Momoe Yamaguchi -- Pearl Colour ni Yurete（パールカラーにゆれて）

 

I've been able to catch some of the episodes of "Yoru no Hit Studio"（夜のヒットスタジオ）, the old Fuji-TV music show, thanks to KKP contributor JTM, and the first episode I saw was the Xmas week one in 1976. Watching a first full episode in many years, I realized that compared to "The Best 10"（ザ・ベストテン）series on TBS, the repartee was looser between hosts and guests...or perhaps I can say that the pressure on the singers to speak out was greater. To be honest, there were some pretty awkward pauses so I figured that at least some of the singers back then were not as well-versed in media talk as acts today would be on shows such as "Uta Con"（うたコン）. 

Momoe Yamaguchi（山口百恵）was on the show and although the above video (which has been taken down unfortunately) is actually an excerpt from a September 1976 episode, she was singing the same song. Her 14th single released in that same month, "Pearl Colour ni Yurete" (Swaying in Pearl) is actually a Momoe song that has hit my ears for the first time. Considering that I've known her big hits such as "Yokosuka Story"（横須賀ストーリー）and "Imitation Gold"（イミテイション・ゴールド）for literally decades, it's always fascinating making first contact with a new Momoe tune.

"Pearl Colour ni Yurete" has got that quintessential Momoe feeling with her lower but light vocals and the fairly urgent beat with the horns and strings backing her up. This time, though, the percussion is quite noticeable; for example, there is what I think is a marimba right from the intro which adds an interesting exotic layer to the arrangement by Motoki Funayama（ 船山基紀）. The lyricist Kazuya Senke（千家和也）weaves a story of a lady feeling bereft of her significant other while surrounded by happier people and a city nightscape bathed in pearl by the lights. I guess the message is that one can be within a thousand folks and yet feel utterly isolated. 

The melody was provided by Juichi Sase（佐瀬寿一）, the same composer who earlier that year created the children's song and legendary hit "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun" (およげ！たいやきくん）which became Japan's biggest selling single of all time at 4.5 million records, something noted by the Guinness Book of World Records. One can imagine the powers-that-be at the recording company slavering at the thought of having Sase making a song for the very popular Yamaguchi. And sure enough, it was yet another No. 1 hit for the star aidoru which finished 1976 as the 18th-ranked single.

Zuutorubi -- Koi ga Abunai（恋があぶない）

 

I think there is that trope of whenever a couple of lovers have had a spat, some time is given for things to cool down and then the guy sheepishly ambles up to his love with a bunch of flowers or some chocolates as a peace offering. Not sure if that is frankly a cornball myth, but I remember one time when I found out some days after the fact that one of my old friends had brought a bouquet for his girlfriend following a tough conversation.

Well, the comical guys in the 1970s aidoru group Zuutorubi（ずうとるび）gave their own two cents on the topic through their 4th single "Koi wa Abunai" (Love Is Dangerous) from March 1975. Written and composed by their go-to songwriters at the time, lyricist Fumiko Okada（岡田富美子）and composer Juichi Sase（佐瀬寿一）, Takao Yamada（山田隆夫）and his group sing about a husband or boyfriend imploring his significant other to just verbally tear off strips whenever she's displeased but also to let her know that he still loves her. Awwww!

Along with the usual strings and whining electric guitar in this 70s kayo, the other thing that I noticed was how that intro sounded like the Carpenters' take on "Please Mr. Postman". According to the J-Wiki article on "Koi ga Abunai", the song was Zuutorubi's biggest hit although it doesn't list an Oricon ranking. In the same month of release as the single, their third album "Zuutorubi Third ~ Koi ga Abunai"（ずうとるびサード 恋があぶない）also went onto the record shelves.

This is also the third article that I've written on Zuutorubi, but unfortunately my second one had to be put back into Draft status because the video was taken down. Luckily though the first one for "Mikan Iro no Koi"（みかん色の恋）is still fine and you can take a look there for general information on the band.

Teruyo Mitani -- Zekkou（絶交）

 

Through the cavalcade of pop music from yesteryear, Little Peggy March's "I Will Follow Him" (1963) will always be a song whose music and lyrics of "I love him, I love him, I love him" I will remember better than the singer or the title. That insistent pushing melody is eternally memorable as one that I've associated with the old-style pop. And of course, the sweet bloom of puppy love and intrepid need to follow one's beloved idol everywhere and every time was adorable to the max back then, but now it's probably considered stalking.

