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 hadn't quite understood what the music video for Nik Kershaw's January 1984 hit "Wouldn't It Be Good?" was all about but dang, I really did enjoy the New Wave song. I finally realized that Kershaw had been acting as some alien curious about what humans were like and after having a good tasting, decided that they weren't all that healthy after all and scampered back off to his home planet.
Still, as I said, "Wouldn't It Be Good?" was a good load of fun to listen to, and just for YMOfan04's benefit, I can explain that the synths used were a PPG Wave 2.2 and a Yamaha DX7. It made for quite an interesting riff, and I was surprised to find out that the cool instrumental bridge in the extended version was actually an "orchestra of electric guitars" rather than a bank of synth-horns which now makes things even cooler.
I'd probably say that I heard "Wouldn't It Be Good?" more on the radio than saw the video on TV. The radio back then was giving it a whole lot of heavy airplay. In Canada, it hit No. 9 on RPM and in the United States, it only got as high as No. 46. Meanwhile in Kershaw's UK, it peaked at No. 4 on the OCC.
So, what was occupying the Oricon charts a few days following the release of "Wouldn't It Be Good?" in the world? I have Nos. 5, 6 and 7.
As the byline says, Happy Chinese New Year or Gong Xi Fa Cai! (If I have this wrong, please correct me.) And indeed, it is the Year of the Snake whose titular animal is supposed to bring wisdom, transformation, calmness and creativity. I can only hope that this is really true. Within my city, I've got a number of friends who are probably celebrating with their families so I wish them well on this day.
In any case, I don't quite believe that up to now, I haven't had an article commemorating Chinese New Year but I will rectify that now. I had initially thought about putting up songs which have had something to do with Chinese places or culture, but I've now decided to post songs by singers who have come from places such as Hong Kong and Taiwan to provide hits within the kayo kyoku world.
The weather was gloomy out there at Haneda Airport on November 18th 2017 when I was waiting for my flight back to Toronto after a couple of weeks seeing friends and going to all of the old haunts in Tokyo. Happily though, there wasn't any rain.
Perhaps singer Feifei Ouyang（欧陽菲菲）wasn't quite as lucky with her 2nd single"Ame no Airport" (Rainy Airport) which was released back in December 1971. The song was on the heels of her hit debut single"Ame no Midosuji"（雨の御堂筋）which had come out earlier in September. I gather that the songwriters and all around her felt that anything with rain in it couldn't hurt her chances for another successful tune.
In any case, "Ame no Airport" was created by the golden partnership of lyricist Jun Hashimoto（橋本淳）and composer Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）. As has often been the case with kayo kyoku involving airports, there is much romantic heartbreak in the air as a couple say their goodbyes in a middle of a dreary precipitation-laden day at presumably Haneda Airport which had been at the time the main terminal for Tokyo until Narita wrested the title away for many years. Melodically, it has that familiar kayo sound of life in the city with the horns, shimmering strings and the rollicking percussion. Ouyang's sophomore entry hit No. 4 on Oricon and ended up as the No. 31 song for 1972.
But as the commercial pitchperson says, "Wait...there's more!". On Ouyang's 4th album "Return" from September 1979, she recorded another version of "Ame no Airport" with a very slight change in the arrangement.
Writing the blog over the past couple of weeks, we've lost a few stars on either side of the Pacific. Stateside, Suzanne Somers passed away last week which I noted in the previous ROY article, and a couple of days ago, actor Richard Roundtree died at the age of 81. Roundtree played a lot of roles since 1970 in films and TV shows, but he will always be known as John Shaft, the private detective who was "...hotter than Bond, cooler than Bullitt". Roundtree and that movie were tied to each other at the hip, and I remember Eddie Murphy forever referencing him in his comedy routines on "Saturday Night Live" back in the 1980s.
I've only seen a few scenes of the original 1971 movie but I've only needed to see the first five minutes to find out what Shaft the detective was like. He walked through one of the most dangerous cities in America as if he intimidated it rather than vice versa. And that was one weaponized theme song for him by the late Isaac Hayes. Interestingly enough, the first time that I heard the funk-and-disco classic wasn't through the movie but when I was watching some kind of TV program where a bunch of scantily-clad female dancers were strutting their stuff to it. It worked for me but it didn't work for my parents who promptly yelled at me to get to bed immediately.
Perhaps to one generation, Hayes will always be famous for his role as Chef on "South Park", but for me, he's the guy who made and sung "Shaft" with his backup singers. The velvety tones of Hayes, the wacka-wacka guitar riff and then the rapid-fire bullets of horns near the end are what has made the song for me. It was released as a single in September 1971 and hit No. 1 in both the United States and Canada. It also won Hayes an Oscar for Best Original Song and a couple of Grammys.
This time around, I could only find one song that was released in the same month as the theme from "Shaft". My condolences to Roundtree's family, friends and fans.
