Cover Songs With Kasuga Hachiro (春日八郎のカバー曲)

Michi, Koga Sensei, Hachi
From "Shinobu"

Hachiro Kasuga (春日八郎) recorded a lot of cover songs, ranging from Meiji-Taisho enka to early Showa kayo to 1980s pop enka. It's thanks to these covers that I got to learn a fair amount about a wide array of songs, some of which becoming personal favourites. But did you know, that the concept of covering pop songs, produced by record companies, wasn't as commonplace as it is now prior to the late 1960s? 

Feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken, but based on my understanding of sources like Yusuke Wajima's (輪島裕介) "Tsukurareta 'Nihon no Kokoro' Shinwa" (創られた「日本の心」神話) (2010), it was due to the old record company contract system from the late 1920s. What this system entailed was that a songwriter or singer, bound to a particular record company by contract, could not provide songs for a different company/sing songs made by a different company. There was also this concept of the mochi uta, where a song made for a singer was theirs and theirs only; to cover another's song (officially) was, I quote from venerable lyricist Kikutaro Takahashi (高橋掬太郎), "akin to betrayal", even if they were from the same company. For instance, Akira Matsudaira (松平晃) would not be able to cover Tadaharu Nakano's (中野忠晴) "China Tango" under most circumstances, even though they were both from Columbia Records. Or Columbia's Mr. Nakano would not have been able to cover King Records' Isao Hayashi's (林伊佐緒) "Kiso Bushi Bolero" (木曽節ボレロ). Rather limiting stuff. 

Miura, Hachi, Yukiko Nomura
From "Shinobu"

Of course, there were multiple exceptions and there were instances of insane loophole gymnastics. And one of these loopholes would change the record industry game for the better. This watershed moment that got rid of this limiting restriction was Shinichi Mori's (森進一) (Victor) cover album of Masao Koga's (古賀政男) (Columbia) works, "Kage wo Shitaite" (影を慕いて), from 1968. Initially seen as inconceivable, composer Kosho Inomata (猪俣公章) who was the album's director managed to do some insane contract red tape gymnastics and dodging Koga Sensei's initial wrath to get it done. This involved picking only the Koga Melody that did not "belong" to Columbia Records, i.e. those that were from the legendary composer's early Victor and Golden Age Teichiku days. The album's resounding success threw out the stigma around covers and cross-company collaborations. So much so that now it's essentially a given in at least the enka world. I'd go so far as to say that some past kayo have become "must covers"/a rite of passage for any modern day enka singer. Oddly enough, one of these enka rites of passages is doing a Koga Melody cover.

In terms of same company covers, assuming the producers at King Records weren't being hyperbolic, the first full-on same company artist collab album was Hachi and his junior Michiya Mihashi's (三橋美智也) "Ougon no Utagoe" (黄金の歌声) from 1970. That was where both artists covered about 14 of each others' mochi uta. I believe it was also in 1970 when Kasuga began recording cover songs in earnest. 

Anyways, this brief Japanese record industry history tidbit leads me to what I want to feature for my Hachi Centenary Project article: Hachi's cover songs I enjoy. I've always been picky about original singers, but sometimes covers just hit different, sometimes with better arrangements or better vocals. It's with these factors in mind that I share my picks of Hachi covers. At the same time, perhaps these songs may introduce you to some Taisho and Showa era classics, as they did for me. As a side note, I will also mention some of the albums each song is in.

Ochiba Shigure (落葉しぐれ) (1953) -- Koichi Miura (三浦洸一)

This song is difficult with some intense peaks and dips, but Hachi maneuvers them so effortlessly and smoothly in this classic nagashi/sasurai mono. Maybe folks are right in saying that Hachi is just good at these sort of enka style kayo.

Albums: Showa no Enka Kasuga Hachiro Fukyu no Meisaku wo Utau (昭和の艶歌 春日八郎不朽の名作を歌う) (1971), Kasuga Hachiro Enka Hyaku Sen (春日八郎 演歌百選) (1973)

Dotonbori Koshinkyoku (道頓堀行進曲) (1928) -- Ichiro Utsumi (内海一郎)

Hachi said that jazz doesn't fit him and some have said that he couldn't express that jazz feeling. I have to admit that there are some number where I felt that the jazz feeling was lacking a little. But not with this one. Also, it may be a hot take to fans of early Showa Japanese jazz, but this is the best version of "Dotonbori Koshinkyoku" with the best arrangement. I will die on this hill.

