Akina Nakamori -- Ame no Requiem（雨のレクイエム）

 

Just to echo my friend, fellow KKP administrator/contributor and occasional lunch/dinner buddy, Larry Chan, Happy 61st Birthday to Akina Nakamori（中森明菜）. As I mentioned in my comments to him following his article on "Gomen to, Suki to"「ごめんと、好きと」, it used to be the tradition on the blog whenever we celebrated July 13th that we gave our greetings in the form of nervously hoping that Nakamori was doing OK wherever she was. Well, in the last couple of years, it looks like she is feeling fine and so I'm ready to retire the tradition and know that she's in pretty good spirits.✌

Reading the previous article, I was more than happy to have our annual July 13th Akina article written by Larry with my blessing since it's been another tradition to alternate our contributions, year by year. But then I thought why not have the two of us providing articles on this hot summery day? Mind you, both of us gave our Favourites lists a dozen years ago: "Larry's Akina Top 6 Picks (post-1991 era)" and "J-Canuck's Favourite Six Akina Songs"...man, time flies quickly!

Since a lot of us on the blog put up a lot of Akina tunes from early on in KKP's history, it's been a little difficult as of late to find something "new", but I was able to once again scour the early B-sides of the lass' singles. As a result, I was able to find this one titled "Ame no Requiem" (Rainy Requiem) which was the flip side to her September 1983 single "Kinku"（禁区）. That song, coincidentally enough, was the very first Akina song I heard and it was the song that she sang during her first appearance on NHK's Kohaku Utagassen at the end of that year. 

"Kinku" was that rather dramatic technopop hit composed by Yellow Magic Orchestra's Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣）, and so I figured that knowing that, "Ame no Requiem" would most likely be a much softer ballad vocalized by Akina in that high and feathery love song style that she used to do in her earliest years to contrast with the deeper voice that powered songs like "Kinku", 

Well...yeah..."Ame no Requiem" was definitely a different kettle of fish. It came off as being so French that while I was listening to it, the taste of garlic and butter escargots popped into my mouth along with a glass of Bourgogne Aligoté. The surprising thing was that the composer was none other than Koji Tamaki（玉木浩二）, lead singer of Anzen Chitai（安全地帯）; never realized that he had that much of the City of Lights in him. He definitely brought in the Fashion Music for Akina! Rui Serizawa（芹沢類）was the lyricist while Mitsuo Hagita（萩田光雄）took care of the arrangement (he probably helped out with the French flavourings, too).

If you have any B-sides of Akina that you've enjoyed, please let us know!

Happy 61st Birthday, Akina-san! (中森明菜)

Happy Birthday, Akina-san!

I'm glad that Akina is healthy again and has been active recently.  On July 1st, she just released her new single, "Gomen to, Suki to"「ごめんと、好きと」(Sorry, I love you).  This is her first single in 10 years.  She is also having a concert tour that started on the same day in Nagoya.  After a detour to Osaka, the tour will end in Tokyo with 2 shows on July 13th (her birthday) and July 14th respectively.  It's been 20 years since she did her last concert tour back in 2006!  Building on her success last year, I'm pretty hopeful that she'll do another dinner show this year during the Christmas holidays.

All in all, 2026 has been a pretty good year so far for Akina and her fans around the world.

The new song, "Gomen to, Suki to", is a ballad.  But unlike her past ones like Nanpasen (難破船) and Eki (駅), this one has a happy ending.  The song talks about two lovers who parted but eventually got back together.  The song was written by Jun Koami.  Although not 100%, I'm 99.9% sure that this is the same person.  Koami has apparently written quite a number of songs for idol groups such as AKB48 and SKE48.  Lyrics was written by HZ Village, which is the name of Akina's own management company.  I suspect it's Akina herself who penned the lyrics.

Her new single, according to this post on X.com, reached 7th place on the Oricon weekly chart upon its release.

It's good to see that Akina is healthy again.  Having said that, when I listened to her new song, I can't help but think that her voice has deteriorated.  I'm not sure if this is just how she interprets the song and sang it in a somewhat whispering voice, but I felt like her voice is not as stable as in the past.

Anyway, let's wish Akina-san good health for the years to come.

Airport Kayo

 

I was once asked by one of the commenters about an Author's Picks regarding airports. After all, in terms of an old kayo kyoku, the airport serves as a setting for romantic farewells and (rarely) greetings. Plus, they can also be the launching point for adventures abroad. Now, I believe that I had yet to post such a list of airport-themed songs so I'm going with this one today to finish my trio of articles.

