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The above is a photo by the City of Toronto (via Wikimedia Commons) of New Chinatown (although after many decades of existence, it really isn't anymore) in the downtown area on Dundas St. going west of University Ave. up to Spadina Ave. It was here that one friend of the Japanese-Canadian Students' Association (as it was called back then) at the University of Toronto introduced me to Wah Yueh and one other store which had all sorts of Japanese music LPs including those of Seiko Matsuda（松田聖子）and Hiromi Iwasaki（岩崎宏美）.
And it was also here that many other friends introduced me to a lot of new and original Chinese dishes including those within dim sum when I was an undergraduate compared to the Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls and Deep-Fried Shrimp (90% batter, 10% shrimp) that I had been used to eating as a kid when my family went to Old Chinatown which is on the east side of University Avenue. Not that I have any animus toward the old stuff...still like those, too. Old Chinatown is not really Chinatown anymore...it's even changing into a bit of a Little Tokyo. For that matter, New Chinatown has been becoming more Vietnamese in the last little while. But there are still a number of Chinatowns up in the suburbs in Toronto and even one small area a little east of downtown.
However, compared to my gastronomic and pop cultural reminiscings of downtown Toronto Chinatown, chanteuse Kei Ishiguro（石黒ケイ）apparently has something more romantic in her fond memories. I seem to have been focusing on her 1982 album "Yokohama Ragtime" as of late, so it's nice to jump to her next album "Purple Road" from 1983 and its final track "Remember China Town".
Written and composed by Ishiguro with Rei Yoshimoto（ヨシモトレイ）helping out on lyrics, it's quite the sippin' whiskey-friendly bluesy ballad going down Memory Lane which coincidentally connects with her beloved Chinatown. Remembering that fellow beau hasn't sounded this nice in a long time, especially with that resonant piano, that organ and the chorus backing the singer. And don't forget the saxophone!
Hey, you know me I wouldn't forget the saxophone! However, horns are not utilized as much in modern pop songs as they were in the 80's.
ReplyDeleteAnd, here below is a translation of "I Remember Chinatown"
When I turn around,
the nostalgic smell of the city drifts on the wind.
If I stop and close your eyes,
I can hear the city's buzz.
Tired from a journey that was far too long,
my frozen heart remains unhealed.
When you get there,
I can see the city lights—
sentimentality begins to seep through.
I remember Chinatown
and my dear love...
Aimlessly lost in the crowd,
walking through this nostalgic town.
My heart aches
when I glimpse a someone from behind
with a silouette like his.
Before I knew it,
I was standing in front of that store.
Opening the door with a wave of nostalgia,
I hear the melody of days gone by.
Sentimental at heart.
When I turn around,
the city lights appear faintly—
then vanish.
The memories were too painful,
so I set out on a journey, intending never to return.
But still...
I remember Chinatown
and my dear love...
I remember Chinatown,
I remember Chinatown,
and my dear love...
Thanks very much, Brian, for the translation of the lyrics. Too bad about the horns not being used as much anymore.
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