It is "I Will Follow Him" that I was reminded of when I first heard Teruyo Mitani's（三谷晃代）November 1976 debut single "Zekkou" (Breakup), and I'm pretty confident that composer Juichi Sase（佐瀬寿一）must have had at least some inspiration from the 1963 hit when he came up with some of the main melody. Ironically, Kazuya Senke's（千家和也）lyrics are the absolute opposite of the message in "I Will Follow Him". A young woman goes ballistic on seeing her boyfriend with another woman and without that ring on his finger. Ouch! There will be no more following here. Motoki Funayama（船山基紀）arranged "Zekkou".

Mitani, who hails from Hokkaido, began attending a music school in 1975 and soon after, songwriters Senke and Keisuke Hama（浜圭介）, who were judges on the Fuji-TV audition program "Kimi Koso Star da!"（君こそスターだ!...YOU Are the Star!）, were searching for contestants for the show when they discovered Mitani and brought her into show business. Following the release of "Zekkou", Mitani came down to Tokyo in early 1977 and even attended Horikoshi High School, an equivalent of Beverly Hills High, but would only release another three singles and one studio album by the end of that year before her recording career ended. She would take on a few acting roles on TV and the big screen but her time in showbiz ended sometime in 1980. However, with the re-release of that lone album "Omoide no First Kiss"（想い出のファースト・キッス...The First Kiss I Remember） on CD in 2016, Mitani decided to revive her performances.

Inoko Noko -- Hustle Baa-chan（ハッスルばあちゃん）

 

Last week's Reminiscings of Youth entry was "The Hustle" by Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony, one of the premier songs of disco in the 1970s. I just realized that I'd forgotten to quickly put up another song that had a connection.

Inspired by "The Hustle", the long-running Fuji-TV kids' show "Hirake! Ponkiki"（ひらけ!ポンキッキ）had a couple of songwriters, lyricist Hiroo Takada（高田ひろお）and composer Juichi Sase（佐瀬寿一）, come up with their own brand of disco for the children. Titled "Hustle Baa-chan" (Grandma Hustle), this came out as a single in September 1976 after it got its due being played during the episodes with a fun old lady who may have had to wear the dentures and utilize a cane but could still get down like John Travolta on a Saturday night.

Can't say that it's a verbatim copy of Van McCoy's magnum opus but it's a kid-friendly kayo with some of those disco trappings. It was sung by Inoko Noko（のこいのこ）, who was born Ikuyo Inoko（猪子育代）in Yokohama, and has been known as one of the most prolific commercial jingle singers going from the 20th to the 21st centuries with over 800 jingles under her belt. She's also performed many songs for "Hirake! Ponkiki" as well. 

You can give a listen to some of Noko's commercial jingles such as the one for Nikka Salad Oil and even more famous, the one for Onoden Electronics. I used to hear the latter all the time.

Momoe Yamaguchi -- Ima Mezameta Kodomo no You ni（いま目覚めた子供のように）/I Came From Yokosuka（I Came From 横須賀）

 

Happy Monday! Although Sunday was close-to-record-breaking warm at about 16 degrees C if windy, today is dreary and back to 0 degrees with some snow on the way. Yep, that's the weather story in predictably unpredictable Toronto.

About 10 days ago, I wrote on Disc 1 of "Yokohama Fantasy"（横浜幻想）, that double-CD compilation of Yokohama-themed kayo that I got recently. That first disc contained a couple of Momoe Yamaguchi（山口百恵）songs that I promised that I would cover in their own article, and that article is now here.

The first of those two songs happens to start off Disc 1, but "Ima Mezameta Kodomo no You ni" (Like a Child Whose Eyes Have Opened) was originally a track from Yamaguchi's 9th studio album "Yokosuka Story"（横須賀ストーリー）from August 1976. Written by Shinichi Ishihara（石原信一）, composed by Juichi Sase（佐瀬寿一）and arranged by Motoki Funayama（船山基紀）, this is a bright and vivacious number with some of that disco vibe. 

And true to the vivaciousness of the song, Momoe sings to a former lover (and perhaps teases him good-naturedly as well) that she's going to be OK after all without him and has turned a new leaf. She's also thrown away the high heels and the clothes that she wore during their relationship. Perhaps it's still a little too soon after the breakup though since one line in Ishihara's lyrics refers to all of those lovers in the café as being naïve so she's stuck a slice of lemon into her mouth. Although the lyrics don't do a heavy promotion of the port city through namedropping, the proof that it is indeed Yokohama comes from a reference to the Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery.

