Recently, on one of the episodes of the NHK information variety programs "Chiko-chan", I found out that the whole thing about the penlight phenomenon at concerts in Japan could all be credited to the one-and-only Hideki Saijo（西城秀樹）. Apparently when he was doing his first concerts back in the early 1970s, he had expressed some disappointment that he couldn't see his fans' faces while performing on stage. So through the media of the time, he asked fans for his next concert if they could bring something like a flashlight to light up so that he could see the lights beaming so that he could also see his fans beaming. Of course, since then the rest is history as the penlight not only evolved but a certain choreography around it evolved as well.
We've also got some Hideki and some light here as well in the form of his 50th single, "Ichi-man Kounen no Ai" (10,000 Light Years of Love) which was released in February 1985. I guess to commemorate this auspicious single and the subject matter, a heavenly pipe organ was brought in along with some major rhythm machine drumming. Saijo sings about courting this beautiful cosmos-weary lady soaring through space and time. Akira Ohtsu（大津あきら）was the lyricist here while Daisuke Inoue（井上大輔）was responsible for both music and arrangement. It peaked at No. 12 on Oricon, selling around 100,000 records, and first appeared on the album "'85 HIDEKI Special in Budokan - for 50 songs -", a live album from March 1985.
I know that they are completely different songs but there's something about "Ichi-man Kounen no Ai" that reminds me of Europe's "The Final Countdown" although that song wouldn't arrive until May 1986 in the United States. As for that cosmos-weary lady, I can only think of one example.
I really get a kick out of those music videos from the 1980s. They were very imaginative, and you can see how people were trying to play with the new tech and think out of the box a bit. I do like the storytelling feel of the 1980s music, both in the lyrics and the instrumental part.
ReplyDeleteHello, Brian. It was a great time for music video in the 1980s since it was virgin territory for producers and directors. They had this blank canvas where they could paint anything and everything.
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