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.
When I bought my copy of Yellow Magic Orchestra's "YMO GO HOME!" years ago, there was plenty that was welcome and familiar to me such as the iconic "Rydeen" and "Behind the Mask".
But there were a few tracks that I hadn't heard before that initially left me a little intrigued. One such track was "Pocket ga Niji de Ippai" (Pocketful of Rainbows). The technopop was still there but there was something rather laidback and twangy tropical about it, too, that had me wondering whether YMO member Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣）had regenerated back to his exotica self of the mid-1970s.
As it turns out though, "Pocket ga Niji de Ippai" was something that YMO recorded after getting back together for a bit in the early 1990s. It was released as the band's 10th single in April 1993 although because of the usual red tape and rights issues that probably had Hosono and his bandmates, Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）and Yukihiro Takahashi（高橋幸宏）, rolling their eyes up to the heavens, they couldn't officially release it under their old name YMO so they decided to be playful about it and say they were nowYMO (Not YMO). So, I can say that "Pocket ga Niji de Ippai" was YMO's debut single.
What also intrigued me was that while I scrolling through the information about the single on J-Wiki, I noticed that not only were there songwriters that weren't any of the YMO band members, i.e. Fred Wise & Ben Weisman, the lyrics were translated into Japanese by Reiko Yukawa（湯川れい子）.
So, cover song, I surmised. And sure enough, it was a cover song. The original "Pocketful of Rainbows" had been recorded back in 1960 by the one-and-only Elvis Presley for his movie "G.I. Blues". He sang it in the movie with leggy Juliet Prowse who I used to see in a lot of TV variety shows and commercials (usually for panty hose).
As part of the YMO single, there was also an English version of the song. So, the band did a cover of a song by an American music legend. Well, many years earlier, they also did a cover of a song by a British music legend. Incidentally, "Pocket ga Niji de Ippai" reached No. 13 on Oricon.
I heard this one last night on "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新BS日本の歌）for the first time, and it was originally sung by Sachiko Nishida（西田佐知子）. "Acacia no Ame ga Yamu Toki"(When the Acacia Rains Stop) was Nishida's 13th single from April 1960 with Kaoru Mizuki（水木かおる）as lyricist and Hideyuki Fujiwara（藤原秀行）as composer. Delivered in a sad and resigned tone by Nishida, it recounts the story of a lady whose paramour has suddenly left her bereft of love and hope. The horns led by a crisp trumpet sound forlorn and melancholy.
Strangely enough, through a 2003 magazine article via J-Wiki, the story goes that "Acacia no Ame ga Yamu Toki" was the song that a lot of young folks protesting the 1960 US-Japan Security Treaty ran to like a buddy giving solace when things didn't go their way. Perhaps they were crying in their beer as this song was playing in the bars and izakaya. Another tidbit from J-Wiki is that Nishida had been struggling with singing the song until lyricist Mizuki helped out by saying that it had been based on famed author Kojiro Serizawa's（芹沢光治良）1947 novel "Paris ni Shisu"（巴里に死す...A Death in Paris）. Nishida would then record it while thinking of images from the City of Lights.
Eventually, "Acacia no Ame ga Yamu Toki" would hit the million-record mark in sales by 1968. Nishida would also sing the song at her second appearance on NHK's Kohaku Utagassen in 1962, a year after she'd performed her more famous rendition of "Coffee Rumba"（コーヒー・ルンバ）on the same stage. She also sang "Acacia" on the 1969 edition of the Kohaku. In 1963, a cinematic adaptation of the song was produced which had Nishida in a supporting role.
I'd thought that my previous article on Shiro Sagisu（鷺巣詩郎）would be the final one for February 2026, but I was very wrong there on realizing that the music world has lost a pioneer in pop music and someone who has had a presence on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" over the years. Singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka passed away at the age of 86 on February 27th.
From what I've read on his Wikipedia file, he was responsible for a huge number of hits for himself and other singers, especially during the 60s and 70s, and I recall hearing his voice through radio, on K-Tel commercials and TV appearances since I was a kid. In fact, the very first ROY article that I posted was a Sedaka creation for Captain & Tennille. But for his own records, I always remembered that higher and melodic voice of his.
With all of those Sedaka successes in the postwar era, it's perhaps no surprise that the Japanese, who were more than happy to provide their own cover versions of many American and British hits of the time, also took a fancy to Sedaka's own tunes. Here are the ones that have been plucked from the pages of KKP over the years.
One of my favourites by Sedaka though was "Laughter in the Rain" from 1974. It still gives me a chill when he sings the chorus out and it's a song that I definitely have great memories about. My condolences to his family, friends and many fans.
It seems so long ago and yet it's only been a few months since enka singer and actor Yukio Hashi（橋幸夫）left this mortal coil at the age of 82. I guess that the music that he provided fans were so imbued with the feeling of a long-ago era that it might be easy to assume that Hashi was someone from a very long time ago.
I was just scrolling through the Top 10 Songs of 1961 and it was evident that Hashi had a lot of hits during that time, including one that came in at No. 9,"Okesa Utaeba" (Why Not Sing A Traditional Folk Song?). Hashi's 3rd single was released in October 1960 and it's definitely an enka tune when compared to some of his later and more muscular rock kayo tunes such as "Zekken No. 1 Start da"（ゼッケンNO.1スタートだ）. Written by Takao Saeki（佐伯孝夫）and composed by Tadashi Yoshida（吉田正）, it's got that jingly and jangly festival spirit in there although according to the J-Wiki article on "Okesa Utaeba", there was no choreography particularly planned for it in performances of the song unlike some of Hashi's other fare. I certainly thought that there was something min'yo about it.
With the mention of Niigata Prefecture in Saeki's lyrics and perhaps other places within the province, I assume that "Okesa Utaeba" can also be considered to be a go-touchi song or a regional tune as Hashi sings about the one that got away. Maybe the song is supposed to be a salve for that broken heart. Listeners could sympathize because "Okesa Utaeba" managed to sell about 200,000 records and break the Top 10 list in the pre-Oricon era as mentioned above.
