Hana*Hana -- Sayonara Daisuki na Hito（さよなら大好きな人）

A couple of nights ago, "Uta Kon"（うたコン）was presenting its usual mix of kayo and J-Pop. Actor/singer Kenji Ishimaru（石丸乾二）and former Kome Kome Club（米米ＣＬＵＢ）lead vocalist Tatsuya Ishii（石井竜也）started things off with their rendition of the beloved classic "Mata Au Hi Made" （また逢う日まで）on the grand stage in Osaka, but I was surprised to hear very little applause when they finished up. I mean, I got those "Thanks for that great round of indifference!" vibes.

But it wasn't that the audience was in a foul mood. There was simply no audience! Due to the government announcement earlier in the day that cultural events and sports activities were to not have any audiences to help contain the spread of COVID-19, "Uta Kon" took on a slightly more somber air as NHK followed the new protocol. It was basically a grander version of "Music Fair".

Although it was a good idea to value safety over entertainment, perhaps there were quite a few Hana*Hana（花＊花）fans who would have enjoyed seeing and hearing the duo perform for the first time on "Uta Kon".

Several months ago, my memory brought back Hana*Hana through their big hit "Aah, Yokatta" （あ～よかった）which was released in July 2000. Later in October, Izumi Kojima（こじまいづみ）and Makiko Ono（おのまきこ）introduced another single "Sayonara Daisuki na Hito" (Goodbye to the One I Love), a song that has become the ballad for farewells of any type. Originally, though, Kojima created the song as a tribute to her grandfather who had passed away when she was only 16, according to the J-Wiki article and the brief talk on "Uta Kon".

"Sayonara Daisuki na Hito" became Hana*Hana's biggest hit when it reached No. 6 on Oricon, eventually becoming the 62nd-ranked single for 2001. It's also included on the duo's 2nd album "2souls" which peaked at No. 2.

Hana*Hana -- Aah, Yokatta（あ〜よかった）

Dug deep into my memories of the turn of the century for this one. Yes, I was living in Ichikawa and there were a number of songs that had their time in the spotlight for a while before disappearing into the pages of a karaoke guide book only to be later re-discovered by some pleasantly surprised amateur singers.

Case in point: one of those songs is "Aah, Yokatta" by Hana*Hana（花*花）. Hyogo Prefecture's Izumi Kojima and Makiko Ono（こじまいづみ・おのまきこ）, who have known each other since elementary school, formed the duo in 1998, and they had their indies period in which they released 6 singles between 1998 and 1999. That 5th single was "Aah, Yokatta" which went as high as No. 91 on Oricon.

Once they got their major label, though, Hana*Hana decided to debut with "Aah, Yokatta" with the added "Setagaya Mix" in July 2000. I don't know what the original version sounded like so I can't make comparisons but the "Setagaya Mix" sounds plenty happy with that slow strutting beat. I can even hear a bit of Motown in there.

As for the translation of the title, there are a number of ways that "Aah, Yokatta" could be expressed such as "Oh, What A Relief" or "Oh, What A Stroke of Luck" or "Oh, I'm So Happy". But considering that the lyrics and melody by main vocalist Kojima are about how happy she is that her significant other has been by her side through thick and thin, I would probably go with that last option. Certainly, I think "Aah, Yokatta" would be one of those songs that would be played at a Japanese wedding reception.

The really modest showing on Oricon for the original version wasn't copied by the "Setagaya Mix". In fact, it broke into the Top 10 by peaking at No. 5, selling over half a million copies. In addition, it also ended the year by finishing as the 57th-ranked single, plus the duo received that invitation from NHK to the year-end Kohaku Utagassen in 2000.