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.
Going into Hump Day today. And although it's only January, it may go down as one of the Humpiest Days this year so far on hearing that there was a massive commuter nightmare on the TTC here this morning due to a partially derailed subway, I think that the probably statistically few subway riders who had been caught up in that and actually look at "Kayo Kyoku Plus" could use something mellow to start things off.
I've been meaning to highlight this one in an article for a while now, and considering the bad traffic for many Toronto folks, perhaps this is the time for "Missing" by Toshinobu Kubota（久保田利伸）. Written, composed and performed by the smooth-sounding singer, even if folks don't understand a word of Japanese, I think that this love song about the sorrow of being apart can reach anyone who's willing to give it a listen. Wouldn't mind hearing some of this soul in contemporary J-Pop someday again.
The original "Missing" was a part of Kubota's debut album"Shake It Paradise" released in September 1986 which peaked at No. 22. That album also includes "Shitsui no Downtown"（失意のダウンタウン）. Above this paragraph here is a self-cover that was a part of his November 2010album"Love & Rain ~ Love Songs" that went as high as No. 11.
According to the J-Wiki article on the song itself, a long line of singers have also covered "Missing" such as Ms. OOJA (above) and Atsushi of EXILE.
This is a song that has been heard in the two homes that my family has had since I was a toddler. It certainly helped that my parents were long into the country music thing at the time. "Tennessee Waltz", written by Redd Stewart and composed by Pee Wee King, was released in 1948 but arguably the most famous version of it came from singer Patti Page above.
Now as much as I heard "Tennessee Waltz" on TV shows such as "Hee Haw" and annual showings of "The Grand Ole Opry", I was also introduced to the Japanese cover of the romantic ballad early in my life with the most famous cover by the late Chiemi Eri（江利チエミ）when she released it in January 1952 as her debut single at the tender age of 14 (I gotta say, though, that the above picture of her sure doesn't look 14)!. Eri's version had a mix of the original lyrics by Stewart and Japanese lyrics by Takashi Otowa（音羽たかし）.
For Eri, "Tennessee Waltz" was a huge hit, selling 400,000 records and becoming the singer's trademark tune. Strangely enough, even though Eri appeared on the Kohaku Utagassen 16 consecutive times from 1953 to 1968, she never sang her debut song on the program.
The Japanese version of "Tennessee Waltz" has frankly taken on legendary status since it's been covered by numerous singers ranging from Hibari Misora（美空ひばり）to Atsushi from EXILE.
The impetus for me to write about the song tonight was that I heard a wonderful version of it by enka singer Kaori Mizumori（水森かおり）. Mizumori is known as the Queen of the Regional Songs, and this is about as far-flung a region as she has ever sung about.
Knowing about soulful singer Keizo Nakanishi（中西圭三）all these years, I also heard about this other artist by the name of Yasushi Nakanishi（中西保志）, but for some reason, I never really got to hear a whole lot about this fellow aside from the fact that he was quite the balladeer. He was born in the ancient capital of Nara in 1961 and joined a glee club during his university years and even became a vocalist for a band while he was in second year. Apparently from what I could gather from his J-Wiki bio, he is a big Billy Joel and Steve Wonder fan.
Nakanishi made his debut in April 1992 with "Ai Shikanai yo"（愛しかないよ...Nothing But Love）, but it was with his second single, "Saigo no Ame"(The Final Rain) that he made his big splash. Released in August of that year, this was the song that got him pegged as the balladeer, and several weeks ago on NHK's "Uta Kon"（うたコン）, either it was Nakanishi himself or one of the guests that night who performed what is probably his most famous tune.
Written by Jun Natsume（夏目純）and composed by Takashi Tsushimi（都志見隆）, what I liked about this song is that it reminded me of some the older pop ballads from the US back in the 1980s such as Laura Branigan's"How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" and some of the love songs by Chicago during that decade. And lyrically speaking, there is a resemblance between "Saigo no Ame" and "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" in that both talk about a romantic breakup that perhaps only one imminent ex-partner is willing to accept. Also with all that rain in the song, I couldn't help but remember some of those climactic scenes in Japanese dramas which took place in a torrential downpour just before the commercial.
"Saigo no Ame" managed to get as high as No. 16 and became the 52nd-ranked single of the year. And by the time 1998 rolled around,the single managed to sell around 900,000 copies. The single is also included in Nakanishi's debut album"Voice Peaks" which came out in September 1992.
The ballad has been covered quite a lot over the years. Atsushi of EXILE sang it during one of his concerts which is included in the band's DVD "Premium Live ~The Roots~" from 2011. Just judging from this performance above, I think he sings it even better.