(1974) Teresa Teng -- Kuukou （空港）

(1975) Hi-Fi Set -- Doyoubi no Yoru wa Haneda ni Kuru no（土曜の夜は羽田に来るの）

(1984) Akina Nakamori -- Kita Wing （北ウィング）

(1987) Kye Eunsook & Keisuke Hama -- Kita Kuukou（北空港）

(2013) Keisuke Yamauchi -- Kushiro Kuukou （釧路空港）

Prince -- When Doves Cry

 

A commenter told me a few weeks ago that the 10th anniversary of Prince's untimely death had occurred on April 21st and so I said that I would try and get another Prince song up as soon as possible. Well, just a couple of days shy of the 42nd anniversary since its release on May 16th 1984, I give you "When Doves Cry".

Prince already has half a dozen songs up on KKP but this is just his third ROY article as a performer after "Batdance"; the rest of the articles are up here because he contributed to the songwriting whether it be for Kahoru Kohiruimaki（小比類巻かほる）or other fellow artists such as Chaka Khan. But although I provided "Batdance" as his first ROY on the blog, I think it's safe to say that "When Doves Cry" is the more significant one in terms of his discography and legacy within music (it's ranked No. 37 on the "Rolling Stone" 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list).

Personally, my memories of "When Doves Cry" is the video which had heavy heavy airplay on the various music shows. For a period of several months, I frankly thought that it would become a permanent entry on any Top 10 video list. I had a friend who lived in a university dormitory who often woke up to this song along with one other tune; apparently he'd dance to it as well which is one good way to wake up for classes, although I'm not sure how his downstairs neighbour felt. 

Now that I've listened to it once more after a very long time, I realize that I'm having a tough time trying to categorize it. And apparently, Wikipedia has had a tough time of it, too, throwing a number of genres at it including avant-pop and neo-psychedelia which I never would have thought of. In the end, my Labels list has it as pop and R&B, but you readers may have different opinions. It is indeed a distinct song in the universe and many folks came to the same opinion as well as it topped the Billboard charts for months in America. It did the same in Canada, too.

Well, exactly 42 years ago to the day, what was up on the Top 10 of Oricon just about when "When Doves Cry" was released?

1. Checkers -- Kanashikute Jealousy （哀しくてジェラシー）

2. Akina Nakamori -- Southern Wind （サザンウインド）

3. Off-Course -- Kimi ga, Uso wo, Tsuita（君が、嘘を、ついた）

Something Merely Whimsical for a Friday: NHK's Song Picks for Corporate Entrance Ceremonies by Decade

 

The above video shows a variety of entrance ceremonies for the new recruits at various companies throughout Japan, including All Nippon Airways at 1:55. Yes, it is April and so the corporate entities are throwing out the red carpet and all of the rigamarole to welcome the fresh newbies

I was watching the NHK morning news earlier tonight and there was a feature on the ceremonies, and the reporters did an interesting thing by showing the evolution of the corporate entrance ceremony throughout the decades from the 1960s to the 1990s, and for each decade, they put up a representative pop song. Just out of my sense of whimsy, I'm going to put these up here, too.

(1960s) Yukio Hashi and Sayuri Yoshinaga -- Itsudemo Yume wo（いつでも夢を）

(1970s) Koichi Morita and The Top Gallants -- Seishun Jidai （青春時代）

(1980s) Akina Nakamori -- Shojo A （少女Ａ）

(1990s) KAN -- Ai wa Katsu (愛は勝つ）

Now, the above were selected by NHK so they wouldn't come under Author's Picks. That label is for us KKP writers. However, I am throwing in my lone choice for an inspiring song to help encourage the new workers.

(1990s) Daiji Man Brothers Band -- Sore ga Daiji （それが大事）

Propaganda -- Duel

 

As I mentioned in the first article for today's (April 3rd 2026) batch of KKP articles, it is Good Friday. Being a national holiday, it is also my tradition to bring in a special Holiday edition of Reminiscings of Youth which will be smack dab in the middle of the usual Urban Contemporary Friday songs.

