Eiichi Ichijo (Hiroshi Itsuki) -- Hatoba no Mari（波止場のマリー）

 

In the old days of NHK's various incarnations of its weekly kayo kyoku show such as "Kayo Concert", hosts, staff and guests would occasionally come up with a theme night. The theme could be based on a samurai drama with the singers all dressed up in historical garb or it could be a bunch of guys out on the town in Shinjuku or Akasaka with one of the female veteran chanteuses as the proprietress of the popular drinking hole. The sets would be quite elaborately set up.

Since the COVID days though, I think those big theme nights have largely shrunk in design and frequency, perhaps due to health and/or budgetary concerns. Still, tonight's "Uta Con"（うたコン）brought out the theme of the annual welcome party for the newbies of a company with everybody getting involved including legendary kayo singer Hiroshi Itsuki（五木ひろし）as the generous and wise (if perhaps a tad longwinded) president.

Not surprisingly, Itsuki, who is now celebrating his 55th year in show business, had the final song of the night, and as has been the gimmick for the last few weeks, the staff placed a small trivia question regarding Itsuki as he was performing. As Itsuki fans know, the singer had gone through a number of stage names early in his career in the late 1960s before the name Hiroshi Itsuki was the final one he needed for sustained success. The question was "Which stage name did he have for only one day?", and the answer was "Jun Nakagawa（中川淳）" which explains why I haven't seen any songs under that name in his J-Wiki discography.

Still, let's go to one of his songs under the past stage name of Eiichi Ichijo（一条英一）. I have posted one song when Itsuki was Ichijo, and that was his first single under that name, "Ore wo Nakaseru Yoru no Ame"（俺を泣かせる夜の雨）from 1967. That was more of a Mood Kayo number but his third and final single under Ichijo was "Hatoba no Mari" (Marie on the Waterfront) which was released in April 1968 and it's quite a different animal.

Written by Kaoru Mizuki（水木かおる）and composed by Hideyuki Fujiwara（藤原秀行）, if I could use the 1980s-and-beyond genre New Adult Music, I probably would. It's quite the mix of enka with a jangly Group Sounds arrangement including a really boozy saxophone. My other observation is how consistently high-toned Ichijo is here along with a plaintiveness that reminds me of a young Shinichi Mori（森進一）who was breaking out at around the same time.

Apparently, "Hatoba no Mari" didn't sell but the man hung on for a few more name changes and singles, before he finally hit pay dirt with "Yokohama Tasogare"（よこはま・たそがれ）.

Christopher Cross feat. Michael McDonald -- Ride Like The Wind

 

Christopher Cross is already represented on the weekly Reminiscings of Youth series via his theme song for "Arthur", "Best That You Can Do", and yeah, indeed it was a hit and one of the songs that was a regular on the radio airwaves throughout 1981. 

But the singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas, had been around for a decade and then in January 1980, he released his first single "Ride Like The Wind". As with "Arthur's Theme", it was a regular on radio. When I first heard it though, I'd thought that it was all about some guy enjoying riding on his steed in the countryside. Actually, it's all about fleeing the authorities on the way to the haven in Mexico. For some reason, I get images from "The Shawshank Redemption". Compared with "Arthur's Theme", "Ride Like The Wind" is much more dramatic, thrilling and urgent rather than the sophisticated and romantic cadence of the former. Thriller versus romance. But of course, Michael McDonald's singular contribution adds some further wondrous spice...like kosher salt in all those YouTube cooking videos.

As one YouTube commenter put it, he'll never listen to "Ride Like The Wind" without remembering this sketch from Canadian comedy series "SCTV". As a segment on the in-house radio show "The Gerry Todd Show", it features Rick Moranis as McDonald himself racing to the studio to give his multiple takes of "a long way to go". I'm happy to say that I actually saw the sketch in its first run!

I only discovered this Rick Beato video several months ago. During this interview with McDonald, we find out that he actually caught the "SCTV" skit and figured that he was having a nervous breakdown. The power of pot!😵 Glad that he has such a good sense of humour.

In Canada, "Ride Like The Wind" made it all the way up to No. 3 on RPM while in America, it peaked at No. 2. Let's see what was also at the top of the Oricon charts on January 28th 1980, a couple of days before the Cross classic was released.

