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.
I have to admit that this is one of the more unusual Xmas kayothat I've encountered in KKP's 8 years of tracking down Japanese Yuletide tunes.
Never would I have imagined that an aidoru group the size of Morning Musume（モーニング娘。）or Hello! Project（ハロー!プロジェクト）would mash voices with an enka legend and a famed kayo folk singer to create one of their own Christmas songs. But that is indeed what happened in 2002 in the form of Hiroshi Itsuki's（五木ひろし）114th single released in November that year.
Titled "Ai no Merry Christmas" (Merry Christmas of Love), it is sung by the collaborative group of Itsuki, Takao and Hello! Project Seikatai（五木・孝雄+ハロー!プロジェクト聖歌隊。...Itsuki, Takao and Hello! Project Chorus） with the second fellow being Takao Horiuchi（堀内孝雄）of the folk duo Alice（アリス）. And it seems like from the video that the chorus is made up of former and current members of Morning Musume along with Aya Matsuura（松浦亜弥）at least.
To be honest, the combination of Xmas jingle and Mood Kayo doesn't exactly mesh perfectly, starting with a slightly ominous intro then into a wistful and contemporary Yuletide melody before the singing commences with the typical Mood Kayo feeling. And unlike any Hello! Project song, this had no Tsunku（つんく）helping out on the songwriting. Instead, it was the kayo veterans, lyricist Yu Aku（阿久悠）and composer Toru Funamura（船村徹）behind "Ai no Merry Christmas" with Kei Wakakusa（若草恵）behind the arrangement.
So, this particular J-Xmas song will probably have to grow on me over the next number of days before Christmas Day finally does dawn once more, but the Mood Kayo segments are fine with me.
Not an article about a song per se but more on a special performance by Morning Musume（モーニング娘。）. Yesterday, I wrote about Mariya Takeuchi's（竹内まりや）"Christmas wa Issho ni"（クリスマスは一緒に）which was used as an ending theme in 2006 for the annual NTV Yuletide special "HAPPY Xmas SHOW" that ran for half a decade in the 2000s.
Well, I'd actually come across the above video once before some years ago but it was yesterday that I decided that it could be used for a KKP article. In the inaugural 2003 edition, Morning Musume joined the proceedings to perform not only the usual Xmas tunes but also some of the 1960s hits by female singing groups such as The Supremes and The Ronettes. Near the end of the video, there's even a special guest appearance by Anri（杏里）.
The following year in 2004, the show was broadcast right on Xmas Day with three members of Hello! Project (two of them graduates from Morning Musume): Miki Fujimoto（藤本美貴）, Maki Goto（後藤真希）and Aya Matsuura（松浦亜弥）providing a medley of some of the kayo kyoku of the 1950s and 1960s originally recorded by singers such as Hibari Misora（美空ひばり）and Izumi Yukimura（雪村いづみ）. The performance starts at around 2:00.
Thanks the heavens for YouTube especially when one doesn't have a whole lot to do except for strategic shopping, keeping updated on COVID-19 and blogging. It looks like one fine soul has put up a series of that old late-night Fuji-TV nostalgic music show "19XX" which focused on a certain year's historical events and pop music. I actually wrote about that one in an article, but at one point, the powers-that-be took them down. However, for now, they're back up and hopefully they will for a while or so.
Watching the episode for 1980, the first two songs are very well known to me as they are for City Pop fans all over: Tatsuro Yamashita's（山下達郎）soaring "Ride on Time" and Junko Yagami's（八神純子）funkalicious "Purpletown"（パープルタウン）. But then, the third entry at 6:23 above was this ballad by longtime singer-songwriter and tarentoMasashi Sada（さだまさひ）, "Doukeshi no Sonnet" (A Clown's Sonnet). Sada has often been known as a master of the poignant and tear-inducing, but this was the first time I had ever heard of this particular song.
Sada's 17th single as a solo singer and as a member of his old group Grape, "Doukeshi no Sonnet" was released back in February 1980 and was also used as the theme song for the movie "Tobe Ikaros no Tsubasa"（翔べイカロスの翼...Icarus, Let's Beat Wings*）. The movie was based on a non-fiction work by poet and writer Toshihiko Hirabayashi（平林敏彦）under his pen name of Hiroshi Kusaka（草鹿宏）, and it deals with a young man named Toru Kuriyama（栗山徹）, an aspiring photographer, who, while taking photos at a circus becomes enthralled by the life there and ends up as a popular clown. Tragically, during one stunt, Kuriyama is killed while only in his twenties.
The story was adapted into a 1980 movie starring Sada as Kuriyama himself, and although it didn't become a hit in its initial run, there were later requests from various parts of the country to see it, so in recent years, it's been shown at theatres once again. In October 2012, it was even put out on DVD. I've never seen the film but I can imagine watching the ending credits while listening to "Doukeshi no Sonnet" would be tantamount to lots of tears flowing forth.