Kumi Koda（倖田來未）gives a slightly more R&B version in her 2003 maxi-single, "Gentle Words".
Post-apocalyptic world with some fine entertainment.
Looks like Mom's now a fan of EXILE. Her rationale for liking this song and dance unit is that they actually look cool, ATSUSHI and TAKAHIRO sing decently, and their moves are on point.
While they are a group I don't exactly mind and it is quite hypnotizing to watch such synchronous dancing, I can't say that I know very much about them save for a couple of songs. So being exposed to more of their works and who's who in the whole hoard of them by Mom was an interesting feeling. The tables had been turned this time around! I'm usually the one introducing her to enka-yo stuff whether she likes it or not, and now she's educating me on the EXILE TRIBE... whether I like or not. But of course, that's only that much EXILE/J Soul Brothers I can take before I shut it out and return to my comfort zone. Also, I thought this to be rather amusing as if I were to be completely normal, it could have been the other way round.
Anyways, I'm still in the process of getting to know EXILE's other works, so I thought I'd write about something by them that I'm most familiar with, "Choo Choo Train". While I got to know this tune a few years back via the group behind the original version from 1991, ZOO, I often see it associated with EXILE who had remade it in 2003. It's one jaunty and catchy song so it's no wonder that both versions were hits in their time. I enjoy "Choo Choo Train" for its nice beat and the trumpets in the background makes it more funky. However, similar to what J-Canuck had said in his own article regarding this song, the English words in the lyrics have me wondering what they even mean. Comparing both versions, I have to say that EXILE's one sounds more soulful, especially when ATSUSHI comes in, but I have no favourites; both are good.
Hang on, actually, I stand corrected. I do have a favourite version. He's not as flexible as the members of ZOO or as smooth as the EXILE guys, but Kiyoshi Maekawa (前川清) made up for that in terms of effort in his attempt at this pop classic. He wasn't doing his usual pillar shtick in this bit of his 40th anniversary concert in 2008, alright! Mae-Kiyo's version can also be found in the album "Enka no Chikara Saikyo Z White" (エンカのチカラ 最強Z ホワイト) from 2011. Ah, he really never fails to surprise me. :) Dang, this feels like the Itsuki-"Aishitsuzukeru Bolero"-thing all over again.
This was such a fun song to hear back in my Gunma days. I didn't know who these Bubblegum Brothers were, and I have a feeling most of Japan didn't either, although Bro. Tom and Bro. Korn (now Kone) had released their very first single back in 1985. But the Brothers' 10th single, "Won't Be Long", released in August 1990, hit paydirt. Considering the title, though, it took its sweet time making the big time.
I came to Japan at the right time. Falling in love with Japanese popular music in 1981 during that summer graduation trip, I had my eyes further opened when kayo kyoku switched over to J-Pop and everything just exploded. The aidoru/enka age seemed to give way, and the ground opened up for singers who wanted to give breath to other genres such as R&B, ska, glam rock, etc. Toshinobu Kubota, Minako Yoshida and Masayuki Suzuki among others were pushing the wave for that first example. But then, acts like Bubblegum Brothers and Zoo started to bring over something even more danceable.
"Won't Be Long" just had this funky, strutworthy beat accompanied by these unforgettable horns, and so I thought Tom and Korn had gotten their inspiration straight and solely from Jamaica. However, according to J-Wiki, the Bros. actually based their biggest hit on the traditional Awa Odori（阿波踊り） from Tokushima Prefecture....feel free to take a look at the official video for the song above, although the Awa Odori there took place in Koenji, Tokyo.
Brother Korn was responsible for the lyrics and melody....and for the entire singing. Apparently, according to him, Brother Tom had excused himself from the recording and "....went to play pachinko". Nice.
As I said in the first paragraph, "Won't Be Long" wasn't an instant megasuccess. After its release in the summer of 1990, it slowly simmered over the months gaining temperature, and then it finally caught full flame by a stroke of scheduling luck....involving the 1991 Kohaku Utagassen of all things. One of the bands that had been chosen for the NHK New Year's Eve extravaganza, Hound Dog, dropped out suddenly, and the powers-that-be asked for Da Bubblegum Brothers to come in to get the show out of the pinch. Well, there was nothing like a party song to spice things up, and as the clock ticked over into 1992, "Won't Be Long" broke the million-seller barrier, ultimately selling 1.2 million copies. The song peaked at No. 3 on Oricon and eventually became the 16th-ranked song for 1992.
Over 16 years later, Kumi Koda（倖田來未）and EXILE got together to make their own cover of "Won't Be Long"for release in November 2006. The arrangement wasn't too different from that of the original, but Koda and EXILE added their own vocal flourishes. Their version actually peaked even higher on the Oricon weeklies at No. 2 but ultimately finished as the 56th-ranked song of that year.