1. Crystal King -- Dai Tokai (大都会）

2. Saki Kubota -- Ihojin （異邦人）

3. Hiroshi Itsuki -- Omae to Futari （おまえとふたり）

Uta Con: February 24th 2026 -- Tribute to Yu Aku（阿久悠）

 

First off, thanks go to The history man on YouTube for providing this video on the life and career of kayo kyoku songwriting legend Yu Aku (1937-2007) who apparently remains the 2nd-most prolific lyricist in Japan following Yasushi Akimoto（秋元康）. Yesterday, the return of NHK's "Uta Con"（うたコン）after the Olympic break was a big one for all of the kayo fans since a good chunk of the program was a tribute to the works of Aku who would have been 89 back on February 7th..

This isn't an Author's Picks because I wasn't the one who came up with these songs for performance on the show last night. Of course, it was the NHK producers who did that but I still wanted to acknowledge the Aku songs that had been sung on the Shibuya stage since they have remained part of the bread and butter that make up a lot of this blog. You can also take a look at a Creator article that I wrote up back in 2015 regarding Aku and his constitution on writing those lyrics.

(1974) Isao Sasaki -- The Theme from Space Cruiser Yamato (宇宙戦艦ヤマト）

(1977) Sayuri Ishikawa -- Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyu Geshiki （津軽海峡・冬景色）

(1977) Hiromi Iwasaki -- Shishuuki （思秋期）

(1984) Shinichi Mori -- Kita no Hotaru （北の螢）

(1982) Hiroshi Itsuki and Nana Kinomi -- Izakaya （居酒屋）

(1977) Kenji Sawada -- Katte ni Shiyagare （勝手にしやがれ）

(1973) Finger Five -- Kojin Jugyō（個人授業）

(1974) Finger Five -- Gakuen Tengoku (学園天国）

Hiroshi Itsuki -- Akari ga Hoshii（灯りが欲しい）

 

Hard to believe that enka singer Hiroshi Itsuki（五木ひろし）will be turning 78 in a couple of months' time. I haven't seen him on the Kohaku in over five years now since he retired from the annual NHK special. 

When I first heard his 28th single from September 1977, "Akari ga Hoshii" (I Want to See the Light), I had assumed that this was one very dramatic enka for a person looking to cadge a light for his cigarette. But looking through Masato Fujita's（藤田まさと）lyrics, I quickly realized that the light this particular protagonist is looking for is the light of hope and recovery because it became evident that the fellow is pretty much at the end of his rope after drinking himself into isolation. 

Drinking and enka have gone together like hamburgers and cola but "Akari ga Hoshii" is different in that Mr. Booze isn't seen as the good ol' buddy or salve for what ails someone but the thing that brings someone down to his knees. Prolific Minoru Endo（遠藤実）was also the composer of the very bittersweet melody including those silky and flourishing strings. There's no one better to tearfully beckon for salvation than Itsuki and the song didn't do too badly by scoring a No. 14 ranking on Oricon and selling around 200,000 records. It also got him his 7th invitation to the 28th edition of the Kohaku Utagassen at the end of 1977.

J-Canuck's Favourite Duets

 

I figure that with the Holidays now in full swing in Japan, folks may be having their share of parties including those that occur at the karaoke boxes and bars of the nation. Maybe franchises such as Big Echo are doing volume business this week which may be quite long for people...perhaps as long as a week (yeah, I'm being a little sarcastic there). Of course, depending on the size and the average age of the group along with the type of songs that they tend to sing, there will be the duets to tackle. 

Perhaps for the younger generation, that doesn't happen so often, since a lot of those duets occur in the enka and Mood Kayo genres. Plus, there is the matter of harmonizing which isn't all that easy. Not being a particularly great singer in my karaoke days in Japan, I don't think I ever dared ask any lady for a duet. However, listening to those duets on the stereo and now on YouTube is more my speed. Here are some of my favourites.

(1959) Frank Nagai and Kazuko Matsuo -- Tokyo Nightclub （東京ナイトクラブ）

(1982) Hiroshi Itsuki and Nana Kinomi -- Izakaya （居酒屋）

(1982) Takao Kisugi and Kaori Momoi -- Nejireta Heart de (ねじれたハートで）

(1984) Sachiko Kobayashi & Katsuhiko Miki -- Moshikashite Part 2 （もしかして・パート２）

(1994) Masayuki Suzuki & Momoko Kikuchi -- Shibuya de Go-ji (渋谷で5時）

Mari Sono/Shinichi Mori/Hiroshi Itsuki -- Ryoujou（旅情）

 

Back in September, I posted up that All-Points Bulletin for Neff regarding some Chinese covers of songs that he couldn't quite identify. I believe that he was able to resolve most of the mystery songs thankfully. But I also remember while trying to help him out that I came across a few songs that may have been connected to the mystery ones but ended up nothing of the sort. Of course, I was disappointed but in the process, I was able to find some new kayo kyoku with their common denominator being a common title.

