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.
Unfortunately, I have to start this week of KKP with another fuhou（訃報）. She wasn't a singer...at least, not a professional one, but Tamao Nakamura（中村玉緒）had been an actress and entertainer since 1953. She had also been the wife of the burly actor Shintaro Katsu（勝新太郎）who didn't suffer fools gladly and suffered media and medical experts even less apparently. Nakamura passed away on June 9th at the age of 86 from pneumonia.
However, I got to know Nakamura through her appearances on commercials and variety shows where she usually played the role of a sweet-tempered kimono-wearing lady with a slightly dotty personality. And the main show that I knew her from was TBS'"Sanma no Super Karakuri TV"（さんまのSUPERからくりTV...Sanma's Super Tricky TV） which lasted from 1992 to 2014. Broadcast on Sunday nights, it was basically the big Kansai comedian, Sanma Akashiya（明石家さんま）, talking trash with his regular panel of tarento including Nakamura while various segments played out on the telly.
Nakamura would often be involved in some of those segments herself with the usual humorous results as her personality would allow.
As would be the case for any long-running variety series on Japanese TV, "Sanma no Super Karakuri TV" had its fairly long list of ending themes. The first one of those was "Iezu no I Love You" (The "I Love You" That I Can't Say) by the late singer-songwriter KAN who left this mortal coil about three years ago. Released in March 1992 as his 12th single, "Iezu no I Love You" was written and composed by the singer with Akihiko Matsumoto（松本晃彦）handling the arrangement. It's an adorable and slightly jazzy tune that would have a lovably hangdog expression as a face...which matches with KAN's visage.
It reached No. 13 on Oricon and was a track on KAN's "Girl to Love" album which was actually released in June 1988, so I gather that "Iezu no I Love You" was a very belated release from that LP. The album did quite modestly by scoring a No. 86 ranking, but that was before the singer hit the big time with "Ai wa Katsu"（愛は勝つ）a few years later.
In any case, my condolences to Nakamura's family, friends and many fans.
The above video shows a variety of entrance ceremonies for the new recruits at various companies throughout Japan, including All Nippon Airways at 1:55. Yes, it is April and so the corporate entities are throwing out the red carpet and all of the rigamarole to welcome the fresh newbies
I was watching the NHK morning news earlier tonight and there was a feature on the ceremonies, and the reporters did an interesting thing by showing the evolution of the corporate entrance ceremony throughout the decades from the 1960s to the 1990s, and for each decade, they put up a representative pop song. Just out of my sense of whimsy, I'm going to put these up here, too.
(1960s) Yukio Hashi and Sayuri Yoshinaga -- Itsudemo Yume wo（いつでも夢を）
(1970s) Koichi Morita and The Top Gallants -- Seishun Jidai （青春時代）
Now, the above were selected by NHK so they wouldn't come under Author's Picks. That label is for us KKP writers. However, I am throwing in my lone choice for an inspiring song to help encourage the new workers.
(1990s) Daiji Man Brothers Band -- Sore ga Daiji （それが大事）
As I may have mentioned recently, I went to Aroma, an Indian restaurant that offers a lunchtime buffet, down in the middle of all of the Toronto International Film Festival hoopla. I hadn't been there in several years, certainly before COVID struck the world, so it was nice having that tandoori chicken and the chicken tikka masala once more.
However, the first example of curry anything that I had as a kid was Japanese-style curry rice that my mother still makes from time to time. That by itself was plenty spicy and hot for me and frankly up to university age, that was really the only form of curry that I knew. Then, I found out about the different types of curry all around the world such as green curry from Thailand and the other styles from India and Pakistan. Of course, I fell in love with naan immediately, so rice and it had to battle it out for my gastronomic affections for many years afterwards.
Yesterday, I wrote about another song by the master Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）who had passed away in 2023. Well, another singer-songwriter in Japan who had greatly admired Billy Joel and sometimes I think that he was the Japanese version of the Piano Man himself also sadly died in 2023, and that was KAN.
Especially when it comes to his tenderhearted balladry, the emotions often get stirred and that is also the case with his February 2006 30th single"Curry Rice". Its very gentle arrangement with the acoustic guitar kinda brings up memories of Mom stirring up the curry in the kitchen as the aroma of the stuff permeates the air at home. Japanese curry may not be nearly as powerful as the Indian variety but it's still very homey and welcome.
"Curry Rice" was also the theme song for a TBS drama that ran from early 2006, "Sento no Musume!?"（銭湯の娘!?...Public Bath House Girl） starring Mari Yaguchi（矢口真里）from the huge aidoru group Morning Musume（モーニング娘。）.
Probably like a lot of boys in my generation, one of the television stars that I rather fell hard for was actress Elizabeth Montgomery from 60s and 70s sitcom"Bewitched", so it wasn't a surprise that she's one of the earliest memories I had in my life. Perhaps a close second to her character of Samantha Stevens was Barbara Feldon's 99 from "Get Smart".
Maybe that was the thing regarding the late great singer-songwriter KAN's debut single from April 1987, "Terebi no Naka ni"(On TV). He is singing here about falling in love with some young and pretty lady who has been popping up on the tube all the time. Written and composed by KAN himself, it strikes me as being a 1960s rock n' roll-ish romp that I believe he's dipped into from time to time during his career, although I still see him more as the piano pop prince, a la "Ai wa Katsu"（愛は勝つ）, his most famous hit. Therefore, "Terebi no Naka ni" sticks out as something that's a little different for him especially with him crashing down on those synths pretty hard. I'd probably say that he's channeling Elvis Costello more than Billy Joel here.
