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）

Katsuhiko Miki -- Taiyo no Kakera（太陽のかけら）

 

In my last article last month on Katsuhiko Miki（美樹克彦）via his 1967 single "Hana wa Osokatta"（花はおそかった）, I mentioned that Miki had used one word in the song that had been considered a little too profane at the time for public usage but was seen as a manly way to express his frustrations at love. Then from the following decade onwards, male aidoru such as the late Hideki Saijo（西城秀樹）used it as well in his songs.

The Miki and Saijo comparison continues here through an explanation found under the YouTube video for the former's June 1971 single, "Taiyo no Kakera" (Pieces of a Sun). Miki's 30th single and his first under the Canyon label after his first 29 singles with Nippon Crown, the uploader doro2067 mentions that although Saijo wouldn't officially begin his long career until 1972, "Taiyo no Kakera" would be a perfect fit for him.

But as it was, this was Miki's song and by the looks of that single's cover, the singer seemed to be a proto-Hideki in terms of that longer hair, the bare torso and the grinning masculine defiance. Indeed, legendary lyricist Yu Aku（阿久悠）, who wrote the words of living life as if there were no tomorrow on "Taiyo no Kakera", would also provide songs for Saijo. And although I couldn't see composer and arranger Makoto Kawaguchi's（川口真）name on any of Hideki's music, the flying strings, the brass section and the electric piano that he puts together on "Taiyo no Kakera" seem perfect for the future 70s superstar.

Another comparison that I could bring in is with "Taiyo no Kakera" and the aforementioned "Hana wa Osokatta". Whereas "Hana wa Osokatta" was describing one man's anguish at the missed opportunity for love and happiness, "Taiyo no Kakera" looks like a revisiting of that same guy a few years later with a burlier and stronger attitude on life.  Where will he go from there? In any case, this particular song is not to be confused with one with the same title performed by the jazzy unit orange pekoe.

Cheuni/Masato Sugimoto -- Tokyo ni Yuki ga Furu（Tokyoに雪が降る）

Good heavens! It's been almost 6 years since I wrote up an article on South Korean singer Cheuni（チェウニ）and her blend of Mood Kayo and City Pop in her September 1999 debut single "Tokyo Twilight" （トーキョー・トワイライト）. It was quite fascinating hearing this kayo that seemed to combine the sounds and arrangement of two styles of Japanese music that reflected the city from two different eras. 

As I mentioned for "Tokyo Twilight", this began a series of Tokyo-based songs which leads to her sophomore outing from December 2000, "Tokyo ni Yuki ga Furu" (Snow Falls in Tokyo). However, despite the release date, I don't think that this sad ballad has anything to do with Xmas or the weather in the megalopolis so much.

Written by kayo singer Katsuhiko Miki（美樹克彦）and composed by Masato Sugimoto（杉本眞人）, who had also come up with "Tokyo Twilight", the precipitation here has as much to do with the snow in one woman's heart. You see, Miki's lyrics relate the melancholy tale in which the lass simply can't open up herself to the one that she loves (and vice versa) because she can't stand the thought of ending up rejected once again. Damned if you do, damned if you don't...that sort of thing.

Unlike that debut single though, I think "Tokyo ni Yuki ga Furu" is more along the usual Mood Kayo line although it comes out quite dramatically. It could even make for an ideal ending theme for one of those mystery dramas that is broadcast weekly on Japanese TV. 

Up to now, composer Sugimoto has had his works for other singers shown here on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", but on J-Wiki, he is known as a singer-songwriter. Therefore, I'm happy to also present his own cover of "Tokyo ni Yuki ga Furu" which was recorded on his October 2014 album "Nijuu Seiki ni Kanpai!"（20世紀に乾杯！...Here's to the 20th Century!）. It's no less dramatic.

Katsuhiko Miki -- Hana wa Osokatta（花はおそかった）

 

Whether it be a Mood Kayo, enka or even City Pop song, it's always sad when one of those numbers depicts someone trying to move heaven and earth to express their feelings to the one they love, only for them to be just that one second too late...sometimes as they see the target of their affections drive or walk off with their rival. It's enough for protagonist and listener to head for the nearest bar to get a drink...or ten.

For those who have wondered about a typical kayo of that sort, I have the perfect romantically down-and-out ballad for you. This is Katsuhiko Miki's（美樹克彦）"Hana wa Osokatta" (The Flowers Were Late) which was a hit single for him when it was released in March 1967. Written by Tetsuro Hoshino（星野哲郎）and composed by Masao Yoneyama（米山正夫）, the setting is probably a bar of some sort where a guy is drowning his sorrows because he simply couldn't get those crocuses for Kaoru-chan in time and now she's gone. The seething frustration is clear to hear in Miki's vocals and the arrangement is dramatically sad.

I don't know how many records "Hana wa Osokatta" sold although I'm sure that it was a hit especially with the lovelorn because Miki did get his sole invitation to NHK's Kohaku Utagassen in 1967 to perform this very song. However, according to Miki's J-Wiki article, there was some quaint controversy accompanying him coming onto the New Year's Eve special since there was that final word of anguish: BAKAYARO（バカヤロー）! As Captain America has said: Language!