"Ryoujou" on Jisho.org talks about "the mood when traveling". And of course, travel is a big theme in kayo kyoku, notably as the action one takes when there's a need to get away from a problem, usually post-romantic in nature. The protagonists take trains and planes (not sure about automobiles, though) to some faraway place in Japan, away from Tokyo or Osaka (Tsugaru Strait is especially popular) or even overseas to mourn and/or reset those feelings.

Through Google, I even discovered some very specific terminology for that particular mood. Wanderlust was one word that I had already known but here are some of the others:

Wanderlust: A strong desire to travel and explore the world.

Eudaimonia: A state of intense happiness and contentment while traveling, when everything feels right.

Resfeber: The restless, anxious excitement that comes before a journey begins.

Strikhedonia: The joy of being able to say, "to hell with it!" and go on an adventure. 

Fernweh: The opposite of homesickness; an ache or longing for places you have never seen before.

Sehnsucht: A wistful yearning for something far-off and indefinable, or for travels past and future.

Where enka and kayo kyoku are concerned, I think perhaps Fernweh and Sehnsucht might be the traveling moods that match the feelings there, although the words themselves sound like alien crewmembers on the Enterprise on "Star Trek".

Anyways, let's begin with the first "Ryoujou" that was recorded by Mari Sono（園まり）for release as a single in June 1972 to commemorate her 10th anniversary in the music business. Quite the poignant kayo kyoku, this was written by Jun Hashimoto（橋本淳）and composed by Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）as the lyrics describe a woman who has either broken up or is on the verge of breaking up with her beau by flying off to Paris. It's the strings and what sounds like a harpsichord that give me the heavy sense of the melancholy here but I also have to note the deep horns that pop up as if the lady is about to take one major leap of faith.

Less than a couple of years later, enka veteran Shinichi Mori（森進一）released an album "Ryoujou" in March 1974. The title track was written by Kohan Kawauchi（川内康範）and composed by Kosho Inomata（猪俣公章）as a song of longing by a fellow who's looking upon a woman he's had feelings for. She hasn't reciprocated them and maybe she isn't even aware of them especially since she's probably just broken it off with another guy. It's a got a bit more brass and heart-on-a-sleeve emotion so I can put it between kayo kyoku and enka.

Then, we come to Hiroshi Itsuki's（五木ひろし）"Ryoujou" which was released much later in 1998. With lyrics by Reiji Mizuki（水木れいじ）, the singer himself came up with the melody. If there were such a thing as Itsuki Song, then his "Ryoujou" would be the class example with the haunting chorus, the seemingly tear-choked vocals and the wistful arrangement.

Just for Fun...The J-C AI Gallery -- Ikue, Hiroshi & the Blue Comets

 

Ikue Sakakibara -- Natsu no Ojosan （夏のお嬢さん）

Hiroshi Itsuki -- Yogisha no Onna（夜汽車の女）

Jackey Yoshikawa and His Blue Comets -- Blue Chateau（ブルー・シャトウ）

Happy 20th Anniversary, YouTube! 20th Anniversary Kayo Picks

 

It is indeed another Hump Day here so why not perk things up a tad? We often celebrate anniversaries such as birthdays here and we're gonna do so once again with Kayo Grace Kyoku and Mr. Calico.

The news was coming that the 20th anniversary of YouTube was near but I hadn't realized that it was actually today. However indeed, on April 23rd 2005, the first YouTube video was uploaded onto the new site with one of the co-founders Jawed Karim putting up a 19-second presentation of his very calm observation of elephants at the San Diego Zoo. Of course, from such humble beginnings, a video empire evolved including tons of music from over the past century, recipe videos from home, soothing ASMR stuff and vicarious drives all over the world among other imaginative ideas. 

Also because "Kayo Kyoku Plus" could only work with the representation of Japanese songs from now and yesteryear existing on YouTube, I have to extend my gratitude to all those uploaders over the years (although perhaps certain companies and artists may not be thrilled). It was always my feeling that a Japanese music blog wouldn't work with just some prose about the songs that I knew and loved; the actual songs just had to be there for listening.

I had actually considered only putting up the Top 10 list of singles for April 23rd 2005 but seeing that most of the top 10 were unknown to me, I quickly ditched that idea. Instead, what I will do is provide songs by certain artists that were released in the 20th year of their time in show business (checked J-Wiki), whether or not they were put out as official 20th-anniversary songs.

