Cherish -- Bijutsukan（美術館）

 

First off, my compliments to YouTuber Glasbo for his video of the Art Gallery of Ontario. I have to admit that I haven't visited one of Toronto's big highlights in nearly fifty years. My Grade 6 class visited the AGO in 1976 on a field trip, and I remember that the tour included a class activity which involved us splitting into pairs with one partner going into a huge black fabric sack and molding each other into some sort of Henry Moore-esque sculpture. I don't think that would wash nowadays.

Anyways, that preamble ramble was for the song of this article, "Bijutsukan" (Art Gallery) by the folk duo Cherish（チェリッシュ）. A track from their 1973 album "Cherish no Chiisana Koi no Monogatari"（チェリッシュの小さな恋の物語...Cherish's Little Love Story）, it's a wistful song beautifully sung by the pair as they describe a woman making her way to the titular art gallery to assuage some of those melancholy feelings after a romantic breakup. Well, at least it's cheaper than running away on a train to the Tsugaru Strait. 

Written by Daizo Saito（さいとう大三）and composed by Shunichi Makaino（馬飼野俊一）, it's a lovely song for the broken hearts with the boss drumming of 70s kayo, shimmering strings and an electric guitar. I also love the cover for the Cherish album with Yoshitaka and Etsuko Matsuzaki（松崎好孝・松崎悦子） sitting in what looks like one corner of an old art gallery. Nice 70s threads, too.