I gotta say...what a trooper Masaaki Hirao（平尾昌晃）was on stage. Possibly got mortally injured by a disturbed kid and he just doffed it off as a flesh wound.
What he was singing on that dramatic stage though was "Koi no Katamichi Kippu" whose original form was "One-Way Ticket", a 1959 Neil Sedaka hit that had been created by songwriters Jack Keller and Hank Hunter.
Hirao's cover was recorded in 1960 under the band name of Masaaki Hirao & The All-Stars Wagon（平尾昌章とオールスターズ・ワゴン）with the Japanese lyrics provided by Takashi Otowa（音羽たかし）, which was the pen name for anyone writing lyrics at King Records. It's good to bring Hirao back onto the byline at his rockabilly best because it's been a few years since he's been up here as a singer. In fact, the last time was back in 2022 for his duet with Yoko Hatanaka（畑中葉子）for "Ehge Kai no Tabi"（エーゲ海の旅）from 1978.
Looks like 80s hairdo live-action Kayo Grace Kyoku is spending an ennui-laden night at a watering hole. And by the looks of those huge bottles of liquor, the ennui will be non-stop.
Well, I may have just the song for her and us Mood Kayo fans. It's "Mélancolie" by Kazuko Matsuo（松尾和子）, and the arrangement follows that melancholy feeling with a bit of Latin rolled in for good measure. I couldn't find out definitively but it may have been released in 1960 from what I could track down via Yahoo Japan.
Matsuo's "Mélancolie" is a cover of the original 1948 song recorded by Swiss actor and singer Pierre Dudan. It was written by him and composed by Alain Romans, and the original has more of a nocturnal jazzier vibe. The Japanese lyrics for Matsuo's version were provided by Tokiko Iwatani（岩谷時子）.
Singer Kazuko Matsuo（松尾和子）has been known among kayo kyoku fans for taking part in duets and group songs such as "Tokyo Nightclub"（東京ナイトクラブ）, her collaboration with Frank Nagai（フランク永井）. Of course, though, she has been releasing her own solo singles for years. And what I was struck by when I was poring through her discography on J-Wiki was that in 1960, she released a grand total of 11 singles...almost one a month. That's a lot of productivity and I'm wondering if she didn't end up dangerously exhausted by the end of the year.
Among that huge number of records was her 10th single from August of that year, "Saikai"(Reunion). I first heard it on a recent episode of NHK's "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新・BS日本のうた...Songs of Japanese Spirit）, the network's show focusing on enka and the old kayo kyoku. Just from the arrangement alone, it's quite the melancholy waltz-like kayo (the lonely clarinet helps) about a woman who has met an old flame for the first time in a while and realizes how much she loved (and probably still loves) him. The punch in the gut is probably that they can never regain that old relationship again due to other factors such as the guy finding a new lover. And the resignation in Matsuo's vocals pinpoints that.
"Saikai" was written by Takao Saeki（佐伯孝夫）and composed by Tadashi Yoshida（吉田正）, the same famous songwriting duo who came up with "Tokyo Nightclub" in 1959 for Matsuo and Nagai.
A couple of days ago, Noelle put up an article regarding Hachiro Kasuga's（春日八郎）1960"Kiso wa Koishiya" (木曽は恋しや), his take on an adapted Nagano Prefecture folk song with some enriched mambo-ness. Outside of the article, she and I were also chatting about The Preeminent Enka Singer's album "Boku no Atarashii Yatsu no Uta"（ぼくの新しい8つの歌...My Eight New Songs） which I believe was also released in the same year.
One of the tracks on that album was "Mister Ame"(Mister Rain). Now, from my supposed knowledge of kayo kyoku, usually when I see something like rain or snow or autumn in a title, my first assumption is that the song is going to be a rather melancholy affair on the topic of love lost. And sure enough, Hiroshi Yokoi's（(横井弘）lyrics talk about having and then losing that significant other. But Seiichi Sakurada's（桜田誠一）music isn't morose at all; it might be a short song at barely 2 1/2 minutes long, but it has its share of Latin joie de vivre almost as if the bullfights were about to begin. Perhaps a breakup is in progress but the mood seems more celebratory than mournful.
Would "Mister Ame" be considered to be an enka song or a straight kayo kyoku with mambo ambitions? Considering the history of enka and the fact that enka really wasn't officially enka until the early 1970s with a lot of retrofitting of past songs including those of Kasuga, we can pretty much throw this into discussion over some sake.
On the theme of Hachi and Mr. Nakano being my 2-in-1 dose of fangirling, this article will also be a 2-in-1: It will both be an addition to the Hachiro Kasuga (春日八郎) Centenary Project and a nod to Tadaharu Nakano's (中野忠晴) 115th birthday.
A few months back, I did an article introducing some of Hachi's works that were composed by Mr. Nakano. At the time of writing, I mentioned that I'd yet to go through every single Hachi-Nakano piece. I still haven't, but I'd been digging around for more since that article. One such tune I uncovered was "Kiso wa Koishiya" (Yearning for Kiso/Beloved Kiso).
"Kiso wa Koishiya" was released on October 1960. Going by the title, I would consider it a bokyo kayo, a song about homesickness. From my understanding, Hiroshi Yokoi (横井弘) painted us a picture of a Nagano native who'd moved to the big city (likely Tokyo). Life in the concrete jungle makes our protagonist yearn for the grand mountain ranges, clear blue rivers, and warm hometown festivals back in Kiso. Adding to that bokyo atmosphere, I feel, is Yokoi's inclusion of the Nagano minyo "Kiso Bushi" within the lyrics.
According to the J-Wiki, as the title implies, the "Kiso Bushi" is the native minyo to the Kiso region in southwestern Nagano. Basing off the Kiso kawa-nagashi (川流し), or boatmen who ferry logs around the region's rivers, the "Nakanori-san" featured refers to the boatmen stationed in the middle of the flat wooden boat. Nagano's tallest mountain, Mt. Ontake, got a shout-out as well. Sandwiching this minyo into the kayo brings to mind the image of the protagonist breaking out into their hometown's folk song in a fit of nostalgia.