(1959) Haruo Minami -- Otone Mujou (大利根無情)

(1967) Hibari Misora -- Makkana Taiyo （真赤な太陽）

(1992) Yumi Matsutoya -- Fuyu no Owari （冬の終わり）

(1985) Hiroshi Itsuki -- Soshite....Meguri Ai （そして。。。めぐり逢い）

(1998) Southern All Stars -- LOVE AFFAIR ~ Himitsu no Date（秘密のデート）

Anyways, congratulations to YouTube on hitting the big 2-0!

Hiroshi Itsuki -- Yukimizake（雪見酒）

 

The weathercasters have been stating that the last few days of snow have exceeded the total amount of the white stuff that we got for all of winter last year. I can believe it. I sludged through increasing centimetres of snow in my heavy boots to get some grocery shopping done this morning and my feet still hurt like crazy. I don't usually drink alcohol but I can certainly use a drink right now.

Maybe enka crooner Hiroshi Itsuki（五木ひろし）has got the right idea. In August 2010, he had a second release of his 115th single "Oshiroibana"（おしろい花...The White Flower）, and on it, he had an additional coupling song titled "Yukimizake" (Drinking While Viewing the Snow). As the Bing image at the top that I made shows, it can be considered to be one of those melancholy enka about drinking and watching the snow softly falling down to enter a stupor to forget about those romantic issues. What helps is Itsuki's slightly gravelly and reassuring tones as the protagonist internally grapples about an ardent love that hasn't been consummated quite yet for some reason. Chiaki Oka（岡千秋）came up with the tender melody while Miyuki Ishimoto（石本美由起）was the lyricist.

Meanwhile, I'll just keep enjoying my time inside my abode for the rest of today while figuring out how the heck I'm going to be navigating through the white mountains in my neighbourhood tomorrow.

Martha and the Muffins -- Black Stations/White Stations

 

Time for some Canadiana once more on the weekly Reminiscings of Youth. Toronto's Martha and the Muffins is a group that has been around since 1977 and I first heard about them through their 1980 rock/New Wave song "Echo Beach", and until today, I'd been planning to put this one here as their introduction to the pages of KKP because it had apparently been the group's one big international hit.

However, I changed my mind at the last minute. "Echo Beach" is fine and all (and I'll probably cover it soon enough this year), but it hasn't been the Martha and the Muffins' song that really caught my ear when I was a callow youth. No, that honour will go to their 1984 single "Black Stations/White Stations". In a few ways, this single symbolized a new moment in the history of the Muffins because not only did they change their name (albeit temporarily) to M+M, the group pared itself down to a duo consisting of vocalist Martha Johnson and founder Mark Gane and they moved away from New Wave to something funkier and more danceable.

I had heard some inkling about the origins behind "Black Stations/White Stations" as the band's indictment against racism in the radio industry but for me, I was just struck by how catchy it was, especially with the percussion and the lyrics "Black stations, white stations break down the doors/Stand up and face the music, this is 1984!". Plus, there was the black-and-white motif in the slightly avant-garde music video. Both the song and music video got plenty of airplay here, and I recall hearing it very often on my radio as I was in my room puttering away at my high school homework.

Sadly and ironically enough, "Black Stations/White Stations", a song criticizing a radio station for refusing to play a song regarding an interracial relationship, was itself prevented from being played at certain other radio stations because of its lyrics. I certainly didn't get that impression here in Toronto. It made it up to No. 26 on Canada's RPM and No. 63 on US Billboard.

Since I couldn't track down the month of release of "Black Stations/White Stations" in 1984, let's go with what had won the major prizes at the Japan Record Awards that year.

Grand Prize: Hiroshi Itsuki -- Nagaragawa Enka (長良川艶歌)

Best Album: Mariko Takahashi -- Triad

Best Star: Akina Nakamori -- Kita Wing （北ウィング）

Hiroshi Itsuki -- Otoko ga Naku Toki（男が泣くとき）

 

2024 is the 60th anniversary of legendary entertainer Hiroshi Itsuki's（五木ひろし）career in show business and perhaps he's been doing a lot of reminiscing over those six decades including those early pay-one's-dues years. The original Kazuo Matsuyama（松山数夫）from Fukui Prefecture went through a number of stage name changes and several years of struggle before the turn of the decade into the 1970s and one more switch of his name to Hiroshi Itsuki and perhaps one more chance to strike it big. 

And the newly-minted Itsuki did strike it big with his first single under that name and his eleventh overall, the classic "Yokohama Tasogare"（よこはま・たそがれ）from March 1971, which has become one of the most famous go-touchi songs for the international port.