A point to note is that Hachi re-recorded this in his 1975 "Kasuga Hachiro no Osaka Jocho" (春日八郎の大阪情緒), but its arrangement was not as raw and... jazzy. The original cover from the 1962 "Taisho/Showa Hayari-uta" (春日八郎の大正・昭和はやり唄) album is the one I'm for.

Albums: Kasuga Hachiro no Taisho/Showa Hayari-uta, Kasuga Hachiro no Osaka Jocho, Kasuga Hachiro Osaka wo Utau (春日八郎 大阪を歌う) (2011)

Nagasaki Chanson (長崎シャンソン) (1946) -- Shizuo Higuchi (樋口静雄)

The song comes in at 24:24.

I praise the creative decision to have Hachi sing the chorus, "Batten Nagasaki __ no machi, mimase yokatoko yori masse" (But Nagasaki's the city of__, c'mon over and check out this fine place... The line is in the Nagasaki/Kyushu dialect), unlike Higuchi's original. Higuchi's wasn't bad, but it just felt lacking to have just the back-up singers handle that crucial bit.

Albums: Kasuga Hachiro no Nagasaki no Jocho (春日八郎の長崎情緒) (1976), Kasuga Hachiro Showa Kayo wo Utau (春日八郎 昭和歌謡を歌う) (2010)

Karisome no Koi (かりそめの恋) (1949) -- Machiko Sanjo (三条町子)

Fun fact: I believe this was one of the songs Hachi saw/hear Mrs. Kasuga, Keiko Watabe (渡部恵子), sing while she was working as a part-time singer at the same restaurant as him back in the day. On a side note, I feel that Hachi's soft, forlorn-tinged voice fits this sort of blues/Mood Kayo-like songs to a T.

Album: Nihon no Uta Meiji/Taisho/Showa Hayari-uta (日本の歌　明治・大正・昭和はやりうた) (1977)

Onna no Kaikyu (女の階級) (1936) -- Shigeo Kusunoki (楠木繁夫)

Of all the songs on this is one of the rare numbers where I enjoy both the original and the cover in equal measure. Anyways, I've read that Koga Sensei wanted "Onna no Kaikyu" to be of a slower pace, contrary to the brisk pace of Kusunoki's original. I think it's in covers like Hachi's where you can hear the composer's intended vision.

Albums: Kasuga Hachiro Koga Melody wo Utau (春日八郎 古賀メロディーを歌う) (1971/1975/1992), Kasuga Hachiro Koga Masao wo Utau (春日八郎 古賀政男を歌う) (1974), Showa no Enka Kasuga Hachiro Fukyu no Meisaku wo Utau, Kasuga Hachiro Enka Hyaku Sen 

Palau Koishiya (パラオ恋しや) (1941) -- Haruo Oka (岡晴夫)

Hachi's smooth delivery makes Okapparu's mochi uta more polished, and I think you can feel it in a relaxed tropical island number like "Palau Koishiya". Interestingly enough, even though Kasuga recorded this cover, it wasn't included in his 1977 Oka cover album, "Kasuga Hachiro Oka Haruo wo Utau" (春日八郎 岡晴夫を歌う). Rather it seems to have only been released decades later in 2010 via "Showa Kayo wo Utau". Perhaps they'd already hit the song limit for the 1977 one, so "Palau Koishiya" got dropped.

Fun fact: Okapparu, known for that strident and nasally delivery with large lung capacity, was said to have developed these attributes during his days as an enka shi/nagashi (street musician). Because of the cigarette smog in bars, he learned to sing in this manner to reduce the need for inhaling the smoke and damaging his vocals.

Albums: Kasuga Hachiro Showa Kayo wo Utau

Hoshi no Nagare ni (星の流れに) (1947) -- Akiko Kikuchi (菊池章子)

The hardship of immediate postwar Japan can be felt in this song about the realities of many women who had to turn to working the night to survive. Perhaps it would be more appropriate sung by a woman, but Hachi's voice is more filled with a pained longing than heavy melancholy, which fits the emotions expressed in this song.

Albums: Enka to wa Nandarou Kasuga Hachiro Show (演歌とは何だろう〈春日八郎ショー〉)(1973), Kasuga Hachiro Enka Hyaku Sen, Kasuga Hachiro Showa Kayo wo Utau

Epilogue

Something I noticed when studying the covers Hachi recorded was that he never covered any (Ryoichi) Hattori (服部良一) Melody save for one: Mieko Takamine's (高峰三枝子) "Kohan no Yado" (湖畔の宿) - correct me if I'm wrong. I wonder if it's because R. Hatter was known for jazz and "pop", and thus not fitting with the enka rhetoric in the 70s and 80s.

