Animotion -- Obsession

 

The first time that I heard of the word "obsession" was via the 1967 episode of the original "Star Trek" which had that very title. Basically in that adventure, Captain Kirk goes all Captain Ahab about a big white alien cloud which loves to suck blood. It's also notable for the fact that two of the usually doomed red-shirted security guys gets a bit more attention and a name to boot: Ensigns Rizzo and Garrovick. The latter guy even gets to punch out his captain.

But then seventeen years later, the word pops up again far more frequently. In this edition of Reminiscings of Youth, I give you "Obsession", the biggest single by the American synthpop band Animotion. And for a while by my recollection, it was a lot of pop music lovers' obsession after its release in October 1984, especially its video which I saw on heavy rotation on the various music shows on television here in Canada. I always thought it looked like a combination of extras from "Ben Hur" and a party that Crockett and Tubbs from "Miami Vice" would love to infiltrate secretly.

In Canada, it hit No. 7 on the RPM charts while in the United States, "Obsession" scored a No. 6 ranking. That bass rhythm and the crash-and-bang synthesizers made it not only a hit on its own but became a pop culture go-to song for TV shows such as the WWF's "Saturday Night's Main Event" and our own national program "FT ~ Fashion Television".

So the word "obsession" became a part of my own pop culture lexicon through "Star Trek" and Animotion. But then, not too long after the song became a hit, a certain American fashion designer jumped into the mix with his take on the word.

Let's see what was at the top of the Oricon charts in October 1984.

1. Kyoko Koizumi -- Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge （ヤマトナデシコ七変化）

2. Checkers -- Hoshikuzu no Stage （星屑のステージ）

3. Masahiko Kondo -- Eien ni Himitsu sa（永遠に秘密さ）

Commuting to Work with City Pop (and more)

It’s Oliver Ebisuno, coming back to Kayo Kyoku Plus after a long break. For some time now, in spite of work and personal stuff, I wanted to make an update on the blog, but always felt either unmotivated or drained from strength when sitting in front of an open draft editor. I think the time is right for a special post; to be specific, an Author’s Pick text. Shamelessly, I admit that J-Canuck’s Driving to City Pop two-parter provided me with much needed dosage of inspiration.

Evidently, I do not live in Japan and there are no prospects of me visiting the country in the nearest future, but I thought it would be fun to mix my love for Japanese music with my personal experience, that is, commuting to work.

The city I live in is such a hole in the middle of nowhere (and forgotten by the Almighty) that basically right after finishing high school I had to get used to commuting. I had to undergo a one-hour trip by bus while studying for 5 years, the same applied to PhD studies, and my first employment. Last year, I switched jobs and now I also commute by bus, but this time to a different city, which is located roughly an hour away from my place of residence.

Being on the bus for two hours per day (please bear in mind that this is a “there and back again” route) gives me a lot of time to do various sorts of stuff like reading, browning the web, but also listening. For years, I was never that keen on the idea of listening to music outside of the comfort zone of my home, but I warmed up to the idea after the pandemic.

Now, en route to work (and most importantly coming back from it) I can’t help but listen to Tomoko Aran. Her albums Fuyuu Kuukan and Last Good-bye really calm me down and put me in a positive mood, especially in the morning. The same also goes for Toshiki Kadomatsu’s After 5 Clash and Hitomitoi’s City Dive albums.

When I am in a more adventurous mood, then I reach for music that is more charged with Synth-Pop or Rock. In such instances, Yoko Oginome’s Route 246 Connexion and Chisato Moritaka’s Mi-ha prove to be invaluable. Very rarely, when I feel deeply melancholic, I decide to desperately turn to Wink’s Best of selection or Naomi Akimoto’s Poison 21. Please refer to the selection of my favourite songs from the aforementioned albums here:

 1. Tomoko Aran -- Midnight Pretenders (1983)

 

2. Tomoko Aran -- Last Good-bye (1986)

 

3. Toshiki Kadomatsu -- Step into the Light (1984)

4. Hitomitoi -- Dive (2012)

5. Yoko Oginome -- 246 Planet Girls (1987)

6. Chisato Moritaka -- 47 Hard Nights (1988)

7. Naomi Akimoto -- Lion in My Pocket (1984)

8. Wink -- One Night in Heaven (1989)

That’s it for the moment, I sincerely hope that you enjoyed my list of suggestions. I should also add that apart from the aforemtioned songs/albums, I also tend to listen to either Pet Shop Boys or Animotion while commuting. Thank you for reading.

Image sources: The feature photograph at the top of the post was taken by me on a bus to work on wintery night at 5 AM. I usually sit at the back, so it was easier for me to make sure that the faces of other commuters won’t get caught by the phone camera. The image of Akina Nakamori next to Mercedes was found on Pinterest. All the hyperlinks lead to previous Kayo Kyoku Plus posts.