Of course, KAN did a ton of concerts so he was prancing about on stage. But for me, someone who never got to see any of his performances live, it is something to see him doing so especially when my perpetual image of him is in a natty suit permanently positioned behind the piano keys.
It's been a little over three months since the untimely passing of singer-songwriter KAN and when I hear some of his more poignant songs, it does make the heart grow warmer and maybe even the eyes a little wetter.
Case in point: his May 1989 5th single, "Tokyo Life". I've known that KAN was a huge admirer of the Piano Man himself, Billy Joel, and he has infused some of his songs with Joel's way with music. I think "Tokyo Life" is one of those examples as he sings about the average young salaryman in Japan's biggest city and how his life has gotten busier, more difficult and maybe even lonelier compared to his salad days in school. But in the end, the one thing that keeps him going week after week is his significant other. I'm not sure whether it's his wife or girlfriend, but just by being within proximity, the corporation guy is hanging in tough.
The use of those particular keyboards and KAN's plaintive vocals has the nostalgia flooding in regarding the turn of the 80s into the 90s which I witnessed firsthand as a teacher in Japan. "Tokyo Life" was also a track on his 4th album, "HAPPY TITLE: Koufuku Senshuken"（HAPPY TITLE -幸福選手権-）which was released in June that year.
Yes, nothing says Christmas in Japan more than Sylvester Stallone and Ito Ham. My goodness...that glorious mane of hair back in the day could rival anything on KKP AI representative Kayo Grace Kyoku's head.
But just to get away from the weirdness of Hollywood celebrities in Japanese commercials, let's think about some of those other wholesome ads promising things like chicken covered in eleven herbs and spices and ten thousand calories (that was certainly the case when I was living in Chiba) when it comes to J-Xmas. Consider this special Yuletide Author's Pick a summary of those J-Xmas tunes for ads that I've already covered over the past dozen years.
(1983) Tatsuro Yamashita -- Christmas Eve for Japan Railways
(2000) Mariya Takeuchi -- Suteki na Holiday（すてきなホリデイ）for Kentucky Fried Chicken
Considering that singer-songwriter KAN passed away less than a month ago far too early in life, listening to this particular song will come across as especially poignant to the point of tears.
"Go-juu-nen Ato mo"(Even After 50 Years) is a track on KAN's 12th studio album"KREMLINMAN" released in April 1999. A ballad of devotion and hope that a man and his beloved will stay together as long as possible, it's about as quintessential as a KAN pop tune can be with the piano and the down-to-earth arrangement. Cue the waterworks if this is ever played at a wedding reception during the dance of the bridge and groom, although the mention of what if death suddenly comes to one of them in the lyrics may be a deal breaker.
The video below has the original version from "KREMLINMAN" while the above has even more of a classical flavour. This comes from KAN's October 2018"la RiSCOPERTA", his 2nd album of self-covers with a string quartet. As for "KREMLINMAN", it reached No. 31 on Oricon.
In the light of the passing of singer Junko Ohashi（大橋純子）and lyricist Yoshiko Miura（三浦徳子）over the past week among the several figures who have left this mortal coil in 2023, I unfortunately have to report another untimely death. Singer-songwriter Kan Kimura（木村和）, who went by his stage name of KAN, had died on November 12th 2023 at the age of 61 although the first news reports didn't come until earlier today. Earlier this year, he had been diagnosed with cancer of Meckel's diverticulum in the small intestine although the direct cause of his death has yet to be announced.
Last night, I was about to turn in when something spiked in my head to check the Japanese news feeds on Yahoo.jp or Mixi. I'm not clairvoyant in the least but I sometimes go with my instinct and considering the sad number of times that I've had to announce the death of a figure in the Japanese music industry recently, I went to Yahoo and saw the headline of comedienne Kuniko Yamada（山田邦子）expressing her shock and tribute toward KAN.
As I expressed earlier this spring, KAN was a musical figure that I considered to be one of the four male pillars in that realm during my time on the JET Programme (1989-1991). His most successful single "Ai wa Katsu" was all over the airwaves during the latter half of my first stint in Japan. And if there had been a TV home base for KAN, it would have been Yamada's popular Wednesday night variety show on Fuji-TV,"Kuniko-chan no Yamada Katsutenai Terebi"（邦ちゃんのやまだかつてないテレビ）which had its run between October 1989 and March 1992. He was pretty much a semi-regular there performing "Ai wa Katsu" and writing songs for Yamada herself, and even for a while, the hit was used as the opening theme. Yamada even provided a parody song "Ai wa Chicken Katsu"（愛はチキンカツ...Love is a Chicken Cutlet）.
From Oricon.co.jp
In terms of how he presented himself, he always looked very dapper in a series of suits, sweaters and pullovers, but because of one appearance somewhere on TV, I will always envision him in a natty suit with a bowtie. With his friendly and slightly hangdog expression, he struck me as being the nice cute guy that any potential parents-in-law would accept on a dime. Plus, the way that his voice almost cracked when he hit the high notes probably cemented the adorableness factor. If I'm not mistaken, he admired Billy Joel, and I think he took some of the Piano Man into himself with his brand of piano pop and rock, and he has probably given some of his own self to contemporary artists such as Gen Hoshino（星野源）.
Below I will provide some of the KAN songs (his own and by others) that I've remembered from around 30 years ago. My condolences go out to his family, friends and fans.