The song reached No. 2 on Oricon and it became the 28th-ranked single for 1980. Beginning from the 2000s, "Doukeshi no Sonnet" got its due from other singers with folks like Aya Matsuura（松浦亜弥）and Masayuki Suzuki（鈴木雅之）covering it. Matsuura's version can be found in a special album, "Sada Masashi Tribute: Sada no Uta"（さだまさしトリビュート～さだのうた...A Tribute to Masashi Sada: Sada's Songs） which was released in October 2008 (peaking at No. 20). Suzuki's cover was the coupling tune for his 37th single"Juu-san Ya"（十三夜...13th Night）, released in October 2012. The A-side, so to speak, was also written and composed by Sada.
According to the J-Wiki article for the movie, even before Sada's film came out, there had been a previous TV adaptation for "Tobe Ikaros no Tsubasa" in 1979 on TBS. The star for that project was none other than Hideki Saijo（西城秀樹）, although I couldn't find any footage of that TV show.
*I don't think I've ever criticized an official title translation but "Icarus, Let's Beat Wings" doesn't particularly impress me. Personally, "Fly, Wings of Icarus" has a better ring.
After I discovered Fusako Amachi's（天地総子）ode to Mitsuya Cider a few days ago, I also found this other contribution by the late singer. A swinging jazz number that brought to mind "Sing Sing Sing", her "Rappa to Musume" (The Trumpet & The Girl) is an example of how and why I got into jazz of nearly a century ago. Actually, her version was a track on her 1974 album"Amachi Fusako to Tokyo Boogie-Woogie"（天地総子と東京ブギウギ...Fusako Amachi & Tokyo Boogie-Woogie）, and it actually had me swinging in my chair (don't try to imagine this...you just had to be there...or here).
The original "Rappa to Musume", according to J-Wiki, was recorded by Shizuko Kasagi（笠置シヅ子）in 1939 with Ryoichi Hattori（服部良一）writing and composing about this story of a girl in love with that sweet sound of a trumpeter in a band. It was nice to find this chestnut since I've only known Kasagi primarily for "Tokyo Boogie-Woogie". I'm not sure whether the authorities in Japan had banned jazz in the country shortly after the release of "Rappa to Musume", but I'm glad that it has survived over the decades.
I'm pretty sure that "Rappa to Musume" has been further covered by a lot of other musicians and singers, but one simmering cover was by Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra（東京スカパラダイスオーケストラ）for their 1993 album "PIONEERS". The ska is indeed in there but I can also imagine the guys wearing zoot suits from the 1940s.
Then in 2007, there was a release of an album covering the old hits by Hattori titled "Hattori Ryoichi ~ Seitan Hyaku-shuu Nen Kinen Tribute Album ~"（服部良一 〜生誕100周年記念トリビュート・アルバム〜...Ryoichi Hattori's 100th-Year Commemorative Tribute Album）with songs selected and arranged by his son, Katsuhisa（服部克久）, and his grandson, Takayuki（服部隆之）.Aya Matsuura（松浦亜弥）and trumpeter Terumasa Hino（日野皓正）provided their cover of "Rappa to Musume". Not sure if that is indeed Hino giving that magnificent solo in the performance above for NHK, but whoever he is, he's got one hot horn.
Looking at that lineup on J-Wiki, the Hattori tribute album might be worth getting. It actually peaked at No. 10.
The warmer weather may be a bit slow in coming to my neck of the woods but that doesn't mean I can't bring in some sunniness to "Kayo Kyoku Plus".
For today, there is no one better than Ayaya, aka Aya Matsuura（松浦亜弥）, and no song better than her "Momoiro Kataomoi" (Peach-Coloured Unrequited Love). This was her 5th single from February 2002, and the one thing I remember about it is that day-glo video set in a peach cannery that looks like it was built in the same town where H.R. Pufnstuf (Google it!) lived.
Being a member of Hello Project at the time, Tsunku（つんく♂）was of course the one behind words and music for "Momoiro Kataomoi", about as bouncy as an aidoru tune that I've ever heard. The song's title might be hinting at something sad but I certainly can't tell from the music and the video. Not surprisingly, it has become one of Ayaya's trademark tunes with J-Wiki stating that it was her breakthrough song. It did get as high as No. 2 on the Oricon weeklies. It was also included in her second album"T・W・O" from January 2003 which peaked also at No. 2.
With that twangy arrangement, I think the song would also have been ideal for Chisato Moritaka（森高千里）.
