) which had grilled and shredded chicken on top of pasta in a tomato sauce.
Then, some hours later, I met up with KKP contributor Larry Chan for dinner at Kingyo where the staff showed off a new set called the Kingyo Gozen including a mini-udon with gobo tempura. Very hearty and tasty. Of course, the fates got their revenge on me for engorging myself so much by temporarily cancelling my bus home last night due to a police investigation at the originating subway station, so I ended up walking twenty minutes up and down the pavement home in sub-zero weather. But all of that shivering and walking helped in shedding several hundred calories.
Anyways, I gotta catch up on my quota since I missed out on March 1st, and considering my meals out yesterday, I'm going to start off with something nice and sunny and mild in the hopes that patio weather will soon return to the GTA. I have here Nostalgic New Town which I first introduced back on February 1st with their ski-friendly "Mafuyu no Winter Love"（真冬のWinterLove）from 2023, a song so much in love with the Queen of Winters, Kohmi Hirose（広瀬香美）, that I wouldn't be surprised if the songbird had sent her congratulations.
Well, Nostalgic New Town's debut in 2022 was the much more seasonally different "Seaside Breeze" which brings out images of summer walks, blue skies and bright sun. I think that's vocalist connie helping out here as well. Some very nice groove striding along the beach. So far, that's been it for the output by NNT thus far, unless someone's got some insight to new tunes by the group.
Lining up with masters like Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）, needless to say but the songwriting sense of Yasuhiro Abe（安部恭弘）is the biggest thing to listen for when it comes to the iconic "Long Version" which was contributed to Junichi Inagaki's（稲垣潤一）2nd album"Shylights". Additionally, Reiko Yukawa（湯川れい子）leaves quite an impression with phrases such as "I'd only wanted a single play, but before I knew it, I got the long version", and Akira Inoue（井上鑑）provides a splendid arrangement which really hits the mark.
The above comes from "Disc Collection Japanese City Pop Revised"(2020).
The lingering and perhaps slowly fading question among some of us kayo kyoku fans is "What if Momoe Yamaguchi（山口百恵） had continued her career into the 1980s?". Would she have taken a more rock n' roll route like Ann Lewis（アン・ルイス）or gotten on the trendy City Pop train? I don't think she would have wanted the aidoru tag placed beside her name anymore.
Well, maybe we can live a bit vicariously by listening to aidoru Miyuki Kosaka's（香坂みゆき）12th single from February 1982, "Kawaita Hana"(Dried Flower). Written and composed by the same husband-and-wife duo, composer Ryudo Uzaki and lyricist Yoko Aki（宇崎竜童・阿木燿子）, who were responsible for many of Yamaguchi's late 1970s hits in the latter half of her career, Kosaka doesn't have the same timbre of voice as Yamaguchi but there is a a certain similarity and familiarity with the breathy nonchalant delivery. She relates the story of a J-Don Juan who goes through his women like tissues on a hay fever day.
Under Masaaki Omura's（大村雅朗）arrangement, "Kawaita Hana" doesn't have that rock n' roll feeling...it's more like a smooth City Pop vibe with the synths taking things to nearly early 1980s Manhattan Transfer levels. Kosaka's biggest hit is arguably her later "Nuance Shimasho"（ニュアンスしましょ）and her voice there is much more different.
Nice to have songbird Meiko Nakahara（中原めいこ）back at KKP after some months away. This time around, we have her 11th single from February 1987 to grapple with, and it seems as if the two sides of it (both written and composed by the singer) would make for fine analysis by love detectives.
We are talking about the single "Unbalance Zone" and the A-side here is a bit of a return to her jazzier side a la her earlier hit "Kimi Tachi Kiwi Papaya Mango da ne"（君たちキウイ・パパヤ・マンゴだね。）, perhaps with a side of Matt Bianco in the technology department. A young lady is wondering if her relationship with her current beau is more of an illusionary respite from real life than an actual dive into something permanent which is leading to that titular schism in her psyche. Discuss! Anyways, "Unbalance Zone" was also used as the theme song for the NTV drama "Ore no Musuko wa Genkijirushi"（オレの息子は元気印...My Son is the Sign of Health!）.