Well, I figured that if I could come up with a Yonin Musume（四人娘）of my days on the JET Programme in Gunma Prefecture between 1989 and 1991, I should have my own Goyonke（御四家...The Big Four） during that time as well, as opposed to the traditional Gosanke（御三家）; permit me my whimsical side. Of course, I'm referring to the quartet of male performers that garnered the attention of my ears and memories from that time.
Recently, while I was perusing JTM's gift of albums, I came across singer-songwriter KAN's 3rd compilation of BEST hits, "IDEAS the very best of KAN" which was released in November 2007 to commemorate his 20th anniversary in the music business. Remembering him especially during my first stint in Japan between 1989 and 1991 because he had his first big hit with "Ai wa Katsu" in the middle of my sojourn, he looked like a stylish representative of the young Japanese hipster of the time with that clean-cut and short hairstyle while garbed in a modern form of a Zoot suit. Nowadays, his photos seem to show him as the slightly crumply middle-aged CEO of a company.
I knew that Kan Kimura (木村和）was a huge fan of Billy Joel in terms of The Piano Man's vast discography beginning from the 1970s, but on listening to the concentration within "IDEAS", I now believe that KAN also admired some of Joel's contemporaries, too. First though, let's take a look at the lineup on "IDEAS". The songs were written, composed and arranged by KAN and Shingo Kobayashi（小林信吾）assisted in arrangement.
1. IDEA (new song)
2. Songwriter
3. Iezu no I LOVE YOU (言えずのI LOVE YOU)
4. Saint Petersburg ~ Dajare Otoko no Kanashiki Hitori Tabi (サンクト・ペテルブルグ〜ダジャレ男の悲しきひとり旅〜)
As listed above, the first track "IDEA" is the lone totally new song on "IDEAS", and although I got the thought through the orchestral strings that there was some Beatles (another band that KAN admires) action in there, I realized that the artist was adapting Pachelbel's"Canon" (or should I say "Kanon"?). On first listen, it does come across as being quintessentially KAN with the laidback and bouncy rhythm and the nimble vocals that he does as a half-rap/full rap.
"Saint Petersburg ~ Dajare Otoko no Kanashiki Hitori Tabi" (A Punny Guy's Sad Solo Trip) was KAN's 24th single from February 1998. I've probably mentioned this in a past KAN article, but back in those days that I saw him frequently on television, the singer struck me with that innocent puppy-dog demeanor in the good suit as the good-hearted if socially awkward best buddy to the male lead in a rom-com. Therefore, I think that subtitle for the heartwarming and somewhat comical "Saint Petersburg" is very apt for KAN as he plays a fellow going on a trip through Europe and Russia to perhaps heal himself following the end of a relationship. On one level, there is the story of his vacation on the plane and in those far-flung places and on another, there are those puns that he flings here and there which had me feeling pretty drafty. Musically, I not only got Beatles but also Electric Light Orchestra.
KAN's 26th single from February 1999, "Happy Time Happy Song" is arranged almost like a child-loving toy march as the fellow acts like a teacher getting his young charges together one last time before they take off into the world. Just like Mr. Chips, he acts all wise, reassuring and beneficent about giving one piece of advice that the good times will come...before he tells them that he's really just a little ol' songwriter who would like the kids to spend that 3000 yen on his CD. Methinks that in another life, KAN would have done stand-up.
My favourite song on "IDEAS" is "DISCO 80's" which was a track on KAN's May 1996 10th album"MAN". The tune itself isn't so much disco in its melody as it is a happily nostalgic reminder of what the discos were like and how much everyone enjoyed themselves back in that decadent decade. He even throws out some of those famous dancehalls in Tokyo such as Lexington Queen, and even the bands Kool and the Gang and Earth Wind and Fire. I guess that it is my favourite because I had my own similar enjoyment as an undergraduate in Toronto in those halcyon days.
"Hoshikuzu no Kaerimichi" (The Stardust Way Home) is one ballad that doesn't seem to have any of those Beatles or Billy Joel influences. In fact, I'd say that it has more in common with a lullaby and a sad kayo from the 1970s. And indeed, it's a bittersweet number involving a soon-to-be ex-couple as they take one more walk down a well-worn path before leaving each other's company forever. This song first came out as the final track of KAN's November 1994 9th album, "Shinonome"（東雲...Daybreak） which peaked at No. 21 on Oricon.
One more song that I'll add here is the poignant "Curry Rice". At first, I had assumed that KAN's 30th single from February 2006 was going to be one of his happy-go-lucky silly songs, but instead, it's a middle-of-the-road tune with a touch of 70s soft rock about the regret-filled aftermath from a romantic spat. One of the pair storms out with no hint of when she will be back while the other is left in self-flagellating mode. As a peace offering, he decides to heat up some curry from the fridge for her while contemplating how to make it up to her when she (hopefully) returns home. Even if it ends up cooling down again, he'll just heat it up. Curry is good that way. The song was used as the theme for the TBS drama "Sento no Musume!?"（銭湯の娘!?...The Bathhouse Daughter!?）.
"IDEAS the very best of KAN" went all the way up to No. 38 on the album chart. Listening to his BEST compilation, I got the impression that KAN is really inspired by and loves his musical heroes from his past. Billy Joel is the Piano Man but KAN is truly the Pop Man of Japan.
Well, who'da thunk it? Some 30 years after wholesome singer-songwriter KAN came out with his arguably most famous tune, "Ai wa Katsu"（愛は勝つ）, he came out with his 35th single last year in February.
