 |
| World Atlas via Wikimedia Commons |
Of course, being a national holiday and all, Reminiscings of Youth will be having a special article today (along with the regular weekly one tomorrow) to commemorate Canada Day. Glad to read that Ottawa-born singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn (pronounced KOH-bərn...like James Coburn) is with us at the age of 81. Forty-two years ago in 1984, he released his "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" which became a Top 40 hit here and a long resident on the music video charts on television. There were some contrasts here: 1) the contrast of young teens finding fresh new love during a time when the spectre of the Cold War was still looming large and 2) Cockburn's button-down and soothing pop-rock arrangement meshed with a performance video of what I could describe as something quite avant-garde Cirque du Soleil.
In Canada, "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" reached No. 24 on the RPM charts while on US Billboard, it peaked at No. 56.
Barenaked Ladies was a band born in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough. It's nicknamed Scarberia because of how desolate parts of it can look like during the winter (just look at the music video) but it also has a ton of restaurants of all nationalities that can keep people very happy and fed. Anyways, Barenaked Ladies was the same band behind the theme song for the long-running American sitcom "The Big Bang Theory", and they've been a bunch of good local boys who love to rock with a sense of humour. I first found out about them through a friend's car tape-cassette recorder when he was playing a compilation of their stuff which included their cover of "Lovers in a Dangerous Time".
It's a friendly, folksy and peppy take on Cockburn's original and watching Ed Robertson and the gang perform from the back of a pickup truck while it drives on the streets of Scarborough in the dead of winter is probably one of the most Canadian things I've ever posted on the blog. Their cover first appeared on the 1991 Cockburn tribute album "Kick at the Darkness" and it was released as the band's debut single in 1992.
The original song peaked on August 18th 1984, so why don't we see what was hitting the top of the Oricon charts a couple of days later? Let's go with a scattering of songs here with Nos. 5, 7 and 10.
5. Mariko Takahashi -- Momo Iro Toiki （桃色吐息）
7. Southern All Stars -- Miss Brand-New Day
10. Mari Iijima -- Ai Oboeteimasuka? （愛・おぼえていますか）
Mari Iijima's 「愛・おぼえていますか」is or at least was a very iconic song. Back in the early 80's I thought Mari Iijima was so cute. I think she was my introduction to the world of aidoru .
ReplyDeleteShe and Lynn Minmay have been seen as one and the same: the absolute aidoru! It's kinda like saying Robert Downey Jr. IS Tony Stark.
DeleteIn 1984, Mari Iijima performed “愛・おぼえていますか」on both "the best ten" and "the top ten". She showed up on "the top ten" to sing the aforementioned song first in (第172回 1984年7月23日) BUT also performed on the top ten later that year (第179回 1984年09月17日) and it was on a VHS home recording of that episode I first learned of Mari Iijima.
ReplyDelete"Macross" the movie was a big hit in 1984 so it was too bad that Iijima never got her chance to appear on the Kohaku to perform "Ai Oboeteimasuka". Maybe the anime was thought to be a little too otaku for NHK to invite her.
DeleteIt is too bad, but maybe in the future she may get her chance. Anyway, I don't feel too bad for her because back in the early 80's she was on a lot of other show singing a few other songs, too.
Delete