The B-side, "Puzzle", is more down-to-earth City Pop balladry lined with some pleasant synthesizer thrumming, a soulful rhythm, and cool piano. This time, the issue is commitment with a woman who is at her wit's end after making a confession to the guy after which he does the disappearing act. She is pulling her hair out in frustration at this puzzle of a boyfriend. The single managed to reach No. 29 on Oricon. By the way, both songs are also available on Nakahara's 7th album"Puzzle" which was released a month after the single.
Looking at the cover of The Square's"Kyakusenbi no Yuuwaku" (Temptation of Shapely Legs) just a half-second gaze, I promise you...I was reminded of some trivia regarding the late actress Mary Tyler Moore, a regular pop culture figure in my old television history. Considering all of the fame that she was able to amass throughout her long career, it is ironic that her first TV role was portraying telephone switchboard operator Sam in the 1957 first season of crime series "Richard Diamond: Private Detective" (later to be titled "Calling Mr. D" in syndication). Her face was only shown in silhouette with her legs and occasionally her hands popping up in full view (although the above video didn't really show all that much of her lower limbs).
But getting back from 1957 to 1982 when "Kyakusenbi no Yuuwaku" was released, the title track is definitely one happily trotting instrumental with Takeshi Ito（伊東たけし）on sax and new keyboardist Hirotaka Izumi（和泉宏隆）having the time of their lives during their solos. Of course, everyone else is also in on the jam during this 4 and 1/2 minute summery tune that can have listeners dream their way out of a long cold winter. You might say that "Kyakusenbi no Yuuwaku" has legs (I'll just see myself out the door, thank you).
West Shinjuku is the area of skyscrapers and hotels (including what is basically Tokyo's City Hall), the taller and more concrete sibling to the grungier and more active East Shinjuku with JR Shinjuku Station acting as the intervening hub, an inspiration for City Pop artists, and it's the source of a JAL poster that had me falling in love with modern Japan. If Joe Friday ever gave one of his "This is the city..." intro speeches for a Japanese version of "Dragnet", he would start here.
The area is also one of my favourites in the megalopolis. I've taught in West Shinjuku, stayed at the Keio Plaza there, shopped and eaten in the area. One of the hotels had a weekly dessert buffet that didn't help my insulin levels, I've been up to the observation levels in one of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government buildings and I've rested in an open-air atrium. The only thing I would gripe about is that in the summers, the amount of concrete reflecting the heat and the light on you would be enough to melt the skin off of me.
It seems as if a 2024 single by First Love is Never Returned, "Black or White?", is all about West Shinjuku based on the lyrics and the music video. I first mentioned the Hokkaido-based FLiNR last month with their "Okachimachi Friday Night", and it looks like they shifted their attention to the relatively newer neighbourhood. Their message of exhorting the masses to hit the dance floor lest the working blues get to them is a nice one and I can imagine that the thousands who inhabit the tall buildings west of Shinjuku Station would be more than happy to oblige.
I think it's safe to say that people of a certain age and over, even those who aren't into jazz, have heard of "Moonlight Serenade" by Glenn Miller. Even if they don't know the title or the man behind it, they can recognize it. And even before I got into jazz wholeheartedly during my years in Japan, I remember hearing this all the time on radio and seeing performances of it on television.
Coincidentally enough, I'm writing this ROY article just a couple of days shy of what would have been Miller's 121st birthday. Much has been made about his death, declared in absentia, after his plane had disappeared over the English Channel in December 1944 during World War II. But let's focus on "Moonlight Serenade" which made its premiere in 1939 with the clarinets in front and the horns backing them up. Considering that Miller purportedly wasn't the warmest person on the planet, one of his masterpieces apparently had listeners getting all lumpy in the throat.
As someone who attended his fair share of school dance parties, there was always a song at the end of those soirees which made for a far better way of saying that it was time to go home than having the janitor crankily switch the lights on and off repeatedly. It would always be a ballad of sorts to get lovers up for that final cheek-to-cheek and then everyone would slowly sashay off the floor and out of the building. I think "Moonlight Serenade" may have been the jazz equivalent of the last song of the party. Mind you, I never heard Miller's magnum opus ever played at the end of my own dance parties, but I could imagine it gently delivering folks up into the night sky under the moon before quietly depositing them out the door.
The Boston Pops is a pop orchestra that has been with me ever since I was a baby. Their contributions are included in that 5-LP set of "50 Years Of Hits In Stereo" by RCA that we got with our huge stereo. Led by Arthur Fiedler in my early years, the Pops always struck me as the coolest orchestra because they could handle not only classical music but also provide their own distinct classy touch to modern hits. Perhaps they are the one unit that managed to merge the jazz that had once been disdained as the devil's music and the more acceptable "beautiful music" of a century ago.