Not only that, but he actually does some choreography in the music video (shortened version) for "Pop Music" as if he were a boomer getting down with the millennials. The song obviously has the disco influences but there is also something in there which had me thinking old-fashioned kayo. Moreover, I can even hear a certain keyboard at points that reminds me of the 1990s urban contemporary sound in Japan.
But then, some weeks later in April 2020, Hello Project aidoru group Juice=Juice went full disco cavalcade with their cover of "Pop Music" under the full title of "Pop Music/Sukitte Itte yo"（ポップミュージック/好きって言ってよ...Tell Me You Love Me）. Kudos to arranger Tomohiro Sumikama（炭竃智弘）for throwing in so many aural shoutouts to the music of the past through M's "Pop Muzik", the Village People's"YMCA", Van McCoy's"The Hustle" and even a blink-and-you'll-miss-it bit of Frankie Valli's"Can't Take My Eyes Off You". It's like Sumikama stuffed all of Studio 54 into the song.
The lyrics by KAN are also interesting and all-knowing since he basically explains the whole thing about not only pop music in general but the old kayo from the Showa Era as well. Maybe he didn't intend to, but I think he literally poses the question about how some of those City Pop songs have managed to instill that feeling of nostalgia in fans although they are hearing them for the first time.
Juice=Juice's cover of "Pop Music" peaked at No. 3 on Oricon, and the single is their 13th (excepting all of their digital download singles). As for this Hello Project group, I'd heard the name before but "Pop Music" is the first song that I've covered by them, and apparently HP founder Tsunku（つんく♂）gave them this unique name to signify various concepts such as "fresh", "all-natural" and "100%" like that orange juice I have every morning, according to the J-Wiki introduction.
They've been around since 2013 and with all of the lineup changes, Juice=Juice currently has seven members: leader Tomoko Kanazawa（金澤朋子）, Akari Uemura（植村あかり）, Ruru Danbara（段原瑠々）, Manaka Inaba（稲場愛香）, Yume Kudo（工藤由愛）, Riai Matsunaga（松永里愛）, and Rei Inoue（井上玲音）. I've actually quite interested in their next single, scheduled to be released in April this year...a cover of Sugar Babe's"Downtown".
Did manage to find the full version of KAN's original.
Have you ever said or done something to someone close to you that you ferociously regretted and ended up in a fetal position? Miyuki Shirogane of "Kaguya-sama" fame does and he feels your pain as do I.
Another person who does? Apparently, singer-songwriter KAN. In fact, he whipped a song about it as his 3rd single, "Daijoubu I'M ALL RIGHT" (the word and its translation are right in the title). Released in June 1988, it's all about a fellow who unfortunately jumped the gun through wrong assumptions and ended up kissing a young lady when it was perhaps a smidgen too early in the timing. Ouch! Said lady is flabbergasted, embarrassed and a little mad as is the poor guy who slinks back home, insisting that he'll be fine...he's entirely sorry and he'll just head on back to his apartment, thank you very much. He will now be spending the rest of the pleasant evening repeatedly smashing his cranium on the wall. Such is life, love and interior design.
It's a sad story but I have to admit that I love KAN's melody which got some further arranging help from Akihiko Matsumoto（松本晃彦）. I believe that this is only the second article on KKP about KAN before his big break with "Ai wa Katsu"（愛は勝つ）in 1990. Nikala wrote the first, "BRACKET", and I think that more of his earlier stuff should be given further perusal.
I mentioned in "Ai wa Katsu" that KAN was a big admirer of Billy Joel, and I think that "Daijoubu I'M ALL RIGHT" has some of the Piano Man's pop sense, especially through his songs "Movin' Out", "My Life" and "You May Be Right". KAN may have even been using some of Joel's vocal effects from "Movin' Out" right at the very end of the song. Just listen, enjoy and commiserate. By the way, "Daijoubu I'M ALL RIGHT" is also available on his 3rd album released at the same time as the single, "Girl To Love" which peaked at No. 86.
The above photo was something that Rocket Brown of Come Along Radio was very kind to send to me some weeks ago. If you look closely, you can see a very young Mariya Takeuchi（竹内まりや）in the middle of Masamichi Sugi（杉真理）and Red Stripes. With all that heavy garb, they look positively Canadian! I hope that provides some happiness especially to the Mariya fans out there.
And that is the point of this Author's Pick article. Over five years ago in March 2015, I posted up an article in commemoration of the United Nations' International Happiness Day on March 20th (coincidentally Mariya's birthday!) titled "Happy Songs for Me" which listed some of the many songs that have made or kept my spirits happy and light. Just a few months after that, I then provided "Happy Songs for Me 2" just to show that the list was far from complete.
Well in July 2020, I've decided to go for a three-peat. And I think it's especially important now when the pandemic and its various ill effects have left millions upon millions of people feeling anything but happy. Not to say that this article is going to provide the ultimate cure to the population of Earth obviously. However, perhaps for those who do like Japanese popular music, some of my choices in "Happy Songs for Me 3" (along with its two cousins) can be your choices that make you feel happy.
For a fellow who got his education in all things Taeko（大貫妙子）first through her synthpop offerings at the turn of the decade into the 1980s, hearing the singer-songwriter going really high into the 1970s City Pop was quite the revelation. In the years since listening to "Summer Connection" repeatedly, this has become one of my summer must-hears and it's a grand aural sepia-toned photograph into the Tokyo hot season of that decade. Especially when the brass launches it and then she hits her highest notes in the song, I get to go to my happy place.
