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.
Welcome to Monday! When I first listened to Kojiro Shimizu's（清水宏次朗）"Love Affair" which was his October 1988 single, there was something about that boogie beat which sounded rather familiar. Then, I saw who was behind the songwriting...none other Ryo Aska（飛鳥涼）of Chage & Aska fame. That beat in their upbeat songs has been similarly transferred to Shimizu's original take of hustling, shuffling and strutting down the street as a desperate cad is truly hoping that he can steal a lady from another guy. The single was also included in his album "Night Dive" which came out in November.
I gather that Aska liked his work so much that he and partner Chage covered it in their 11th original album"Energy" which also came out in November 1988. The boogie has been amped up to Big Band jazz levels via synthesizer. "Energy" peaked at No. 6 on Oricon.
I kinda feel like putting a swift Chage up my Aska for not putting this Chage and Aska song up on the blog after nearly a dozen years of KKP's existence.
For one thing, "Boku wa Kono Hitomi de Uso wo Tsuku" (I'll Lie to You with These Eyes) is the veteran duo's 28th single from November 1991 and it shares track space on their October 1991 album "TREE" with their hit 27th single, "Say Yes" which ended up as the 2nd-biggest single of the year. For another thing, "Boku wa Kono Hitomi de Uso wo Tsuku" is in a tie with "Say Yes" as the two tracks that I know best on "TREE".
With words and music by Ryo Aska（飛鳥涼）, the song could almost be a TV drama on its own as the singer-songwriter explains that it's about a guy who feels that he has to be cruel to be kind to a woman to save her from any further damage. For me, it was the first track on "TREE" and I could have used this song to help me stay up on those university nights when I had to pull off some massive all-nighters. Chage and Aska really go into exhortation mode here and the warp-powered music really whipped me into inspiration territory.
Yeah, it has had that effect on me that Shuzo Matsuoka（松岡修造）has on everyone! Contact Admiral Hansen at Starfleet Command! I have now engaged the Borg!
All joking aside, it is a pretty heart-thumping tune. The single with all of its horns and smashing percussion reached No. 1 on Oricon and ended up as the 19th-ranked song for 1992, going Double Platinum and selling a little more than 800,000 copies.
Last Thursday, I was reminiscing K-Tel and disco. This week, it'll be music video and New Wave/synthpop. But in doing so, I have to confess that despite all of my fond memories for the music of my youth, I hadn't heard Tubeway Army's"Are 'Friends' Electric?" until last night, and I'm left wondering what other goodies I've missed out on from the New Wave days.
However, I have been fully aware of this song by Gary Numan who was part of Tubeway Army initially before going solo. His "Cars" is most likely one of the great anthems of New Wave and synthpop as we were heading into the 1980s with MTV and men wearing cosmetics. Released on August 21st 1979, I've read on the Wikipedia article for Numan's big hit that it was actually born out of a road rage incident that the singer-songwriter had unfortunately gotten himself into in London. That is certainly one example of making a positive out of a negative.
That whole New Wave aesthetic was thoroughly crystallized in my pop cultural self partly because of those amazing thrumming synths and that cover of Numan in suit and eye makeup on the cover of his solo debut album"The Pleasure Principle" which came out in the month following the release of the single. So, it was with YMO on one side of the Pacific and Numan (among other synthpop acts such as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and the Human League) on one side of the Atlantic that my interest in synthesizer music was piqued.
Along with the music, that video also told me that the music-listening public was headed into a new age with Numan himself looking glacially eerie and slightly alien with those intense hooded eyes and his nasal delivery. I additionally have to note the identical suits (including skinny ties) on the backup musicians (kinda Kraftwerk) and those tube lights. Yep, those were the days!
"Cars" hit No. 1 on Canada's RPM chart and in the UK, while it peaked at No. 9 on America's Billboard. However, Wikipedia has pointed out that "Cars" was his only hit in Canada and the US although he had some more success in the UK. Still, what a song to be remembered for!
Now, just four days following the release of "Cars", it's noted that these two singles in Japan got their due.
I was doing the usual maintenance last night before heading to bed. As I was doing so, I encountered a couple of old articles and although they were handled separately by myself and KKP contributor Joana Bernardo, they both dealt with the same two acts who performed their versions of the same classic song: "Sora mo Toberu Hazu" (空も飛べるはず) by originating band Spitz (スピッツ) and the covering group Sayonara Ponytail (さよならポニーテール).
Well, I then thought to myself that the girl group Sayonara Ponytail, known also by their nickname SayoPony, has only had that one song to represent them through two articles on "Kayo Kyoku Plus". Therefore, it was time to look further afield.
The first song that I came across also happened to be a cover of another popular song from yesteryear. SayoPony performed their version of "Say Yes", the Chage & Aska megahit that became the No. 2 song for 1991. I remember that one very well since it was one of the last CDs that I purchased in the music store before heading back to Canada from the JET Programme and it was also the theme for the popular Fuji-TV romance-drama "Hyakuikkaime no Propose"（101 回目のプロポーズ.... The 101st Proposal).
