Takashi Hosokawa -- Nakiguse（泣きぐせ）

 

First off, many congratulations to enka singer Takashi Hosokawa（細川たかし）on his 50th anniversary in show business. I've often seen the man in formal Japanese dress on stage with a battery of traditional musicians supporting him in the back, although not to the degree that the fellow above has.

It was indeed fifty years ago that Hosokawa debuted with his classic April 1975 "Kokoro Nokori"（心のこり） that also works as a pretty bouncy kayo kyoku. Over the past half-century, he's become famous for a number of hits including this one which became a No. 1 hit and his ticket to the Kohaku Utagassen that year.

But let us not ignore the B-side. In this case, it's "Nakiguse" which translates into "Crying Out" on Jisho.org but I can also see it as being "Forever Crying" as if it's become a sad habit. Written by Takashi Taka（たかたかし）and composed by Koichi Morita（森田公一）, the intro might have a bluesy sax as would be the case for any Mood Kayo, but the feeling here is heart-on-a-sleeve enka. I couldn't find the lyrics online but it sounds as if a guy is trying to render support to a weeping young lady one cold rainy night (of course, it would be a cold rainy night for this sort of thing to happen). Kouji Ryusaki（竜崎孝路）as the arranger provides a quaint sentimental atmosphere of solace as a shield against all that precipitation, meteorological and emotional.