I've been a fan of Japanese popular music for 40 years, and have managed to collect a lot of material during that time. So I decided I wanted to talk about Showa Era music with like-minded fans. My particular era is the 70s and 80s (thus the "kayo kyoku"). The plus part includes a number of songs and artists from the last 30 years and also the early kayo. So, let's talk about New Music, aidoru, City Pop and enka.
Credits
I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.
Continuing on the matatabi kayo theme from my Bin Uehara (上原敏)article, here's another number that features a wandering yakuza. By Katsuhiko Haida (灰田勝彦), of all folks. Much to my surprise, he has at least one of these old Japan-themed songs buried so deep in his discography that it comes before his debut under the name we commonly know him by.
For some backstory, let's head back to 1935 for a bit, shall we? We have the terror of Rikkyo University, Toshikatsu Haida in his senior year, and he's been doing some under-the-radar work as a singer at record companies for about a year. One of the companies is Polydor Records, where Masato Fujita (藤田まさと) already made a name for himself with the success of his matatabi-yakuza kayo project. Haida was set to record and release one such matatabi kayo written by Fujita, and in order to not get the student in trouble with the school, the lyricist had him go by the stage name of Toshi Fujita (藤田稔). "Toshi" came from Haida's first name (at the time) "Toshikatsu", and "Fujita" from the lyricist's last name. And with that, "Oiwake Garasu" was released on September 1935. This was as told in a blog article by haguruhaguru, which gives a pretty detailed run-down of Hai-Katsu's history and the crazy shenanigans the ill-tempered Hawaiian got himself into during his early days.
As many a ronin song would at the time, "Oiwake Garasu" was a theme song for a jidaigeki (period film) titled"Jigoku Bayashi" (地獄囃子), which hit theatres on 7th November of the same year. That seems pretty impressive for a singer who hadn't even properly debuted. Its upbeat composition, created by movie theatre musician turned composer Masajiro Kondo (近藤政二郎), feels like a reflection of the carefree nature of our main character and his lifestyle choice. With the jaunty percussions and cheerful accordion melody, I can imagine the happy-go-lucky gambler skipping down a forested dirt path on his way to Edo (*ahem* in search of another gambling den). But his smiles only hide the dilemma fellows like him seem to face: to stay a free drifter or to settle down and become a responsible member of society. Which will he choose? Only he will know.
Hai-Katsu, or perhaps Fuji-Toshi at this point, deftly pulled off a more traditional Japanese singing style for "Oiwake Garasu" with minyo/rokyoku vocal ornamentations. It was uncharacteristic of his smooth and gentle crooning, but much in line with the singing style employed by singers who do matatabi kayo, like the aforementioned Uehara. I am impressed, Hai-Katsu.
Lately, I've been in one of my early ryukoka phases. It's when I predominantly listen to songs from the 1930s to the early 1950s or so. It's most certainly because of the influence of Tokyo Taishu Kayo Gakudan (東京大衆歌謡楽団) and taking Bin Uehara (上原敏) as my newest muse. But it's also due in part to my reignited love for Yoshio Tabata (田端義夫) and a burgeoning interest in Katsuhiko Haida (灰田勝彦), both of whom have recently provided much-needed pick-me-ups as I figure out how to move on after graduating from university. And, of course, there are the covers by Hachiro Kasuga (春日八郎) and stuff I learned from the karaoke. My once tiny collection of ryukoka has expanded greatly and I picked up many more favourites along the way from a myriad of artists. So, I'd like to share some of them with you guys in this instalment of "Favourite" Author's Picks.
Looking through my past Author's Picks writings, I realised that I had done a post on my favourite songs from the 1930s and 1940s in 2017 (geez, I actually forgot). Looking at my own selection, some of those picks actually withstood the test of time and I still love them to this day. Some of those artists will also reappear here, albeit with different titles to their names. Care to take a gander at who they may be? :) This entry is sort of a successor to my previous one and the rule of one song per singer for fairness' sake will be kept. The lyrics most resonant with me will also be noted.
Just a couple of disclaimers before we begin:
1. There are some songs that were originally duets where I only listed one singer. I did this because I prefer listening to their solo versions.
2. I tried putting in some translations for my favourite lyrics. Take them with a pinch of salt - my Japanese skills are (still) paltry.