Whereas the original by Chage & Aska was so heart-on-a-sleeve romantic that boyfriends were probably forced to kneel down in front of their girlfriends if they ever heard it on a store speaker, the Sayonara Ponytail cover is a happy and skip-worthy pop number which would probably have the members of the group sing this in front of a campfire. It's not so much romantic as it is singalong fun. Great harmonies among everyone, too!
This version of "Say Yes" was a track on a compilation album of cover tunes by various acts. It's called "Moteki-teki Ongaku no Susume: Covers for MTK Lovers-ban"（モテキ的音楽のススメ Covers for MTK Lovers盤...Moteki Music Recommendations... Covers for MTK Lovers Version） and it came out in September 2011. The album was a part of a series provided under the aegis of the live-action adaptation of a manga called "Moteki"（モテキ）.
The second song of this article just happens to be the first song that I ever heard by Sayonara Ponytail although at the time, I didn't pay much attention to the details behind it. I was more keyed to the anime that it had been attached to, the wild "Kill La Kill"（キルラキル）. It's hard to believe that we're approaching nearly a decade since the show about a tough-as-nails high school student and weaponized clothing became the talk of the town in the anime world.
Miku Sawai's（沢井美空）"Gomen ne, Ii Ko Ja Irarenai"（ごめんね、いいコじゃいられない）was the first ending theme for "Kill La Kill" and it was a rock number that reflected the student/warrior Ryuko Matoi and her plight in life. But then, the second ending theme came out halfway through and the credits showed a cute-as-kittens ending credit sequence which focused solely on Ryuko's best friend, the extremely gabby and girly Mako Mankanshoku. Accompanying it was SayoPony's very pop "Shin Sekai Koukyougaku" (New World Symphony) created by the group's dedicated songwriter Fukkun（ふっくん）. It was released as a single in March 2014 (peaked at No. 27 on Oricon) as their 2nd major release after their 2012 debut which just happened to be the cover of "Sora mo Toberu Hazu" by Spitz.
One amazing thing that I hadn't known about Sayonara Ponytail is that they are very much a secret society of singers. From their own Wiki, I discovered that their identities have never been revealed and they have never appeared on camera or even performed live. In fact, the story is that very few of the members have even met each other. As well, any representation of the group has been done through illustrations.
As of 2022, the lineup is Miina, Ayumin, Nacchan, Yuyu, and Shuka, and they're backed up by five music team members (who include the aforementioned Fukkun) and two support staff. Under these circumstances, Sayonara Ponytail would make the mystery dentist band Greeeen appear like the most public-domain musical entity.
Of course, I have to finish this with footage of the one-and-only Mako.
Being the geek that I am, I was watching the live coverage of the landing of the Perseverance Rover on Mars earlier this afternoon as NASA and fellow space watchers crossed their collective fingers and toes. The probe went through those 7 Minutes of Terror and landed safely which got everyone doing claps and backslaps, and I think the "Avengers" theme song sparked off in my head. Anyways, congratulations on the feat.
Words such as technology and the future also started to coalesce in my mind so today being time for a ROY article, I was thinking about what old song could bring about thoughts of the new age. Well, I've already featured Donald Fagen's"I.G.Y." back in November as a ROY, but there's also The Buggles' "Video Killed The Radio Star".
Yep, although at the time, my television couldn't get MTV when it premiered in 1981, I did hear that the music video channel started its broadcasting life with "Video Killed The Radio Star". However, it was actually released as The Buggles' debut single in September 1979, and to my surprise, it was a cover of an original version by Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club that had come out earlier in January.
When I think of Fagen's "I.G.Y." from 1982, I think of that unusual fusion arrangement which came off as being very mellow but with that seeming reggae beat. There were also the singer's snarky predictions of a beautiful future viewed through a 1950s/1960s lens with all of that hi-tech. Donald Fagen may have been sarcastic but I still took it to heart as a hopeful sign of what may yet come to pass in my remaining decades on Earth. But with The Buggles' most famous song, that synthpop melody has always had me dreaming of the future as I see it now...with all those gleaming weirdly-shaped towers popping out of the firmament like mushrooms and sky pods flying among them in their air lanes. It would be downright Coruscant!
The things that made "Video Killed The Radio Star" a prized melody of my memories is not just the hopeful feeling but also Trevor Horn's delivery as if he were some old Hollywood radio emcee crooning into one of those huge NBC stand mikes contrasting with the technopop and of course the background New York accent-inflected vocals by the ladies. The album version finishes off with a poignant piano-and-synth combination that may signal a moment by an older man looking upon the past few decades of technological developments with some pride and contentment.