You can hear the original "Kiso Bushi" in the video below.
Accompanying Yokoi's words was Mr. Nakano's mambo/cha-cha-inspired melody. Having heard the "Kiso Bushi", I'm inclined to say that the Cuban styled music blends well with it despite the seemingly wildly contrasting images. Personally, it conveys a rather cool and refreshing atmosphere that matches the image of the Nagano mountains and rivers in Yokoi’s words. The fun vibe of the mambo beat on top of the trilling flutes and rattling bongos also makes one feel like you're in the midst of a summer festival. On the note of the flutes and bongos combo, I noticed that that seemed to have been one of Nakano's favourite styles between the late 50s and early 60s. And within this combo, the flute somehow gives the composition a somewhat Japanese-leaning flavour, while the bongos provide the Western spice... Butter in miso soup.
I like mambo-inspired kayo just as much as I do its early day brethren, the tango-influenced kayo. And so, it's no wonder that I enjoy "Kiso wa Koishiya" A LOT. I think we have a new contender for my Hachi Favourite list. Y'know, I began listening during trip to Fukushima in early April, so it was often on repeat as I took in the mountains, rivers, and villages/towns of that Tohoku prefecture. Admittedly, it felt kinda weird to listen to a Nagano song in Fukushima, especially now that I know that it had strong inspiration from the "Kiso Bushi". And as a result of the constant repeats, "Kiso wa Koishiya" is now ironically tied to Fukushima in my head. If you happen to be from either Nagano or Fukushima, please do not come after me.
2024 is Hachiro Kasuga's (春日八郎) centenary. Since Hachi is my No.1, I've decided to attempt a Hachi Centenary Project where I'll produce articles on him to commemorate the occasion. I'm aiming for one a month, should my schedule permit, but we'll see how things go. I'm saving a long overdue update on my Top Favourite Hachiro Kasuga Song List for his birthday and death anniversary month of October, so in the meantime, I'll either do the usual song features or Author's Picks lists. If any other KKP contributor would like to add to this project, please feel free to do so. And if readers would like to see certain songs/lists related to Kasuga, feel free to make requests. Anyways, this brings me to today's very specific list: My favourite Hachiro Kasuga songs composed by Tadaharu Nakano (中野忠晴).
Why this very specific list? It's simply because I've just been listening to Nakano and Nakano-made Hachi stuff a lot recently (as you can probably tell), so I figured that a list of some of my favourite stuff from the Hachi-Mr. Nakano combo would be a good start to this project. Also, I have monke brain: Me see favourite singer sing song made by other favourite singer, me happy. As I've been saying, this is essentially a "Buy 1 get 1 Free" deal.
Mr. Nakano from 1955; Hachi from around 1956 (?)
As I've mentioned before, from 1952 onwards, both Hachi and Mr. Nakano were under King Records. Technically speaking, Hachi had been under King since 1947, but more of a reserve singer in training of sorts and never got his official debut as a professional singer of the company until December 1952. Mr. Nakano signed on as a composer and singer some time in June (?) 1952, but dropped the latter role after his first single under this label didn't do so hot and simply stuck to melody-making. Mr. Nakano composed a fair number of songs for Hachi - around 26 songs over the span of 10 years between 1953 and 1963 or so, assuming I read and mathed Hiroyuki Kondo's (近藤博之) consolidated list on Nakano's postwar works right.
A cursory look at Kondo's list seems to show that Nakano composed more stuff for minyo star Michiya Mihashi (三橋美智也). My impression is that the Michi-Mr. Nakano combo produced more hits of a much larger scale compared to the Hachi-Mr. Nakano combo, which seemed to only produce middling hits at best. Conversely, it was Hachi's collaboration with Isao Hayashi (林伊佐緒), another singer-turned-(mostly) composer, that spawned well-known numbers. This being the case, this article will put the spotlight on some of Hachi’s lesser-known discography entries. Honestly, I wouldn’t even have known some of them existed if it weren’t for the fact Nakano’s name was pinned to it. Yay for my one-track mind! (?)
Even though I've yet to listen to every single Nakano-composed Kasuga song out there, I think it's fair to say that the former jazz singer created a wide variety of kayokayoku for the younger artiste. This ranged from stuff akin to traditional Japanese folk tunes to urban jazzy numbers. Suffice to say that I think Hachi handled them pretty well, owing to his flexible vocal delivery. But I have to admit that some of these Nakano Melody (this term feels so weird to say) don’t necessarily fit my image of Hachi and sound more like what I feel the composer himself would’ve sung and not the singer he provided for. And, objectively speaking, some of these just sound like any run-of-the-mill pop song from the 1950s-1960s. That said, there are some that stand out to me there with their unique and refreshing arrangements, giving them a sound unlike what I might ordinarily hear from that era.
In a short article on Nakano from June 1955, the musician compared his music-making process at King to adding butter to miso soup ("Tsumari, miso shiru no naka e bata wo ireyoutte, wake nandesuyo."). I'm fairly certain he was alluding to putting his own Western music flair (the butter) into Japanese kayokyoku (the miso soup) by playing around with the musical accompaniments. I wonder if that explains those stand-out bits. Then again, it could just be because I'm being unconsciously/consciously bias. Either way, perhaps you might hear what I find interesting in the Hachi-Mr. Nakano songs I've listed here. Some of these songs had been re-recorded around 1970, but I have put the original versions because they're where you can hear what Nakano had intended the music to sound like.
Before going into the list proper, I'd like to mention "Tsuma Koi Touge" (妻恋峠). It's a matatabi mono with the "Komoro Magouta" (小諸馬子唄)minyo spliced into it from 1955. It's a pleasant tune that I listen to occasionally when I want to hear Hachi's folk song prowess, but I wouldn't say it's a strong favourite of mine. I must admit, though, that the echo effect when Hachi warbles the "Komoro Magouta" provides quite the immersive experience.Was it a Nakano idea? I don't know, but it's likely since Michi's "Tassha de na" (達者でナ), another Nakano Melody, utilizes this echo effect too. Either way, this effect here makes it feel as though we are on the road with our wandering traveler and his voice reverberates through the Nagano mountain range as he belts out the "Komoro Magouta". I believe "Tsuma Koi Touge" was the first hit spawned by the Hachi-Mr. Nakano combo and likely the first middling hit after Hachi's unbeatably popular "Otomi-san" (お富さん), so I wanted to give it some acknowledgement.