But of course, in addition to "Yokohama Tasogare", there was a B-side which was also written by Yoko Yamaguchi（山口洋子）and composed by Masaaki Hirao（平尾昌晃）. "Otoko ga Naku Toki" (When a Man Cries) is an enka/Mood Kayo tune which seems to take things from Yokohama into the darker side streets of Shinjuku, Tokyo just because the arrangement by Koji Ryuzaki（竜崎孝路）makes me think that this is the sort of kayo kyoku that Keiko Fuji（藤圭子）sang. It's very bluesy and introspective and draws a picture of ambling through neighbourhoods such as Kabukicho without any particular destination in mind. Perhaps the protagonist in "Otoko ga Naku Toki" is in a very down mood, and perhaps just before the time that the single was released, Itsuki had been on the verge of some tears himself over how his career would go. However, after its release, the rest was history.

It's Twilight Time!

 

It didn't take me too long to figure out that a lot of Japanese lyricists in the 1980s loved to pluck the Beatles' phrase of "Love me do" or another affectionate collection of words "Hold me tight" for their clients' songs. However, it took me a while of doing this blog before I realized that folks in the Japanese music industry had a love for that particular time period between bright afternoon and dark night if their song (and album) titles were any indication.

Yup, twilight, sunset, dusk, etc. which can be translated into Japanese as yuuyami（夕闇）, yuugure（夕暮れ）, tasogare（黄昏） and just plain sansetto（サンセット） is, I gather, the happy hours for musicians, singers and songwriters alike in Japan. Mind you, we've got our pop cultural representatives for that, too. One of the best examples is Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone" mystery TV series. Ironically in Japan, it's titled "Mystery Zone", maybe because the distributors there probably didn't want something spooky to invade their romantic notions of twilight time.

Closer to what the Japanese have envisioned is most likely The Platters' "Twilight Time" from 1958 which I used to hear on some commercial aired in my old stomping grounds. Perhaps it was a beer ad or something for cars; the main point is that I think the Japanese cherish the sunset hours as ones when folks can just hit the highway after work for a relaxing drive or meet up with friends or that significant other for a drink or dinner as the sun dunks below the horizon.

I know that a lot of songs that have been created in Japan have those synonyms of sunset and twilight, many of which are already up here on KKP. And they don't necessarily have to be of the City Pop persuasion although some of the six here are. But I can say that they all have their varying levels of soothing feeling, so enjoy the following half-dozen. It's Twilight Time!

(1971) Hiroshi Itsuki -- Yokohama Tasogare（よこはまたそがれ）

(1977) Minako Yoshida -- Twilight Zone

(1979) Tazumi Toyoshima -- Tomadoi Twilight （とまどいトワイライト）

(1983) Junko Yagami -- Tasogare no Bay City （黄昏のBAY CITY）

(1983) Akina Nakamori -- Twilight - Yugure Dayori （トワイライト -夕暮れ便り-）

(2022) Natsu Summer & Ryusenkei -- Twilight Shadow

David Sanborn -- Chicago Song

 

I had been meaning to cover this song in a ROY article sometime this year and now I get to do so this week, but unfortunately, it's under sadder circumstances since I only found out last night from a commenter that jazz saxophonist David Sanborn had passed away on May 12th at the age of 78. Although this is Sanborn's first article on KKP, he has already been represented on the blog right from the beginning because I noted his singularly splendid sax solo on Minako Yoshida's（吉田美奈子）1982 "Hoho ni Yoru no Akari"（頬に夜の灯）, one of City Pop's greatest ballads. It's also the article where I got last night's comment telling me about Sanborn's passing.

The Florida-born Sanborn became known to me first through his frequent appearances on "The Late Show with David Letterman" back in the 1980s, and he had this distinctive style that one critic has dubbed a crying sort of sound. His name was such that since then, whenever I encountered his name in liner notes for any song or heard it on television or radio, it was very tempting for me to take notice. In terms of looks, with his leather jacket and mullet, he reminded me a lot of another famous David in the pop music industry: David Foster.

One day though, my ears and eyes went on alert when I heard that Sanborn had released a number titled "Chicago Song" in 1987 as the opening track of his album "A Change of Heart". Composed by keyboardist and producer Marcus Miller (who was also performing in the song), the saxophonist was able to weave what sounded like a typical day living and working in the Windy City. There was very much of a "Let's get at it" vibe and the general message was work hard but also play just as hard. It's quite the funky strut that hit radios on heavy rotation, at least here in Toronto.

All my condolences to Sanborn's family, friends and fans. 