I don't know when and where I first heard "Video Killed The Radio Star". Most likely, it was just through watching one of the video shows that populated the airwaves here in Toronto at the time. From what I've read of the song on Wikipedia, it's been posited that the song was actually all about nostalgia (and it's certainly nostalgic listening to it now) for how things changed technologically back in the 1960s and the desire to look back. There is also the opinion that the young folks of today (oh you whippersnappers!) would not appreciate the past. Well, considering what I've seen of the comments for music of the past, whether it be Japanese, American, European, etc., I don't think that there needs to be any lamentation about that factor right now. It seems that plenty of the newer generation have been enjoying the songs of the 70s and the 80s on either side of the Pacific.
Now, what was released in Japan in September 1979?
For this Reminiscings of Youth article, I decided to go back a few years and into the AOR genre. But first, for those of my generation, do you remember this band?
Yep, this is Mr. Mister with their huge 1985 hit "Broken Wings". It made it to No. 1 on the American and Canadian charts, and although I personally didn't become a fan of this song or the band itself during my university years, I certainly recognize it and the music video since it got plenty of airplay and heavy rotation on the video shows.
The big surprise for me here was that years before Mr. Mister, two of the members, Richard Page and Steve George had created this AOR band in 1978 called Pages. And it turns out one of their songs luckily ended up on one of my BRIO AOR CDs.
Pages never got all that successful aside from a single called "I Do Believe In You" from 1979 that peaked at No. 84, their only song that got into the Billboard Hot 100. The single was also a part of their 2nd album that year, "Future Street", and from that same release came "Who's Right, Who's Wrong".
Now, perhaps I ought to be guilty of a little fraud here since in actual fact, I had never known about "Who's Right, Who's Wrong" or Pages when I was a teenager. It was only through my purchase of that BRIO CD that I found out about this marvelous ballad. But still, the sound that emanated through my headphones when I first heard this in Ichikawa was so very reminiscent of what I was hearing during my childhood on the radio, and boy, was I happy to have finally made my acquaintance with this one.
Created by Page and Kenny Loggins (no stranger to AOR himself), that Michael Brecker sax opening is just perfect, and I would go so far to say that it's one of the greatest openings of any pop song that I've heard. It was instant relaxation at first listen. The remainder of "Who's Right, Who's Wrong" with the keyboards, synthesizer, the vocals and the Jerry Hey strings arrangement struck me as what I have loved about AOR.
Loggins himself would also record his own mellow version of the song for his 1979 album"Keep The Fire" with Page and the Michael Jackson on backing vocals. However, I have to say that the Pages version will always be my favourite by far.
Try as I might, I couldn't find out in which month "Future Street" was released in 1979 and so for the kayo comparison, I've opted to find out which Japanese singers made their debuts in or around September 1979...since after all, we are in September.
Along with all of the Xmas/New Year's festivities and the announcement of the Kohaku Utagassen lineup, another pop cultural sign that the year is nigh is the presentation of "Shingo/Ryukogo Taisho"（新語・流行語大賞）or The New Words & Trendy Words Awards. Man, do the Japanese love their buzzwords and catchphrases! Among the words lauded in 2018 at the 35th edition were "So da ne~!"（そだねー...Yup!/Ya got that right!）by a women's curling team and "e-Sports".
Well, I kinda figured one thing. I know that there were quite a few songs associated with these various popular words of their year so I just considered scrolling through the official website for the awards and seeing what I could find. Of course, with the Heisei Era finishing up at the end of April, I decided to keep my focus from 1989 onwards for the most part so here are 9 songs attached with some of those Heisei trendy words and 1 that I decided to throw in for nostalgia's sake.
Considering that the Japanese have loved their trendy turns of phrase for years, I was a bit surprised that the awards only started up in 1984. I'm sure that the original producers must have knocked themselves upside the head and proclaimed "Why didn't we think of this sooner?" In any case, one of the first winners of the award (and this is the lone Showa Era nostalgic entry) was "Oshin-drome"（オシンドローム...Oshin Syndrome） to commemorate the massive international popularity of this NHK morning serial "Oshin"（おしん） (1983) about a woman who had grown up through unimaginably harsh circumstances to own her chain of successful stores.
Not being a serial drama fan, I was always in my room studying but I could hear my parents sniffling away as they watched another tear-drenched episode on their rental VHS tapes. And each episode would being with that wistful instrumental theme song by Koichi Sakata（坂田晃一）. I heard that "Oshin" became a huge hit even in Southeast Asia, and I even saw then-President Ronald Reagan give an address to Japan, making reference to the show although he pronounced the title as "ocean".
Yup, in the first (not-whole) year of Heisei, just as the first cracks were appearing in that Big Shiny Bubble, this commercial jingle for the Regain vitamin drink exhorted the masses to work their asses...off under the slogan "24-ji kan tatakae masu ka?"（24時間タタカエマスカ...Can you battle it out for 24 hours?）. It didn't stop the Bubble from bursting but "Yuuki no Shirushi"（勇気のしるし）was a huge success and probably got actor Saburo Tokito（時任三郎）his first hit as a singer. It even got attention from CNN.