Mamori toshite kita ore da (I’ve been protecting you with all my life)
Hatoba katagi wo shiranai ka (Don't you know that's the spirit of the wharf?)
Now, we can't have a prewar song list without Husbando 3, right? For some reason, I became enamoured by the clear and gentle vocals of this star from the 1930s who (low-key) looked like a studious accountant, getting hooked on his many samurai/ronin and sailor-themed discography. I've come to like a good number of those songs and it was hard to pick justthe one. But, I think that accolade should go to "Hatoba Katagi" (波止場気質), my introductory song to all things Bin-san which I first heard as a cover by Hachi (well, well). I always found myself going back to this ditty about a sailor having to send off his beloved at the docks, loving both the jaunty melody and Bin-san's tender and forlorn vocals.
Guchi janakeredo yo ga yo de areba (Not to complain, but it is what it is)
Tono no maneki no tsukimi zake (Having drinks admiring moon at a lord's invite)
Otoko Hirate to motehayasarete (Praised as the man, Hirate)
Ima ja ima ja ukiyo no sandogasa(But now, now he's just a wanderer in the floating world)
If you guessed Tabata as one who'd reappear, you're absolutely right. Batayan's been a constant favourite for as long as I can remember, his cool dude energy being a such joy to watch and hearing the brassy twang of his trusty guitar gives me goosebumps. He was also pretty cute. But, for personal reasons, he never really got past my top 5 and into Husbando territory. (Noelle from 18/4/23: Yeah, that statement didn't age well.)
Last time, I picked "Genkai Blues" (玄海ブルース), but I am fairly certain that it was a toss-up between that and "Otone Tsukiyo" (大利根月夜). The same thing happened this time, but the latter came out on top instead. "Otone Tsukiyo" was my introduction to the exuberant singer and one of the first of many ronin-themed tunes I would come to like. Its grand sound really gives the disgraced samurai figure of Miki Hirate such a heroic edge, and I can't get enough of those amazing guitar solos - twice in just this one! Speaking of Batayan and his guitar, he seemed to have been so particular about it that he would insist on having its amplifier be placed where he could "see its sound or it won't do." Batayan, you're literally the "I can hear colours" meme, and that's why I love you.
Kage e no shibai ka gameran mo tanoshiya (A shadow puppet show? The gamelan's great too!)
Aa Jawa no mango uri (Ah, the Java mango seller)
Among the veterans on this list, Haida was the one I least expected to show up here. And yet, here he is with his ukelele and flower lei thanks to "Jawa no Mango Uri" (ジャワのマンゴ売り). Perhaps it's because of the exotic and sultry sound. Perhaps I just like it when Haida sings "gamelan" and "mango" in that strange yet silky crooning of his, but I ended up taking to "Jawa no Mango Uri" way more than I had expected. How has he already propelled up to Batayan's level from absolutely nowhere in my books??
Charumera mo kiete yuku (The charamela has disappeared)
Tooi akai hi aoi hi mo (So have the faraway red and blue lights)
Kuniang no maegami no(The young lady's bangs)
Yarusenakunaku yo wa fukeru(The night deepens without any sorrows)
From the island of Java, we go north to China. I never knew how much I liked China-themed songs until the Asakusa Bois came along. It's kind of kitschy, but also somewhat familiar. "China Tango", originally by Nakano, is one of them with its snappy tango melody and romantically sweet lyrics that paint a dreamy image of a Chinese port town at nightfall. Be it Kotaro or Nakano, the way they belt out the chorus never fails to impress me. Needless to say, this is one of the songs I look forward to the most when I watch the Takashima Brothers and gang. It doesn't appear on their setlists often, but I've been lucky to catch it in the times I've seen them in person and it never fails to brighten my day.
Haruo Oka -- Shanghai no Hanauri Musume (1938)
Hoshi mo kokyu mo kohaku no sake mo (The stars, the kokyu, and the amber sake)
Yume no Shanghai hanauri musume (The flower-selling girl of the dreamy Shanghai)
Speaking of China-themed tunes and song introductions via the Takashima Brothers, we head to metropolitan Shanghai with "Shanghai no Hanauri Musume"(上海の花売娘). Like Batayan, Okapparu makes his appearance here as well, this time with an entry from his well-regarded "Hanauri Musume series" (Flower selling girl series), the very first one, in fact. A bright and joyful number, Okapparu relates the scene of a flower seller at the docks of Shanghai in his clear and chirpy style.
