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| Kanto Regional Development Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism via Wikimedia Commons |
I'm not totally up on what former Chiba Prefecture governor Kensaku Morita（森田健作）has been up to in the years since his retirement in 2021. I know that he has appeared on "Uta Con"（うたコン）once in the past year or so but that's about it. However at the age of 76, I think he deserves some of that rest and relaxation after a career of politics and then before that, a career in entertainment as an actor and singer.
Let's go back to his early days as the amiable guy-next-door type in the geinokai, shall we? He released his 16th single in January 1974, "Namida no Ato kara Hohoemi ga" (The Smiles Come After the Tears), which was written by Mitsuhiko Kuze（久世光彦）under his pseudonym of Natsu Kotani（小谷夏）and composed by Kunihiko Suzuki（鈴木邦彦）. In the song, Morita sings sagely about life being like that plastic horse on a merry-go-round; it has its ups and downs but as long as there are ups, it shouldn't be too difficult. Not only do I like the governor's reassuring voice but also Suzuki's arrangement which includes a bit of funk and rock and a nice & groovy electric piano.
There's unfortunately no sound to this minute-long video which shows stills from the cinematic adaptation of "Namida no Ato kara Hohoemi ga" which got released only a couple of months following the single's first appearance in the record shops. Not surprisingly, Morita was the star. Hopefully, he used the song's message in his future endeavors in entertainment and politics.
The first video is unavailable to me, the second one plays but without sound, and then when I go searching for other YouTube videos of "Namida no Ato kara Hohoemi ga" I run into the same issues. Looks like the powers that be are at it again. HOWEVER, no problem as I have a subscription to Apple Music and I can listen to 涙のあとから微笑みが, there. It sounds like a happy song and maybe even a triumphant song with those horns.
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