When it comes to my image of German pop songs, I think of the glacial beauty of Kraftwerk and the whole "Sprockets" thing on "Saturday Night Live" with Dieter where all German pop culture was seen as being angular and bizarre. So, in retrospect, listening to the very listenable "Duel" by the German synthpop band Propaganda, I feel that this is probably one of the most approachable pop songs that I'd ever heard. Mind you, the cover for the April 1985 single featuring fierce expressions by vocalists Claudia Brücken and Susanne Freytag would be enough for me to duck and cover but "Duel" itself is mighty fine right from the fantastical opening notes to the happy-go-lucky synth-y intro to the chorus which strikes me as a bit reminiscent of the 60s heyday of Herb Alpert. And Claudia has this voice which is truly wonderfully unique in pop music.

Well, if anyone is willing to make a music video of European spy intrigue, shouldn't it be a German synthpop band? I don't know how "Duel" did in Canada or the United States, but it scored a No. 2 ranking in Italy and No. 30 in the then-West Germany.

On the flip side of the single is "Jewel (Cut Rough)" which is handled this time by Freytag and it's basically "Duel" being thrown into a punk industrial blender with the vocalist accidentally falling into the machine as well. It also has one of the coolest percussion sequences that I've ever heard. Enjoy headbanging, everyone!

Then, depending on which form of "Duel" you purchase, you can also hear "Duel (Bitter Sweet)" which is an extended version. 

April 22nd 1985 was the release date for "Duel" so what was up on the charts on that day exactly? I have Nos. 3, 5 and 6.

3. Akina Nakamori -- Meu Amor e （ミ・アモーレ）

5. Kiyotaka Sugiyama & Omega Tribe -- Futari no Natsu Monogatari （ふたりの夏物語）

6. C-C-B -- Romantic ga Tomaranai （Romanticが止まらない）

Happy 10th, Uta Con!（うたコン）/Hideki Saijo -- Ai no Juujika（愛の十字架）

 

First off, Happy 10th Birthday to the NHK music show "Uta Con". I saw their episode last night and it was nice not only to see some of the highlights from the past ten years but also get a tour of how the magic works at NHK Shibuya. It's amazing how quickly the years fly by...I remember when "Uta Con" got the baton passed over to it from "Kayo Concert"（歌謡コンサート）back in 2016.

Now, "Kayo Kyoku Plus" had its tenth anniversary back in 2022 so I actually pulled out most of the guns to celebrate our grand project back then, and of course, you can take a look at some of that via "10th Anniversary Special: 10th Anniversary Songs". However, I still wanted to commemorate the "Uta Con" achievement so I've opted to present a few songs over the years that have had something of the number 10 involved in the titles. I'll admit though to being a little cheat-y with my choices. But the important thing is that I also have the opportunity to present a new tune onto the blog by the late great Hideki Saijo（西城秀樹）. Anyways, without further ado:

(1984) Akina Nakamori -- Jukkai (1984) (十戒 (1984))

(1986) Minako Honda -- the Cross ~ Ai no Juujika（愛の十字架）

(1993) SMAP -- $10

As noted above, I have this Hideki Saijo tune that has that 10-ish relationship (albeit through kanji association only). This is "Ai no Juujika" (Cross of Love), his 7th single from December 1973. Indeed, it shares the same title as Honda's song above but that's the only common denominator. It is otherwise a totally different animal.

Written by Takashi Taka（たかたかし）and composed by Kunihiko Suzuki（鈴木邦彦）under Koji Makaino's（馬飼野康二）arrangement, this is also the first time for me to hear Saijo's "Ai no Juujika", and from what I hear, it's a very early Hideki song of passion and angst. It's quite the cross for him to bear and I think he's even shedding a few tears in the concert audio above. All the better for the screaming fans to rush over to comfort him. Not surprisingly, the song hit No. 1 and finished 1974 as the 22nd-ranked single.

Belinda Carlisle -- Heaven Is a Place on Earth

 

Once again, the car stereo last weekend brought another song ripe for Reminiscings of Youth this week. I got to hear Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven is a Place on Earth" for the first time in a while. So, of course, I started remembering when it was first released in September 1987. The Go-Gos lead singer was already well into her solo career when this one came out and both the song and the music video were long runners on radio and television respectively. Considering the context of the title, I had thought that there were religious implications although it sounded like the ultimate cool and catchy power pop song for kiddies. 

