I gotta say...what a trooper Masaaki Hirao（平尾昌晃）was on stage. Possibly got mortally injured by a disturbed kid and he just doffed it off as a flesh wound.
What he was singing on that dramatic stage though was "Koi no Katamichi Kippu" whose original form was "One-Way Ticket", a 1959 Neil Sedaka hit that had been created by songwriters Jack Keller and Hank Hunter.
Hirao's cover was recorded in 1960 under the band name of Masaaki Hirao & The All-Stars Wagon（平尾昌章とオールスターズ・ワゴン）with the Japanese lyrics provided by Takashi Otowa（音羽たかし）, which was the pen name for anyone writing lyrics at King Records. It's good to bring Hirao back onto the byline at his rockabilly best because it's been a few years since he's been up here as a singer. In fact, the last time was back in 2022 for his duet with Yoko Hatanaka（畑中葉子）for "Ehge Kai no Tabi"（エーゲ海の旅）from 1978.
I am really curious if this song was ever popular with children, as it seem most boys at some age love trains. As a teacher I have often seen kids wearing T-shirts and even shoes with their favorite trains or shinkansen.
ReplyDeleteMy impression of "One-Way Ticket" is that it was more for the teenage and young adult set. Basically the bobbysoxer girls. If the little kids are wearing T-shirts and other clothes with their favourite trains and Shinkansen, I bet they are watching "Shinkalion".:)
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