As for Da Bubblegum Brothers themselves? Well, after a decade off from singing, they came out with some new singles and an album starting from late 2008. And the two have kept their profile nice and high due to their other roles as TV personalities.
It's been a while since I really enjoyed watching a great J-Dorama series. I'm a big fan of 80s and 90s J-Doramas, especially the darker toned dramas of writers such as Nojima Shinji/野島伸司 who would craft wickedly entertaining and emotionally intense stories such as Kou Kou Kyoushi/「高校教師」 (1993), Seija No Koushin/「聖者の行進」 (1998) and Kono Yo No Hate/「この世の果て」 (1994) which were filled with over-the-top soap-opera style tragedy and love romance. That's why I was really happy to finally watch NTV's recent Spring 2013 'renzoku' drama series 35 Sai No Kou Kousei/「35歳の高校生」. Penned by fledgling writers Yamamura Masahiro and Takahashi Yuyaa, this inventive story focused on the mysterious Baba Ayako/馬場亜矢子 (played by the stunning 米倉涼子/Yonekura Ryoko), an emotionally scarred 35-year old woman with a tramatic past who is asked by her former high school teacher Asada Yukinobu/阿佐田幸信 (Watari Testuya/渡哲也), who has since become a high ranking official with the Japanese Ministry of Education, to go back to her mother's alma mater, Kunigita High School to fulfill her mother's last dying wish that Ayako graduate from high school (Ayako had dropped out of high school having been the victim of intense bullying and who witnessed her mother's attempted suicide).
While Ayako is not the same timid and frightened girl that left high school years before, she soon discovers that Kunigita High School is still wrought with the same type of bullying problems that she remembers from years ago but has since taken on an even more sinister aspect, growing into a brutal social hierarchy system (known unofficially on the school's internal online blog as the "School Caste" which ranks student popularity based on group ranking (i.e. those in the highest rank "Ichi Gumi" have free reign to do whatever they want while those at the lowest level "San Gumi" are open targets for unrelenting cruelty and abuse). As Ayako struggles to win her classmates approval and friendship (on the first day of class she vows to "make 100 friends") she must also help her various bullied classmates survive from the various abuses doled out by "Ichi Gumi" members headed by beautiful yet cold-hearted star athlete and elitist Kudo Mitsuki/工藤美月 (Shinkawa Yuua/新川優愛) and the brutal, calculating and violently unpredictable pretty-boy Tsuchiya Masamitsu/土屋正光 (Suda Masaki/菅田将暉).
The cast of 35歳の高校生 courtesy of トレンドズームニュース (http://trendzoom-news18.blog.so-net.ne.jp/archive/201304-1)
Ayako (who is often times rudely referred by her classmates as 「ババア」“Baba”/old hag – a word play on her last name) being a woman of many talents and abilities (having had a string of jobs since she dropped out of high school, including experiences as a cook and Police Woman) uses all her skills, charm, noble spirit and strong sense of justice to crush the "School Caste" and bring the students together despite being hampered in her efforts by an appallingly ineffectual and shockingly indifferent school faculty headed by pompous school administrator Noda Yoshio/野田芳男 (Enoki Takaaki/榎木孝明) and his mean spirited assistant principle Mayuzumi Yuki/黛有紀 (Yokoyama Megumi/横山めぐみ). While Ayako's self-serving and naive homeroom teacher Koizumi Jinichi/小泉純一 (Mizobata Jyunpei/溝端淳平) tries his best to support Ayako’s efforts, his disgraced past comes back to haunt him.
While its story is nowhere near as landmark a school drama as 「GTO」, Gokusen/「ごくせん」 or the iconic San Nen 'B' Gumi - Kinpachi Sensei/「3年B組金八先生」, "35-Sai No Kou Kou Sei" succeeds primarily on the strength of its lead heroine and star, the tall and beautiful Yonekura, who portrays a character very close to her own age. I've been a fan of the former model turned actress ever since watching her in the drama Seikei Bijin/「整形美人」(2002). While Yonekura seems to play the same type of character (strong willed, coolly intelligent, physically tough) in most of the dramas such as 「Doctor X」, Koshonin/「交渉人」 and 「Hunter」, it is still fun to watch her charismatic performances and marvel at ability to shift from lighthearted comedy to serious drama at the drop of a hat. Yonekura was recently voted #2 in a NTT DoCoMo poll as one of the “coolest” (エロ可愛い) actresses on TV (just under Maki Yoko/真木よう子) along with another one of my favorite actresses, 篠原涼子/Shinohara Ryoko (who ranked #5)
The beautiful Yonekura Ryoko/米倉涼子 is heroine Baba Ayako/馬場亜矢子
The supporting cast is also terrific with the standout being Suda Masaki/菅田将暉. Tokusatsu fans may be particularly surprised as Suda's portrayal of the scumbag character of Masamitsu as it is a complete departure from his affable and fun-loving, heroic character of Philip in the Kamen Rider - W/「仮面ライダーＷ（ダブル）」 series. Although not as unapologetically cruel and manipulative as Fukuda Saki's/福田沙紀 'ultimate bitch' character Anzai Manami/安西愛海 in the similar series 「LIFE」, Suda's performance here is nothing short of chilling as his adolescent character is pure evil (although the writers do cop out in the end by having Masamitsu have a change of heart and ending up befriending and making amends with Ayako).