The album "Yokosuka Story" hit No. 3 on Oricon and ended up as the 43rd-ranked album of 1976. Of course, it also has the famous title track.

The second song "I Came From Yokosuka" originates from Momoe's 11th album "Momoe Hakusho"（百恵白書...The Momoe Report） which was a May 1977 release. This time, the songwriters are husband-and-wife songwriting duo composer Ryudo Uzaki（宇崎竜童）and lyricist Yoko Aki（阿木燿子）with Mitsuo Hagita（萩田光雄）behind the arrangement which is somewhat reminiscent of the Bee Gees' "Staying Alive" in the level of guitar funk and disco. There's also some notable plinky honky-tonk piano which starts the proceedings. 

In terms of Aki's lyrics, they seem to be the opposite of those of "Ima Mezameta Kodomo no You ni". This time, Momoe is on the hunt for that specific guy taking the train all the way from her hometown of Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture to Shinagawa in Tokyo (Yokohama's involvement seems to be more of a passing through thing this time, though). And true to the songs that Uzaki and Aki crafted for Yamaguchi in the latter half of her singing career, the lass isn't taking NO for an answer. She was definitely one headstrong 18-year-old. "Momoe Hakusho" peaked at No. 3.

Akina Nakamori -- Melancholy Festa (メランコリー・フェスタ)

Early 80s aidoru pop, or Kayo Kyoku in general, sipped a lot from the mid-to-late 70s disco sound that, after 1980, went downhill in popularity in the United States.

“Melancholy Festa”, for example, is essentially a disco song, but embedded in tragedy. In other words, the arrangement is safe disco in its purest form, but we're talking about Akina Nakamori (中森明菜) here, so the overall sound is still drenched in a painful sadness.

As part of an inside joke I usually do with a fellow friend, which is also an avid J-Pop fan and listener, this song would be perfect if played in what we affectionatelly call Akina's cabaret: a decadent basement full of liquour smell and cigarette smoke where Akina would perfectly shine as the true dramatic and sensual diva in front of a questionable audience.

In this case, though, since she was still a very young lady at the time, her tone, although already distinct enough if compared to the usual aidoru affair, was far from the deep, powerful and vibrato driven voice we would get used to from 1986 onwards.

“Melancholy Festa” was included in the album “ANNIVERSARY”, which was released in May 1984 and reached #1 on the Oricon charts, selling 476,000 copies. Lyrics were written by Etsuko Kisugi (来生えつこ), while music was composed by Juichi Sase (佐瀬寿一). As for the arrangement, Mitsuo Hagita (萩田光雄) was the responsible.

Source: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ERBCKVFCL._AC_.jpg

Chika Takami -- Triple Date（トリプル･デイト）

 

As noted several years earlier, aidoru Chika Takami's（高見知佳）most successful single wouldn't come out until February 1984 with the EPO-penned "Kuchibiru Nude"（くちびるヌード）.

(26:24)

Still, on hearing one of the tracks of her debut album "First Date"（ファースト・デイト）from March 1979, there is something that is appealingly turn-of-the-decade aidoru, and images of the streets of Tokyo that I witnessed back in 1981 come back to mind. This would be the song titled "Triple Date" .

Written by Masami Sugiyama（杉山政美）and composed by Juichi Sase（佐瀬寿一）, the reason that "Triple Date" has tugged on my nostalgia strings so hard is not only the feathery vocals by Takami but also the alternately soaring-and-cutting strings, the wailing guitar, and the twinkly keyboard action that adds a certain urban feeling to the proceedings. It brings out the old days of Seiko Matsuda（松田聖子）, Naoko Kawai（河合奈保子）and Yoshie Kashiwabara（柏原芳恵）, some of the first singers which I encountered when I first fell for the charms of kayo kyoku in earnest.

Hisako Manda -- Koi Suru Tsumori ni Nareba（恋するつもりになれば）

 

I've known actress Hisako Manda（萬田久子）but not so much for her thespian work since I haven't really been watching dramas in Japan for many years now. Actually, it's been more for her work in commercials and variety shows, and so I'm a tad surprised that she hasn't also been identified as a tarento in her J-Wiki article. Born in Osaka, she was also the Japanese participant in the Miss Universe contest in 1978 when she was just around 20 years of age.