So to give out the usual songs that had come out in 1987, let's go to some of the Gold Prize winners of the Japan Record Awards for that year.

BOOWY -- Marionette

Hiroshi Itsuki -- Tsuioku（追憶）

Yoko Oginome -- Roppongi Junjouha （六本木純情派）

Eiichi Ichijo (Hiroshi Itsuki) -- Ore wo Nakaseru Yoru no Ame（俺を泣かせる夜の雨）

 

Welcome to the weekend. And yes, just to make this clear...this is indeed a song concerning kayo kyoku legend Hiroshi Itsuki（五木ひろし）. But in those early struggling years before he made his breakthrough with the silky "Yokohama Tasogare"（よこはま・たそがれ）in 1971, the entertainer had been paying his dues as a 1960s teenager trying to break into the music industry. The man born as Kazuo Matsuyama（松山数夫）in Fukui Prefecture was going through a few stage names before Hiroshi Itsuki stuck with him for several decades. 

Back in 2017, I posted his debut single from May 1965, "Shinjuku Eki kara"（新宿駅から）when he first started out as Masaru Matsuyama（松山まさる）. Reviewing the song once more, I felt that the future Itsuki was coming out as a kayo kyoku crooner. He would release five more singles as Matsuyama up to early 1966 but I'm not sure whether he kept that style.

Then from 1967 for three singles, he got a new name Eiichi Ichijo（一条英一）and made his re-debut with "Ore wo Nakaseru Yoru no Ame" (The Evening Rain Makes Me Cry) which was released in March that year. Just on the cusp of turning 19, I guess the powers-that-be behind his career decided to have him start out as a really guttural-sounding Mood Kayo singer as if he'd drunk half a distillery (not to accuse him of underage drinking in Japan...the lad looked really cherubic on the cover of the 45") before he got behind the mike. That plinking guitar really set the tone of love doing someone wrong (and truthfully, it also reminded me of "Perry Mason"). The lyrics were provided by Choei Shiratori（白鳥朝詠）, who'd been with the singer when he was still Masaru Matsuyama, and apparently the music was composed by the singer himself under the name of Matsuyama, so he really knew the licks for a Mood Kayo tune. Unfortunately, his time as Ichijo wasn't a particularly successful one so he had another go with another name name and another song in 1969. I'll probably cover that one, too...eventually.

I'm sure that present-day Itsuki has covered his old songs under his different names and that has been the case with  "Ore wo Nakaseru Yoru no Ame" here. It's interesting to hear him cover it again but under the Itsuki voice that we fans have been so familiar with for so long.

Hiroshi Itsuki -- Koshi no Miyako（こしの都）

 

I made mention about last night's "Uta Con"（うたコン）on the Shizuko Kasagi（笠置シズ子）article with the tribute to the NHK asadora "Boogie Woogie"（ブギウギ）. Well, enka legend Hiroshi Itsuki（五木ひろし）was also appearing on the show as well and what I didn't know was that March 14th (tomorrow) will be his 76th birthday. So, Happy Birthday, Dear Hiroshi!🎂 I have to say that the man really doesn't look his age.

Perhaps in commemoration of that anniversary, his latest single came out today which he did perform last night on stage. "Koshi no Miyako", which might translate as "The Capital of My Strength", was created by composer Itsuki and lyricist Michito Gouda（合田道人）under Kei Wakakusa's（若草恵） arrangement as the singer's own proud tribute to his home prefecture of Fukui. I'm sorry to say that I never had the opportunity to visit Fukui Prefecture but over the years, I've come to know it as as a treasure trove of dinosaur fossils and even during Itsuki's performance last night, we got to see a montage of the prefecture's other delights including the delicacy of Echizen crabs.

If anyone out there has been to Fukui Prefecture, let me know of any other highlights in the province!

J-Canuck's Favourite Hiroshi Itsuki（五木ひろし）Tunes

 

As I may have intimated before, enka and Mood Kayo have been traditional genres that I've only accepted into my music sphere in the last decade or so. However with age, nostalgia and the writing of this blog, I have come to appreciate them and the singers associated with them. One prime example is veteran Hiroshi Itsuki who has a variety of talents: he can sing enka and Mood Kayo, play multiple instruments, be suave and down-to-earth depending on the situation and has loads of charisma. Well as such, I do have a few of my favourites by him.