The fact that there were kids bouncing globes assisted in that impression but also seeing Belinda making out with that guy made me think "OK, kids...avert those eyes!". Speaking of which, the song and that video has quite the revelatory Hollywood background. For one thing, that guy just happened to be the singer's husband, Morgan Mason, who not only was the child of actors James Mason and Pamela Mason but held a key role in Ronald Reagan's administration in the early 1980s. The late thespian Diane Keaton directed the video, and the backup singers included Michelle Phillips of the sunshine pop band of the 1960s, The Mamas & The Papas, her daughter Chynna Phillips of Wilson Phillips and songwriter Diane Warren. Even the actual writers of "Heaven is a Place on Earth", Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley were also behind the mikes backing Belinda up. 

"Heaven is a Place on Earth" hit No. 3 on Canada's RPM and No. 1 on America's Billboard chart. It also hit the top spot in countries such as Ireland and South Africa. So, let us see what was being released at the same time in September 1987 in Japan.

Yoko Minamino -- Aki no Indication （秋のIndication）

Picasso -- Begin The Night

Akina Nakamori -- Nanpasen （難破船）

Those 14th Singles (Happy 14th, Kayo Kyoku Plus!)

Wikimedia Commons

 

Seeing that today is KKP's 14th birthday, one more thing that I've decided to post to celebrate is a short list of some of our regular singers' 14th singles.

(1982) Southern All Stars -- Chako no Kaigan Monogatari （チャコの海岸物語）

(1983) Seiko Matsuda -- Glass no Ringo（ガラスの林檎）

(1983) Anri -- Kanashimi ga Tomaranai (悲しみがとまらない）

(1986) Akina Nakamori -- Desire

(1994) SMAP -- Ganbarimasho （がんばりましょう）

Re-Flex -- The Politics of Dancing

 

I had never heard of the British band Re-Flex before this song and I never heard from them again. But this one song by them, "The Politics of Dancing", has gone down as one of my favourite dance-pop tunes of any decade. I mean, this one could actually induce me to hit the dance floor and make an unrepentant fool out of myself once I heard those familiar opening notes. 

Released in February 1983, I first discovered Re-Flex's debut single when their music video appeared on one of the local shows here, and its theme of the little guy going up against the evil authorities is a well-worn one but one that fits the lyrics here. And why not let it all go and just have a grand ol' time flailing away in the disco once in a while? That's especially true with the extended version.

Burbling bass synthesizer, simmering jangly electric guitar and relentless percussion...what's not to love? In Canada, "The Politics of Dancing" reached No. 13 on RPM and then No. 24 on Billboard in the US. I had actually been thinking of posting this as a second ROY article last week on New Year's Day to signify all of that dancing that must have been done the night before, but I figure that today is as good a day as any.

So, which singles were coming out in Japan in that month? Here are three of them.

Hiromi Iwasaki -- Suteki na Kimochi （素敵な気持ち）

Takashi Hosokawa -- Yagiri no Watashi (矢切の渡し)

Akina Nakamori -- Ni-bun no Ichi no Shinwa （1/2の神話）

Akina Nakamori -- Merry Christmas, My Heart

 

Well, Merry Christmas to everyone out there. I just popped in the turkey so I won't have to worry about that for a few hours, and therefore I've got some time to blog here before the entire family shows up for dinner.

For Akina Nakamori（中森明菜）fans, it looks we all got a very nice present in our stockings yesterday when the lady herself released her latest digital single "Merry Christmas, My Heart". Composed by Akina herself and written by HZ Village, it's a contemplative piano ballad that rather hits the Xmas heart in the right spot. No Santa Claus, no raucous partying and hopefully no major mourning due to heartbreak. Simply a clear night and prayer to the loved one.

The Firsts (Audio Ware) by J-Canuck

 

Welcome to the final full week of November 2025. With the autumn in full swing, it's easy to get a bit wistful about the passage of this year and time in general. And I've gotten into this mood as well. I've been doing "Kayo Kyoku Plus" now for what will be approaching 14 years so our baby has turned into a snappy teenager. 

I first started the blog out by talking about the many examples of kayo kyoku and J-Pop that I purchased and knew for years and years and what the surrounding situation was for each article. Of course, that has changed since for the past several years, I'm writing mostly about new songs by familiar and not-so-familiar singers and bands that I've encountered and sometimes when I get into a whole long series of those, I do wonder about getting things "on track" in a manner of speaking and at least presenting those songs that I've known about since my toddlerhood.