One thing that I didn't know about Manda is that she was also doing some singing work. Mind you, she only released one single and one album exactly, and both came out in 1981. This article isn't about the single but it is about one of the tracks from her album "Natsu no Wakare"（夏の別れ...Summer Breakups）, "Koi Suru Tsumori ni Nareba" (If You're Going to Fall in Love).

Manda does have that nice smoky voice going for her but not a lot of range...and indeed, singer was also an occupation that wasn't listed in her J-Wiki profile. However, I can't complain too much about Hiroshi Yasukawa's（安川ひろし）arrangement of Juichi Sase's（佐瀬寿一）melody paired with Takehiro Nakajima's（中島丈博）lyrics. It sounds like Yasukawa may have had some inspiration from the tracks in Quincy Jones' "The Dude" album from the same year. 

Candies/℃-ute -- Shochū Omimai Mōshiagemasu（暑中お見舞い申し上げます）

We're not quite yet at midsummer but watching last night's "Uta Kon"（うたコン）, there was that light theme of summery songs and then I also thought about the Ochuugen（御中元）season which represents the time of summer gift-giving in Japan. Whenever I entered a supermarket or department store anywhere there during the hot season, I would always see these huge boxes of anything food-related ranging from coffee to meat being sold. I myself never partook in the tradition since I saw Ochuugen as basically being a corporate way of thanking clients for their continued patronage. Mind you, I was tempted to purchase one of those boxes of AGF Coffee or Nippon Ham for myself.

In any case, one of the summer songs that got featured through old footage on last night's "Uta Kon" was "Shochū Omimai Mōshiagemasu" (Midsummer Greetings). This was Candies'（キャンディーズ）14th single from June 1977 that I had never heard before last night. Written by Makoto Kitajo（喜多條忠）and composed by Juichi Sase（佐瀬寿一）, the trio sing about going over to meet the beloved beau during summer for all sorts of romance under the hot sun. The arrangement was handled by Koji Makaino（馬飼野康二）.

The nostalgia is strong with this one with its Candies-esque arrangement. But one thing that I have to say is that some of that pounding piano reminded me of Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" for some reason. "Shochū Omimai Mōshiagemasu" peaked at No. 5 and became the 39th-ranked single of the year, selling around 320,000 records according to the J-Wiki article for the song. It is also a track on Candies' 9th album "Candy Label" which was released in September 1977. Not　surprisingly, "Shochū Omimai Mōshiagemasu" was also used as the campaign tune for a Japan Post commercial for summer greeting postcards.

Another point about the song is that during its rise into the Top 10, Candies held a concert in July that year at the Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall in Tokyo where they blurted out their intention to disband. Man, I hope that the ladies' manager and other staff were in on the announcement beforehand. Sure enough, eight months later, Candies had their final roundup in April 1978.

There have been a number of covers of "Shochū Omimai Mōshiagemasu" over the years including the one performed by Hello Project's ℃-ute as their 9th single in July 2009. Aside from a bit of synthesizer updating, the arrangement is pretty much the same, and even ℃-ute is performing in very similar outfits to the ones worn originally by Candies.

Because we're on the summer kick right now, after watching "Uta Kon" last night, I'd wondered about doing a list of summer songs, especially on seeing Misato Watanabe（渡辺美里）perform her classic "Summertime Blues". However, my mind must have gone a bit swoony from the heat since I'd already provided Part 1 and Part 2 of such a list almost a couple of years ago. Please peruse those if you wish.

Tazumi Toyoshima -- Yomosugara（夜もすがら）

Well, all that surprise about last weekend in Shibuya being rather sedate for the annual Halloween celebrations was just for those two nights. Halloween night was the usual crazy story of physics-bending crowds, and of course, with the huge density of people roaming all around on the 31st, there were also a few rotten apples getting arrested and thrown into the hoosegow. Actually, I've got a good friend in Tokyo on vacation right now, but I'm absolutely certain that he and his wife avoided Shibuya like the plague.

Anyways, I'm going with a much more peaceful but urban contemporary number by Tazumi Toyoshima（豊島たづみ）called "Yomosugara" (All Night) from her November 1979 3rd album "Still Night". Written by Etsuko Kisugi（来生えつこ）and composed by Juichi Sase（佐瀬寿一）, I realize the arrangement is classic City Pop from way back when, but it's still hard to believe that it's been 40 years since this song was first recorded.