Yup, I bought "The Best of Henry Mancini" CD when I was still living in Japan. I figured since I enjoyed a lot of his theme songs for movies and television, it would be nuts to miss out on the opportunity. Plus, it didn't cost too much at all.
So, for this week's Reminiscings of Youth, I've decided to piggyback one Mancini onto the other with this one, "Charade", being included although I had yet to be born when the Stanley Donen film was released in 1963. Up to this point, I've only seen certain scenes from this rom-com thriller flick but since it entered the public domain, I've witnessed at least one YouTube channel that has put the entirety of "Charade" onto the platform, so one of these days, I'm going to have to see the whole thing. After all, it has Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant...two of my favourites from old Hollywood.
However, I have to admit that I've seen the opening credits to the movie several times since it is so cool. Just start the whole ball rolling by throwing the first murder victim off a speeding train without so much as a how-do-you-do, and then launch the rotating arrows (by Maurice Binder, the fellow behind 007's gun barrel sequence in those opening credits) and the percussion before Mancini's main theme gloriously rolls in.
"Charade" is described as a sad Parisian waltz, and I think that there was a sung version which reflected that sentiment, but the one used in those opening credits is definitely oomphed-up to a Mancini-esque creation of romance and thrills and adventure, perfect for the movie. The tapping percussion and drums sound like an alert to danger before the French-sounding version of the theme enters the scene with that feeling of danger. Then, the swinging jazz orchestra follows up with its own take on the chorus followed by a soaring romantic sensation. I'm always going to prefer the one used for those opening credits over the single version since the latter makes a definite finish instead of the fadeout of the former as if the theme had been meant for the credits of a TV show.
Now, it's time for some Mancini magic when I was in existence. NBC's "Sunday Mystery Movie" was one signal to me and my brother that the beloved weekend was once again coming to an end, and so at the time, we weren't too fond of it. But the sequence was memorable for the desert-setting mystery man off in the distance walking toward the camera as various photos of the detectives involved in this wheel series popped up.
One of those detectives was "Columbo", a fictional hero who has enduring popularity here in North America as well as in Japan despite the fact that actor Peter Falk passed away over a decade ago. Although some of the other detectives on "Sunday Mystery Movie" had their own theme tunes such as "McCloud", "Columbo" never did but I think that a lot of folks on either side of the Pacific have pretty much accepted the "Sunday Mystery Movie" theme as the theme for "Columbo", especially on the Japanese side because those famous opening credits never showed up; the broadcasting Japanese network simply went directly into the latest episode of "Columbo" and then had the ending credits roll by as the "Sunday Mystery Movie" theme played.
And for me, whenever that lovely Mancini theme plays, I'm always going to think of "Columbo", not "McCloud", "Banacek", "McMillan and Wife" or "Hec Ramsey". This is even though it's hard to imagine a self-effacing and shuffling police lieutenant with a Noo Yawk accent being given such a grand song with a bit of country-western and romance accompanied by a whistling synthesizer (apparently a Yamaha CS-80 according to this exchange on "Film Score Monthly").
Come to think of it, I guess Mancini was a composer who just loved to insert a bit of sex appeal and romance into many if not all of his theme songs. They couldn't be all about the intrigue and derring-do.
Well, although the Wikipedia entry for "Sunday Mystery Movie" just listed the premiere year as 1971, I can assume that it could have started in September because back then, the advent of autumn meant the advent of new TV shows. As such, what kayo was being released at that time?
Ah, yes...that tender scene of a dimly-lit but expensive bar in Tokyo with the mixologist in full dress as he expertly creates a concoction just for that lonely woman unto herself.
That's definitely the image that I get in my head as I listen to Feifei Ouyang's（欧陽菲菲）"Odorasete"(Let Me Dance), a stylish if slightly woozy song of class from her September 1984 album"Both Sides ~ Wasurete Ii no"（忘れていいの...It's OK to Forget）. Composer Katsuo Ono（大野克夫）has certainly come up with some funky and jazzy tunes such as the theme song for "Meitantei Conan"（名探偵コナン）but he can also create the more tenderhearted ballads as well, and "Odorasete" is definitely in the latter category.
With Ouyang languidly interpreting Yukinojo Mori's（森雪之丞）lyrics, there is that sub-genre that I've mentioned here and there called Fashion Music, and so I guess, the singer can join others such as Ruiko Kurahashi（倉橋ルイ子）and Mieko Nishijima（西島三重子）on the chaise lounge. It would be a good fit, too, since both Ouyang and Kurahashi have sung their versions of the karaoke classic "Love Is Over", and I've noticed that composer Ono has provided the latter with plenty of songs in the 1980s as well. Personally, I wouldn't mind listening to "Odorasete" while I sip back a Bailey's Irish Cream.
Wow! It's been 7 1/2 years since I put up my last Feifei Ouyang（欧陽菲菲）article, "Ame no Midosuji" （雨の御堂筋）. Must rectify that.