(1971)  Yokohama Tasogare（よこはま・たそがれ）

(1982) Aishitsuzukeru Bolero （愛しつづけるボレロ）

(1982) Izakaya （居酒屋）with Nana Kinomi（木の実ナナ）

(1973) Furusato （ふるさと）

(1985) Soshite....Meguri Ai （そして。。。めぐり逢い）

Carole King -- It's Too Late

 

Welcome to another Reminiscings of Youth article for this week. It's a testament to Carole King's abilities as a composer that I remember her melodies from all the way back in my early childhood even if I couldn't quite remember those lyrics or the titles. 

One such song by hers is "It's Too Late" which was part of a double A-side with "I Feel the Earth Move" when it was released in April 1971. Both songs are also tracks on King's iconic album "Tapestry" which had come out earlier in February that year, and thanks to my friend's recommendation, my copy of the album is sitting on the shelf. 

Now that I've been to able to appreciate music everywhere with a somewhat better sense and lens, I've been treating songs like King's "It's Too Late" as these particularly poignant pop songs of an era far gone by. I can pick up on the different stylings within the song such as AOR and jazz. As well, Toni Stern was responsible for the lyrics depicting one of the calmest and reassuring instances of romantic breakup. That's not to say that there wasn't any hurt but the aftermath seems to be one of acceptance and the observation that both parties tried their best to keep the relationship going.

I've been hearing King all these decades on radio and now through YouTube, but with this video, it's the first time that I have ever seen and heard her in concert although I used to see commercials for the musical that was based on her early career, "Beautiful". It's amazing to realize that I was actually alive as a kindergarten kid when she performed here, especially considering the fashion and the hairstyles back then. Yes, I was wearing the same kind of clothes and sporting the same sort of hairstyle that guitarist Danny Kortchmar was showing above. No, you will never see that photo.😝

In Canada and the United States, "It's Too Late/I Feel the Earth Move" hit No. 2 and No. 1 on their music charts respectively. "It's Too Late" won Record of the Year honours at the Grammys in 1972.

At the Japan Record Awards in 1971, the following three singers earned Best Performance awards.

Hiroshi Itsuki -- Yokohama Tasogare（よこはま・たそがれ）

Tokiko Kato -- Shiretoko Ryojou（知床旅情）

Yuko Nagisa -- Saihate Bojou（さいはて慕情）

Marvin Hamlisch -- Theme from "Good Morning America"

 

Good afternoon, America! I know that the national holiday is not here but in the States but what the heck? It's time for another special holiday edition of Reminiscings of Youth along the lines of what I provided on Canada Day.

This was obviously several years before my time when Dave Garroway introduced the very first episode of NBC's venerable morning news show "Today" back on January 14th 1952, the first of its kind not only in the USA but in the world. For whatever oddball reason, I did have an affinity for morning shows whether it be the old "Canada AM" here or the kids' show "Rocketship 7" on the Buffalo ABC affiliate. Maybe it was the fact that there was a certain freshness behind the sharing of news or fun so early in the morning.

In 1975, I heard that there was going to be a new morning show on the ABC network in November called "Good Morning America", and it was going to be a breaking of the mold that had been set by the "Today" show over twenty years prior. For one thing, it was going to be headed up by actors David Hartman and Nancy Dussault. Actors are going to be doing breakfast news?! That was weird to say the least, especially since I had already known Hartman on at least one prime-time drama "The Bold Ones". Dussault was someone that I had seen on a commercial and then would gain even bigger fame starring with Ted Knight on the sitcom "Too Close for Comfort" a few years later.

Regardless, I remember practically begging my mother to wake me up early so that I could catch this "Good Morning America" right from the opening credits. It took a few tries but I finally did it, and it certainly was different. I guess I saw it with the same level of expectation and excitement that viewers had (well, those who had TV sets back then) when Garroway introduced "Today". I don't think I had ever seen a news set which resembled a well-to-do living room and kitchen from "Good Housekeeping". The approach was quite light: Steve Bell provided the news on the half-hour for a few minutes, a happy weather person came on, and then Hartman and Dussault brought in the celebrities and consumer interest folks for some light chatter. "Good Morning America" was also the show where I first heard about this weird upcoming film called "Star Wars" thanks to entertainment reporter Rona Barrett which included the TIE fighter attack scene.

It was all so very welcoming and that included the theme song by the late great Marvin Hamlisch who's already represented here on KKP via his composition of "Nobody Does It Better" by Carly Simon in another ROY article. As of this writing, it is the only morning news show theme that I still remember after 48 years since I'm not even sure whether "Today" or the CBS equivalent had theme songs at the time. Regardless, I heard different variations on the "Good Morning America" theme throughout the broadcast including a Dixieland jazz version and a flute-driven take as the show went into commercial. I do enjoy the version above although I don't think it's the one that greeted me on those mornings decades ago; it's got that pleasant AOR feeling.

