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.
Well, out of curiosity, I wanted to see if there were any singers out there whose birthdays were on July 29th today, and sure enough, I could find one chanteuse. Japanese-Brazilian bossa nova singer Lisa Ono（小野リサ）celebrates her 64th birthday so many happy wishes upon her.
To commemorate this day, and on a Hump Day which might have been rather stressful thus far being the day farthest away from weekends, I should find something that is quite soothing. Ono has often provided the musical balm in that respect. And so I provide her cover of the classic "Moon River" which was originally made in the early 1960s by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer for the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's".
With a fan wafting some needed cooling air into my otherwise stuffy room and the sun beginning to set into the horizon, Ono's "Moon River" is just the tonic for a Wednesday. The only thing missing is a Brown Cow on my desk. Anyways, her version is included in the March 2002"Ono Lisa Best 1997-2001".
As I mentioned earlier today, I had to help out Dad and it all went smoothly. However in the last few years, public transit here has been getting a reputation for being less safe than it used to be so accompanying him down meant that I had to be somewhat paranoid and keep a good eye peeled on the bus and subway. I didn't feel it at the time but after getting home, I suddenly got hit with some of the fatigue and stresses of the day's nervousness and alertness levels.
So it was nice to see that bossa nova artist Lisa Ono（小野リサ）had appeared on the NHK morning information show "Asaichi"（あさイチ）to sing a few of those soothing songs. Nothing like some bossa to take the edge off. She sang a Portuguese version of "Hana wa Saku"（花は咲く）which was of course created within Japan. Then, after the interview, she went on to perform "One-Note Samba" and then as soon as it started, my ears were hit with Muzak and the Japanese line appeared at the top of the screen stating that due to copyright concerns, viewers weren't allowed to hear it.
AAUGH! My face scrunched up so that parts of it ended up in the fifth dimension and I couldn't help but blurt out "REALLY?!". I knew about TV Japan's and then Jme's recent policy of being unable to have non-Japanese songs heard on any shows on the streaming network; heck, there's even a page on Jme's website stating this. But I still had to scream internally "Jme, I swear....". Ah, the frustration...🤬
Well, I guess I'll just have to get my relaxation from putting up one of my own Ono tunes and this time, that would be her take on the classic Cuban bolero"Bésame Mucho". Hailing from her August 2005 album "Romance Latino vol.3", "Bésame Mucho" has done much to bring down my blood pressure from earlier tonight. Mucho gracias, YouTube!
I just left a comment for MN, who was lamenting the loss of rock guitarist Makoto Ayukawa（鮎川誠）, about how many of the musical greats in both Japan and overseas we've lost over the last year. And now I got word only in the last few minutes that American composer and pianist Burt Bacharach died yesterday at the age of 94.
It was only a few weeks ago that I presented "What the World Needs Now Is Love" by Jackie DeShannon as a ROY article, another Bacharach classic and as a song that has been permanently imprinted in my memories as one of the cherished standards. Not surprisingly, the man has been represented throughout the history of "Kayo Kyoku Plus" since his songs were songs that I used to hear all the time through radio and television, and I can say that any of them can be part of the Great American Songbook. And my image of the man will always be as it has been shown above in the "Austin Powers" cameo: sitting by the piano while decked out in a tuxedo giving an understated and dusky performance of one of his hits. He wasn't a great singer but he made other singers great!
This won't be a Reminiscings of Youth entry but more of my Author's Picks in the form of a tribute to the composer. The following are a few covers of his songs by Japanese singers.
Akiko Kobayashi -- I'll Never Fall In Love Again (2013)
In addition to the love that Japanese singers have had for Bacharach and his songwriting partner, Hal David, Bacharach's music has had some influence on certain aspects of Japanese pop music thanks to his brand of lounge and orchestral pop of the 1960s whether it be a bit of City Pop and quite a lot on Shibuya-kei. Three songs that come immediately to mind as examples are Hi-Fi Set's"Moon Highway", Ruiko Kurahashi's（倉橋ルイ子）"The Best In My Life" and Pizzicato Five's"Baby Portable Rock".
Allow me to finish this tribute by also noting Bacharach's contribution of an AOR song for singer Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama（遠山ひとみ）, "Our Lovely Days" from 1983; it stands as his first entry in KKP. My condolences to the composer's family, friends and fans, and many thanks to him for his dazzling array of music.
Well, this all started from reading a tweet from Scott of "Holly Jolly X'masu" fame when he noted that a couple of days ago, it was National Peanut Day. I do love my goobers, especially when it's in peanut brittle or chocolate of any form.