I wrote about this tune ages ago in 2017, and I said that the music was "what first drew me to (it)." Finally, something 2024 Noelle can shake hands with 2017 Noelle on. "Otoko no Butai" seems to be a Kasuga fan favourite and, in fact, it's said that Hachi himself actually liked this quite a lot too. Apparently, in preparation for its release, our dear singer got himself a new outfit and even learned the dance moves. I mean, it's hard not to see why this was well-liked. "Otoko no Butai" is a dramatic kabuki-inspired tune which reflects the trials and tribulations of being a stage performer - thought to be a reason why Hachi liked it. The original recording is snappy and the traditional percussions and wind instruments go wild. Yet, despite its raucous sound, there is a refined elegance to it that showcases said performer's professional front as they step on to the stage. On a different note, the sound of "Otoko no Butai" reminds me of Taro Shoji's (東海林太郎) wartime entry "Ginza Owaricho" (銀座尾張町). I wonder if Mr. Nakano had been listening to that and took a hint.
I wish I could see that dance Hachi picked up. He merely bobbed up and down or did a muted jig in the clips I see of him. So to see a full dance from him would be akin to striking the lottery for me. Yes, I know my priorities are skewed.
Funauta Tsukiyo (船唄月夜) (1956)
Totemo su . te . ki janaika? Kono uta. In one of Hachi's 15th anniversary albums, King Records lyricist and creative director Ryo Yano(矢野亮) made a curious remark: Hachi's sailor-themed songs (madorosu mono) strangely tend to only receive lukewarm reactions. I'm inclined to agree, since my favourites don’t really include any specifically sailor tunes. Wharf-themed tunes, for sure. But not really tunes that feature sailors sailing the high seas. And then came "Funauta Tsukiyo". This is a jolly tune marked by this bouncy . little . bit towards the end of each stanza, giving the song an element of fun and mischief. This rhythmic segment is both memorable and a reflection of the trope of a carefree lifestyle in sailor songs, I feel. Admittedly, Hachi sounded a bit stiff in the original recording, but his delivery became much spunkier in the re-recorded version many years later. I wish I could see footage of Hachi singing this too. I can imagine him doing his little bounce.
This feels like the type of composition close to what Nakano would've ordinarily liked to make if he’d no obligation to “make (kayokyoku) that’ll sell”: Something bluesy/jazzy and mostly Western-sounding. He made many of this sort under King, but "Tokyo no Ari" seems to be one of the rare moderate successes. Its chaotic style isn't something I usually hear from Hachi, but it's pretty refreshing. This is another piece Hachi seemed to have taken a liking to for its unique sound.
Ore wa Hitoripocchi (俺は一人ぽっち) (1960)
I could be wrong, but it seemed like Mr. Nakano began incorporating what I think sounds like an electric organ (?) into his works from around this time. Or, at least, with more frequency. I like the deep, rolling drums and rattling percussions, especially at the start, which gives "Ore wa Hitoripocchi" a very slight bossa nova feel amid the swelling strings and frenetic piano. But I'm personally not a fan of the wobbly twang of the electric organ (?) as it kind of cuts the dramatic flair the song gives. Speaking of dramatic flair, my goodness, Hachi's vocals here felt off the charts! In general, I like Hachi's delivery for its gentleness, but can he heartily belt out songs when he needs to. And he can do so without losing that delicate and sentimental nature.
Hoshi yo Omae ga Koibito da (星よお前が恋人だ) (1960)
“Hoshi yo Omae ga Koibito da” is on a similar vein to "Tokyo no Ari", albeit less intense and of a more somber tone. I actually like melody of this one more than the more popular latter, and I think the wobbly whine of the electric organ (?) works better here when it does appear. It provides "Hoshi yo..." with a haunting atmosphere, but it does make it feel less raw than “Tokyo no Ari”. This tune showcases more of the lower range of Hachi's vocals. The lower range was what he struggled with most back when he was still in training, and even very early on in his career he did sound a bit awkward with his voice going that low. But as his voice matured as in "Hoshi yo...", I think it managed to convey the dark and more introspective nature of this tune pretty well.
Among the Hachi-Mr. Nakano compositions I've heard thus far, I love "Ruten no Yoru" the most. I'll say it now, but it's definitely within my Top 10 Hachi tunes overall. Mr. Nakano's melody sounds so lonely, yet it's so fascinating to listen to. Hachi sounds so sad, yet conveys the song so beautifully. Tamaranai.
Mr. Nakano from 1949; Hachi from the late 1950s/early 60s (?)
And with that, we've come to the end of the article. Of course, I think there are more entries by this combo that are either interesting or stuff that I enjoy, like "Tokyo Western" (this one isn't very Hachi, but it's so Nakano) and "Jirocho Tabi Shigure" (次郎長旅しぐれ) respectively. But what I've put here are a combination of both. My conclusion here is that butter in miso soup tastes good. And I'm saying it not because Mr. Nakano prepared it and Hachi served it... Okay, maybe I sort of am. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed some of Hachi's lesser-known works while also getting a little taste of what Mr. Nakano did during his postwar stint in music.
I wonder what I shall do next in the Hachi Centenary Project. Perhaps a Hachi-Michi one, or a Hachi-Hayashi one. Hayashi did also make many interesting pieces for Hachi, after all. There is also the tune by the Sannin no Kai (三人の会), the Hachi, Michi, and Muchi (Hideo Murata... 村田英雄) trio. I guess we'll see what speaks to me first.