This wasn't the first Seiko-chan（松田聖子）song that I ever heard but it's been the one that has struck me as being one of the purest grin-giving aidoru numbers of the 1980s. When I first heard this on "Sounds of Japan" decades ago, I thought that this was the ultimate Seiko song. It's just a buoyant summer song of yesteryear powered by disco strings that takes flight over the beach and surf while the teen aidoru and a beau are frolicking the days away.
There's nothing like listening to an Anri（杏里）song from the 1980s with a Toshiki Kadomatsu（角松敏生） engine to drive the blues away. Of course, that includes many tunes but one of my very favourite is "Shyness Boy" from her "Timely!!" album. As soon as I hear this one on the stereo with the sunny brass, I get transported to wherever Anri was having her photograph taken on the cover of the album; I'm assuming that it's either Hawaii or Los Angeles. Just imagine the rise on the happiness scale when listening to "Shyness Boy" while in a convertible driving along the California coastline.
SLT's "Together" is already included in one of the previous "Happy" lists and while that is just one joyous caper through the city, "Mitsumeru Ai de"（みつめる愛で）has me preparing for a fun night out on the town. It's pure fantasy but this song is the theme for throwing on a Hugo Boss suit (that would probably have to go beyond its usual parameters to fit me), getting into a limo with the lady of my dreams (no comment on that), and tripping the light fantastic for dinner and drinking and dancing. Pianist Satoru Shionoya（塩谷哲）absolutely helps in batting this one out of the park.
One of my friends on the JET Programme frankly had the same attitude toward KAN's magnum opus "Ai wa Katsu"（愛は勝つ）that I had (and still have) toward natto: GET IT AWAY FROM ME! She really wasn't much for whimsical pop. For me, "Ai wa Katsu" was one of the musical touchstones in my life since it became that big hit during my two years in Gunma Prefecture. Perhaps the message is as corny as a field in the Midwest but the song still manages to prop up some happy memories of pop culture and life back then.
The next few entries involve some of the wonderful new urban contemporary acts in the last decade that I've discovered in the years since the first two "Happy" lists have come out. Case in point: the cool AOR duo Blue Peppers with vocalist Shiori Sasaki（佐々木詩織）with their "Roku-gatsu no Yume"（6月の夢）, one very happy-go-lucky number that deserves its own light sitcom set in a Tokyo suburb. I get some of that lovely Steely Dan vibe here and I still eagerly await that next album.
Around the same time that I first heard about Blue Peppers, I came across the coolness of BLU-SWING which has been around for over a decade. I really am a late bloomer. At least, I was fortunate to discover "Flash", a great calling card for the band and perhaps the theme song for the nightlife in any major city in Japan. With a combination of sultriness in the vocals and the snap-and-bang in the arrangement, any listener can potentially be enticed to plan a vacation for the metropolises of the nation (although unfortunately not now).
It was quite the re-introduction to Kirinji since I had known them mostly for their soulful ballads back in the early 2000s. How was I to know that the band made a change into catchy/spacey pop tunes some years back? And then I get hit with "Jikan ga nai"（時間がない）with its video that has gone worldwide with that middle-aged manager and his disco moves. I didn't stand a chance. Even now, as I write this, my shoulders instinctively started shimmying to the groove. I won't ever hit a dance floor but I can imagine that I'm on one thanks to this one.
Of course, I'm going to end this list with the first singer that I mentioned off the top. There's something so adorably 80s AOR about "Morning Glory" and since I'm a big AOR fan, it's downright Pavlovian how I react whenever I hear this track from "Miss M". Thankfully, I tend to get happy instead of salivating all over the CD. Maybe Tatsuro Yamashita（山下達郎）thought it was a little too AOR for his tastes, but I'm perfectly happy with his future wife's original (although Tats' version on "For You" is also fine).
Well, that is my third list of happy songs. I hope that at least some of them made you happy in these uncertain times. Already there are tunes that are stabbing me in the head demanding why I haven't included them so I'm pretty sure that there will be a fourth list sometime down the line without having to wait another five years. For commenters and collaborators, let me know what your happy song or songs are.
I believe that Kentucky Fried Chicken and Christmas in Japan are so closely tied together that the jolly fellow in the red-and-white outfit ought to be dubbed Sanders Claus. Yup, the Holiday season in my old home will have the Colonel bringing over his huge sack of barrels and boxes of chicken delivered by eight reindeer and eleven herbs and spices.
The thing is, though, that I had assumed that Mariya Takeuchi（竹内まりや）was the singer who had the monopoly on Xmas-y theme tunes for KFC, thanks to "Suteki na Holiday"（すてきなホリデイ）. But I was wrong. Actually, several years in the early 1990s, none other than singer-songwriter KAN came up with his own jingle for Colonel Sanders in the form of the simply titled "Kan no Christmas Song"(Kan's Christmas Song).
A short and sweet doo-wop tune, according to J-Wiki,KAN whipped up his tribute to the Yuletide based on "The Longest Time" by Billy Joel, the singer that KAN has a ton of love and respect for. I even found out that although Joel did all of the different voices for "The Longest Time", KAN had the assistance of Joey McCoy and Wornell Jones as backing vocals during recording.
"Kan no Christmas Song" was the coupling song for the singer's October 1992 single"Shinu made Kimi wo Hanasanai"（死ぬまで君を離さない...Won't Let You Go Until I Die）. That CD went up to No. 18 on Oricon. Both songs were also planted into KAN's 7th original album"TOKYOMAN" from 1993 which peaked at No. 3.