Last week, I was watching the popular Fuji-TV program "HONMADEKKA!?TV"（ホンマでっか!?TV）when it went into a certain segment with the excerpt from a popular song. The variety shows all like to do that...borrow snippets from kayo kyoku or J-Pop or even anime soundtracks to add as appropriate introductory music. Well, the snippet in "HONMADEKKA!?TV" was introducing a segment where the hosts and guests had to make a decision between two choices, so the song went as follows:
Sexy na no? Cute na no? Docchi ga suki na no?（セクシーなの？キュートなの？どっちが好きなの？...Which do you prefer, sexy or cute?）
If you could name that tune with that lyric, then congratulations. It is indeed Aya Matsuura's（松浦亜弥）"Nee?" (Hey?),her 9th single from March 2003. That lyric alone can pretty much represent the former Hello Projectaidoru, and it's one of the lines that I know her by.
What is notable about "Nee?" is how much it sounded like a DeVol-produced 60s American sitcom theme song or background music for a game show from the same nation and time period. And that is because although Tsunku（つんく）was the fellow behind the lyrics and music of "Nee?", the arranger was Yasuharu Ogura（小西康陽）, one-half of Shibuya-kei band Pizzicato Five. Also what helps out is that Ayaya delivery.
It's all bubbly fun as Ayaya does her cute stumbling around the stage and in the music video while she sings about how she tries to get her boyfriend to pay more attention to her. Coincidentally, I saw an article in The Toronto Star today about how relationships have often hit the rocks because one of the two is simply too drawn to the smartphone. In "Nee?" though, it's done in a much more lighthearted vein.
"Nee?" reached No. 3 on the charts and was also used for a Tessera shampoo commercial. After all, do you want your hair cute or sexy?
Another Ayaya video from my memories. There was one point in the early 2000s when Aya Matsuura（松浦亜弥）was all over the airwaves, and this video for "The Bigaku" (The Aesthetics) is one of the most vivid of the singer. It got plenty of air play on the local video channels.
"The Bigaku" was Matsuura's 7th single from September 2002. Being under the Hello! Project banner at the time, the song was naturally written and composed by Tsunku（つんく）. There is much about the song that reminds me of Ricky Martin's"Livin' La Vida Loca" but the video had Ayaya looking like she raided Chisato Moritaka's（森高千里）old wardrobe and with that definite article in the title, I also wondered whether there was a bit of a tribute to Moritaka's style a decade prior.
However, the music for "The Bigaku" is definitely going more for the spicy Latin rather than the techno-aidoru. Plus that choreography for the song looks like it would work very well for the core muscles. The song went all the way up to No. 2.
As for a direct cover of "Livin' La Vida Loca", you can take a look at Hiromi Go's（郷ひろみ）version from a few years earlier.
I thought it was about time that Ayaya finally got one of her own up on the blog (although she has appeared on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" once before with her cover of "Watarasebashi") so here it is. And besides, for a while, she was the IT girl for Hello Project for her gosh-darned spritely perkiness.
Although Aya Matsuura（松浦亜弥）never auditioned for Morning Musume（モーニング娘。）, she did try out and got into the Hello Project. She debuted in 2001 but the song here is "Yeah! Meccha Holiday" (Yeah! Super Holiday), her 6th single from May 2002. Ayaya has basically seared herself in my memory with her singing this particular title and the lyric "suNge, suNge, suNge, suNge..." which can, depending on my mood, be cheerful or darn annoying. But with that original music video above, the song is just so bright and sunny that summer is the only season which can be imagined for it.
Plus, there is that dancing which has probably inspired many a singer at karaoke. Being a Hello Project member, "Yeah! Meccha Holiday" was written and composed by Tsunku（つんく）. It peaked at No. 2 on Oricon and got her 2nd invitation to NHK's Kohaku Utagassenthat year.
Rino Sashihara（指原莉乃）of AKB48 did a cover of "Yeah! Meccha Holiday" for her debut single as a solo singer "Soredemo Suki Da yo"（それでも好きだよ...I Love You In Spite Of It）in May 2012. There seems to have been quite the gimmick surrounding this release since there were four versions from Type A to Type D. Sashihara's take on the Ayaya song is on the Type C CD.
However, the person I know the best when it comes to the various cover versions of "Yeah! Meccha Holiday" isn't technically a singer but a transsexual tarento by the name of Ai Haruna（はるな愛）. She basically made her way onto everyday terebi by giving her own high-energy take on the song, and she also shows up with Sashihara in the video above.
I stumbled upon Kayo Kyoku Plus more than a year ago when I was searching for Akina Nakamori (中森明菜)and Midori Karashima (辛島美登里), to find out how various people write about her songs. What a huge discovery! Since then, I've been following this blog regularly and at times commented on some of the posts. During a recent conversation with owner J-Canuck, he extended his warm invitation and asked me if I'm interested in contributing to this blog. So, here I am writing my first blog post on Kyo Kyoku Plus. Thank you so much, J-Canuck. It's been an honor.