P.S. The Ms. C who made my Mr. Nakano photo cards also educated me on the term "Bias Wrecker". This refers to another artiste you're head-over-heels for and competes with your Bias/oshi for the No.1 spot in your heart. A threatening 2nd place, if you will. In my case, this title bounces around five other fellows, and it's currently held by Nakano. I told Ms. C that, hypothetically speaking, among the other five, Mr. Nakano is the strongest competitor for 1st place. Upon reflection, he does score extremely high on my Voice-Works-Looks chart. But Hachi need not worry since he occupies a very special spot: Oshi no.1 and primary research subject. That has essentially made it impossible for any bias wrecker to topple him.
I'd read about entertainer Yukio Hashi's（橋幸夫）intention to retire this May at around his birthday at the age of 80, and according to the press conference above, he actually had already made his announcement last year. Well, earlier on the NHK News, he also declared that he was now looking for his successor. Thinking along the lines of traditional entertainers such as kabuki actors and rakugo storytellers who inherit names from their masters and pass them onto their beloved acolytes, he posited about why couldn't a singer do the same thing. It would be setting a precedent since as far as I know, this had never been done before involving a singer from the kayo kyoku era.
The surprising thing was that I had assumed that the singer was using a stage name of Yukio Hashi which would have made things easier in terms of passing on a name. But looking at his J-Wiki profile, I found out that Yukio Hashi is indeed his birth name, although the second kanji for his first name Yukio（橋幸男）at birth is different from the one that has been used in his career. Maybe that was good enough for Hashi to treat the name that his fans have known all this time as a stage name. Regardless, Hashi is searching for that younger, tougher and more talented singer to become Yukio Hashi II (and again that special second kanji will be changing) to sing his old hits so that fans and others won't ever forget them. I wish him well.
Noelle Tham was good enough to cover Hashi's debut single"Itakogasa" (潮来笠) from July 1960, so I'm going with his second entry, "Are ga Misaki no Hi da"(That's the Light of the Cape) which was released a mere month following his debut. I believe that it was normal for the singles of new singers to come out strong and fast so not surprisingly, his third single"Okesa Utaeba"（おけさ唄えば...Singing in the Traditional Style） came out a little more than a month later in October.
It's been the case sometimes that I have to wonder whether a certain Japanese song is actually an enka or a straight ahead kayo kyoku or Japanese pop song. "Are ga Misaki no Hi da" has that somewhat emotional and slightly mournful tone that the traditional genre of enka is famous for, but Hashi's second single is also arranged through Western instruments and according to the J-Wiki article for "Are ga Misaki no Hi da", it's been categorized as a kayo kyoku. Well, I'll do my usual straddling of the genres here.
Regardless, the song was created by veteran songsmiths, lyricist Takao Saeki（佐伯孝雄）and composer Tadashi Yoshida（吉田正）. Hashi sings about a man relating a story to someone while on board a ship rounding a promontory and points out perhaps what could be a lighthouse or a beacon there. It just so happens that the man's home port is there along with the love of his life. It's uncertain whether the relationship is ongoing or is now in the past tense but just judging from the tone of the song and the usual kayo tropes, it could very much be the latter. However, Hashi sings in his last line that the woman has changed the man no matter what the status of the relationship is.
Through a book that Hashi co-wrote titled "Hashi Yukio Kayo Tamashi"（橋幸夫歌謡魂...Yukio Hashi The Soul of Kayo） and referenced on J-Wiki, he stated that because of the lightning-quick release of his early singles in the 1960s, although he personally liked "Are ga Misaki no Hi da", the hits of his first and third singles rendered his second single into a less venerated song. Still, it managed to sell around 100,000 copies throughout 1961 so it was no big flop by any means.
Getting back to the news of Hashi's retirement from the geinokai, I really felt that time has been going by since he will be leaving in a few months as a familiar face in entertainment and as one of the Ganso Gosanke（元祖御三家）. One other member of the trio, Teruhiko Saigo（西郷輝彦）, died almost a year ago, which would leave only Kazuo Funaki（舟木一夫）.
As if anyone needed reminding, it is indeed October 1st, 2022. Time for fall leaves, harvesting and good food such as matsutake mushrooms and grilled sanma in Japan. Turkey and pumpkin pie would be the delicacies here in Canada and the United States, but I digress.
Last Saturday, I began a series known as "Go-Touchi Songs", those tunes that reflect a certain region or prefecture or city in Japan. They are held near and dear by many people in the country and last weekend, I started with Hokkaido and the Tohoku region which tends towards the northern part of the main island of Honshu. But as promised, I am now going into the area where I spent almost two decades of my life: the Kanto region which includes Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Gunma, Chiba and Kanagawa Prefectures along with Metropolitan Tokyo. As was displayed in last week's list, the songs aren't all about enka and Mood Kayo. Also to reiterate, this is a very tiny list merely to provide a small taste of these geographically based songs (especially where Tokyo and Yokohama are concerned); you can take a look at the far more extensive list at J-Wiki. Plus, I'll be covering the Chubu region next week.
1. Yukio Hashi -- Itakogasa (潮来笠) for Itako City in Ibaraki (1960)
2. Duke Aces -- Ii Yu da na （いい湯だな）for Gunma (1966)
7. Ayumi Ishida -- Blue Light Yokohama（ブルーライト・ヨコハマ）for Yokohama, Kanagawa (1968)
As was the case with Hokkaido and the Tohoku last week, I'd like to finish with a couple of delicacies from the Kanto: yaki manju（焼き饅頭）in Gunma and monjayaki（もんじゃ焼き）in Tokyo respectively.
Well, this all started from reading a tweet from Scott of "Holly Jolly X'masu" fame when he noted that a couple of days ago, it was National Peanut Day. I do love my goobers, especially when it's in peanut brittle or chocolate of any form.
So I figure that it was time for me to put up a song by The Peanuts（ザ・ピーナッツ）since it's been a while. I wrote up about their very first single from April 1959, "Kawaii Hana"(可愛い花）, over a decade ago in the very early months of "Kayo Kyoku Plus", so I figure that I would take a look at their sophomore effort which came out a mere two months following that debut.