We have "The First" category in the Labels and I remember that I put up my own article almost five years ago on some of the firsts that I achieved through particular songs such as the first kayo kyoku that I ever heard. Well, along that similar track, I'm going to post about the first examples of Japanese music media that I ever bought or got as a gift since they are different from that other list. The above thumbnail shows the first entry.

1. First Tokusatsu Maxi-Single: Kamen Rider/Mirror Man/ Silver Kamen/Ultra Seven (1972)

2. First Audiotape: Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Yellow Magic Orchestra (1978...bought in 1981)

3. First 45" Single: Hiromi Iwasaki -- Madonna Tachi no Lullaby (聖母たちのララバイ）(1982)

4. First LP: Seiko Matsuda -- Train (1985)

5. First CD album: Akina Nakamori -- Cruise (1989)

6. First CD single: Miho Nakayama -- Virgin Eyes (1989)

INXS -- What You Need

 

There's only one bad thing that you can say about listening to INXS' "What You Need" and watching the video. You can only see and hear it for the first time only once. The band's August 1985 single is that amazing, and I'm giving myself the Gibbs slap up the back of my head that I actually didn't put it up for five years after posting their later hit "Need You Tonight" as a Reminiscings of Youth article (that song is amazing, too!).

"What You Need" is the wake-up song we need. It's also a great power walk song especially when those electric guitars come blasting away like hyperspace engines. And then, there's Kirk Pengilly's soulful saxophone. You can't help but go into slow stride mode on the street in your longcoat when you hear this. There were also some great music videos coming out at the time. The one for Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" was one of them in the following year and then this one of rotoscope amazement for "What You Need" probably wowed folks onto their butts when it first got onto MTV.

"What You Need" hit No. 21 on Canada's RPM while in the United States, it peaked at No. 5. In INXS' native Australia, it reached No. 2. Really liked the extended version as well. Heard that one all the time on Saturday nights on the radio.

So, what was being released in Japan in what was most likely a stifling hot August 1985? Well, we've got two albums and a single.

Akina Nakamori -- D404ME

Hiroko Yakushimaru -- Yume Juuwa （夢十話）

Yu Hayami -- Passion

J-Canuck's Station-to-Station Songs

 

Yesterday, I met an old friend for coffee and then dinner downtown at Union Station. It had been a few years since the last time I met him so I figured that we would be catching up on a lot of stuff. Part of the reason that we went for Union Station as the meeting place was that I'd heard about the renovation of the station, especially where the food was concerned. Being a foodie, I was interested about a new flood of restaurants and cafes creating a mega food court underground. You can take a gander at the above video by Toronto Our City whose husband-and-wife team has been exploring the various eateries of our city. 

By the way, I know that there is a certain group of otaku in Tokyo who love to explore the underground malls, passageways and crevices of one of the world's biggest cities. Considering next year's World Cup which will have a few games played in Toronto and that our metropolis may have the biggest underground commercial complex on Earth (the PATH system), I cordially invite those folks to do a bit of exploration here, too).

After enjoying an hour of coffee, conversation and one of the best almond croissants that I've ever had, we were getting lost in the maze that was the Union Station underground before opting for dinner. When we got to Union Chicken, the place was packed with Toronto Maple Leafs fans for about half an hour before it got all cleared out like a drainpipe getting the Drano treatment (there was a home game just down the street). Then it was easy to get a table where I got the three-piece Chicken Tenders with Fries. I'm glad that I didn't get the five-piece version since that would have killed me. The above video is from the official Union Chicken YouTube channel.

Anyways, getting reacquainted with the main train station of Toronto and being back in my room in front of my computer again, I've decided to put up an Author's Picks based on kayo kyoku or J-Pop songs with the word "station" or "eki" in their titles. Enjoy!

(1964) Hachiro Izawa -- Ahh, Ueno Eki （あゝ上野駅）

(1971) Chiyo Okumura -- Shuuchaku Eki (終着駅）

(1980) Mariko Kurata -- Sayonara Rainy Station （さよならレイニー・ステーション）

(1986) Sonoko Kawai -- Aoi Station （青いスタスィオン）

(1986) Akina Nakamori -- Eki（駅）

Akina Nakamori/Mariya Takeuchi -- Aka no Enamel（赤のエナメル）

 

All the way back in the winter of 2017...some months before I even made that trip to visit Tokyo again which tells you how far back into personal ancient history we're venturing, I posted about the 1986 Akina Nakamori（中森明菜）album "Crimson". I gave my story about how I had abandoned it initially as another weird and unlistenable tape after going through the earlier "Fushigi"（不思議）. However, giving it another chance again many years later, I realized that it actually contained some pretty decent tracks. My mind had been simply too attached to Akina and her razzmatazz singles so that when the singer tried something different, it quickly rejected them.