"Chibi Maruko-chan"（ちびまる子ちゃん）the anime and manga by the late Momoko Sakura（さくらももこ） became a thing in this year, and even the famous ending theme (now the opening theme) by B.B. Queens ended up as the No. 1 single of the year on Oricon and in the karaoke rooms. Watching the show on Sunday nights, the anime has become as indispensable as "Sazae-chan"（サザエちゃん）on the Fuji-TV schedule.
Aye...who could remember that fateful scene of Tetsuya Takeda's（武田鉄矢）nebbishy character foolishly stepping in front of a truck and screaming at Atsuko Asano（浅野温子）, "Boku wa shinimashehhhhn!"（僕は死にましぇ～ん...I'M NOT GONNA DIIIIIE!）in 1991's "Hyaku-ikkai-me no Propose"（１０１回目のプロポーズ...The 101st Proposal） just to show how much he will not end up disappearing from her life? That proclamation got the prize that year although I rather wonder when Takeda showed up to get his prize whether he asked men not to jump in front of motor vehicles. Still, the opening theme "Say Yes" by Chage & Aska flew off the shelves to catapult it into Oricon history as the 7th-ranked single of all time.
5. EAST END×YURI -- DA.YO.NE (12th edition ~ 1995)
For the sake of truth-in-advertising, the full phrase that got EAST END X YURI their award in 1995 was "DA.YO.NE, MAICCA" after their two hit songs, but it's that first tune of "DA.YO.NE" that the hip-hop unit has become famous for. Simply couldn't get the song out of my head and ears, no matter how much I tried. It was that pervasive all over media and that didn't include all of the dialectal variants that also got released.
I'm sure that a lot of Namie Amuro's（安室奈美恵）fans really wanted to cry when she announced her retirement from show business a couple of years ago. Yup "Amurer"（アムラー）was another prize-winning word from 1996 when young ladies wanted to emulate the Okinawan superstar's looks right down to those platform boots. I'm not sure if I had seen too many Amurers walking into my branch of NOVA in Asakusa way back when, but I do remember seeing a lot of those boots. Not that I had a boot fetish or anything like that, ahem.
7. Pirates -- INCANTATION (15th Edition ~ 1998)
One of the reasons that I decided to come up with this list was this comical duo of busty tarento known as Pirates（パイレーツ）who gained their 15 minutes of fame for this one catchphrase, "Dachuuno!"（だっちゅーの...What I'm Saying Is）as they bent over in their low-cut wardrobe. Again as any of the trendy words for that year proved, it was one of those phrases that was everywhere in the media zeitgeist, and therefore, Yoshimi Asada and Haruka Nishimoto（浅田好未、西本はるか）were everywhere as well.
Plus, I vaguely remember that their fame meant going into the recording booth to spit out some singles. Their first one of four singles was "INCANTATION" released in March 1998. Written by Sho Saegusa（三枝翔...not sure about the pronunciation of the last name） and composed by Kazuhisa Yamaguchi（山口一久）, it had that slightly sultry feel, but that's all I can really say about it.
To think, a trio of dumplings became famous for getting the top single of 1999. "Dango San Kyodai"（だんご３兄弟）by Dango Gasshodan is a catchy tune, to be sure, though, and if I could re-title the song, I would put it as the Dango Tango. And yup, "Dango San Kyodai" was one of the 1999 winners, too. Japanese confectioners were probably placing their down payments on some nice real estate after getting all sorts of business after customers had seen the video.
At a time when corporate workers were getting mightily worried about getting laid off, perhaps the cover of Kyu Sakamoto's（坂本九）"Ashita ga aru sa"（明日があるさ）by Re:Japan's motley crew of Yoshimoto Kogyo comedians may have helped provide some solace. Plus, the friendly nature of the song must have made for a fine trigger for a massive singalong that year at the karaoke boxes.
Well, considering that "PPAP" went well beyond Japan's borders and tickled the humour of one Canadian superstar and dragged one other Canadian superstar into a parody, I think that it was a done deal for the song to get a prize a couple of years ago. Reading the description at the website for the trendy words, even those guys aren't sure what triggered the song's popularity.😁
From May, it will be a new reign era. I'm sure that there will be some buzzwords, catchphrases and trendy words formed and bandied about like candy from May to December, though.
Earlier this morning, NHK's "News at 9" was on and there was apparently a feature on singer-songwriter Ryo Aska（飛鳥涼）. I was having breakfast at the time so I didn't have a direct eye on the TV but when I was able to grab a view, I saw a middle-aged and introspective and probably a penitent man. I couldn't hear too clearly but I think he is trying to make another go at his career after his latest problem with drugs a few years earlier.