Watarasebashi (渡良瀬橋), or The Bridge of Watarase, was Chisato Moritaka's (森高千里) 17th single, and it was also included in her 8th album "Lucky 7". It was released in January 1993. Hideo Saito (斉藤英夫) composed the song while Chisato wrote the lyrics herself. According to Orion, the highest place it reached was 9th on its chart.
I didn't listen to Chisato's original version first. Instead, it was Aya Matsuura's (松浦亜弥) cover version that I first listened to. She covered it in 2004, 11 years after the original was released. According to J-Wiki, there've been 8 Japanese singers who have covered the song.
Watarasebashi was a sad song about 2 lovers. The stage was set in a small town/village where the woman lived. Her lover was living in the city and regularly came to see her. Even though he loved the countryside, it's unreasonable for him to move to the village. Unfortunately, the woman could not leave her hometown either. At the end, they parted. But she could not forget him though. Every time she went to the shrine, she would pray for his wellness. When she came across the public telephone booth outside the barber shop, she couldn't help but pick it up. However, she didn't have the courage to call him. From time to time, she would return to the bridge of Watarase in the evening, where they once watched the sunset together.
Personally, I like Aya's version more. It has a slower tempo and the arrangement seems more appropriate for a sad love song. It has this slow piano introduction that somehow puts me into the mood of the song. To me, Chisato's introduction is a bit short and it feels a bit rush when it comes to the tempo. I also like Aya's voice more. Most Asian female singers, especially Japanese singers, have what we called in Cantonese "voice of a small chicken" - a high-pitched but soft and seeming fragile singing voice. I think Aya was once criticized for that too but in my opinion, Chisato possesses a truly "small chicken voice". What I found most fascinating is the story behind the song though. The bridge, Watarasebashi, which is the title of the song, exists in real life. It's in a small town called Ashikaga (足利) in the Tochigi Prefecture (栃木県). It's north of Tokyo and around 1-2 hours by train. Here's its google map location if you're interested: https://www.google.com/maps/place/渡良瀬橋/@36.334096,139.444405,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x601f21885136e723:0xfc174907a73dd9e6
When Chisato began to write the lyrics, she set out to write about a bridge. So she laid out a map on the table and searched for any bridge or river whose name resonates beautifully. It was the name Watarasebashi that caught her attention. In fact, back in 1989, Chisato had a live performance at Ashikaga Industrial University. She remembered crossing some bridge that day. "Was it really the bridge of Watarase?" She wondered. With her mind set, she once again went to the town of Ashikaga to research on her lyrics. It was Fall 1992. Here's a documentary featuring Chisato herself, who returned to Ashikaga in May 2012, 20 years after the song was released.
Continuing with the story, soon after the song was released, Chisato's recording company got a call from the city hall of Ashikaga, asking if the title of the song was referring to the bridge in their city. Chisato and her staff were scared. "Did we anger them by not informing them beforehand?" "Are the residents going to blame us for inappropriately portraying the city of Ashikaga?" "After all, what does someone from Kumamoto (Chisato's hometown) know about Ashikaga anyway?" Chisato wondered what the residents would say. It turned out, what Chisato and her staff learned from the city hall, that the Sunset from the Bridge of Watarase was chosen to be among Ashikaga's top 100 sightseeing spots. The city of Ashikaga and its residents were extremely glad that Chisato wrote about that in her song! There was a reference to a shrine called Yakumo Shrine (八雲神社) where the woman prayed for her lover. Fans wrote her letters and asked her which Yakumo Shrine she was referring to. In the documentary, Chisato said when she opened the map of Ashikaga, she immediately noticed the Yakumo Shrine. "The name rhymes very well with the melody, and so I decided to use it," she said. At that time, she knew there're 3 shrines named Yakumo within Ashikaga. She was not referring to any particular one. Later on, the city hall told her that they found 8 Yakumo shrines, and there might be more! Also in the song, there's a reference to a telephone booth outside of a barber shop. Similarly, the residents of Ashikaga flooded her with photos asking her if she was referring to the one in their photo. Both the telephone booth and the barber shop exist as well! According to Chisato in her documentary, she got the idea from Beatle's Penny Lane where barber shop and fire station appear in the song. "I can use this," she thought as she noticed the telephone booth from her car during her research trip. She was totally surprised that some residents actually found it. There's one final story about this telephone booth though. As more and more people are carrying mobile phones, the need for public telephone diminishes. Consequently, in 2008, NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone) wanted to demolish this phone booth in Ashikaga. The residents protested and eventually the telephone booth stayed. In 2007, the city erected a monument around the Bridge of Watarase to commemorate the song. During the day, the song is played continuously at the monument.
It's just a fascinating story that I could not help but share with all of you! I hope you enjoy my first post on Kayo Kyoku Plus.