Well, another song from "Crimson" that I've had to eat crow about as something that also sounds really quite snazzy is the second-last track "Aka no Enamel" (Red Enamel), written and composed by Mariya Takeuchi（竹内まりや）and arranged by Kazuo Shiina（椎名和夫）. The only thing that I had remembered about this one is the "bang-bang-bang" chorus that begins with a tick-tock rhythm and follows with a torch ballad delivery intro by Akina. Then the song goes into a cool urban contemporary gear with smooth background vocals behind her as the singer reminisces about a past relationship. I had first assumed that the red enamel in the title referred to her nail polish, but it was actually the heels that she once wore while dating the now-gone guy.

Sometimes, I wonder whether I'm a little too content with buying the original album instead of the remastered version with bonus tracks. Mind you, I've purchased my fair share of new versions of albums with those scrumptious extra songs including once-abandoned B-sides and remix takes, but one example that I didn't do that for is Takeuchi's "Variety" from 1984. I just have the original version but in 2014, a 30th anniversary edition of "Variety" was released (yes, a few years before "Plastic Love" exploded in one corner of YouTube) and it included a cobbled-together "Aka no Enamel" by Mariya. The vocal and rhythm tracks had been laid down before time constraints forced the song to be thrown by the wayside for years. However, it came back for the 30th anniversary edition and in not too bad a shape although it's less than three minutes and a bit sparse. 

Hall & Oates -- One on One

 

Welcome again to the regular weekly Reminiscings of Youth episode. The last time I wrote about Hall & Oates was almost a couple of years ago when I took care of their soulful ballad "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" from 1981. A friend of mine was driving me home a couple of weeks ago and we wondered whether Daryl and John had patched things up.

Here then is another ballad from the guys, "One on One" which was released as a single in January 1983. If anything, it's even dreamier-sounding than "No Can Do" and I think it would be another welcome entry on that fantasy all-night radio show that I'd waxed about several weeks ago. As Wikipedia put it, it does occupy that space between soul and AOR, and I have to say that it's quite the laidback midnight sort of ballad considering that there are a lot of sports expressions in there including the title. I doubt that it would ever be put on the speakers during a game at an arena, though. But that's OK. It sounds perfectly appropriate for those fans to chill out to while in bed, especially when that sax solo purrs in.

"One on One" reached No. 6 on Canada's RPM and No. 7 on US Billboard. There was no exact date on the release of the single during that January, so why don't we go with which three songs were up on the Oricon chart on January 10th 1983?

1. Hiroshi & Kibo -- San Nen-me no Uwaki （３年目の浮気）

2. Akina Nakamori -- Second Love （セカンド・ラブ）

3. Toshihiko Tahara -- Love Spoor（ラブ・シュプール）

Some Wake-Up Songs

From Pharmasave

You may have noticed yesterday that I didn't exactly put up a couple of voluminous articles onto "Kayo Kyoku Plus"; it was basically just a Top 10 list and then the APB for Gilbert's mystery song. Well, the reason for that was that I had been preparing for a colonoscopy that took place yesterday afternoon at the local hospital. The procedure itself was as easy as cake but the preparations for it were a bit arduous with me having to glug down the above four litres of PegLyte laxative solution and multiple litres of other fluids within a set amount of time in the day before and the day of the procedure. Mind you, PegLyte wasn't bad taste-wise; it was kinda like a gin cocktail but I had to drink pitchers of the stuff to clean me out.

I was still a tad nervous when I finally faced the procedure and the colonoscopy team including the anesthesiologist plunked me down onto the bed surrounded by doctors and nurses and monitors while I was in that drafty blue gown. The anesthesiologist informed that I wasn't going under a general anesthetic but just something to keep me drowsy so in went the needle, the nurse exposed my bare bottom and the lights went down with only the soothing monitor lights lighting the way. I was feeling like I was going to be seduced. The only thing missing was hearing some Luther Vandro---

OK, sir! You can wake up now. The procedure is over.