So I figure that it was time for me to put up a song by The Peanuts（ザ・ピーナッツ）since it's been a while. I wrote up about their very first single from April 1959, "Kawaii Hana"(可愛い花）, over a decade ago in the very early months of "Kayo Kyoku Plus", so I figure that I would take a look at their sophomore effort which came out a mere two months following that debut.
That 2nd single was "Quizas Quizas Quizas" although it sold in Japan as simply "Quizas Quizas", and like "Kawaii Hana", this particular song was also a cover of a 1947 song written by Cuban songwriter Osvaldo Farrés which became a hit for singerBobby Capó from Puerto Rico. That original Spanish title translates as "Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps", and the lyrics involve a man probably gnashing his teeth while letting his girlfriend dance with another fellow. He wonders whether this could be detrimental to the relationship, and thus the title dances about in his head.
Compared to the dramatic flair of the original by Capó, The Peanuts' cover of "Quizas Quizas Quizas" is more of a slow stealthy tango as if the poor guy who allowed his girlfriend to be possibly seduced by the other fellow is having his doubts very slowly insinuating themselves into his cerebral cortex. Hiroshi Miyagawa（宮川泰）arranged this version while the Japanese lyrics were provided by Takashi Otowa（音羽たかし）, the pen name for any director at King Records when a Western song is being translated into Japanese.
The following year, singer Chiemi Eri（江利チエミ）did a really boss version of "Quizas Quizas Quizas" in her August 1960 album"Chiemi Latin wo Utau"（チエミ ラテンを歌う...Chiemi Sings Latin）. And she performed it in the original Spanish, to boot. Perez Prado would probably have been very impressed if he'd had a chance to listen to her.
In June 2005, the incomparable Lisa Ono（小野リサ）from Brazil provided her own bossa nova-influenced take on "Quizas Quizas Quizas" in her album "Romance Latino Vol.1 -Los Boleros Al Estilo De Bossanova-". This version is so warm, honeyed and relaxing that there is no virtually no sensation of romantic emasculation here. The guy would probably let the dancing Lothario take his girlfriend away and even give the new couple some money for the hotel with his congratulations.
It was only relatively recently that I found out that singer-songwriter Mariya Takeuchi（竹内まりや）is the daughter of the 4th-generation owner of a long-standing ryokan called Takenoya in her hometown of Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture. Well, thinking that I may be able to visit Japan again sometime next year (though definitely not during the Olympics), the wheels started turning in my head about possibly taking that train trip over to Shimane out in the west, but looking at its website and the above video of some lucky fellow actually staying there, it looks like it's a little too rich for my blood. Gotta say, though, that the staff at Takenoya didn't hesitate to show how proud they are of Mariya.
The thing about a ryokan is that, like any hotel or motel, it's a place to rest those weary bones after a day of traveling. Takeuchi's song "Jinsei no Tobira" (The Door to Life) strikes me as having the same effect.
A coupling song to her 35th single"Chance no Maegami"（チャンスの前髪...Front Bangs of Chance） from August 2007, "Jinsei no Tobira" seems to take things back all the way to Takeuchi's beginnings as a singer with the gentle country-and-gospel arrangement. Of course, when I think of her beginnings, her debut album"Beginning"(1978) naturally comes to mind. The singer did write and compose this ode to not only the fun celebrated in the past but the better days to come, with her husband Tatsuro Yamashita（山下達郎）arranging, but the band Sentimental City Romance also had a hand in its arrangement, and they had a fair bit to do as well with "Beginning" all those decades ago. I guess it must have felt like a school reunion back in the recording booth.
"Jinsei no Tobira" and its partnering song managed to reach No. 23 on Oricon. It has also been included in Takeuchi's 10th studio album"Denim" (May 2007) and her massive BEST compilation, "Expressions" which was released a year later. I first heard the song from the latter album.
I'm sure that "Jinsei no Tobira" has had its share of covers in its decade of existence, but I found this lovely version by Lisa Ono（小野リサ）which was included in her June 2013 album"Japao 2". Of course, her take has been arranged in a relaxing bossa nova fashion.
Getting back to that trip to Takeuchi's hometown of Izumo, which by the way is also home to Izumo-Taisha Grand Shrine, one of the most important shrines in Japan, if any of you decide to stay over at Takenoya, why not splurge some more yen and go in style on the Sunrise Izumo overnight train from Tokyo? Listen to "Expressions" while you're in your berth!
Late on Saturday night, I decided for some reason to go a little later than usual for my YouTube forays, and when I went off on a slight tangent and checked out the news on CNN online, I found out in a short blurb that the legendary João Gilberto, one of the pioneers for the Brazilian genre of bossa nova had just passed away at the age of 88.
Not surprisingly, Brazilian TV devoted a lot of their news time to the life and music of Gilberto that night.