As I've mentioned in past articles, it's always interesting to see and hear longstanding music acts when they first debuted since comparisons can be made between the sound that I'm accustomed to hearing from a singer or band and the sound that had been generated at the very beginning of the career; a prototype version, you might say. Chage & Aska（チャゲ&飛鳥）are no different. For years, I've known Shuuji Shibata（柴田秀之）and Ryo Aska as these simultaneously singing epic balladeers who can sing the heck out of a love song and an uptempo pop number with the force of a cannon.
I've finally been able to listen to their debut single"Hitorizaki" (Blossoming Alone) which came out in August 1979. Their heartfelt voices were already there but they were paired with this contemplative 1970s folk sound. Then, there was their first nationwide appearance to sing this very number on Fuji-TV's"Yoru no Hit Studio" (which I believe is represented in the above video). I found out in the J-Wiki article for "Hitorizaki" that Chage & Aska had been called up urgently by the show's producers when the originally scheduled Takuro Yoshida（吉田拓郎）had to cancel suddenly. There wasn't even time to change the set which had been built to fit Yoshida's appearance.
No matter. Looking at the above introductory performance to Japanese fans, it was obvious that Chage & Aska made the most out of their golden opportunity. But man, would you look how cute they looked back then? No cool suit (and coiffed short hairstyle) for Aska and no hat or sunglasses for Chage! They looked like a pair of busking university kids. Ahhh....those humble beginnings.
Aska wrote and composed "Hitorizaki" whose lyrics deal with a woman encouraging a now-former beau to buck up and get on with his life without her. But with that delivery, I think the song can be used as a song of encouragement in general. The song didn't too badly for a debut, peaking at No. 24, but it became a longtime occupier of Oricon by hanging around in the Top 100 for 31 weeks. The song also made it onto the duo's debut album "Kazemai"（風舞...Wind Dance） from April 1980 which made it all the way up to No. 11. The above video has Chage & Aska coming back onto "Yoru no Hit Studio"（夜のヒットスタジオ）some years later (nope, it's been taken down), it looks like, and in the appearance and sound that I've been familiar with all this time.
Probably
the rarest song featured today, Miho Fujiwara’s (藤原美穂) “Streets
Are Hot” is a true 80s gem, direct from 1986. Apparently, it was one of the
songs used in “California Crisis”, an obscure anime OVA that seems not very
great aside from its OST. Anyway, the song is a great example of City Pop from
its time, with the irresistible groove, catchy melody, and sunny feeling. Even
Miho’s vocals, which may sound a little too Kate Bush at some points, adds an
admirable heat to the song.
Takako
Ohta – MAGICIAN ~in the midnight~
And here’s another 80s gem, but now in the form of
Takako Ohta’s (太田貴子)
“MAGICIAN ~in the midnight~”, from 1989, that was produced by jazz saxophonist
and composed Bobby Watson, and features a delicious and funky singalong chorus.
Aside from all the Creamy Mami (魔法の天使クリィミーマミ)
stuff that Ohta recorded in her aidoru
days, she also released some interesting City Pop/R&B albums during the
late 80s. Unfortunately, her fame has always been restricted to the anime
niche, and true funky gems like “MAGICIAN ~in the midnight~” just got buried
with time.
CHAGE
and ASKA – Trip
After
becoming with “Boku wa Kono Me de Uso wo Tsuku” (僕はこの瞳で嘘をつく)
earlier this year, I had the pleasure of buying CHAGE and ASKA’s “SUPER BEST II”
compilation from a fellow Brazilian for a very cheap price. Time passed by and
it became the album I listened to the most this year (2017 is not over yet, but
still). Aside from the aforementioned upbeat tune, “Trip” is the one song I
keep returning to, thanks to its gorgeous melody and ASKA’s powerful delivery.
Well, he’s always great, but there’s something special in “Trip”, and even a
hint of sadness at some points. It’s interesting how it wasn’t a true hit when
it was released back in 1988. The duo had to wait until the economic bubble burst to
have their second, and definitive, wave of success.
The
Checkers – Sea of Love
Even
though it’s was not released as a single, “Sea of Love” is a big highlight from
The Checkers’ (チェッカーズ) final album, “Blue Moon Stone”, which was released
in 1992. Coupled with the band’s usual groove, the charming and soulful Fumiya
Fujii (藤井フミヤ)
delivers a sexy vocal performance that represents very well their maturity in
this last effort.
Rica Matsumoto – Alola!! (アローラ!!)