Wha...? What the heck?! I was back with the living again which I couldn't believe. When I asked the nurse what time it was, I realized that I was out for 60 minutes but it was like those 60 minutes were completely excised from my memory. And just to emphasize that the procedure was over, there was a huge banner in front of my bed in the recovery bay stating:

YES, YOUR PROCEDURE IS OVER!

Happily, I found out from the doctor that the colonoscopy revealed no signs of cancer and just a couple of polyps that were quickly taken out. After I got dressed, my brother was there in the waiting room to drive me home. My latest medical adventure was over just like that.

Anyways, to commemorate this event and out of a sense of whimsy, I figured some wake-up exhortation songs wouldn't be too bad. And this time, I'm mixing in a couple of the ROY tunes, too. Just for the record, I'm still feeling a bit tired after all of the exertions of yesterday but otherwise I'm not doing too badly.

(1979) Kazuo Zaitsu -- Wake Up

(1983) Van Halen -- Jump

(1984) Robert Armes -- Jump To It

(1985) PSY-S -- Wake Up

(1986) Akina Nakamori -- Desire

Anita Baker -- Rapture

 

Welcome to the regular Reminiscings of Youth article where I post about a song or an album from the West that caught my ears back in my adolescence or childhood. And one of the biggest and happiest purchases that I ever made was for Anita Baker's "Rapture", her second album from March 1986. Back in early 2021, I put up a ROY recognizing the Queen of Quiet Storm's big hit "Sweet Love" which launches "Rapture", and you can read about all the emotions I got from hearing that one for the first time on radio. Well, for this ROY, I've decided to also give some of the other great tracks their time in the KKP sun.

"Caught Up In the Rapture" isn't only the third track on "Rapture" but the third single to come out from the album. It did pretty well on the Billboard charts by coming in at No. 37 but also No. 6 on Billboard's Hot Black Singles chart. Back on my "If I Had an All-Night Radio Show..." article, I had placed "Sweet Love" as one of the songs to play on the first show; my second show would have automatically followed up with "Caught Up In the Rapture". It's a wonderful soul ballad.

"Same Ole Love (365 Days a Year)" is the fourth single that came out in February 1987 which also broke the Top 10 on the Hot Black Singles chart by placing in at No. 8 and doing more modestly on the Billboard general chart at No. 44. I've often written about how certain songs have reminded me of certain places, and for "Same Ole Love", I've reminisced about the Toronto Blue Jays' old base of operations, Exhibition Stadium, downtown before Skydome was constructed and opened in 1989. When I was there for one game at the old stadium, "Same Ole Love" just happened to be playing before the teams made their way out onto the field.

"You Bring Me Joy" wasn't released as a single. Instead, it is the second track following "Sweet Love" on the album which I have always thought somewhat strange because I feel that it should have been the final track on "Rapture". This gospel soul ballad is so explosively sung by Baker that it could have been one showstopper of an ending to a brilliant album especially when she and the chorus yell out "MY JOY!". I was at one party at the end where I was dancing with a lass to this one; that was quite the surge of energy to finish off things.

There are other tracks but I'll leave it here for now because there is especially one other track on "Rapture" that I'd like to feature solo. "Rapture" peaked at No. 11 on Billboard, won two Grammy awards and sold three million copies by October 1987. In Canada, it reached No. 25 on RPM.

So, what was hitting the Top 10 of Oricon just a few days before the release of "Rapture"? I give you Nos. 3, 4 and 5.

3. Misato Watanabe -- My Revolution

4. Akina Nakamori -- Desire

5. Checkers -- Oh!! Popstar

The Works of Kisaburo Suzuki（鈴木キサブロー）

From Discogs

It's been a while since I've done a Creator article and the name Kisaburo Suzuki had been spinning around in my head for a while, so I've decided to pay tribute here. He's one of those prolific musician-songwriters that has created so many songs for so many singers that he's at the level of the question "He wrote THAT?!".

According to his J-Wiki profile, Suzuki（鈴木喜三郎）was born in the city of Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture in 1952. At the age of 15, he started learning the guitar and ukulele from his older brother and began becoming inspired by the works of the legendary B.B. King. In 1972, he made his way down to Tokyo and from the following year, he backed up a lot of singers including Masatoshi Nakamura（中村雅俊）, Akira Fuse（布施明）and Naomi Chiaki（ちあきなおみ）. A few years later in 1977 following an encounter with lyricist Osami Okamoto（岡本おさみ）, he set about to become a composer. Then in 1980, Suzuki would pick up his first award for providing Kenji Sawada（沢田研二）with "Sakaba de DABADA"（酒場でDABADA）.

