Kumi Koda -- Ai no Uta（愛のうた）

 

My first "Kayo Kyoku Plus" article involving singer-songwriter Kumi Koda（倖田來未）was her and EXILE's cover of Da Bubblegum Brothers' "Won't Be Long" all the way back in 2013, and since then, I have to admit sheepishly that the next articles regarding her were also covers that she did of original songs. Bad, J-Canuck, bad!😖

Well, that ends today. This is due to a recent appearance by Koda on "Uta Con"（うたコン）where she performed one of her ballads "Ai no Uta" (Love Song). A lovely soulful number, this was written and composed by her and Kousuke Morimoto as Koda's 37th single released in September 2007, and I think that it's lovely because it's just a simple song about a woman in love that needs no extra flourishes such as an epic chorus or heavy instrumentation.

From J-Wiki, Koda got the idea for the lyrics behind "Ai no Uta" when she and her female friend decided to go on a road trip and ended up going for a dip at a hot spring in Yuugawara, Kanagawa Prefecture. The basic image for the ballad had been formed while the two of them were chatting away en route in the car. There's nothing like a short vacation to relax and/or energize the mind, and in Koda's case, it must have been a wonderful experience since "Ai no Uta" not only hit No. 2 on the Oricon weeklies, it went Gold, it sold over a million copies, ended up as the 62nd-ranked single of the year, earned Koda her third consecutive Japan Record Award prize, and last but not least, it got her another invitation to the Kohaku Utagassen. The song was also a track on Koda's 6th original album "Kingdom" released in January 2008 which hit No. 1 and became the 13th-ranked album for the year.

Yasushi Nakanishi/EXILE/Kumi Koda -- Saigo no Ame （最後の雨）

Knowing about soulful singer Keizo Nakanishi（中西圭三）all these years, I also heard about this other artist by the name of Yasushi Nakanishi（中西保志）, but for some reason, I never really got to hear a whole lot about this fellow aside from the fact that he was quite the balladeer. He was born in the ancient capital of Nara in 1961 and joined a glee club during his university years and even became a vocalist for a band while he was in second year. Apparently from what I could gather from his J-Wiki bio, he is a big Billy Joel and Steve Wonder fan.

Nakanishi made his debut in April 1992 with "Ai Shikanai yo"（愛しかないよ...Nothing But Love）, but it was with his second single, "Saigo no Ame" (The Final Rain) that he made his big splash. Released in August of that year, this was the song that got him pegged as the balladeer, and several weeks ago on NHK's "Uta Kon"（うたコン）, either it was Nakanishi himself or one of the guests that night who performed what is probably his most famous tune.

Written by Jun Natsume（夏目純）and composed by Takashi Tsushimi（都志見隆）, what I liked about this song is that it reminded me of some the older pop ballads from the US back in the 1980s such as Laura Branigan's "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" and some of the love songs by Chicago during that decade. And lyrically speaking, there is a resemblance between "Saigo no Ame" and "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" in that both talk about a romantic breakup that perhaps only one imminent ex-partner is willing to accept. Also with all that rain in the song, I couldn't help but remember some of those climactic scenes in Japanese dramas which took place in a torrential downpour just before the commercial.

"Saigo no Ame" managed to get as high as No. 16 and became the 52nd-ranked single of the year. And by the time 1998 rolled around,the single managed to sell around 900,000 copies. The single is also included in Nakanishi's debut album "Voice Peaks" which came out in September 1992.

The ballad has been covered quite a lot over the years. Atsushi of EXILE sang it during one of his concerts which is included in the band's DVD "Premium Live ~The Roots~" from 2011. Just judging from this performance above, I think he sings it even better.

Kumi Koda（倖田來未）gives a slightly more R&B version in her 2003 maxi-single, "Gentle Words".

Yoko Maekawa/Kumi Koda/GO!GO!7188 -- Cutie Honey (キューティーハニー)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/breville/8723949838

It's possible that I may be coming down with a cold or some hay fever today. My nose has been running like a faucet and there's a cough coming in. A cup of some hot honey & lemon would be quite nice right now.

Speaking of honey.....HONEY FLASH!!

Yes, I'm seguing again...let it go. Ahem...anyways, it's time for me to bring out an old but famous anison from the 1970s. To be specific, this is the theme song for the 1973 anime "Cutie Honey" (キューティーハニー). I never saw the show myself but even I know about this heroine in Japan who fights the good fight while having a certain allergy toward being fully clothed. And the theme is also one of the most famous elements as well as being one of the more recognizable anison ever made.

Written by lyricist Claude Q. (aka Fujio Iwasaki/岩崎富士男 now of the Osaka University of Arts) and composed by Takeo Watanabe（渡辺岳夫）, "Cutie Honey" has got a lot of soaring boogie and spunk done in a spy-show style with lyrics describing the fine attributes of android Honey Kisaragi (I can only imagine her on a date with Commander Data). And singer Yoko Maekawa（前川陽子）interprets it like a Linda Yamamoto（山本リンダ） hit, and that is no surprise since it had been intended for the sexy and dynamic Yamamoto but for some reason, that plan fell through. Still, Maekawa does a fine job resembling the singer.

As I said, I was never a fan of the show but even I paid attention when I was watching the morning news back in Ichikawa one day and learned that there was to be a live-action version of "Cutie Honey" which was released in 2004. Ohhhhhhkayyyyyyyyy, I remarked. And the star was Eriko Sato（佐藤江梨子）, a tarento whose star had been rising at the time.