Pokémon
is a big part of my life, since my childhood days. Last year, when new titles
Pokémon Sun and Moon were announced for the Nintendo 3DS, I knew it was my
chance to buy a Nintendo portable for the first time in my life (a very old
dream, since the Game Boy days) and start a new journey in a place called
Alola, which was heavily inspired by Hawaii. Game story aside, new Pokémon
games means a new season of the anime, which also got me pumped (I stopped
watching the anime years ago, but playing the new games just got me interested
in accompanying Ash/Satoshi and Pikachu in their journey again). So, after a
few episodes, I started liking the opening a lot, even if it’s just another
upbeat tune for a kids show. Maybe it was the Hawaiian touches, such as the
timid inclusion of ukulele in the arrangement, or the infectious chorus sang by
Rica Matsumoto (松本梨香), or the wild horns playing non-stop… or even that
cute singalong interlude featuring Pikachu. The thing is, “Alola!!” (2017) became one
of my favorite Pokémon opening themes, right next to the very old ones.
Hikaru
GENJI – Nettaya (熱帯夜)
I
remember talking about Hikaru GENJI’s (光GENJI) “Waratte yo” (笑ってよ) a
while ago, and “Nettaya” is somewhat similar in the sense that both are Latin-inspired
songs. Released in 1991 as the coupling song to the single “WINNING RUN”, “Nettaya”
explodes in an exuberant and glossy summer song that almost makes me want to
sing the owaranai masquerade… owaranai
natsu (終わらないマスカレード… 終わらない夏)
from the first chorus together with the boys. The melody is so vibrant that
almost masquerades (yeah, pun intended) Hikaru GENJI’s limited vocals, and I
also love the arrangement composed mostly by keyboards, strong horns and the
main synth line that shares its melody with the chorus. Great summer song by
the guys!
Chisato
Moritaka – Kanojo (彼女)
I
generally tend to write about Chisato Moritaka’s (森高千里) Eurobeat
tunes, but the hard rock of “Kanojo” just hit me hard since she released 1991’s
“The Moritaka Tour” DVD/Blu-Ray (「ザ・森高」ツアー1991.8.22 at渋谷公会堂) for
the first time ever a couple of months ago. The song is almost a duet of
Chisato with the guitarist, thanks to the well-executed guitar solos. Of
course, the rest of her band was also essential, like the omnipresent bassist,
and it’s strange to almost see her as part of a band instead of as a solo
artist. In the end, rather than the colorful and light sound we’re used to from
her, I see “Kanojo” as a grey and hard song thanks to its very specific sound (at
least in Moritaka’s overall discography).
Takuya
Nakazawa – Aoi Diamond (青いダイヤモンド)
“Aoi
Diamond” was a nice surprise that was released at the beginning of this year (2017). Takuya
Nakazawa (中澤卓也) was
also a new name for me, since I don’t follow the enka world with dedication. In
fact, I don’t know if the song can be classified as pure enka, since it misses
some of the genre’s main quirks and characteristics. Maybe some sort of Kayo Kyoku
or Showa Era pop would be more adequate, even if rather vague… and I really
like how the meaty vocal performance are a good show off of Takuya’s crooner
skills (the big smile and plastic appearance helps too). As for the song, it’s
surprisingly catchy for what it is, and I just love to sing it while watching
the live performances. I want to hear more from Takuya, since he has such a
beautiful voice and pleasant style.
Greeen
Linez – Sallot Ski
After
“Hibiscus Pacific”, “Sallot Ski”(2012) is my favorite offer from the British duo
Greeen Linez and their obsession with 80s Japanese aesthetics. There’s some
sort of mystique in this song that I’m not even able to explain, but I drown
into this strange feeling every time I play it. Of course I do a little head
dance as well, but that’s only because of the obvious groove. In the end, this is a gorgeous underground tune.
Tatsuro Yamashita – REBORN
To
end this list, a song from a true master! Honestly, I’m not well familiarized with
Tatsuro Yamashita’s (山下達郎) songs, but I know how the singer-songwriter is
considered a legend in the Japanese Record Industry. And “REBORN”, released in
2017 as a theme for the movie Namiya
Zakkaten no Kiseki (ナミヤ雑貨店の奇蹟), showcases a basic element that
Japan seems to like very much: melancholy. Thanks to the keyboard bits, coupled with Yamashita’s soulful vocal, all
the melodic shifts, and the song’s overall ethereal mood, we’re simply in front
of a great song.
I was trying to figure out how to go about doing my "The First" article for a while now. I wasn't sure whether to talk about my roots in J-pop or my transition to enka, but eventually I decided to combine both as I do touch on both genres on KKP. This'll be a long one, so get comfy and please bear with me.
The J-Pop Roots:
For me, everything began with Chage and Aska. As a young kid (probably around 10 years old), my parents used to play some of the pop duo's songs when we went on road trips to the neighbouring Malaysia. With rolling fields passing by as we headed to Cameron Highlands on one trip, the track that resonated with me the most was none other than "On Your Mark". I had no idea who they were or what they were saying, but the mellow rock melody and chorus had me not wanting the song to end. However, after that road trip I never got the chance to hear those C&A songs again, for some reason. Probably because it didn't occur to me that I could personally take the CD of downloaded tracks and search for the song using Dad's old laptop.