With the probable exceptions of enka and Mood Kayo, Suzuki has covered all of the genres in Japanese music including anison and aidoru tunes. When I finally started paying attention to the songwriters in the industry, my impression of Suzuki was that he was quite the master at coming up with pop melodies in the 1980s which combined shimmering orchestra strings and wailing electric guitar. Mariko Takahashi's（高橋真梨子）"See You Again...Kaze ni Kuchitsukete"（SEE YOU AGAIN ・・・風にくちづけて...Kiss The Wind） was one of the first examples of this that I had ever heard and it was the first composition by Suzuki that I ever came across. However, there was one notable exception to the tradition of strings and guitar, and that was for one of Akina Nakamori's（中森明菜）biggest hits, "Desire". Anyways, the following is just a mere sample of what he has created.

(1983) H2O -- Omoide ga Ippai （思い出がいっぱい）

(1981) Saburo Tokito -- Kawa no Nagare wo Daite Nemuritai (川の流れを抱いて眠りたい）

(1981) Ruiko Kurahashi -- Last Scene ni Ai wo Komete （ラストシーンに愛をこめて）

(1986) Akina Nakamori -- Desire

(1982) Toru Watanabe -- Yakusoku (約束）

(1982) Cherish -- Come On, Sunshower (カモン・サンシャワー)

(1982) Mariko Takahashi -- See You Again...Kaze ni Kuchitsukete （SEE YOU AGAIN ・・・風にくちづけて）

Akina Nakamori -- Me wo Tojite Excursion（目をとじて小旅行）

 

I think this may be one of the relatively few times that both Larry Chan and I have posted articles on Akina Nakamori（中森明菜）right on her birthday, July 13th. It's been a ritual between the two of us for many years now that whenever we meet up for lunch or dinner in winter or spring that we decide on who will provide the Akina birthday article. Of course, Larry posted his article on Akina's wistful "Merry X'mas - Snow Tears" (メリークリスマス - 雪の雫) yesterday and I'd like to thank him for letting me know at least about a song that I had yet to hear by her.👏

One other ritual that Larry and I have had which I'm hoping has come to an end is asking whether Akina has been OK or not. She's had her issues, medical and otherwise, in the past, but it seems as if due to an increase of her public profile in the last several months, the Tokyo lass has been doing much better. I certainly hope so, and yep, it is indeed her 60th year on Earth, and as Larry mentioned yesterday, that means Kanreki（還暦）which can be compared to how people treat their 50th birthday in other parts of the globe. 

From Amazon.jp

As someone who will be celebrating (or commiserating) his own Kanreki himself in a few months, I still don't know what would be involved in such a major birthday milestone. But I do know that the birthday boy or girl has to wear something red on the big day. Well, I do have that old vest I bought at The Bay decades ago. Hey, Akina (ahem), if I may make a sartorial suggestion, you know that getup for "Tattoo"...?😅

Anyways, I wanted to make my own contribution to Akina 60 today and that would be to take things back to Akina 17 when she released her third album in March 1983, "Fantasy"（幻想曲）. One of the tracks there is "Me wo Tojite Excursion" (An Excursion with Eyes Closed) which was written by Mayumi Shinozuka（篠塚満由美）and composed by Yasuhiko Shigemura（茂村泰彦）with Mitsuo Hagita（萩田光雄）arranging all of the tracks on "Fantasy". 

A surprisingly chipper song about romantic betrayal as a woman discovers that her boyfriend now has eyes for someone else, I was drawn by the melody by Shigemura and arrangement by Hagita which incorporates some of that Margaritaville AOR. I'm once again reminded that the superstar singer had once been an innocent aidoru, once the powers-that-be finally decided not to push further with that tsuppari image.

I was so intrigued by Shigemura's melody, and especially since I had never heard of him before, I opted to look him up. And I have discovered that the Hiroshima-born singer-songwriter and producer had once been part of the vocal group Circus（サーカス）, just a year before they officially hit the big time with their second single "Mr. Summertime" in 1978. So, time to find out more about really early Circus.

Anyways, my good wishes to Ms. Nakamori on her birthday. Hopefully, she had a wonderful birthday celebration with friends and family, and for once, I'm glad that I don't have to express my hopes that she's doing OK. She's doing OK.