I no longer watch "Good Morning America" but of course the personnel has changed and the suburban living room set is long gone. However, I am hoping that everyone enjoys the show's golden anniversary in a couple of years. As I mentioned above, the show began near the end of 1975 so who were the winners for the Japan Record Awards back then?

Grand Prize: Akira Fuse -- Cyclamen no Kaori （シクラメンのかほり）

Best Performance: Hiroshi Itsuki -- Chikumagawa (千曲川)

Best New Artist: Takashi Hosokawa -- Kokoro Nokori（心のこり）

Ike & Tina Turner -- Proud Mary

 

The news has been rolling in from all sources over the past hour. I hadn't heard anything from Tina Turner in the last few years and I knew that she was getting up there in years, but it's still hard to believe that even in her 80s, the vivacious Grande Dame of R&B and the Queen of Rock n' Roll would be anything but the rapidly sashaying and high-powered entertainer. Alas, her death has been announced today at the age of 83.

This will be a special Reminiscings of Youth then regarding Tina Turner. In the early 1970s, I was too young to know much about Turner aside from her appearances on various music-variety shows on TV. My image of her had been of her in that slinky spangled dress working hard on the stage and behind the mike, and I thought that she vibrated so hard that she threatened to disintegrate the floor beneath her.

The song that I always associated with her in the early days was "Proud Mary" in partnership with her ex-husband Ike Turner. Released as a single in January 1971, I had no idea that it was a cover of the original version by rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival back in 1969. But arguably, Ike and Tina took ownership of "Proud Mary". The part of the Turners' song that I am most familiar with is the latter half where the song clicks into high gear with those horns, and my image of Tina begins shimmying on the stage. She could have powered the electric generator for Memphis with her performance.

"Proud Mary" by the Turners hit No. 4 on US Billboard and it went as high as No. 11 on Canada's RPM charts. I'll be devoting the regular ROY article tomorrow to Tina as well since it's also a song that has remained with my memories as I was growing up in the 1980s.

The following were winners at the Japan Record Awards in 1971.

Grand Prize: Kiyohiko Ozaki -- Mata Au Hi Made （また逢う日まで）

Best New Artist: Rumiko Koyanagi -- Watashi no Joukamachi (わたしの城下町）

Performance Award: Hiroshi Itsuki -- Yokohama Tasogare（よこはま・たそがれ）

Hiroshi Itsuki -- Dakedo Yokohama（だけどYOKOHAMA）

 

Kayo kyoku legend Hiroshi Itsuki（五木ひろし）appeared once more on "Uta Con"（うたコン）a few nights ago where he and the hosts talked a little about all of those songs that were centered on the international port of Yokohama. It was intriguing to find out that at least four of those Yokohama-based tunes had the title city written in different script. For example, Itsuki's 1971 breakthrough hit "Yokohama Tasogare"（よこはま・たそがれ）had Yokohama written in hiragana whereas "Aete...Yokohama"（逢えて･･･横浜）from 2003 had the city written in kanji form. Apparently, there is another song where Yokohama has been written in katakana but I've yet to cover that one.

Itsuki then introduced his March 2023 latest single, his 133rd in fact, "Dakedo Yokohama" (But It's Still Yokohama) which has the city all decked out in full-cap romaji. Written by novelist Hiroyuki Itsuki（五木寛之）, the source for the singer's final and most famous stage name, and composed by Hiroshi himself, the boldness of YOKOHAMA is reflected in the snazzy Mood Kayo arrangement which seems to have that Junretsu（純烈）flair.

Meanwhile, the lyrics have a somewhat bittersweet tint as Itsuki sings about how things have changed over the decades although the city of his songs has remained steady and stalwart. Of course, with any kayo centering on a specific geographical area within Japan (i.e. a go-touchi song), there will be the shoutouts to the area, and "Dakedo Yokohama" is no different as Itsuki croons about Honmoku, Minato Mirai, the Bay Bridge and the late Bund Hotel.

Interestingly enough, the 2023 single has been called the New Version and that's because there had been an original take created as a track for the 2005 album "Itsuki Hiroyuki/Itsuki Hiroshi Sakuhinshuu ~ Furimukeba Nihon Kai"（五木寛之・五木ひろし 作品集～ふりむけば日本海～...Hiroyuki Itsuki/Hiroshi Itsuki Collection ~ Looking Back at the Sea of Japan）. This original version is basically a boisterous rock/funk number.