If you like, feel free to compare "The Longest Time" and KAN's Xmas opus. Grab a drumstick, while you're at it.
A couple of days ago, I met up with a fellow translator who has also become a good friend at one of the Touhenboku Ramen shops in Toronto...specifically the one at Yonge St. north of Eglinton which has come to be considered to be a second and less grungier downtown. I have to say that the chicken broth for the chain's ramen is quite good; I'd always been accustomed to having the customary pork soup for the noodles. The photo above is actually from September when I went there with another friend but the bowl I had on Wednesday afternoon was still just as tasty and even more satisfying since it was a cold day.
Anyways, my friend told me as we were slurping away that he was a big fan of the legendary band Happy End (はっぴいえんど). He had mentioned this once before a few weeks ago after that talk on translation that we had given at University of Toronto but he went into more detail about how he came to appreciate the short-lived 1970s group.
Years ago, he was accompanying a fellow friend in southern Japan in his car and on the stereo happened to be a tape playing of Happy End. From the way my friend was describing it, the weather must have been quite warm and sunny, and he told me that the playing of Happy End's music made for the perfect melodic accompaniment to their journey.
Although he didn't tell me the title of the song, I could imagine that it was most likely "Kaze wo Atsumete"(Gather The Wind) as originally sung by member Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣）. nikala was the first "Kayo Kyoku Plus" collaborator to provide a Happy Endarticle and though I also like "Hana Ichi Monme"（花いちもんめ）, "Kaze wo Atsumete" is my ideal tune by the band. It is a song that I had heard before back in Japan as part of a commercial, I believe, and I was charmed by it back then, too.
Hosono was the one who composed the perfect-for-a-summer-drive song with fellow member Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）providing the lyrics. Now, I've never considered the future one-third of Yellow Magic Orchestra to be a great vocal interpreter of his own music but there is something about that low droning voice of his which fits the overall atmosphere of "Kaze wo Atsumete". That video of him and his bandmates in weird clothing performing the song in a huge arena to a poppier beat might have been fun but I think the original version from Happy End's 2nd album from 1971"Kazemachi Roman"（風街ろまん...Wind City Romance）is absolutely fine. The album was produced to evoke the more serene days of Tokyo just before the 1964 Olympics in the city, and "Kaze wo Atsumete" might have been seen as the nucleus of that theme. That one image is of kids running around on the field under a huge blue sky trying to catch those butterflies.
Little did I know that the song was also part of the soundtrack for the 2003 movie "Lost In Translation" starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. I saw that movie on DVD in my old Ichikawa apartment with my Aussie movie buddy, and to be honest, I didn't pay too much attention to the songs that were used in it since I was paying closer attention to the folks and the scenes. But all I can say is good on you, Sofia Coppola.
Of course, covers of the song by succeeding musicians were a foregone conclusion. Singers KAN and Hiroshi Takano（高野寛）gave their own whimsical take.
YUKI of Judy And Mary plus Kaori Mochida（持田香織）of Every Little Thing also performed their own lovely cover of "Kaze wo Atsumete".
Although with all things being equal, there are probably a number of folks who never cottoned onto Happy End, I still marvel at the fact about who was in this group: YMO member Hosono, prolific lyricist Matsumoto, crooning Eiichi Ohtaki（大瀧詠一）and veteran composer Shigeru Suzuki（鈴木茂）.
Now with the winter not too far away, a little musical warmth and a good bowl of ramen will always be appreciated.
Much like I did for Taeko Ohnuki's（大貫妙子）"Romantique" a couple of months ago, I've decided to do a follow-up on an article I did on another favourite album. This time, it's "Retour" by Miki Imai（今井美樹）from 1990. As I mentioned in the original article back in 2012, Imai's 5th album to me is the quintessential album by the lithe singer with the wide-as-the-Mississippi smile. All of the songs are wonderful concoctions of uptempo fun tunes and mellow ballads, and a few of the tracks that weren't included in the "Retour" article got their own entries: "Ame ni Kiss no Hanataba wo"（雨にキッスの花束を）, "Nakitakatta"（泣きたかった）and "Motto Motto Motto"（もっと、もっと、もっと）.
"Kakehiki 27" (カ・ケ・ヒ・キ 27...Strategy 27) is another one of the playful tracks written by Imai and composed by Jun Sato（佐藤準）. It's nice and brassy and seemingly fit as the theme song for a trendy drama on Japanese TV that could have easily starred the singer herself when she was acting fairly regularly. The lyrics by Imai themselves paint a scene from such a comedy-drama as two friends just chat away at a restaurant or cafe while one of them is wondering how she can get her significant other to promote themselves up to a level above merely buddies. Considering the number of strategies in the title, the guy might be as dense as a brick.
(cover version)
"Kyonen wa Hachi-gatsu datta"(去年は、8月だった...Last Year, It Was August) by Keiko Aso（麻生圭子）and MAYUMI is a soulful number with Imai singing about a relationship a year in with the protagonist making an assessment about how things have gone and how might they go. I wonder if this might have been a sequel to "Kakehiki 27".
"Hansode"（半袖...Short Sleeves）is hopefully not a further sequel to the two songs above since the sad ballad is about life after the end of a relationship...perhaps due to the death of that significant other. Yuuho Iwasato and Chika Ueda（岩里祐穂・上田知華）were responsible for this 3-Kleenex song.