Anyway, it wasn't until a year or two later when I managed to get my hands on an MP4 player (prize from a Reader's Digest issue... I still have no idea how I became the winner) did I finally reconnect to that fateful song, which opened the gateway to the rest of C&A's discography. Being a little older and more aware of things, I also decided to sample the other songs in that CD and grew to enjoy every single one of them - the eight tracks ranged from "On Your Mark" to "Hitori Zaki" (ひとり咲き). Then I gained access to YouTube in the years that followed which allowed me to finally see the guys behind the music and broaden my C&A horizons. I distinctly remember listening to "Heart" during my one hour computer curfew, and having "if" playing in the background while I wrestled the keyboard's arrow keys to keep my character from squashing himself in online motorcycle games. Ah, good memories.
Throughout secondary school (grade 7 to 10), it was literally nothing but C&A (especially Aska). Having gotten some compilations from HMV in Singapore (when it was still around) and reprints of their original albums in Japan as well as online, I became quite well-versed in their works. Unfortunately, Aska got into trouble (2013) and went out of commission for a few years.
As terrible as it was, there was a silver lining. It had me venturing out into the works of other J-pop acts as an alternative. The most notable group I clung on to in the aftermath was Anzen Chitai (安全地帯), whom Mom mentioned and recommended occasionally. Considering how devastated I felt when Aska was indicted and the hell the GCE 'O' levels put me through, my introduction to the band via "Kanashimi ni Sayonara" (悲しみにさよなら) helped to ease the pain considerably. Southern All Stars followed soon after with "Manatsu no Kaijutsu" (真夏の果実).
Despite being a good distraction, I lost most of my interest in them quite quickly as I found Koji Tamaki (玉置浩二) to be too bohemian and Keisuke Kuwata (桑田佳祐) too zany. None of the other 90's J-pop acts I came across in 90's hit medleys really resonated with me either - their hits were good, but I wasn't enamored by the singers - and I felt like I was simply waiting on Aska to make a comeback.
Then I discovered Korokke (コロッケ), the monomane artiste, who opened the gateway to a whole "new" genre.
The Transition (with Korokke's help):
I encountered Korokke around the same time as Tamaki and Kei-chan. I recall looking for impressions of singers I recognize, which then led me to Korokke's shenanigans. What I loved about his impressions were that they could be on point, inaccurate to some degree but hilarious, or a mix of both. Now, I had no idea whom many of the targets were at the time but multiple viewings of Korokke's warped faces and exaggerated deliveries were enough to make me do some investigating. As it turned out, they were enka singers.
Needless to say, I had little idea of what enka was, besides the fact that it's old music sung by the old and grey. I'd typically avoid it at all costs, but because of my burning curiosity and slow gravitation to the fragments of the strange sounding songs Korokke sang, I went ahead to listen to some of them, one being Hiroshi Itsuki's (五木ひろし) "Yokohama Tasogare" (よこはま・たそがれ).
With its distinctive, snake charmer (as I usually call it) music and Itsuki's mellow vibrato-filled vocals, it made for a very different listening experience - it wasn't something I've heard or seen before, but it was thoroughly refreshing and amusing. From there, I began trying out a little more enka that were easy on the ears, all while marveling at the kooky characters who sang them, like Ikuzo Yoshi (吉幾三), Aki Yashiro (八代亜紀), Takashi Hosokawa (細川たかし), and Masao Sen (千昌夫). But just like what I mentioned above, it wasn't enough to sustain my interest in the genre, and so I set it aside while I explored more of 90's J-pop until I decided to look up another of Korokke's targets.
Mood Kayo's Uramachi
Brows furrowed so often it left five obvious wrinkles on his forehead, standing so straight and still he earned the nickname of "Pillar Man" from Mom, yup, it's Kiyoshi Maekawa (前川清), or as I like to call him, Mae-Kiyo. Korokke doesn't do impressions of him as much as, say, Itsuki, but it was amusing enough for me to look into. Also, Mae-Kiyo was one of the last few fellows from the monomane tarento's list I had yet to check out at the time.
Oddly enough, I got drawn to him fairly quickly the moment "Soshite Kobe" (そして、神戸) hit my ears. Besides looking rather spiffy, there was just something hypnotizing about hearing his intense baritone droning on to the equally as intense and dramatic strings. And the fact that he could stand so still despite bellowing out the last line of the song was fascinating... Yeah, he became my long sough-after muse soon after.
My fascination in Mae-Kiyo and subsequently his group, The Cool Five, reignited my enthusiasm for enka and allowed me to learn about its sister genre, Mood Kayo. Current day me is more aware of what is considered an enka song and what is considered a Mood Kayo song, but considering how often the lines between the genres are blurred, the kayo green horn that was me three years ago couldn't really tell the difference and simply saw Mood Kayo as the more listenable version of enka, where singers have deeper, smoother vocals and the melodies were easier on the ears (not always, though).
