A few days ago, I mentioned the passing of veteran actress and singer Ayumi Ishida（いしだあゆみ）. She was definitely one representative of the kayo kyoku era, but I was later surprised by the fact that even she had her dalliance with the emerging wave of City Pop in the late 1970s. Through leafing through my first issue of Yutaka Kimura's "Japanese City Pop", I discovered that she was involved in a collaborative project with the band Tin Pan Alley which resulted in the April 1977 album "Our Connection"（アワー・コネクション）.
It was back in 2018 on KKP when I wrote on the first track of that album which was also her first single under the name Ayumi Ishida & Tin Pan Alley Family, "Watashi Jishin"（私自身）. For some reason, "Watashi Jishin" doesn't show up anywhere on Ishida's discography in her J-Wiki profile but from the thumbnail above, the B-side is also the second track on "Our Connection", "Hitori Tabi" (Traveling Solo).
As with "Watashi Jishin", "Hitori Tabi" was made by lyricist Jun Hashimoto（橋本淳）and composer Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣）, and just from the title itself, I could make out that this was a post-breakup tune as the protagonist heads out alone to the more rural areas by train in late winter or early spring to forget about a now-dead romance. The uncanny thing about "Hitori Tabi" is how the intro at least sounds a lot like the one for Steely Dan's "Black Cow" although their legendary album "Aja" didn't actually get released until September 1977. Things that make me go Hmmmm. But in any case, despite Hashimoto's lyrics, Ishida's delivery sounds footloose and fancy-free, and Hosono's melody is filled with slow funky licks and still-romantic strings shimmering in the wind. It would seem that the lady on the train isn't lamenting a broken silk rope but is celebrating fallen shackles.
I think I like "Watashi Jishin" even more than 'blue light Yokohama"! This song is cool and sexy sounding! I wonder if Ayumi Ishida has any more of these hidden gems?
ReplyDeleteBeyond the album, she did record some more urban contemporary stuff going into the 1980s if you take a look deeper into the KKP file, although it's possible that some of those videos may have been deleted due to the usual copyright strikes.
DeleteI am Mexican. I have always been fascinated by Japanese music and culture, perhaps because I was exposed to Japanese culture from a young age, as my mother worked with Japanese people and told me a lot about their social codes, good things, like respect and punctuality, as well as how some people maintain a cheerful attitude in their daily lives. Somehow, all of this left a mark on me, and when I was older, I began to discover a lot of incredible music thanks to forums and YouTube. Today, I am a big fan of Haruomi Hosono. I traveled to Los Angeles some time ago to see his live show. I mention this because I found Hosono's music truly incredible. That's how I discovered Tin Pan Alley and many of his other projects. This year I traveled to Japan and had the opportunity to discover a lot of new music. However, even though City Pop has had a revival, there are still many gems that have not been discovered or explored. I consider this album by Ayumi Ishida to be one such case. Not only is Tin Pan Alley's composition evident, but there is also something extremely welcoming about it. I became obsessed with the song Hitori Tabi, which is why I came across this vlog. When I listened to the song, it conveyed a very strange and deep nostalgia, to the point that it made me feel a little sad, which is why I looked up the lyrics so I could translate them. I was surprised to realize that the lyrics are indeed sad and convey that feeling of loneliness very well.
ReplyDeleteIt's strange how music brings people together and touches their hearts. Even though I don't speak Japanese, this music makes me feel alive and accompanied. I know it may sound strange, but this isn't the first time Hosono San's music has made me want to cry, in a good way.
Today, Hitori Tabi reminds me of my mom. It makes me think of her and how strong she has been her whole life. Thank you for sharing and writing about this song. I find it incredible that there is someone somewhere in this world who is also enjoying these songs.
Hello えにゃ and welcome to KKP! Thanks very much for your heartfelt story. That's the type of story I always like to read and hear about when it comes to Japanese music. Hosono is basically a living legend now due to having a lot of fingers in a number of kayo kyoku pies such as rock, folk, New Music and technopop...and even Pizzicato Five. You were very lucky to have seen him in concert. My regret is that I never got to see him and his fellow band members in Yellow Magic Orchestra in concert.
DeleteIf It weren't for the "Japanese City Pop" guide and the work on the blog over the years, I would never have known let alone appreciated "Our Connection". To think that Ishida and Tin Pan Alley actually worked together on a project like this back in 1977!
Keep on reading!