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.
Since it is a national holiday today here, it's time for a special Reminiscings of Youth article.
Back in mid-August, I posted that Misato Watanabe（渡辺美里）article regarding her debut single in 1985 which consisted of a couple of cover versions of Western hits, one of them being Asia's "Don't Cry". I also mentioned that I barely remember that one by the progressive rock supergroup. However, what I greatly remember from this conglomeration of members from King Crimson, Yes, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer is their April 1982 debut single (in the United States), "Heat of the Moment".
Not only was it one of the relatively few rock songs of the 1980s that I have truly cherished, but the music video of tic-tac-toe squares flashing different scenes in a relationship and the band actually performing is also one of the most memorable. Just from that video, I figured that "Heat of the Moment" deserved to be used in some thriller movie or police procedural scene...especially with that searing electric guitar intro.
Mind you, it did get its moments in "Supernatural" and "South Park".
And as a special guest cameo, here is heavy metal band Seikima II（聖飢魔II）giving their own fine take on the song. "Heat of the Moment" reached No. 4 on the Canadian and American charts. This became the calling card for Asia which is a bit of ironic considering that the band's label Geffen had asked them for just one more song for their first album, and the guys quickly came up with "Heat of the Moment" in the heat of the moment within an afternoon. On the song's Wikipedia article, it was also mentioned that synthesizer bridge was reinforced with the plucks of a koto for that Japanese connection. That bridge was used as background music for a local lunchtime news hour when it was time to go to commercial.
So, what other projects in Japan were released in April 1982?
You might think that this is a rare Sunday edition of Reminiscings of Youth, but it isn't, although the above two songs are from my beloved 1980s. The first one is Kenny Loggins'"I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)" from the "Footloose" soundtrack. Meanwhile, the second one below that one is British supergroup Asia's"Don't Cry". I never really heard Loggins' "I'm Free" (though I'm still a fan of his earlier material such as the sublime "Heart to Heart") and I barely remember "Don't Cry" from the music video shows. To be frank, I know Loggins' title song "Footloose" and Asia's "Heat of the Moment" far better.
However, the two songs are linked through a Japanese source and her name happens to be Misato Watanabe（渡辺美里）. Folks can be forgiven for thinking that Watanabe first exploded onto the pop music scene with her iconic "My Revolution" but that 1986 hit was her 4th single. Her debut single had come out almost a year earlier and that 45" record included her cover versions of "I'm Free" and "Don't Cry". Yup, cover versions were our introduction to Watanabe in May 1985.
The A-side was "I'm Free" with Chinfa Kan（康珍化）coming up with the Japanese lyrics to accompany Loggins' original melody which is a bit more reserved here. For that matter, considering that Misato's voice has always struck me as being a boomer, her vocals also sounded a little more tied down so it'll be interesting to see hear whether they stayed reserved until that important 4th single.
The B-side which is "Don't Cry", under the Japanese title of "Tough na Kimochi de"（タフな気持で...Being Tough）, diverges even further from the Asia original since it feels downright poppy, especially with that tinkly keyboard. Natsumi Tadano（只野菜摘）provided the Japanese lyrics here. However, even more than "I'm Free", I can hear the potential of Watanabe's delivery in "Don't Cry". The single itself scored a No. 64 ranking on Oricon. Both songs were also used in the TBS drama "Super Police"（スーパーポリス）with the A-side being the opening theme. It's too bad though that I couldn't find the opening credits for that program. Both songs, by the way, were arranged by Satoshi Nakamura（中村哲）.
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