Kumi Koda（倖田來未）performed the new version of the theme song in an even sultrier way with more of a nightclubby/hip-hop feel. Looking at the music video, I would have thought Koda could have portrayed the heroine but perhaps she was a little too short at 154cm. Sato is actually my height at 173cm.

Man, do I love the fat bass and drums on GO!GO!7188's cover of "Cutie Honey". This is the surf rock version of the song that was included on the band's cover mini-album "Tora no Ana"（虎の穴...The Tiger's Eye） from July 2002. It was able to reach No. 15 on the Oricon charts.

From what I've read, there are plenty of other covers out there on YouTube as well so enjoy!

Rats & Star/Kumi Koda -- Me Gumi no Hito （め組のひと）

Well, I'm kinda smacking myself upside the head right now for thinking that I had already put up "Me Gumi no Hito" (The Girls of the Eye Tribe) by doo wop group Rats & Star....and it's arguably up there with "Yume de Aetara"（夢で逢えたら）as their most famous tune. Ah...live and learn. It's also one of my favourite pop tunes from the 80s which makes my forgetfulness even more surprising.

I love the rat-a-tat intro that reminds me of an old Chaplinesque heist coming off chaotically and then leader Masayuki Suzuki （鈴木雅之）with his shifty syncopated delivery of the refrain before his more soulful verses. From comic to cool to comic once again. I have to admit, though, that I initially couldn't figure out what the title was all about. But apparently, it's about one guy and his buddies on the beach admiring the scenery...the ones that come in string bikinis, if you know what I mean.

Released in April 1983, "Me Gumi no Hito" was written by Masao Urino （売野雅勇）although he used the pen name of Reiji Aso（麻生 麗二） for some reason. The popping music was by Daisuke Inoue（井上大輔）, a composer who also came up with another hit that year with "Bohemian"（ボヘミアン）for Yuki Katsuragi（葛城ユキ）. It hit No. 1 and won Rats & Star the Gold Prize at the Japan Record Awards. By the end of the year, it was the 10th-ranked song with sales in excess of 800,000 records.

The song was also the first one released by Martin and the gang following their name change from Chanels to Rats & Star. Everyone can thank an uptight cosmetics company for that.

J-R&B diva Kumi Koda（倖田來未）did her own pumped-up version of "Me Gumi no Hito" on her October 2010 album of covers "ETERNITY - Love & Songs". The album peaked at No. 3 on Oricon and came in at No. 95 on the annual charts. It's kinda too bad that Avex Network couldn't provide the full video of the song above but you can always try the link below for the full song.

Da Bubblegum Brothers/EXILE & Kumi Koda -- Won't Be Long

This was such a fun song to hear back in my Gunma days. I didn't know who these Bubblegum Brothers were, and I have a feeling most of Japan didn't either, although Bro. Tom and Bro. Korn (now Kone) had released their very first single back in 1985. But the Brothers' 10th single, "Won't Be Long", released in August 1990, hit paydirt. Considering the title, though, it took its sweet time making the big time.

I came to Japan at the right time. Falling in love with Japanese popular music in 1981 during that summer graduation trip, I had my eyes further opened when kayo kyoku switched over to J-Pop and everything just exploded. The aidoru/enka age seemed to give way, and the ground opened up for singers who wanted to give breath to other genres such as R&B, ska, glam rock, etc. Toshinobu Kubota, Minako Yoshida and Masayuki Suzuki among others were pushing the wave for that first example. But then, acts like Bubblegum Brothers and Zoo started to bring over something even more danceable.

"Won't Be Long" just had this funky, strutworthy beat accompanied by these unforgettable horns, and so I thought Tom and Korn had gotten their inspiration straight and solely from Jamaica. However, according to J-Wiki, the Bros. actually based their biggest hit on the traditional Awa Odori（阿波踊り） from Tokushima Prefecture....feel free to take a look at the official video for the song above, although the Awa Odori there took place in Koenji, Tokyo.

Brother Korn was responsible for the lyrics and melody....and for the entire singing. Apparently, according to him, Brother Tom had excused himself from the recording and "....went to play pachinko". Nice.

As I said in the first paragraph, "Won't Be Long" wasn't an instant megasuccess. After its release in the summer of 1990, it slowly simmered over the months gaining temperature, and then it finally caught full flame by a stroke of scheduling luck....involving the 1991 Kohaku Utagassen of all things. One of the bands that had been chosen for the NHK New Year's Eve extravaganza, Hound Dog, dropped out suddenly, and the powers-that-be asked for Da Bubblegum Brothers to come in to get the show out of the pinch. Well, there was nothing like a party song to spice things up, and as the clock ticked over into 1992, "Won't Be Long" broke the million-seller barrier, ultimately selling 1.2 million copies. The song peaked at No. 3 on Oricon and eventually became the 16th-ranked song for 1992.

Over 16 years later, Kumi Koda（倖田來未）and EXILE got together to make their own cover of "Won't Be Long"for release in November 2006. The arrangement wasn't too different from that of the original, but Koda and EXILE added their own vocal flourishes. Their version actually peaked even higher on the Oricon weeklies at No. 2 but ultimately finished as the 56th-ranked song of that year.

As for Da Bubblegum Brothers themselves? Well, after a decade off from singing, they came out with some new singles and an album starting from late 2008. And the two have kept their profile nice and high due to their other roles as TV personalities.

Da Bubblegum Bros.