On a different note, among the other fellas I love, Hachi has covered Akira-san's, Bin Uehara's (上原敏), and Yoshio Tabata's (田端義夫) stuff. As I've said, I can be very picky with covers. As much as I love Hachi, originals win here, especially for Bin-san and Batayan. I'm more forgiving with the Akira-san covers, though. This is because Hachi and Akira-san vaguely share a similar vocal quality in that they are great at conveying forlornness - the difference is that Hachi sounds empathetic while Akira-san sounds needy (purely subjective). So, I thought the former's covers of the latter's hits, "Isoge Horo Basha" (急げ幌馬車) and "Circus no Uta" (サーカスの唄), were pretty good, but the arrangements just fell short. 

"Isoge Horo Basha"

But, y'know, a dream Hachi cover of mine is "China Tango". I know I'll regret it because, while I know it'll be good, Hachi has nowhere near the same level of sex appeal as Mr. Nakano to pull it off. But I just want to hear it. Not because it'll be hot, but because I think it'll be kinda funny.

Noelle's Favourite 1930s & 1940s Songs (Follow-up)

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.  

Without further ado, let's begin.

Bin Uehara -- Hatoba Katagi (1938)

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 just the 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.

Ooooooossu!

Yoshio Tabata -- Otone Tsukiyo (1939)

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.  

Katsuhiko Haida -- Jawa no Mango Uri (1942)

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 ukulele 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?? 

Tadaharu Nakano -- China Tango (1939)

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. 

Akiko Kikuchi/Yuriko Futaba -- Ganpeki no Haha（岸壁の母）

 

As I've mentioned in the past, enka and Mood Kayo can have a number of lyrical themes including the trial and tribulations of work, crying one's sorrows in drink or having that romantic whirlwind (illicit or not).

One other common raison d'etre for an enka ballad or an old kayo regards the pining for a loved one lost due to various circumstances including war. I used to hear one on my parents' stereo in which there was one song that had the very memorable scream of "MOTHER!!!" in Japanese in the middle, perhaps being yelled out by a soldier who was about to lose his life on the battlefield. 

Recently on an "Uta Con"（うたコン）episode late last year, there was a rendition of such a song that has probably cleared many tear ducts since it was first introduced. Titled "Ganpeki no Haha" (Mother at the Wharf), it was first released as a single by Akiko Kikuchi（菊池章子）in September 1954, and it was modeled upon a woman named Ise Tanno（端野いせ）* who had visited a wharf frequently (although I'm not sure whether it was every day) in the hopes that her son would return from a Soviet prisoner-of-war camp. You can read the full story at the link here.

Written by Masato Fujita（藤田まさと）and composed by Namiryuu Hirakawa（平川浪竜）**, the sad lyrics are overlaid with an elegant, even slightly buoyant, melody which has often gone hand-in-hand with what a kayo was all about. If I hadn't understood the lyrics, I probably wouldn't have recognized "Ganpeki no Haha" as a cry-worthy tune of loss and forlorn hope. The song did hit a nerve among the Japanese since it sold over a million records.

Many years later in 1971, kayo singer Yuriko Futaba（二葉百合子）provided her version of "Ganpeki no Haha" through an album of covers titled "Futaba Yuriko no Namida no Kayo Gekijo"（二葉百合子の涙の歌謡劇場...Yuriko Futaba's Tearful Song Theatre）, and then a single with "Ganpeki no Haha" was released in February 1972. I don't know how the recorded version sounds like but if it's anything like how Futaba performed it before the TV audiences, then this cover gained a certain grandeur, almost like a Hideo Murata（村田英雄）song. Apparently, according to the J-Wiki article on the song, this version incorporated a rokyoku rhythm.

Through the combined sales of LP records, audiotape and singles, Futaba's "Ganpeki no Haha" did even better than the original by selling more than 2.5 million copies. The song also went as high as No. 3 on the Oricon weeklies and became the 5th-biggest single of 1976. A number of other enka singers since then have covered it including Aya Shimazu（島津亜矢）and Sayuri Ishikawa（石川さゆり）.

*The article regarding the mother includes two different readings of the kanji for her last name: Tanno and Hashino. Not sure if this was by design or the writer simply made a mistake here.

**Not 100%  sure on the reading of the first name although according to "Music Brainz", it's being read that way.