Enka's Hanamichi
Coming to the tail-end of my journey into Japanese music (for now) is how I got myself into what I affectionately call "Hardcore Enka", which I wouldn't normally recommend to a first time enka listener for fear they'd run for the hills. Under this label I include the extremely melancholic or minyo-infused stuff, and singers with an overall shriller, more enka-y delivery. I had a hard time stomaching this brand of enka, especially when a ton of it descended on me via "Kayo Concert". I vividly recall uncomfortably sitting through Kouhei Fukuda's (福田こうへい) performances during one of my first viewing of the music show where he sang "Wakare no Ippon Sugi" (別れの一本杉) and later "Toge Goe" (峠越え). I was only a couple of months into my enka phase so that felt like a killer.
That was also around the time when I started visiting KKP often to look up information on the stuff I had watched from "Kayo Concert" as J-Canuck would do a write up on a song or two from the show. And that was when I came across the fierce figure that was Hideo Murata (村田英雄) via his "Jinsei Gekijo" (人生劇場) article. "Jinsei Gekijo" did sound kind of cool in both its music and title but again, just like the Fukuda experience, that was rather intense.
Anyway, with Murata becoming a familiar name, it was only a matter of time when I discovered "Osho" (王将). Now, that was something I could swallow with its elegant and powerful strings that complemented Murata's forceful growling. While searching around YouTube for more clips of this hit, I stumbled upon this video (it got removed, but I found all three parts) which had Murata and "Osho", as well as two other fellows I wasn't really aware of.
Muchi appeared first, but he sang "Aishu Ressha" (哀愁列車) instead. The first mystery fellow, the stone-faced Michiya Mihashi (三橋美智也), came after to sing "Akai Lamp no Shuressha" (赤いランプの終列車). Finally, mystery guy no.2, Hachiro Kasuga (春日八郎), made a grand entrance fit for "Osho" (at long last). Couldn't say I was a fan of his higher-pitched warbling but he literally stood out for standing a head over the other two and having those bushy brows.
As you'd expect, I didn't like the two melancholic train songs by Michi and Hachi a whole lot at first, them being "Hardcore Enka" and all, but as time went by, I kept visiting the same video again and again. Maybe it was because of their rhythmic beat and haunting score that had a knack for getting stuck in my head. I did look up their individual performances after the songs grew on me, which only led to me liking more of the heavy or minyo stuff from them. And so, constantly exposing myself (willingly) to the singing styles of these three enka veterans and the musical stylings of the type of enka common back in the days of yore built up my tolerance and made me more accepting of this big part of the genre. I even grew to like it a lot and find solace in it, as you can probably tell from the articles I wrote. Okay, the really, really depressing ones still do take time for me to warm up to.
Since they were an integral part of me getting used to enka, the San'nin no Kai, plus Haruo Minami (三波春夫) in later days, also became some of my favourite singers. Yup... Muse no.4 is one of them... I think it's pretty obvious by now which one it is. Believe me, I was as perturbed when I made that revelation as you probably are now... or probably not (anymore). NO, I'm quite certain it's not because of the unruly brows. Probably his vocal gymnastics. Hmm, or that grin. Or both...
... ...
ANYWAY, that about wraps up my "The First" article. That was a long one, but I hope you enjoyed reading about my taste in Japanese music changing from J-Pop to predominantly enka. Thanks for sticking through!
I've never written anything Japanese music before. It's become something fundamentally important to me, something that allows me to feel a sense of euphoria. Well, it's always been there, even though I've barely been listening to it for two years.
It's always been there in the background- from my grandfather's love for enka to nursery rhymes I learnt as a child, and even the CDs in the car. It was only near the end of 2015 when my mother introduced me to a track from the CDs in the car: "Road" (ロード) by THE TRA-BRYU (THE 虎舞竜).
This track is number eight on the CD that my grandfather compiled. At first, I didn't even know the name of the song, and simply referred to it as "track eight". It was only later that I discovered the song's tragic backstory, about how it was written for a female fan that died in a car accident. It wasn't long before I had the song lyrics with me and the second (DEEN's "このまま君だけを奪い去りたい") and fourteenth track (沢田研二's "時の過ぎゆくままに") caught my attention.
Armed with my newfound appreciation of these three songs, I began to listen to recommendations from my grandparents- a mix of enka and kayoukyoku.
The CDs in the car were replayed over and over again, and I discovered Chage and Aska. In the span of two months I had accumulated a few songs that I liked- but they say growth is exponential. Indeed, it was only another month before I fell fully for kayo, VOCALOID, J-pop, and other genres of Japanese music.
Although I have no CDs (other than two Chage and Aska albums that belong to my mother), I have a proud collection of 7GB worth of music (I hope it'll one day equal my grandfather's cabinets of songs and records).
And that's how I fell into Japanese music- tentatively, and then head first.