Dick Mine -- Nagasaki Elegy (1947)
Kino futta wa konuka ame (Yesterday's rain was a light drizzle)
Kyo wa namida no ame ga furu(Today's rain is my tears)
Yume no Nagasaki ai yoru tama wo (In the dreamy Nagasaki, our spirits as one)
Musube yogiri no abe Maria (Wrapped in the night fog, Ave Maria)
Welcome back to Japan, specifically to Nagasaki, with yet another recurring artist. I'd say Mine's"Nagasaki Elegy" (長崎エレジー) is a strong contender for my favourite Nagasaki-themed song, and I think my recent trip to the prefecture only amplified that. The swelling strings, upbeat tempo, and earnest vocals of whoever takes it on give "Nagasaki Elegy" this mix of sadness and hopefulness that I can't get enough of. Mine's rendition is great, but I do love Hachi's and Batayan's versions as well.
Akiko Kikuchi -- Hoshi no Nagare ni (1947)
Uete imagoro imouto wa doko ni (I wonder where my starving sister is now)
Hito me aitai okaasan (Just once, I want to see my mother again)
This one brings back so many bittersweet memories of my first year at university - what a ride it was. Kikuchi's jazzy tune is so visceral in its depiction of anguish, reaching its tipping point at each chorus. An apt representation of the immediate postwar period, but emotions do transcend time. While my troubles are nowhere near as harsh as what "Hoshi no Nagare ni" (星の流れに) implies, just the feelings conveyed through Kikuchi's sorrowful delivery with an element of resignation really hit hard at times. But it's exactly that which brings me back to it. Plus, I do love a good jazz-inspired song.
Minoru Obata -- Onna Keizu no Uta (Yushima no Shiraume) (1942)
Shiruya shiraume tamagaki ni (Don't you know, white plum blossoms, on the shrine fences)
Nokoru futari no kageboshi (Remains their silhouette)
If I were to use a single word to describe "Yushima no Shiraume" (湯島の白梅), I'd say "beautiful". The elegant and dramatic strings and horns, Obata's genteel and deliberate crooning, and the image of blooming plum blossoms in early spring. Yet, it's the stage for a romantic tragedy between the geisha Otsuta and her lover Chikara from the book-turned-film, "Onna Keizu" (婦系図). Still, there's no better time to listen to this than now as the plum blossoms bloom.
Shigeo Kusunoki -- Onna no Kaikyu(1935)
Kokoro kudakedo mamanaranu (A broken heart is beyond my control)
Tsurai ukiyo no sayoarashi (The painful floating world's night gale)
I feel like "Onna no Kaikyu" (女の階級) is one of those songs that is simultaneously popular and unknown. It doesn't make much sense, but that's my impression based on my contradicting experience with it. Veteran Kusunoki was the original artist, but I see more covers of this track by enka singers through the ages than his original on YouTube. Yet, when I'm at the karaoke, the oldies aren't too familiar with it. Nevertheless, I somehow got hooked on this spunky Koga Melody. It's likely because the orchestra goes on full blast at a frenetic speed in the original, and simply because I like hearing the likes of Hachi doing incredible vocal gymnastics to pull it off in the covers.
And that, folks, has been an updated take on some of my favourite songs from the immediate pre and postwar eras. As I previously mentioned ages ago, somehow, these songs have incredible staying power in my head. But, I suppose that's why they're still being enjoyed more than seven decades later.
Man, 2017 Noelle wouldn't have believed this list if I showed it to her. I can imagine: "Batayan, yeah, but who's... Bin? And the baseball guy? rEalLy??"
I ended off my previous list with madorosu Batayan, so I shall do the same here.
I gather that this is one of the few older kayo kyoku that I have first found out about without needing the guidance of "Uta Kon"（うたコン）or another similar music show.
Through my browsings via YouTube and tips from commenters and collaborators, I've been able to find out about a lot of the more contemporary music in City Pop and the like, but this time around, some after-dinner exploration had me discover something from nearly a century back.
Taneko Seki（関種子）who lived from 1907-1990 was a Showa-Era singer hailing from Okayama Prefecture who began her career as a classical soprano. She made her debut on records at Columbia Records in 1931 and had hit upon hit until in 1935, she recorded the theme song for the movie "Toppa Muden"（突破無電...Breakthrough Wireless）, "Ame ni Saku Hana" (The Flowers That Bloom in the Rain) which became an even bigger hit for Seki, selling around half a million records.
