You know that one song you heard once that made an impression on you which you promptly forgot, only to rediscover it years later? "Jawa no Mango Uri" is that one song for me.
It was at least a good four or five years ago when I used to pop by a karaoke joint in Tokyo's Sugamo a.k.a geriatric Ginza when I first heard this tune. I vividly remember that a regular patron, at the time a 90-year-old old man who'd dress in spiffy suits draped over his frail frame, picked this song. I also vividly remember being slightly shell-shocked to see such an exotic-looking title for what I thought was a very Japanese genre of music. You see, I wasn't nearly as aware of Southeast Asian and Pacific Islands being a common theme in ryukoka and enka back then as I am now, so seeing "Java" (written as "Jawa" in katakana) and "Mango" was fascinating. The singer was one whose name I had also seen before but never knew how to read. I would later find out that he was Katsuhiko Haida (灰田勝彦), but I have no memory of following up on this song of his. Fast-forward to just a week or so ago, a video of Tokyo Taishu Kayo Gakudan (東京大衆歌謡楽団) doing "Jawa no Mango Uri" popped up on my YouTube Suggestions. That triggered the aforementioned Sugamo memory and provided the perfect opportunity to revisit the song.
To describe "Jawa no Mango Uri" in a word, I'd have to go cliche and say that it's "exotic", which could have very well been the creators' intentions. Released in September 1942, this song came about at the height of Japan's march into Southeast Asia. According to the J-Wiki, "Tropical Fantasy" became a domestic hot topic at the advent of the Pacific War. The music industry jumped the opportunity and began churning out records that banked on the exoticism of the southern tropical countries. In fact, composer Tasuku Sano (佐野鋤) garnered inspiration from the resultant news reports and magazines that touted the wonders of Southeast Asia and created a series of works to incorporate this fad. Featuring the island of Java, Indonesia, "Jawa no Mango Uri" became one of them. Interestingly, rather than mango, Sano had intended for Indonesian fried rice, or Nasi Goreng, to be the song's feature after seeing a photo of a Nasi Goreng vendor. Unfortunately, the idea of fried rice didn't sit well with the powers that be in Victor Records, so lyricist Yutaka Kadota (門田ゆたか) came in to tweak things a little to turn "fried rice" into "mango". A popular figure by then, Haida was tasked to sing this with soprano Kiyoko Otani (大谷洌子) and it quickly became a hit. I like "Jawa no Mango Uri" as a title as it does roll off the tongue pretty well, and I suppose the image of an island beauty selling an exotic sweet fruit encompasses all things "Tropical" and "Fantasy". But, a "Jawa no Yakimeshi Uri" would have scored 11/10 for creativity in my books. Also, who doesn't like a good Nasi Goreng?
Moving on from the background, besides the Gakudan's rendition, it goes without saying that I had to give Haida's take a listen as well, despite me having mixed feelings about his vocals. Following a melody with a slightly mysterious edge, the languid "la-la" that began every stanza radiated with the laid-back island vibe. There were shout-outs to flame trees, shadow puppets (kage e) and the gamelan (a traditional Indonesian percussion instrument) littered throughout the song, which added to the tropical island fantasy. The Gakudan's cover was a lot crisper with a much faster tempo, which I eventually learned was much closer to the 1942 original. The Haida version I'd been listening to, a later-day recording, on the other hand, was more sultry and had a fuller arrangement with more resounding strings and percussions. This one really felt like it epitomizes "Tropical Paradise" and it makes one envision a more opulent mango experience - rather than buying a mango from a young street vendor at an open market, it feels more like you're served a cut-up mango on a pristine beach as you sway about on a hammock. Because of that, I do have a preference for the solo Haida version. Even though I think he sounds like Mr Fujiyama (Ichiro) with a cold, it seems to blend wonderfully in "Jawa no Mango Uri".
As someone from a tropical island, it can be assumed that I don't subscribe to the "Tropical Paradise" fantasy. And I think that's mostly right because it's sweltering all year round and there is nothing laid-back about Singapore. But we do have mangoes... imported from Malaysia and Thailand. That said, I wouldn't mind kicking back on a beautiful beach with some mango. Ironically, the most recent time I was able to do that (sans mango) was in Kamakura, Kanagawa prefecture... in Japan.
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| A decadent mango dessert I had a few years back |
