I only noticed this some minutes ago, but this article will become the 2700th such article under the City Pop banner since beginning "Kayo Kyoku Plus" in 2012.
Thank you, thank you!
And who better to share this honour than with one of the greatest representatives of City Pop, singer-songwriter Junko Yagami（八神純子）? She was looking rather glammed up and Blondie-ish in that bold striped dress against the red-and-black background. I'd probably say that it is one of the more famous images of the Aichi Prefecture-born singer as a cover for her 16th single "Koi no Smash Hit" (I WANNA MAKE A HIT WIT-CHOO) from July 1983.
To be honest, "Koi no Smash Hit" wasn't a smash hit, only getting as high as No. 61 on Oricon, but for the fans, it's another jewel in the crown and kinda shows Yagami's transition from her City Pop phase into a more West Coast R&B sound going into the middle of the 1980s. She wasn't even behind words and music this time around...they were provided by lyricist Frank Musker and composer Louis St. Louis. I think the song is also notable for the cameo appearance of what sounds like the turbolift doors on the USS Enterprise and the somewhat tongue-in-cheek lyrics with Junko having a grand ol' time singing about simultaneously getting her guy and getting that Grammy with this creation. Her 6th album from the same month is also titled "I WANNA MAKE A HIT WIT-CHOO" and it did better in comparison than the single by peaking at No. 16.
I do not know the right word to classify Junko Yagami's voice, but is much more mature than the typical aidoru voices than might be going for the girl next door or the Femme fragile. Maybe, Junko Yagami's "kai no Smash Hit" was released before it's time but then again it kind of reminds me of The Pointer Sisters' "Jump (for my love) which came out a year later.
ReplyDeleteThe interesting thing here is that for this song, she didn't show off any of her amazing range that she had for a lot of her earlier kayo hits. She was one of the first singers that I ever heard when I got interested in Japanese popular music and her soaring vocals on "Mizuiro no Ame" still live rent-free inside my head after 44 years.
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