Written by Kikutaro Takahashi（高橋菊太郎）and composed by Fujio Ikeda（池田不二男）, the tango-esque "Ame ni Saku Hana" is about a woman lamenting the loss of her romantic affair. She likens the flowers in the rain to her love probably losing its petals.
About a quarter-century later, singer/actor Hiroshi Inoue（井上ひろし）covered "Ame ni Saku Hana" in July 1960. Born in Yokohama in 1941, he had been a rockabilly singer with an early form of The Drifters troupe in 1958 but left the group a year later.
His "Ame ni Saku Hana" is more in the Mood Kayo vein with that bluesy sax, the twangy guitar and that percussive piano. I automatically got those images of smoke-filled nightclubs and tumblers filled with whisky on the rocks. Inoue's cover was a huge hit since it sold a million records according to a November 1991 issue of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper via J-Wiki. In that same J-Wiki article, the Mood Kayo "Ame ni Saku Hana" was such a hit that it sparked a boom of singers of that decade in covering some of the old classics including Frank Nagai's（フランク永井）take on "Kimi Koishi"（君恋し）in 1961, originally sung by Teiichi Futamura（二村定一）back in 1928.
Inoue also appeared once on the Kohaku Utagassen in 1961 although it was to perform a different song. In 1985, he had started learning how to cook in his education on how to run a restaurant but tragically in September of that year, he suffered a fatal myocardial infarction at the age of 46.
A few days ago, I wrote about The Kingtones' cover of the timeless "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" as one example of how Japanese singers loved to give their versions of songs from the Great American Songbook starting from the early 20th century.
Of course, it wasn't just doo wop that got its sincerest form of flattery from the Japanese. Jazz was another favourite genre. To wit, the song "Lover, Come Back To Me" which was originally created in 1933 by Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II for the Broadway show "The New Moon". The above is a cover by the immortal Billie Holiday in 1952 according to its description.
When I settled down in my armchair (and with my weight, I really DID settle down...rimshot!) last night to see the weekly "Uta Kon"（うたコン）, the episode started with the legendary Queen of Kayo Kyoku,Hibari Misora（美空ひばり）, cutting up a rug on the stage to perform "Lover, Come Back To Me", otherwise known in Japanese as "Koibito yo, Ware ni Kaere". I thought that there was going to be some sort of tribute to Misora although I hadn't thought that there was any anniversary to be recognized in the month of October as far as she was concerned. As it turned out, the video that was shown (which is the one above) was the appetizer for the week's guests to come out and do a jazzy first segment.
Still, that did get me to write this particular article up since Misora was not just a singer of enka but also of jazz...a lot of it, so that I believe it is pertinent to include some of her covers of the genre's classics. Although I read online that her first performances of "Lover, Come Back To Me" were in the 1960s, I couldn't track things down to a certain LP or single, unfortunately.
However, I could find out that one of the earliest covers done by a Japanese singer was released in 1935 by Dick Mine（ディック・ミネ）. His version, whose Japanese lyrics were written by him, comes off as a croon to all those lovers out there.
(short version)
(cover version by nakyamo)
In the J-Wiki write-up for "Koibito yo, Ware ni Kaere", I read that even Yellow Magic Orchestra had even given its contribution according to the original source of "Aspect" magazine in 2007. Well, that got my interest up, and just by chance, there was even a YouTube video illustrating that ("was" being the operative word). That contribution took place on a 1982 episode of Fuji-TV's"Music Fair" which had the theme of "Ongaku no Time Machine"（音楽のタイムマシン...Time Machine of Music）that night.
So what they did was feature the song of this article through three different genres: jazz, fusion and technopop. Jimmy Harada and The Old Boys（ジミー原田とオールドボーイズ）took care of the original version, the house band handled the fusion, and of course, YMO provided the technopop. And all three versions were sung by jazz/fusion singer Mari Nakamoto（中本マリ）. The technopop version was pretty amusing with its bleeps and bloops as Nakamoto seemed to be channeling either DEVO or some British New Wave band. Anyways, the music starts from 3:13. (Note: Unfortunately that "Music Fair" video has been taken down but a short version and a cover version of Nakamoto's technopop take are above.)