The final track, "Atarashii Machi de"（新しい街で...In A New Town）is one of the truly memorable songs on "Retour" and makes for a fine finale to the album as well as a fine finale to any Miki Imai concert. There's very much a sunset feeling to KAN's melody and Iwasato's lyrics talk about a new start. The piano that starts things off and that saxophone during the bridge are the highlights for me.
The remaining two songs are "Fuyu no Market"（冬のマーケット...Winter Market）with Akemi Kakihara（柿原朱美）providing the melody to Iwasato's lyrics and "Kagayaku Hoshi ni Natte"（輝く星になって...Shining Star）by Imai and Mioko Yamaguchi（山口美央子）couldn't be found except through excerpts on the Amazon site selling the CD but they are also just fine to listen to, especially the former. If either or both of them pop up on YouTube someday, I would be happy to cover them as well.
Knowing that I would be writing about the album tonight, I decided to pop the CD into the player again earlier this afternoon. No change...still just as wonderful as when I had bought it back over a quarter-century ago.
In terms of pop culture, I could say that a couple of aspects attached to the United States would be beauty and glamour. In Japan, I think the big word there is cuteness. Maid cafes, AKB48 and all of history's aidoru come into play here, and of course, Japan has all those yuru kyara（ゆるキャラ）representing prefectures, cities, businesses and all other campaigns.
Yuru kyara are all those cute mascot characters which have grown so much in number that they should probably deserve their own citizenship. Arguably the most famous one is the twitchy-to-the-nth-degree Funassyi（ふなっしー）representing the city of Funabashi in Chiba Prefecture which happens to sit right next to my old city of Ichikawa. I always wondered about whether Ichikawa even had a yuru kyara, and apparently it does. Her name is Manarin（マナりん）.
However, No. 2 might be a more laid-back fellow much further south. This is Kumamon the bear who promotes Kumamoto Prefecture. For all you Trekkies, this was (or will be) the birthplace for Keiko Ishikawa, the wife of Miles O'Brien, good ol' engineer from the USS Enterprise and later on, Deep Space Nine.
I found out from Wikipedia that Kumamon actually won the Yuru-Kyara Grand Prix of 2011, and then a couple of years later, he even got his own adorable song. Titled "Kumamon-mon", I discovered the tune while I was skimming through the article for singer-songwriter KAN (to write up on one of his older albums) since he was the one who composed and co-wrote the song along with Kundo Koyama（小山薫堂）for release as a single in September 2013. You may want to hold off on any sugary treats for a while after listening to and watching the video. And who better to sing the song than former techno aidoru Chisato Moritaka (森高千里...she hits the "mon" part just perfectly)? I think Moritaka and KAN make a great combination for a cutesy ditty like this.
Apparently, this is the official music video for "Kumamon-mon" which peaked at No. 13 on Oricon.
To leave off, I just have to provide footage of the legendary Funassyi.
Kristi Lu Stout of CNN...you always made my day when I saw you on CNN International. It is indeed a pleasure to see you lose it to Funassyi.
I never quite expected that I would actually write an article on a KAN album. Up until a couple of days ago, it had been merely my intention to look for a KAN song since it had been a long while that one of his creations went up on the blog. So I pulled out the first of the two albums that I bought of the singer-songwriter, "Yakyuu Senshu ga Yume datta" (I Wanted To Be A Baseball Player) from July 1990.
Of course, for those who knew KAN-chan at the time, the big highlight from the album was his 8th single, "Ai wa Katsu"（愛は勝つ）which became the feel-good hit of 1991 and a karaoke staple at the time. It was certainly one of those songs that was just everywhere back then whether you liked it or not.
(karaoke version)
Well, after getting re-acquainted with "Yakyuu Senshu ga Yume datta" again, I realized that there were indeed some other fine tracks, and a few of them actually got put onto my own compilation audio tapes of Japanese pop music. So I have decided to cover the album in general.
My fellow collaborator, nikala, was also someone who enjoyed the works of Kan Kimura（木村和）and she covered a song, "BRACKET", from his earlier days in the late 1980s which was where I realized that the singer had taken a more funkier approach to his music and fashion. With "Yakyuu Senshuu", however, KAN went with some pretty happy and peppy pop. And knowing that he was a big fan of another Piano Man, Billy Joel, I realized that this album may have been a tribute of sorts.
Case in point is Track 2, "Koi suru Futari no 834km"（恋する二人の834km...834km of Two People In Love）. It is a comical speedy tune by KAN about a young couple who just can't seem to live with or without each other. There is love but there are also plenty of rockets. It was one of the songs that I taped onto a homemade compilation CrO2 way back when. And listening to it again, I realized that there was a certain glancing resemblance to Joel's"Movin' Out" song from the late 70s...at least to me.
I think another Billy Joel influence on KAN is some of those rolling piano flourishes that he has used....for example on Track 3, "Keyaki Dori ga Irozuku koro ni"（けやき通りがいろづく頃...When Zelkova Avenue Changed Colour）, a beautiful bittersweet ballad with strings about moving on from an old romance. KAN is not the strongest singer but it's because of how he sounds that songs like these take on a further warmer feeling. That was probably emphasized during his TV appearances and concerts due to his fuller hair, good-boy suits and the fact that he has those adorable hang-dog looks. He and Noriyuki Makihara（槇原敬之）could have been congenial roommates in college.
Perhaps Japanese folks around my age or slightly younger would be more than happy to go to this track "Happy Birthday" as a go-to tune to celebrate a buddy's special day. Strangely enough, when I was at various restaurants in Tokyo, there would be another group of people celebrating someone's birthday to the sounds of Stevie Wonder's"Happy Birthday". Admittedly Stevie sounds cooler but KAN may have the nostalgic edge for some.