That 2nd single was "Quizas Quizas Quizas" although it sold in Japan as simply "Quizas Quizas", and like "Kawaii Hana", this particular song was also a cover of a 1947 song written by Cuban songwriter Osvaldo Farrés which became a hit for singerBobby Capó from Puerto Rico. That original Spanish title translates as "Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps", and the lyrics involve a man probably gnashing his teeth while letting his girlfriend dance with another fellow. He wonders whether this could be detrimental to the relationship, and thus the title dances about in his head.
Compared to the dramatic flair of the original by Capó, The Peanuts' cover of "Quizas Quizas Quizas" is more of a slow stealthy tango as if the poor guy who allowed his girlfriend to be possibly seduced by the other fellow is having his doubts very slowly insinuating themselves into his cerebral cortex. Hiroshi Miyagawa（宮川泰）arranged this version while the Japanese lyrics were provided by Takashi Otowa（音羽たかし）, the pen name for any director at King Records when a Western song is being translated into Japanese.
The following year, singer Chiemi Eri（江利チエミ）did a really boss version of "Quizas Quizas Quizas" in her August 1960 album"Chiemi Latin wo Utau"（チエミ ラテンを歌う...Chiemi Sings Latin）. And she performed it in the original Spanish, to boot. Perez Prado would probably have been very impressed if he'd had a chance to listen to her.
In June 2005, the incomparable Lisa Ono（小野リサ）from Brazil provided her own bossa nova-influenced take on "Quizas Quizas Quizas" in her album "Romance Latino Vol.1 -Los Boleros Al Estilo De Bossanova-". This version is so warm, honeyed and relaxing that there is no virtually no sensation of romantic emasculation here. The guy would probably let the dancing Lothario take his girlfriend away and even give the new couple some money for the hotel with his congratulations.
There have been a couple of articles featuring the late actor and singer Hiroshi Moriya（守屋浩）who had passed away in September 2020, including "Boku wa Naichicchi"（僕は泣いちっち）, an enka ballad by songwriter Kuranosuke Hamaguchi（浜口庫之助）which may have been the first of his songs to get recorded.
However, I have neglected to provide some background information on Moriya who was born in Chiba Prefecture in 1938 as Kunihiko Moriya（守屋邦彦）. In his late teens, he got his first taste of showbiz when he joined the rockabilly band Swing West（スイングウェスト）as a roadie in 1957 and then got involved with the Nichigeki Western Carnival（日劇ウエスタンカーニバル）the following year at the Nihon Gekijo Theatre in Tokyo.
At around the same time, Takeo Hori（堀威夫）, the founder of Hori Productions, later to become the talent agency Horipro tacked on the stage name of Hiroshi Moriya to young Kunihiko so that he could be promoted along a couple of other Hiroshi-tagged actor/singers, Hiroshi Inoue（井上ひろし）and Hiroshi Mizuhara（水原弘）to become known as Sannin Hiroshi（三人ひろし）, aka The Three Hiroshis, during the late 1950s going into the early 1960s. With the rockabilly boom in full swing (no pun intended), Moriya began to grow his fame.
Still, the song that I have here by Moriya tonight doesn't sound anything like a rockabilly tune. In fact, I'd say that "Arigata ya Bushi" (The Thank You Tune),his hit single from November 1960 is definitely in the traditional Japanese vein, although with a mix of festival-loving minyo, a bit of Latin even, and an arrangement that also feels like it could easily be played by an old-fashioned chindon'ya band. The interesting thing, though, is that the composer is unknown, although according to the J-Wiki article for "Arigata ya Bushi", it may have originated from a song devoted to the Buddha on the island of Shikoku, although it's been also said that it had been sung as a folk tune all the way over in Nagoya.
Whatever the origin legend may say, "Arigata ya Bushi" was written by the aforementioned Hamaguchi basically as someone's somewhat snarky theory of life (yeah, yeah, thank ya, thank ya, whatever!) as unnecessary hustle and bustle while the fellow himself is more than happy to go or lay about at his own sweet pace. Considering the times, the famed lyricist even installs a note about a woman he likes spending her time attending university demonstrations. "Arigata ya Bushi" may have been about the joy of fecklessness, but it really hustled in the sales department, selling around 140,000 records a few months after its November debut.
(I'm sorry but the video has been taken down.)
The J-Wiki article also mentions that "Arigata ya Bushi" had its cover versions including one by Yujiro Ishihara（石原裕次郎）via one of his movies in 1963. Speaking of that, the success of the song also led to a movie based on it, "Arigata ya Bushi Aah Arigata ya Arigata ya"（有難や節 あゝ有難や有難や...Doing What I Please） that was released in May 1961 with one of the stars being Moriya himself. In the above video, lyricist Hamaguchi himself gives his own song a go.
Another rollicking cover was provided by reggae singer KAJA as the ending theme song for the fourth season of the TV Asahi assassin series "The Hangman"（ザ・ハングマン）in 1984. Incidentally, KAJA shouldn't be confused with the obscure band Kaja that I'd already written about a couple of years ago. As such, I'll keep the reggae singer listed in Labels with "(reggae)" next to it. The pronunciation is also different in that the band Kaja sounds like "ka-ya".
I was having a conversation with commenter James Noah who like me spent many years in Japan, and he asked me if I'd covered Keiichiro Akagi（赤木圭一郎）in the blog. Sheepishly, I had to admit that I didn't even know who Akagi was since I was never a huge fan of the old movies in Japan ("The Seven Samurai" was pretty much it for me). James was then kind enough to tell me about this young intense actor of the late 1950s and early 1960s who was lined up with other popular stars of the time such as Yujiro Ishihara（石原裕次郎）and Akira Kobayashi（小林旭）. According to Wikipedia, J-Wiki and James himself, he was seen as the Japanese equivalent of James Dean through his good looks, tough guy outfits and rough-and-tumble but decent-guy performances. However, in terms of his face, he resembled Tony Curtis which is why he earned the nickname of Tony. Another nickname was The Cool Guy, I guess, to distinguish him from Ishihara's Tough Guy and Kobayashi's Might Guy.