Back then, I guess that it was rather taboo to yell that sort of word on the national broadcaster, although perhaps Miki broke the mold. Afterwards, male aidoru have used bakayaro in their lyrics such as Hideki Saijo（西城秀樹）in "Shiroi Kyokai"（白い教会...White Church） and Masahiko Kondo（近藤真彦）in "Blue Jeans Memory"（ブルー・ジーンズ・メモリー）. Mind you, when I wrote up the article for "Blue Jeans Memory" years ago, considering how strongly Matchy yelled that offending word, I did take it to mean the F word instead of what Jisho.org defines as "Damn it!" or "You moron!". Maybe listeners to "Hana wa Osokatta" also felt that it was that strong an epithet, but in the end, NHK still welcomed him to the Kohaku with his bakayaro intact.

One other surprise is that, as I already stated, Miki only had that one appearance on the Kohaku since many years later in the 1980s, he had that hit duet with enka singer Sachiko Kobayashi（小林幸子）, "Moshikashite Part 2" （もしかして・パート２）, which was frequently performed on television and sung in the karaoke bars and boxes. I would have expected that with such a hit that Miki and Kobayashi appeared together on the Kohaku. But as it turned out, only Kobayashi got to appear to sing the Miki-penned "Moshikashite" as a solo participant.

Katsuhiko Miki -- Kaiten Kinshi no Seishunsa（回転禁止の青春さ）

Singer-songwriter Katsuhiko Miki（美樹克彦）, up to now, had only appeared within the pages of "Kayo Kyoku Plus" for one article, the duet that he helped create for enka legend Sachiko Kobayashi（小林幸子）titled "Moshikashite Part 2" （もしかして・パート２）from 1984. Mind you, the song became a huge hit for both her and Miki and as far I know, the article itself has garnered the largest amount of views on our blog (although admittedly, a lot of that is probably through the dastardly work of spam bots). However, that's all that had been written about Miki and that was all the way back in late 2012.

Therefore, it's right to point out that Miki shouldn't be only known as Kobayashi's partner in "Moshikashite Part 2". He hadn't been in the background simply creating music for other singers but he'd also had his time as a performer. In fact, this entertainer from Kyoto who had been born as Makoto Mekata（目方誠）in 1948 began his career right from elementary school in 1954 as a child actor featured in close to 70 movies according to his J-Wiki profile. Then, the singing element in his career got off the ground during either his junior high school or early high school days with the single "Transistor Sister"（トランジスター・シスター）.

Midway through high school, Mekata took on the stage name of Katsuhiko Miki in 1965 and debuted once more with "Ore no Namida wa Ore ga Fuku"（俺の涙は俺がふく...I'll Dry My Own Tears） which began a string of singles hits that also included his sixth single from New Year's Day 1966, "Kaiten Kinshi no Seishunsa" (Don't Look Back on Youthfulness). Written by Tetsuro Hoshino（星野哲郎）and composed by Jun Kitahara（北原じゅん）, the song has quite a bit of snazzy twist-happy arrangement which even includes Ventures-like guitar riffs just so that it can get on that Group Sounds or ereki boom of the times. Miki even yells out "GO GO GO, LET'S GO GO!" to get everyone doing those hip-swiveling dances back then.

The lyrics by Hoshino do exhort listeners to never release their youth and plow forward with the fun, but there also seems to be a thinly veiled message of a young fellow acting like a teen James Bond taking on various guises while loving and leaving the girls in an ever-lengthening trail. It's just a gas, man!

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

As far as my memory goes, enka star Sachiko Kobayashi（小林幸子） was arguably the first big name from Japanese music to come to Toronto. Perhaps, others may have preceded her arrival to T.O, but they probably came before I was born. I think she came over just shortly after her big hit of "Omoide Zake" （おもいで酒）in 1979, and the venue was the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (JCCC). Not sure how the organizers pulled it off but most likely, a concert in New York probably helped in the logistics since by air, a flight from The Big Apple to The Big Smoke is barely an hour. In any case, Kobayashi's arrival to perform here was treated like an appearance by the Queen. I remember my parents dressing up to the nines to see her.

In any case, Sachiko Kobayashi had a fine decade in the 80s. One of her teiban songs was "Moshikashite" (By Chance), originally released in January 1984. A sparkly and sprightly tune, the song matched the singer's bubbly personality. It has a bit of a tango flair in it as well. Whenever we borrowed any music tapes from Nippon Video, she was sure to pop up with this one.  "Moshikashite" got as high as No. 11 on the Oricon weeklies, and got her a ticket to that year's Kohaku.

The song was written by Michiko Sakaki（榊みちこ） and composed by singer-songwriter Katsuhiko Miki（美樹克彦）. For Miki, I guess it just wasn't enough for him to stay on the sidelines; he decided to jump onto the stage and so, in July 1984, "Moshikashite Part II" was born with some changes in the lyrics to fit a duet for both him and Kobayashi. It looks like the upgraded version had some bigger benefits. The song again peaked at No. 11 but also became the 60th-ranked song for 1984, and earned a Gold Prize at the Japan Record Awards on New Year's Eve. And it has become a karaoke favourite with the older couples...perhaps after a few drinks.