Once again, I'm doing the piecemeal route of exploring one album. For this one, it happens to be Akiko Yano's（矢野顕子）November 1987 album "Granola", and so far, I've covered a couple of its tracks: "Hana no You ni"（花のように）and "Jitensha de Oide" （自転車でおいで）, a duet with singer-songwriter Motoharu Sano（佐野元春）.
This time around, I'm posting about the first track on "Granola", "Watashi-tachi" (Us), a peppy pop (aside from a chugging electric guitar solo midway) number that was written and composed by Yano. A song of the realizing emergence of love between two people, it's an upbeat and somewhat introspective number at the same time which is what I would probably think the emotional situation would be with the lovebirds. Basically, it's the "Whoa! I'm so happy but what's next for us?" thought. Mind you, if it were up to me, I would enjoy the ride and take it one day at a time.
Lots of good songs on this album and this is a favorite. There's a great version on her "Good Evening Tokyo" live album that includes a very cute band introduction section.
ReplyDeleteHello, Robert. I guess "Granola" is well-named, then. It's good for you. 😊
DeleteAkiko Yano's voice in this song is fascinating because it isn’t a conventional “pretty” pop vocal. Her voice is light, high-set, slightly nasal, elastic, and almost conversational, but with a surprising amount of emotional weight underneath. Her voice is almost like a little girl's voice, yet somehow wise or melancholy at the same time. What makes this performance even more interesting, though, is that the song itself isn't merely cheerful. The lyrics are about two people who don't completely understand one another, who therefore keep looking at each other and thinking about what love means.
ReplyDeleteYano has often been compared to Kate Bush due to her high and acrobatic voice. It's a distinctive voice and with her songwriting abilities, she's stood out in a great way for decades.
DeleteI recommend: Hiroko Mita - Glass Mado (1984)
ReplyDeleteThanks, YMOfan04. I'll have to take a listen to it.
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