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| From Teepublic |
It does make me wonder whether Yellow Magic Orchestra drummer, singer and songwriter Yukihiro Takahashi（高橋幸宏）had been a "MAD" fan himself since his 4th album from June 1982 was titled "What, Me Worry?". However, his visage on the cover looks far more serious and less fancy (or thought) free.
The last time I had Takahashi up on the byline by himself was back in 2023 when I posted his giddy "Kanashiki Blue Colour Worker"（悲しきブルーカラーワーカー）. That was just after hearing of his untimely death on January 11th that year. This time around, I have his track "Disposable Love" from "What, Me Worry?" which is more contemplative yet whimsical at the same time. Written and composed by Takahashi with Peter Barakan also helping out on the lyrics, it seems the man in this story is wrestling in his mind whether the ardor he's had for someone was real or imagined. Sounds like the premise for a sci-fi flick.
On vocals, Takahashi is helped out by singer and producer Tony Mansfield. On the Wikipedia article for the album, he's been listed for his backup vocals, but I think his contribution was more than that, so I'm treating "Disposable Love" as a duet. As for the album itself, it reached No. 35 on Oricon.
Hey there, I've really enjoyed going through your blog! I've been on a journey for I think years now to find a song I used to love, but I can not remember the name or the artist, and my Japanese is not very good so I can't remember the lyrics. I remember very vividly how it sounds leading up to and including the chorus. It feels Showa era to me, or at least emulating Showa era, even enka or enka-inspired, so I thought I'd reach out to you, because in recent months its been really driving me crazy! The singer was female, and she had a somewhat deeper voice, similar to Okayu or Kahoru Kohiruimaki, that was capable of getting high and gentle. I wouldn't get stuck on the vocal comparisons though because my memory may be unreliable and I just found when listening to them it felt familiar. I remember the verse leading up to the chorus goes slower and then the chorus picks up the beat.
ReplyDeleteSo...this is embarrassing to ask. But if I were to hum what I remember and send a link to that somehow, would you be willing to see if you recognize it? You may absolutely decline, this is a long shot and I'm just a stranger, but I figure it doesn't hurt to ask. Hope you have a great holiday season!