It does sound like a nice strut in the bright lights and big city of Tokyo without all of the costumed craziness of Halloween 2019. There certainly wasn't any Halloween back then, and there probably weren't even any English teachers hijacking one car of the Yamanote Line for an entire loop as was the old custom to celebrate October 31st. I don't have "Still Night" but I was able to get my copy of "Yomosugara", thanks to its inclusion in "Light Mellow - Drive".

Zuutorubi -- Mikan Iro no Koi（みかん色の恋）

TV Japan has the venerable rakugo comedy battle series "Shoten"（笑点）on Sunday nights at 9:15 as opposed to its original running time of 5:30 on that same day (the TV Japan broadcasts are about 3 months behind). I do watch it and although there are times when I don't quite understand the humour due to language difficulties, it's still pretty fun. Of course, along with the regular rakugo storytellers and the host Shota Shunpuutei（春風亭昇太）, there is the frizzy-headed man in red, rakugo-ka Takao Yamada（山田隆夫）, who is always introduced last, as the smiling guy who takes care of the giving and taking away of the zabuton cushions depending on how his fellows do. Occasionally, Yamada even throws in some punishment if one of them takes a verbal poke at him.

Basically, that's all I had known about Tanaka up to now.

But then I discovered this song on YouTube recently and realized that Yamada had been a 1970s teenybopper in his own aidoru group called Zuutorubi（ずうとるび）. Incidentally, the idea for this group to form came straight from an old segment right in "Shoten". Apparently, Yamada had actually been part of the junior brigade of the joking rakugo-ka lineup and since he earned the win with ten zabuton literally under him, he got to make his own aidoru group.

In February 1974, Yamada as side guitar/vocal along with lead guitar/lead vocal Hirotoshi Eto（江藤博利）, drummer Yasuhiro Arai（新井康弘）, and bassist/vocal Yoshiki Imamura（今村良樹）released their debut single, "Toumei Ningen"（透明人間...Invisible Man）which was written and composed by Yamada. The above here, though, is their 3rd single, "Mikan Iro no Koi" (Orange Love) which came out in November the same year. Written by Fumiko Okada（岡田冨美子）and composed by Juichi Sase（佐瀬寿一）, "Mikan Iro no Koi" is a sparkly and cheerful 70s pop tune about a fellow pretty much promising the moon and perhaps several other planetary bodies for the love of his life. It did quite well on the charts, hitting No. 14 on Oricon. 

Yamada actually left Zuutorubi in 1977 after which he was replaced by Yoshihiko Ikeda（池田善彦）. Up to their final days in 1980, the group released 18 singles and 9 original albums with 4 BEST compilations. They even appeared on the Kohaku Utagassen once in 1975. As for the weird name, the group said that it was formed by just sorta flipping around the kana in the Japanese transcription of The Beatles（ビートルズ）. Personally, I had been a bit excited since I'd thought that Zuutorubi was going to end up as the final word in Labels, but alas, I forgot that the band ZYYG was there.

Shigeru Matsuzaki -- WONDERFUL MOMENT

Rather like all those supporting actors on the original "Star Trek" such as George Takei (Sulu) and the late James Doohan (Scotty), singer Shigeru Matsuzaki（松崎しげる）will probably end his days always being known for just that one song despite having released 44 singles to date since his debut in 1970. That would be the heart-on-your-sleeve ballad "Ai no Memory"（愛のメモリー）from 1977. Plus there is that perpetual tan of his and his appearances on all of those variety programs and commercials (in voice as well as in person).

However, Matsuzaki has also done his fair share of acting over the decades including this zany detective show on TBS from 1979-1982 called "Uwasa no Keiji Tomi to Matsu"（噂の刑事トミーとマツ...The Famous Detectives Tomi and Matsu）. From what little I've seen of the show, the singer played the somewhat grumpy Detective Susumu Matsuyama who has to partner up with the faint-hearted Officer Tomio Okano to take care of cases that improbably get solved despite all of the comical stumbles that the team experiences.

The ending theme of the show turned out to be Matsuzaki's 21st single from September 1979, "WONDERFUL MOMENT" which is also a love song of sorts. However unlike the heartrending "Ai no Memory" with its touch of Latin, this ballad is as mellow and tropical as a trip down to Margueritaville. Perhaps it is where Matsuzaki's tec wanted to flee to after every case with his dopey partner. The singer's crooning style in this case reminds me of rocker Eiichi Yazawa（矢沢永吉）when he is at his most tenderhearted.