Unfortunately, another commonality between the Tokyo-born Akagi and Dean was the brevity of their lives. Dean was killed in an auto accident in 1955 at the age of 24 whereas Akagi died in 1961 when the go-cart that he was driving at Nikkatsu Studios lost control and collided into a steel door. He was only 21. But during that short film career between 1958 and 1961, he had already amassed 26 movies.
Actually, the above video is of Akagi with actress/singer Ruriko Asaoka（浅丘ルリ子）in the 1960 "Nukiuchi no Ryu"（抜き射ちの竜...The Dragon Lashes Out）, the first of four movies in the "Kenju Burai-chō"（拳銃無頼帖...The Villainous/Independent Record of a Gun） series about a top-notch gunman. The first scene shown in the video indicates how the studios may have wanted to have those comparisons made between Akagi and some of those Hollywood young turks of the time. I swear that first scene must have been inspired by the pivotal one in the 1954 "On the Waterfront" with Marlon Brando and Rod Steiger (unfortunately, that video has been taken down and replaced).
The other movie that Akagi was known for is "Muteki ga Ore wo Yondeiru"(The Call of the Foghorn) from July 1960. A story of mystery, violence, betrayal and heartbreak, Akagi plays a ship's navigator who lands in Yokohama and ends up playing detective when he's told of the death of an old friend under strange circumstances. The film was the final one for Akagi before his untimely death.
Of course, being the star of the movie, Akagi was pretty much obliged to sing the theme song for the movie as would be the case for his contemporaries, Ishihara and Kobayashi. Given the same title, "Muteki ga Ore wo Yondeiru" was written by Kaoru Mizuki（水木かおる）and composed by Hideyuki Fujiwara（藤原秀行）, and it became a big hit for the star. Following in the vocal footsteps of the above-mentioned stars, Akagi gives a laconic, devil-may-care but also melancholy performance as he hints at the plot of the movie via Mizuki's lyrics. Meanwhile, the music has that well-known feeling of the downbeat downtown life through the muted trumpet, mournful saxes and the cutting strings. I think hard-boiled would be an apt description of both movie and theme song.
As I have for Dean, I also now wonder what would have become of Akagi if he had survived the crash.
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.
Yesterday, I found out that veteran actor, emcee and tarento Tadao Takashima（高島忠夫）had passed away in the last few days at the age of 88. He was a very familiar face on Japanese TV, and my first experience of seeing him was as the congenial host of Fuji-TV's "Golden Youga Gekijo"（ゴールデン洋画劇場...Golden Western Movie Theatre）, one of the regular movie programs of the week showing off Hollywood flicks.
I also got to know him as the host of a few quiz programs such as the above "Quiz Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Don!"（クイズ・ドレミファドン!）on the same network.
Basically, his whole family was on television, it seems. For nearly 30 years, Takashima and his wife, actress Hanayo Sumi（寿美花代）, hosted a cooking show on NTV called "Gochisousama"（ごちそうさま...Thank You for the Meal）. Also, their two sons, Masanobu and Masahiro（高嶋政伸・高嶋政宏）, have also become very famous actors.
As I've mentioned in past articles, it used to be the usual thing for anyone who entered the big time in the geinokai, no matter which particular area, to get some songs recorded. Takashima released quite a plethora of them between 1954 and 1960 with his final one in that period being "Banana no Uta"(The Banana Song) released in May 1960.
This was a duet with fellow actress Yukiji Asaoka（朝丘雪路）that became the theme song for the movie "Banana"（バナナ）for which I'm assuming that both appeared in. Written by Shuntaro Tanikawa（谷川俊太郎）and composed by Toshiro Mayuzumi（黛敏郎）, it's a cute little Latin piece which has me wondering if there were some inspiration from songs by folks such as Perry Como and Harry Belafonte. Mind you, near the end, the back-and-forth male and female choruses sounded somewhat kabuki-ish.
In any case, another television legend has left the spotlight. All my condolences to the Takashima family.
Saw these two Frank Nagai（フランク永井）chestnuts last night on YouTube and both were interesting, so I've decided to kill two birds with one stone here.
This isn't one of the early songs by the Master of Mood Kayo in his career since by this point, Nagai had been in the business for around five years, but I would like to introduce "Tokyo Cachito" from October 1960, a spicy number that was written by Takao Saeki（佐伯孝夫）and composed by Tadashi Yoshida（吉田正）. When I first saw the title, I assumed that cachito referred to either a type of dance or a cocktail. However, when I checked the linguistic banks, I discovered that it was Spanish for "a little bit", so I gather that the title could mean "A Little Bit of Tokyo".
Well, according to Saeki's lyrics for this Latin slice from Mood Kayo, the little bit of Tokyo refers to Akasaka which has been the neighbourhood of high-class clubs, bars and Korean restaurants. Basically, it's been a rival to Ginza but I guess that it was a pretty enviable spot back in the early postwar era as well. Of course, Nagai croons about life and love in the tony district with the same sort of arrangement that would be afforded to groups like The Mahina Stars and Los Primos. Because of his age at the time, Nagai has a certain lightness in his vocals which kinda takes things into the night sky overlooking Akasaka rather than keep them in the smoky confines of a bar there.
One reason for bringing two for the price of one, so to speak, is that I not only wanted to distinguish the different times but also the different styles. "Roppongi Waltz", which was the first of his four singles released in 1985 (February), the final year that he released original singles (he tried to commit suicide in October; he survived but was left with permanent brain damage), is a song that I would consider to be Mood Kayo as well but it does straddle the line between that genre and a form of sophisticated pop.
Written by the legendary Yu Aku（阿久悠）and composed by Yoshida again (one of his final works for Nagai), "Roppongi Waltz" doesn't quite sound as if it belongs in the area since Roppongi is still a fairly raucous neighbourhood, and this particular song is quite genteel with the seasoned and almost-cooing vocals by the singer and the soft female chorus backing him up. In fact, I would probably have re-titled it "Shirokane Waltz" after the very wealthy and quiet vicinity of Shirokane in Minato Ward in Tokyo. I only know it because a couple of my students once took me out to lunch at a French restaurant there. But getting back to the point, the waltz seems to be making the point of wistful and graceful aging (thanks to those tender strings), with a husband and wife who've been married for decades having a fun little trip over the dance floor. The fact that it was one of his final singles lends some more poignancy.