And then, in what would become one example of music's equivalent of bringing Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers together, maestro John Williams, the king of the blockbuster soundtrack, became the new conductor for the Boston Pops from 1980 to 1993. PBS used to have the summer weekly shows featuring the Pops which I remember watching quite a bit.
I recently discovered that Williams and the Pops had released an album covering some of the jazz classics titled "Unforgettable" back in 1993, and their take on "Moonlight Serenade" was indeed splendiferous. It still hews to the Miller original but the Pops' touches are there such as those shimmering strings. In a way, their take would be the ideal version to finish off a TV series or movie franchise with the main character walking off into the distance after having confessed to his love for "Moonlight Serenade" years or entries earlier. Not a bad way to go.
Well, when it comes to 1939 and 1993, I was obviously alive in only one of those two years, so let's go with what was winningthe Japan Record Awards in the latter year.
It's been a few years since I've posted singer-songwriter Tomoko Aran's（亜蘭知子）name on the byline although she has continued to maintain her presence on the blog through her songwriting. The last time I wrote about her verbatim was through "Noah no Hakobune"（ノアの箱舟）, a New Wave-y track on her 1981 debut album"Shinkei Suijaku"（神経衰弱...Nervous Breakdown）. Every time I look at the album cover though, I wonder whether the photographer was asking Aran to make like Ultraman.
Of course, the singer has been known for her City Pop as well as the New Wave stuff. But the very first track of "Shinkei Suijaku" is actually another genre tangent for all of us. Aran begins with the most cordial soft-shoe jazz ditty "Secret Desire". Written by her and composed by saxophonist Yasuaki Shimizu（清水靖晃）, there may be a bit of New Wave in there after all, after listening to some of those saxes sounding as if they went through some electronic filter. With this song and "Noah no Hakobune", I have to admit that I'm curious about how the rest of "Shinkei Suijaku" sounds. I just hope that the potential multi-genre album approach didn't strike the lass down with the album title.
Compared to Yellow Magic Orchestra and PSY-S, I don't know nearly as much about the technopop group P-Model and up to now, though I've known Susumu Hirasawa（平沢進）and band for their 1980s material, they have gone above and beyond. The latest single from their discography that I've covered is the quirky and infectious "2D or not 2D" from 1992.
Well, recently I've found a P-Model song titled "Ronri Kuugun"(Logic Airforce) which begins their 12th studio album, "Ongaku Sangyō Haikibutsu〜P-MODEL OR DIE"（音楽産業廃棄物...Music Industrial Wastes: P-Model or Die）, released in September 1999. Hirasawa was behind the words and music for this ominously-sounding technopop tribute anthem to a World War II movie soundtrack, complete with a cool CG video. According to Hirasawa himself, the planes that are "piloted" by the band members are German Stukas, and supposedly they are on their way to bomb a record company (not sure if P-Model was having some issues with their management at the time).
As the planes go off to war, from what has been shown in English on "Lyrics Translate", "Ronri Kuugun" is as much about what's going on in the mind as it is in battle. What I especially like is Hirasawa's delivery of those lyrics as if he's saluting the boys going off in their fighters and bombers. I can imagine the rain and wind being flung into the singer's face as he's singing. As a PS, the song was notable enough to get its own meme status.
Well, no, it's not exactly a candy bar, but this photo of a slice of cherry cheesecake is the only thing that I could come up with as a thumbnail at short notice.
And the reason for me to track down something sweet as a photo is this May 1985 5th single by singer-songwriter Mami Ayukawa（鮎川麻弥）, "Candy Game" which has the subtitle of "Candy Bar" (certainly know what the latter is but not sure on the former). Ayukawa's previous entries here on KKP have been of the City Pop variety but "Candy Game" is nowhere close to the 80s urban contemporary genre of Japan. I'd probably say it's closer to a New Wave take on upbeat 1950s or 1960s pop. I definitely get hints of "The Loco-Motion" by Little Eva. Words and music were provided by BIDDU.
It's Wednesday...therefore, it's Hump Day and therefore, some or a lot of us might be feeling that last weekend was so long ago and this upcoming weekend is still too far away. Yep, I'm having some of those mid-week blues, so let's see if we can try something nice to begin today's edition of "Kayo Kyoku Plus".