Yoshiko Miura（三浦徳子）, who took care of a lot of those early Seiko Matsuda（松田聖子）tunes among her huge list of creations, wrote the lyrics while Juichi Sase（佐瀬寿一）composed the song. Sase, incidentally, was the same composer behind the hugely successful and legendary Oricon hit, "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun"（およげ！たいやきくん）a few years earlier.

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm2881141

The above link heads to the ending credits for "Uwasa no Keiji Tomi to Matsu" which succinctly shows what the show is all about.

Yukari Ito -- Yakusoku Dake Romantic （約束だけロマンティック）

https://www.amazon.co.jp/GOLDEN%E2%98%86BEST-%E4%BC%8A%E6%9D%B1%E3%82%86%E3%81%8B%E3%82%8A-%E3%82%B7%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BB%E3%82%A2%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9D%E3%83%83%E3%83%97%E3%82%B9%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B3%E3%83%AC%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A7%E3%83%B3/dp/B0001FAFJ0

(excerpt only)

I believe I mentioned a bit about this song by veteran singer Yukari Ito（伊東ゆかり）in the first article about her, "Koyubi no Omoide"（小指の思い出）. For all of the attention paid to her hits back in the 1960s, ironically enough, the very first song I ever heard by Ito was this one, "Yakusoku Dake Romantic" (Just A Promise Is Romantic) via "Sounds of Japan". Released in August 1981, of course, it doesn't sound like any of her earlier stuff but now that I've heard her hit songs from the 60s, so coming back to this first taste of Ito through this gentle mid-tempo ballad is pretty clean and refreshing (hark, I believe I have just described a glass of Sprite). I wouldn't say it quite fits the City Pop idiom but it has that Western sound with the Japanese twist which would put it in the New Music category.

In any case, it's a lovely song which is helped by Ito's elegant and rich vocals. Written by Yoshiko Miura （三浦徳子）and composed by Juichi Sase（佐瀬寿一）, I was finally able to acquire my own copy of "Yakusoku" via her "Golden Best" compilation. In a way, the song reminds me of the tunes that Mariko Takahashi（高橋真梨子） was singing at around the same time.

Masato Shimon -- Oyoge！ Taiyaki-kun (およげ！たいやきくん）

from Eliza Adam on Flickr

First off, a little lesson on Japanese confections. The above is taiyaki, a sweet bean paste-filled cake made in the shape of tai, or sea bream. The crisp outer shell is made from a pancake or waffle batter. It can be found basically anywhere in Japan, but in Tokyo, if you head over to Asakusa, you're guaranteed in finding a place that makes the stuff. I've had taiyaki myself a few times on visits to the metropolis' traditional quarter.

Now, to the story of this unlikely children's song which has become immortalized in Japanese music legend. "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun"(Swim! Taiyaki) is a tune about a taiyaki which manages to find temporary emancipation until his inevitable end. Written by Hiroo Takada（高田ひろお） and composed by Juichi Sase（佐瀬寿一）, it had been created as one of the songs for the long-running Fuji-TV kids' show, "Hirake Ponkikki".

It had been first sung on the show in early October 1975 by folk singer Keitaro Ikuta（生田敬太郎）. But when an accident suddenly waylaid Ikuta for some time, singer Masato Shimon（子門真人） came to the rescue and helped in sending the song into the sales stratosphere. Released as a single on Christmas Day 1975, it soon got huge demands in the record stores in the New Year. In fact, it debuted at No. 1 on January 5 1976 and stayed there for 11 straight weeks. I don't think a real taiyaki would have quite that sort of staying power.

It also reached another yet-to-be topped record by becoming the biggest selling single of all time at 4.5 million records in Japan, something that has been noted in The Guinness Book of World Records. And so the question is begged to be asked: what was up with this taiyaki? The answer isn't a profound one. According to J-Wikipedia, it just seemed the perfect storm of melody, Shimon's voice and that mysterious ability to entrance adults as well as the little ones. There have been further examples of a children's song reaching that sort of success: one was "Dango San Kyodai"（団子３兄弟....The Three Dumpling Brothers) in 1999, and perhaps a case can be made for 1990's No. 1 song, "Odoru Ponpokorin"（おどるポンポコリン....Dancing Ponpokorin）, the theme song for anime "Chibi Maruko Chan". And in fact, "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun" was the No. 1 song for 1976. The eponymous album also reached the exact same heights for the year.

I think that video has also reached a certain legendary status.