My visits to Sugamo's Mukashi no Uta no Mise, besides giving me the satisfaction and joy of singing songs I love for the people who love them, are opportunities for me to expand my knowledge in the field of enka and kayo kyoku. Many a times had the folks picked songs unfamiliar to me, and while some simply garnered a lukewarm "Eh...", a fraction of them get the immediate green light to be seared into the annals of my mind and to later be checked out via YouTube, and a couple even got articles of their own. Today, I will be giving another such song it's write-up.
I will always associate this song to this memory: It had been easily a couple of hours into the Saturday afternoon session and I had downed my sushi peace offering, a Madeline pastry and some sort of flattened, sweetened tofu thing (I didn't like this one, but finished it for the sake of courtesy). Waiting for my selection to go up the list of songs to be sung, I saw "O-hyakudo Koi-san" up next. It wasn't a title I knew, but the sight of Hiroshi Wada & Mahina Stars (和田弘とマヒナスターズ) beside it gave me a sense of familiarity and a little reassurance. It also gave me the impression that a Hawaiian-themed Mood Kayo, be it depressingly melancholic or whimsically playful, was about to hit the ears of all present. Whatever it was, we were sure to be in good hands as M-chan, the quietest but easily the most popular performer, was behind the mic.
Amidst the rabid cheers for M-chan and excited chatter, what I heard from the karaoke melody of "O-hyakudo Koi-san" and the unassuming uncle's gentle crooning had a different sound unlike my initial speculation. In fact, it had more of an soft enka flavour that agreed with me... even though I could just barely hear the song. So during my own free time, I decided to look up this interesting Mahina Stars number with the intention of listening to it again and to relive that insane afternoon. Hearing it again just made me like it even more.
With this being a song from a Hawaiian MK group, of course the music has to have that cold Western twang of the steel guitar, contrasting the otherwise somewhat traditional Japanese sound it has going for it. And when the vocals come in, both provide a lonely and haunting atmosphere to "Koi-san", though I find it oddly comforting. As for the lyrics, this song is set in Osaka's central business district of Senba (船場), and is about the titular Koi-san making trips to the famous Hozenji shrine to pray.
Considering that the Hozenji Mizukake Fudo is one of the best known deities to pray to for love and lasting marriages (Meoto Zenzai), I have an idea as to what Koi-san wishes for. From my understanding, I think she is absolutely smitten with this childhood sweetheart of hers, and in hopes that they'd be together forever she goes to the little temple to pray for that to happen. Despite the, perhaps, odds of their union, Koi-san refuses to give up on this fellow and religiously visits Mizukake Fudo (a hundred times, hence the title) to increase her chances... ... *Sudden epiphany* What if her beloved was actually set to marry/likes someone else, but Koi-san can't accept this and hopes that the moss-covered deity can intervene someway or somehow? (Cue dramatic gasp)
Well, that aside, this brings me to my favourite part of the song, which is hearing the way the Mahina Stars guys make her plight known through their forlorn manner of singing, which sounds like the woman desperately beseeching the deity for some breakthrough.
"O-hyakudo Koi-san" was released early on in the Mood Kayo group's career in May 1960. It had its words written by Kunizo Kishi (喜志邦三), and the melody composed by Masanobu Tokuchi (渡久地政信), who was renowned for putting together the markedly jollier "Otomi-san" (お富さん) 6 years prior. "Koi-san" seemed to be decently received commercially as I've been seeing that it does get its time in the spotlight during some of the Mahina Stars' medleys, so it wasn't just left as just a memory to avid fans of the group from days of yore and sung on occasion in a dingy little karaoke joint.
P.S. To give you an idea of how M-chan sounded like, I thought his vocals were surprisingly similar to the lead vocalist Satoshi Mihara (三原さと志) - the singer with the deepest vocals and the one who sang first in this song.
Tonight's "Uta Kon"（うたコン）had the well-deserved tribute to the late singer-songwriter Masaaki Hirao（平尾昌晃）as the episode's theme. And so a number of the veterans showed up to sing the Hirao-penned songs that became hits for them. Hiroshi Itsuki（五木ひろし）started things off with a misty-eyed performance of "Yokohama Tasogare"（よこはま・たそがれ）, Rumiko Koyanagi（小柳ルミ子）sang the wistful "Seto no Hanayome"（瀬戸の花嫁）, and as the second-last tribute number, Yoko Hatanaka（畑中葉子）performed "Canada kara no Tegami"（カナダからの手紙）, her duet with Hirao via some old video footage.
But then the last number in the tribute came from Hirao's old friend and comrade-in-arms, fellow rockabilly singer Mickey Curtis（ミッキー・カーチス）. To be honest, when I saw him sitting with the hosts and the rest of the singers tonight, I was a bit nervous about whether he would be up for the performance considering how wizened and hunched over he looked. However, his jazzy cover of Hirao's "Koi no Katamichi Kippu"(One-Way Ticket of Love) was something he pulled off with aplomb, even finishing things with him on the harmonica.
Yep, "Koi no Katamichi Kippu" was one of Hirao's singles during his time as a rockabilly star. It came out in 1960 with Takashi Otowa（音羽たかし）providing the Japanese lyrics.
And yep, I did mention Japanese lyrics since "Koi no Katamichi Kippu" was actually the Japanese cover for a Neil SedakaB-side to his 1959 single"Oh! Carol". The song was titled "One-Way Ticket (To The Blues)" with Jack Keller and Hank Hunter as the original songwriters. According to the Wikipedia article for the song, Hirao's cover went up to No. 1 on the Japanese pop charts although Oricon was several years away from launching.
I've gotta say that Hirao does a fine job with "Koi no Katamichi Kippu"; I'd say that for me, it's his best cover of an American song that I've found while doing the blog.
I also found this footage of Hirao performing the song in some movie which actually has him dealing with a rather deranged critic. Mind you, the only casualty here was the raspberry that provided the "blood".