My last track is "Kenzen Anzen Kouseinen"（健全 安全 好青年...Health, Safety, Nice Young Man）for which the above video is a karaoke version. I still wanted to cover it since it is the one track that follows a different singer and one of his big hits, namely "Sussudio" by Phil Collins according to the article for the song on J-Wiki. It was actually the preceding single to big hit "Ai wa Katsu" that was released in May 1990. Aside from KAN's tribute to the Collins hit with the mysterious title, I also wanted to talk about this since KAN goes into a small crisis involving a girl introducing her boyfriend to her parents. The young beau is chafing at why he has to become the ideal droid instead of being the imperfect if decent enough guy for the family. Even the song's somewhat techno edge in the refrain rather mocks the robotic image of Mr. Right.
I couldn't find anything online for the song but the track "1989 (A Ballade of Bobby & Olivia)" is definitely a riff on Billy Joel's"Scenes From An Italian Restaurant", which like the aforementioned "Movin' Out" is a track from his legendary "The Stranger" from 1977.
"Yakyuu Senshu" was KAN's 5th album. It went as high as No. 2 on Oricon and became the 17th-ranked album for 1991. It was quite the feather in the singer's cap but there was apparently some friction between him and the arranger when it came to a couple of the tracks which led to the arranger getting replaced soon afterwards. I guess the poor guy who got let go faced the wrath of KAN (I'm sorry, Trekkies...just had to get that one out).
But seriously folks, I'm pretty interested in getting some of KAN's earlier albums now such as his 1987 "No-No-Yesman".
Though I discovered KAN early on in my Japanese music escapades - he was the first other singer I tried listening to besides Chage and Aska - I don't listen to him all that much. In fact, it had been quite a long while since I touched any song related to him. It was only within the last couple of days when I had the urge to revisit "Yoteidori Guzen ni" (予定どおりに偶然に), a collaboration between him and C&A'sASKA, did I finally hear the preppy-looking singer-songwriter's somewhat high and pleasant vocal delivery again.
While enjoying the jaunty tune that is "Yoteidori Guzen ni", I was sifting through the suggested videos part of the page in order to find something else by KAN, and that was when I came across "Yokereba Issho ni". I took a liking to this song immediately upon hearing it's breezy, laid-back style that is comparable to the feeling of taking a leisurely stroll on a Sunday afternoon. And what made me appreciate it more was the meaning behind it. As I found out online, "Yokereba Issho ni" translates to something on the line of "Would you like to come along with me?", so I'm guessing that's what the song is about: the fellow thinking that it would be more of a joy if this particular person (KAN's lyrics did not really specify, so it could be that special one or just a friend) were to join him on his journey through life. It sounds like a good theme song for a couple of the anime I watch, like "Natsume Yuujincho" (夏目友人帳) or "Shirokuma Cafe" (しろくまカフェ) where the theme of friendship is evident.
"Yokereba Issho ni" was KAN's32nd single, released on 10th February 2010. It did alright on the Oricon charts, peaking at 49th place.
amazon.co.jp
Just as a side note here, but I think KAN's voice is really suited for sweet, feel-good songs like this.
“Bracket” was KAN's second single released on October 25th, 1987, the same day his second album “No-No-Yesman” dropped. I was very surprised to see that one included in Japanese City Pop, the 2011 edition at least, since KAN is not exactly the name I would associate with the genre. His sound is more akin to a casual and lighthearted side of everyday life than to the glamorous images of the beach and urban nightlife. But there were a few tracks with a bit of jazz and horns in the arrangement that compelled the reviewer to include the album in the book anyway, though I forgot what he actually wrote (and currently have no access to the book, which I left back home). “Bracket” was probably one of those. With those low notes in the verses and the jazzy feel, it gives off the image of the singer in a proper suit and a tie in place of that comical bowtie he sported in the early 90's. On the other hand, the bouncy chorus melody and that adorable scat he does around 2:20 mark still make me go “That's KAN alright.” It's a really fun song, I think, and it doesn't matter that his voice is flawed because he's a pro at livening up songs with personality.
While searching for working links of the song a couple of days ago, I came across its music video which I've been curious to watch for the longest time because of its background. You see, the year before KAN debuted in 1987, he was asked by the director Nobuhiko Obayashi (大林宣彦) to create background music for his film “The Strange Couple”, officially titled in Japan as “Nihon Junjouden Okashi na Futari Monokuru-hoshiki Hitobito no Mure” (日本殉情伝 おかしなふたり ものくるほしきひとびとの群) that was still in the making to be released in 1988. Obayashi returned the favor by directing the music video for “Bracket”. I don't even know how the two met or how a total freshman like KAN got such an assignment as his first recording work, but according to a magazine account that I can no longer track down, Obayashi thought his light poppy sound with a hidden edge was a perfect fit for his film. For those of you familiar with the director's work like “House” and “Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo”, you'll know that he loves surreal and dreamy visuals and uses them to the max in the “Bracket” video. The set and the concept are pretty simple, but the editing makes it a quirky little clip, which has even got film-like opening and credit sequences. The 25-year old KAN looks like his usual casual self there, making silly faces and playing the piano. The female actress is Aura Lani (オーラ・ラニ), and she has appeared in minor roles in some of Obayashi's films such as his adaptation of “The Drifting Classroom”. Lastly, the credit sequence features an excerpt from another “No-No-Yesman” track, the lovely ballad “All I Know”.