But in the end, as much as I love YMO, I think I will always prefer the jazz orchestra version. Speaking of the jazz version, I have a follow-up.
Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of you folks since as the saying goes, on March 17th, everyone is Irish! And because I'm not a big drinker and I only observe the goings-on of St. Patrick's Day from the comfort of a TV screen, I thought maybe I could pay some tribute to the holiday via the blog. So I searched for a kayo kyoku with the word midori or green in the title.
It didn't take too much effort at all. I punched in the relevant kanji into the Yahoo Japan search engine, and the first few replies all pointed to this song "Midori no Chiheisen" (Green Horizon) which was originally sung by the late singer Shigeo Kusunoki（楠木繁夫）.
Released in October 1935, it's a pretty lively number created by Sonosuke Sato（佐藤惣之助）and Masao Koga（古賀政男）about what I think is the relating of a tearful parting. I envision the man having to leave either a lover or a family via ship heading for places unknown. Considering how jaunty Koga's melody is compared to the sad lyrics by Sato, I can place it as one of those "smiling through the tears" kayo.
Becoming Kusunoki's most successful single, "Midori no Chiheisen" was used as the theme song for a movie of the same name which was also released in October 1935. However, due to wartime damage, the movie itself went permanently missing with only the song as the one surviving memento (aside from some stills) although the story was also adapted into a TV drama in 1962.
The song has continued to survive through covers by some of the most famous enka singers such as Hibari Misora（美空ひばり）.
Naomi Chiaki (ちあきなおみ) performed her version in front of a grand orchestra.
And I would also like to include Eisaku Ohkawa（大川栄策）.
As for Kusunoki, he was born Susumu Kuroda（黒田進）in 1904 in Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku Island. In junior high school, he wanted to become a musician so against his father's opposition, he moved up to Tokyo and entered what is now Tokyo University of the Arts in 1924 and started singing professionally a few years later.
Now this is where things get interesting in that Kuroda would end up using 55 stage names for himself. Apparently, according to the J-Wiki article, it wasn't all that unusual for celebrities to use a variety of stage names but I think Kuroda most likely took the proverbial cake. For those who want to see this amazing list of aliases and perhaps get some practice in reading Japanese names, you can check out the article and look at the right side under the man's photo beside the kanji 「別名」. I think even Jason Bourne would have to bow down in awe.
Under his name of Kusunoki, the singer released about 250 records but including all of his names, that number has been said to approach 800. All of the above information came from an article about the singer in an April 1997 issue of the Kobe Shinbun.
Way early this morning...just past midnight...I wrote up a memorial article of sorts for musician Hiroshi 'Monsieur' Kamayatsu (かまやつひろし) who had passed away on March 1st. Reading about him, I found out that his father was a jazz singer and musician by the name of Tib Kamayatsu/ティーブ・釜萢 (1911-1980). It was quite the interesting story as well.
Tib was born Tadashi Kamayatsu（釜萢正）as a 2nd-generation Japanese-American in Los Angeles, California. Growing up, he developed a love for music and started playing the banjo and guitar to later perform. In fact, he was involved in a Nisei jazz band but with the clouds of war amassing at the time, Kamayatsu sailed across to Japan where he performed as a bass player and jazz singer.
Although J-Wiki has a fairly good description of Kamayatsu Senior's life, unfortunately there was pretty much nothing on his discography there or anywhere online. In fact, I couldn't even find out when his "Tokyo Rag" came out. He started his singing career in the late 1930s so I'm just gonna have to wing it with 1935. However, he has been described as one of the pioneers of jazz in Japan and when he set up his own jazz school after World War II, he gained a number of students who would become stars in their own right such as Mickey Curtis (ミッキー・カーチス), Masaaki Hirao（平尾昌晃）and Mieko Hirota（弘田三枝子）.
The other intriguing thing about listening to Tib is that remembering how his son, Hiroshi, sang and spoke on TV, the elder Kamayatsu sounded quite similar.
Even before the Japanese started getting that reputation of traveling in group tours while armed with cameras back in the 1970s and 1980s, they did and still love to travel even within the country, it seems, at least according to the enka genre. There is a large legacy of regional enka paying tribute to a certain city, prefecture, river or other geographical feature but ballads of traveling for the pure heck of it have also abounded, often with history in mind involving nomads during the feudal era of Japan.