Happily enough, I found this gorgeously-designed video for the song "Sunday, Monday" by artist magicHour. I've always been drawn to any images of futuristic cities. And there's quite a vibe from this January 2025 7th single"Sunday, Monday" (he debuted a year ago) with its feeling of technopop and funky soul. According to magicHour's site, the song is a heartwarming anthem that celebrates the power of love to make the everyday special. I'll just be grateful for this song to enliven my Wednesday after a heavy lunch of chicken salad sandwich and milk.
As for magicHour, his identity hasn't been revealed but he's apparently a young man in his early 20s which should narrow him down to a few million ("The Japan News" reports that as of January 1st 2023, there were only 1.17 million 20-year-old men in Japan). He's a multi-genre singer-songwriter and producer who grew up listening to 80s disco, funk and rock. Plus, he respects artists such as Michael Jackson, Queen, Louis Armstrong, lrving Berlin, and Quincy Jones. Dang, he's right up my alley!
Yes, I agree that we are still several months away from those festive events of a Japanese summer. But it's gosh darn balmy here in Toronto at a mind-blowing 6 degrees Celsius, so you can forgive me at the torrid heights this day in late February.
Another nice thing is that NHK's "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新・BS日本のうた）is back on the Jme schedule after a few weeks away. At one point, I'd feared that it wasn't coming back to our streaming service due to lack of popularity, but happily it was back on Sunday evening.
Anyways, the first song up on the episode was "Tebyoushi Ondo"(The Clapping Song) which took me a while to track down the source year, but apparently it was 1964. The singer was no problem, though, since it was the beatific Haruo Minami（三波春夫）. Written by Hachiro Kadoi（門井八郎）and composed by Kazuo Harukawa（春川一夫）, it is as it is defined: an enjoyable festival song to be danced and clapped. For you folks in snowy climes ranging from Niigata Prefecture to Toronto, Ontario, just close your eyes and pretend that you are rhythmically marching in a circle and clapping your hands in the heat and humidity of a typical August natsu.
Last Friday night, as we usually do, we watched the latest episode of NHK information variety show "Chiko-chan", and found out that a franchise's original manga, the anime, the live-action movie and its theme song managed to revive a traditional form of clothing for graduating women.
Now, for some years, I'd known that the hakama was a popular but not mandatory special clothing that's worn by women during graduation ceremonies in Japan. But according to the "Chiko-chan" segment, it had been once worn as a regular school uniform a century ago during both the Meiji and Taisho eras but once World War II passed, the hakama disappeared from view for several decades.
But then, a manga titled "Haikara-san ga Tooru" (Haikara-San: Here Comes Miss Modern) by Waki Yamato（大和和紀）made its debut in 1975 followed by an anime in 1978. It detailed the romantic (and otherwise) adventures of high-flying, hakama-wearing Benio during the Taisho era.
In 1987, the live-action version starring aidoru Yoko Minamino（南野陽子）premiered at the end of the year, and during the "Chiko-san" segment, it was related that the rerun of the anime and then the popularity of the movie brought back the hakama to graduation ceremonies everywhere. It may have also changed Nanno's image as she had been one of the "Sukeban Deka" girls with her contemporary sailor suit high school uniform and deadly yo-yo.
Of course, the live-action movie had the aidoru also sing the theme song which had the same title of "Haikara-san ga Tooru". Sounding very late Showa era contemporary, its synth perkiness probably reflected Benio's personality herself. Written by Megumi Ogura（小倉めぐみ）, composed by Wataru Kuniyasu（国安わたる）and arranged by Mitsuo Hagita（萩田光雄）, Nanno's 10th single was released in December 1987 and was another No. 1 hit for her, finishing 1988 as the 19th-ranked single and selling 270,000 records. Along with its single status, "Haikara-san ga Tooru" was also included in the soundtrack for the movie. Not surprisingly, she appeared in that hakama on any music show performances which probably further boosted its comeback.
KKP contributor Joana Bernardo was the first to bring aidoru group ClariS to the blog with their cover of Wink's "Sabishii Nettaigyo"（淋しい熱帯魚）, and on that same special 2023 EP of the same name, the unit recorded their version of Nanno's hit. Cute video tribute to all of those music shows of the 1980s, too.