To be frank, despite that title of "Namida no Disco Night" (Tearful Disco Night), I'm not sure quite whether this would fit in the genre of City Pop (although I have included it in Labels for now). Perhaps it sounds more like a really active Mood Kayo or simply a pop song.
Anyways, "Namida no Disco Night" is Ouyang's 15th single from April 1976. I gather that according to Jun Hashimoto's（橋本淳）lyrics, that Mood Kayo bar in Ginza has been replaced by that disco in Roppongi as the setting for a sad romantic breakup, though I'm not sure how sure that could verbally take place amidst all that loud music and other cacophony. The dynamic melody by Hiroshi Sato（佐藤寛）, and I'm not talking about Hiroshi Sato（佐藤博）the master keyboardist behind the City Pop/AOR"Awakening" album but singer Goro Noguchi's（野口五郎）older songwriting brother, is most likely closer in spirit to the music that was played for Momoe Yamaguchi（山口百恵）and Pink Lady which is why I think the song is more kayo than City Pop. Makoto Kawaguchi（川口真）handled the arrangements.
Tonight, there was an NHK special titled "Osaka no Melody" in which a number of enka and pop singers (including NMB 48) came together to pay tribute to Osaka through song.
One of the songs I heard had the title that I'd mentioned for Taiwanese singer Feifei Ouyang（欧陽菲菲）when I wrote an article on her "Love Is Over". Now to be honest, that title didn't ring a bell, but the melody sure did, especially when it came to the line "Anata....anata wa doko yo"（あなた。。。あなたは何処よ....Where....where are you?）. And I hadn't realized that this was Ouyang's debut number. But it was a song that I have heard over and over through the years.
"Ame no Midosuji" (Rainy Midosuji) talks about that girl who is pining for that guy while walking the titular main street in Osaka. When I heard it again, I should've gone "Ahhh...naruhodo". That smoky voice is vintage Feifei. But I was quite surprised listening to the recorded version (I'd only heard it through her performances on TV); although a part of the arrangement has that unmistakable 70s feeling to it, there is also a part (perhaps it's the guitar) which makes it sound almost a decade ahead of its time when it was released in September 1971. The surprise didn't stop there, though. I found out that the people who composed this hit debut for Feifei were none other than The Ventures. The band apparently created the song specifically for Japanese ears, and I would never have and never did guess it was the same group which recorded the iconic theme for "Hawaii Five-O". I gather that considering the love that poured from Japan toward the members (and it still continues), The Ventures just had to provide some love back through a song or two. Haruo Hayashi （林春生）provided the lonely lyrics.
In any case, what a way to start a career in Japan for Ouyang. The dynamic "Ame no Midosuji" all in all sold over a million copies and got the singer a Japan Record Award for Best Newcomer. For the yearly Oricon rankings, despite the late debut, it ranked in at No. 18 and a year later in 1972, the song went even higher coming in at No. 12. Although Ouyang would make her debut on the 1972 Kohaku Utagassen, she performed another song instead. But with her presence on the special, she became the very first non-Japanese solo artist to appear on the program.
As someone noted on YouTube, this is to be listened over a good drink. Considering the lyrical content (a woman dumping a guy), that bar stool is gonna be occupied a long time.
The singer most associated with "Love Is Over" is Taiwanese singer Feifei Ouyang (欧陽菲菲) who had first started her career in 1967 in Taipei before coming to Japan in 1971. She became an instant hit with her first single there called "Ame no Midosuji"（雨の御堂筋...Rainy Midosuji), which sold more than a million records and earned Ouyang a Newcomers Prize at the 1971 Japan Record Awards. She also appeared the next year at the Kohaku Utagassen.
In 1979, Ouyang first sang "Love Is Over" as a B-side to another song which only sold 20,000 to 30,000 copies. However, it seemed that the singer never gave up on the ballad and by 1982, the song was re-released as the A-side, hitting the big time throughout 1983 and 1984. At the end of 1983, it had finally reached the top spot on the Oricon weekly charts and stayed there for 2 weeks. It became the 18th-ranked song of the year in 1984. Furthermore, in 1991, she finally performed the song at that year's Kohaku. By the way, the song was written and composed by Kaoru Ito （伊藤薫）.
In 1981, Ruiko Kurahashi（倉橋ルイ子） debuted with her album, "Without Sugar". On the album, she gave her own version of "Love Is Over"; it was similar in style to the Ouyang version in that it was recorded as a pop power ballad with Kurahashi actually openly sobbing near the end of the song. However, a later version was recorded in which the arrangement had been changed so that this newer rendition was done as a jazz ballad. In this case, it's just Ruiko's voice and a piano. This version can be found in a number of her BEST albums, but it seems like its first appearance was in the 1985 album, "Ballad wo Kaban ni Tsumete"(バラードをかばんにつめて....Put the Ballads in the Pouch).
Take a listen to both Ouyang and Kurahashi versions and tell me what you think. In any case, the song has been a popular one (for us older folks anyways) at the karaoke box.