One hit song with that them in mind was released in 1935 titled "Tabigasa Dochu" (Traveling Hat Journey) as originally sung by Taro Shoji（東海林太郎）. I read Noelle's write up of his "Meigetsu Akagiyama"（名月赤城山）and the description of the late singer which was confirmed when I actually saw ancient footage of him on a TV show singing "Tabigasa Dochu" on tonight's "Uta Con"（うたコン）. With those round glasses and tailcoat that Noelle described, along with that very earnest delivery, Shoji reminded me of a dusty university professor who had literally spent years in a classroom but was going to make the most of his 15 minutes on the stage.
Regrettably, I couldn't find any footage of Shoji singing "Tabigasa Dochu" but here are a couple of far more contemporary enka singers to fill in. One is Mika Shinno（神野美伽）who hails from Osaka and debuted back in 1984. I've seen her often on "Uta Con" and its predecessor program "Kayo Concert"（歌謡コンサート）so I was surprised that she hadn't been covered by either Noelle or me. She has also appeared on the Kohaku Utagassen twice in her career, in 1987 and 2003.
Going back to the song itself, "Tabigasa Dochu" was written by Masato Fujita（藤田まさと）and composed by Nosho Ohmura（大村能章）, and it's a jaunty song of vagabonds who go where the wind takes them while they live on the fringes of society. They don't mind the journey but they also hope someday to settle down. However, Ohmura's melody as arranged for Shinno's performance above seems to carve out a certain pride in this trek of itinerants which alternates between a romantic sweep during the sung portions while the intro, bridge and outro contain a certain manly staccato which may represent the proud don't-hold-me-back steps of the travelers.
(shortened version)
The other singer is the Prince of Enka himself, Kiyoshi Hikawa（氷川きよし）. I found the arrangement for his take on "Tabigasa Dochu" as being a lot softer and more wistful although Hikawa puts in a good amount of brio for his performance.
Well, whaddaya know? I did find a video with Shoji's original take via this old 78 rpm. In contrast to those earnest performances by him on stage, his recorded version of "Tabigasa Dochu" sounds quite serene. Plus, I can make out an interesting plucky guitar in the background there...or is it a Japanese instrument?
Finally, you can take a look at this empty karaoke version of the song since the movie here can give some illustration to the lyrics.
One of those old...really old, as I was to discover...chestnuts that seems to pop up on Showa Era retrospectives or on kayo kyoku shows like NHK's "Kayo Concert"or "Nodo Jiman", "Futari wa Wakai" (Young Couple) is a classic that I've heard countless times.
The one time that I do remember hearing it very clearly was on the 1981 Kohaku Utagassen when a majority of the participants got together on stage for a medley of the really old kayo and, sure enough, "Futari wa Wakai" was on the singing menu. Written by Hachiro Sato （サトウ・ハチロー）and composed by Masao Koga （古賀政男）in 1935, it's a cute and playful ditty about the love that a man and woman have for each other, presumably while strolling in the great outdoors. The first known couple of singers to have a go at it was actors Dick Mine and Reiko Hoshi （ディック・ミネ・星玲子）when it was placed as a B-side song. Just from the way of their singing at that time and the overall theme of "Futari wa Wakai", I kept thinking that Mine and Hoshi could have been the Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald of Japan.
As for how Mine got his stage name of Dick, it was when he was a university student in the sumo club. One time as he was changing into his fundoshi (loincloth), an American teacher who was present apparently took notice of the future actor's royal jewels and complimented Mine on the generous size. This information, by the way, is on J-Wiki but not on the English Wikipedia. In any case, when Mine entered show business, he was probably quite inspired by that incident. During the Second World War, though, he was forced to use his pen name of Koichi Mine（三根耕一）, but was more than happy to get his nom de genital back once hostilities had ended.
I'm not sure if the song gets all that much exposure nowadays outside of the Showa Era retrospectives and retirement homes (can't really see this being chosen at the karaoke boxes between AKB 48 and Arashi), but a number of singing celebs have covered it over the decades. Above for instance is one take by Tora-san himself, Kiyoshi Atsumi（渥美清）, and Ikuko Masunaga（増永いく子）. Still, I think for those from certain generations, the secret to the song's success is the same secret that a lot of the upbeat kayo kyoku had....it was just perfectly made for the singalong.
And for those who aren't familiar with Eddy and MacDonald, here they are.
