The Undokai（運動会）Songs in Honour of International Day of Play

Wikimedia Commons
by Tetsuro Kurata

 

It's another Hump Day this week and as has occasionally been the case, I like to put up an Author's Pick article just to liven the middle of the week up. Today, I found out that June 11th is the International Day of Play according to the United Nations. Now, I wasn't sure what they meant by "play"; was it referring to board games, gaming or sports? Well, I should have known since we're talking about the UN here that it was about kids' having that right to play for health and development.

As such, I've been reminded of the undokai (Sports Day) that I attended while I was on the JET Programme over 35 years ago. Mind you, the sports day festivities took place in the autumn but they do reflect about what the International Day of Play is all about: getting the kids together to do all sorts of activities such as relay races and ball tosses throughout the day. Because I was in a village, Sports Day took on even bigger meaning as a good chunk of the population came out to cheer on the kids at my junior high schools. Afterwards, when the kids went home to rest and shower, the parents and staffers headed out to imbibe copious amounts at the local izakaya in what could have been called the International Day of Drink (followed by the International Night of Gastrointestinal Distress and Headaches).

Regardless, I heard a number of songs played repeatedly during those Sports Days on the loudspeakers as BGM or tunes accompanying some of the events. I'm listing a few of them here along with a couple of Western oldies.

Princess Princess -- Diamonds

Bakufu Slump -- Runner

Toshinobu Kubota -- Ryuusei no Saddle (流星のサドル）

George Washington Dixon (perhaps) -- Turkey in the Straw (known as "Oklahoma Mixer" in Japan)

Leroy Anderson -- Bugler's Holiday (known as "Trumpet Fuki no Kyujitsu" in Japan)

Leroy Anderson/Johnny Mathis/Natalie Cole -- Sleigh Ride

from Wikipedia

Not being particularly an overall fan of the arts, I can still gather that one form of art has begat another form in terms of inspiration. One example was something that I'd read on the Wikipedia article for the Christmas classic "Sleigh Ride" created by Leroy Anderson in 1948. Apparently, Mitchell Parish's lyrics for the song were inspired by printmaking company Currier and Ives' 1867 lithograph "American Homestead, Winter". Indeed, it's a lovely Xmas scene.

Of course, with my limited knowledge of the visual arts, I'm always going to think of "Sleigh Ride" as a musical representation of anything by Norman Rockwell, the go-to artist whenever I think of homey and peaceful Americana. Crisp winter air, the aroma of turkey and/or apple pie wafting from the kitchen window and the sight of that horse-led sleigh sliding steadily over the fresh snow will forever join Anderson's music of jingle bells, clopping hooves and happy and busy instruments which often go into triumphant marching mode.

I've never experienced a Christmas of this magnitude so hearing "Sleigh Ride" on the radio and then YouTube always brings a certain level of envy to accompany the cheeriness of the season. Perhaps it would indeed be lovely weather to enjoy a sleigh ride together with somebody someday.

I wanted to include Johnny Mathis' version of "Sleigh Ride" from his 1958 album "Merry Christmas" since it is of course the sung version which features Parish's lyrics. Hey, plus it is Johnny behind the mike; his voice is worth it and he's already got an entry on the Xmas part of Reminiscings of Youth through one more track on "Merry Christmas", "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)". The legendary Nat King Cole also shares space on that article for his own rendition.

Ah, speaking of Nat King Cole, his daughter Natalie Cole gave her own rendition of "Sleigh Ride" in her September 1999 album "The Magic of Christmas". I don't think that anything will top the original Anderson instrumental version, but I have to admit that as a guy who loves his Christmas and jazz in equal measure, Natalie's collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra to create this blow-out-the-doors swing jazz and pop orchestral cover is the bee's knees. There's a bit of the tongue-in-cheekiness in the horns blasting away like crazy but everyone's having fun here; maybe Cole and the bunch were fueled by a little too much nog.

Incidentally, "Sleigh Ride" is known in Japan as "Sori Suberi"（そりすべり）.

So, going with the September 1999 date, what were the Songs of the Year according to the Japan Record Awards from that year?

Hikaru Utada -- Automatic

Dango Gasshodan -- Dango San Kyodai （だんご３兄弟）

Morning Musume -- Love Machine (LOVEマシーン）

Ah, also to let you know of a small announcement. Scott of the podcast "Holly Jolly X'masu", Rocket Brown of "Come Along Radio" and yours truly will be setting up shop in Masa's Neo Tokyo server in Discord on Saturday December 17th from 6 am Pacific Standard Time/9 am Eastern Standard Time to go over some of those Japanese Christmas tunes and any of our own Xmas war stories. I've got a couple of those. In any case, you may want to check in with Rocket about any further details on his Twitter account or Discord. Hope to see you then.