'Queen Bee' Kudo Mitsuki (Shikawa Yuua - Center) and her underlings (L-R - Miyazaki Karen, Kojima Fujiko, Mizuno Erina, Shikawa Yuua and Kitayama Shiori)
Teen bastard Tsuchiya Masamitsu (Suda Masaki - Center) and his punk henchmen - (L-R - Takazuki Mahiro, Suda Masaki and Nomura Shuhei)
While the story is often times over-the-top in scope and a bit goofy at some parts (particularly when focusing on the various bubbling and incompetent faculty members) it still has a lot of uplifting, tearful and emotionally rousing moments as well. The last few episodes in particular are absolutely riveting and grueling albeit very melodramatic.
The title song for the series is EXILE’s catchy and triumphant 「Flower Song」. Written by EXILE lead singer ATSUSHI in collaboration with Swedish Music Producer Magnus Funemyr and singer/song writer Nomura Yoichiro, the song is EXILE’s 42nd single and was a moderate hit ranking No. 2 on the Oricon Charts for June and earning decent CD sales. It got a lot of airplay on Japanese radio and I think its one of their more fun and energetic songs (RISING SUN being the other one I like a lot).
Single cover for EXILE's "Flower Song" - Image courtesy of Kanpeki Music - http://kanpekimusic.wordpress.com/2013/05/29/exile-flower-song-%E6%AD%8C%E8%A9%9E-lyrics-video/
The PV for the single is pretty nice but surprisingly features very little of their signature dancing (albeit there is a great sequence at the end).
I definitely recommend “35 Sai No Kou Kou Sei” to fans of Japanese drama as it is a compelling and interesting drama series. While not as uplifting as 「GTO」 or as relentlessly grim as 「LIFE」 it is very addictive to watch and one can't help but root for Yonekura's character 「馬場ちゃん」 "Baba Chan" to fulfill her goal and win her classmates hearts.
Here's a promotional interview with Yonekura Ryoko where she talks a little bit about her role in "35 Sai No Kou Kou Sei". This was to help promote the start of the series in Japan earlier this year. The series is currently available on Japanese DVD and Blu-Ray released by VAP.
I came back from Japan after my 2-year stay there in the summer of 1991, but I was still getting some packages from my former residence in the form of old VHS videotapes filled with the latest in music. One show presented this rather....angular-looking...group of young folk who looked like refugees from early 90s Shibuya doing a corkscrew version of the conga line. I first thought....well....Oooooh K....interesting stuff is still going on there. But the song did catch on with me, especially the intro when singer-songwriter Keizo Nakanishi（中西圭三）is providing the chorus lead-in.
"Choo Choo Train" may sound more appropriate as a title for a kindergarten reader, and the English teacher inside of me may cry a bit at some of the lyrics, but it is a fun (fun, we hit the step, step) song! This can even get ME up and boogeying away. And the video takes me back when the ski boom was in full bloom. In fact, "Choo Choo Train" was the theme for the Japan Railways Ski Ski campaign push...I'm not sure, but I think the video was filmed somewhere in Karuizawa, a popular resort town.
The song, ZOO's 4th single, was released in November 1991, just in time for ski season, and peaked at No. 3 on Oricon. It also became a million seller. It was included in the group's first mini-album, "Present Pleasure" , released in December where it reached the top spot. In 1992, it became the 18th-ranking album of the year.
The group itself began in 1989 and disbanded on Christmas Day 1995. There was apparently a revolving-door policy when it came to members but the average size was 9-10. In the group, Satsuki was the lead singer, but a couple of other members also found later fame. YU-KI would front her own group, trf, in the early 90s, and HIRO would start up the singing-and-dancing men's group, EXILE, in 2001. This must be J-Pop's version of the X-Men franchise!
In 2003, HIRO and EXILE covered "Choo Choo Train" which did one better than the original by reaching No. 2 on Oricon. And it was also a million-seller. I'll let you guys decide which version you prefer.