What I found out from Wikipedia was that the bossa nova standard popularly known as "One-Note Samba" was created by the other pioneers of the genre, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Newton Mendonça with Gilberto being the first musician to record the song all the way back in 1960 for his album "O Amor, o Sorriso e a Flor". The original title for the classic was "Samba de uma Nota Só".
Of course, probably dozens of musicians around the world have covered "One-Note Samba" over the decades. The one person that I automatically thought of in Japan who would give her contribution to the song's legacy was São Paulo-born Lisa Ono（小野リサ）. And so she did a number of times with one of those times being on her 2002 BEST album"Ono Lisa Best 1997-2001". There's nothing like Ono's soft and whispery vocals adorning the music of Jobim.
Finally, here is "One-Note Samba" by Gilberto himself. Another cover that I had already noted was one by Atsuko Nina（二名敦子）for her 1983 album"Play Room ~ Tawamure ~"（PLAY ROOM ～戯れ～...Fun）under the title of "Communication". I will have to soon think of an Author's Pick to devote to bossa-influenced kayo.
I was watching NHK's "Gogo Uta"（ごごウタ）afternoon music show and saw that Japanese-Brazilian singer Lisa Ono（小野リサ）was one of the guests. She performed this lovely song titled "Otaru Unga" (Otaru Canal) in this light jazz style that caught my interest. My mother then informed me that this was actually a cover of an original number. She'd forgotten who the original singer was. Cue my investigative side for the blog.
It just so happens that "Otaru Unga" was originally performed by enka legend Harumi Miyako（都はるみ）as her 98th single in June 1990. The song has been categorized as an enka tune on J-Wiki but I really wouldn't treat this number as traditional enka. In fact, I think the songwriters Osamu Yoshioka and Tetsuya Gen（吉岡治・弦哲也）created "Otaru Unga" as a contemporary callback to the jazzier side of Mood Kayo of the 1950s and 1960s. Furthermore, I think if it had been created decades earlier, Hibari Misora（美空ひばり）would have been the one to have sung this.
I realize that it was just her fashion choice for that particular performance but to see Miyako sing "Otaru Unga" in a Western outfit (unfortunately that video has been taken down) instead of the traditional Japanese wardrobe that I'm accustomed to seeing her in when she sings on TV also speaks to the style of the song. I really do like those boozy trombones in there. They rather weave a scene of walking along the famous Otaru Canal in Hokkaido at night with that special someone...after a couple of rounds at the bar.
Miyako's single peaked at No. 13 on Oricon. As for Ono's take, I found an excerpt of it from her March 2018 album"Tabi, Soshite Furusato"（旅 そして ふるさと...Travel, Then Home）.
I wouldn't mind going to Otaru someday. I hear the fish there is truly top-notch!
One night while living in Japan, an old friend of mine invited me for dinner and a performance in the Takadanobaba（高田馬場）area. Now that is one area that I wish I could explore some more. It's known as a relatively inexpensive neighbourhood between Shinjuku and Ikebukuro since there are a number of university students who call it home, and Waseda University is nearby. But I think it is also known as a place for some nice bars and cafes and some eclectic stores. If and when I visit Tokyo again, Takadanobaba will be on the top of my to-visit list.
My friend invited me to a small walk-up Brazilian restaurant there called Corcorvado. It had a nice atmosphere but unfortunately I didn't take to the food too well. However the entertainment of the night in the form of a jazz flutist was excellent. His performance that night fed my soul better than the dishes fed my stomach. I actually found a page from a Japanese-language blog called "The days of wine and roses" which contains a picture of the tiny performance area at the restaurant, and that's where the flutist did his thing. Unfortunately the restaurant's website doesn't seem to exist.
Now, anyone who likes their Latin music will know about "Corcorvado" the standard. The bossa nova tune was originally created by the Antonio Carlos Jobim back in 1960 and I'm sure I've heard it covered by a number of artists over the decades without being able to identify any one of them. However, when I came across that Yoshiko Kishino（木住野佳子）song the other night, I also found out that she had collaborated with the marvelous Lisa Ono（小野リサ）. And then that led me to her cover of the classic "Corcorvado".
Indeed, her velvet vocals do "Corcorvado" justice. This is a nice version to finish the week off. Ono sang it on her 1998 album"Bossa Carioca" although I've also enjoyed hearing Diana Krall's version under the title of "Quiet Nights".
Still, nothing beats the original sung by Astrud Gilberto. Speaking of Ono, though, perhaps I can visit her family's restaurant in Yotsuya which is also close to Shinjuku. Mind you, I don't know what the cover of the place would be.
As a PS, I should leave you with what Takadanobaba looks like at least.
Must be a good night for soothing music...this considering I've got another rousing NHL playoff game going on behind me on the TV.
As it has been intimated in previous articles and beyond, legendary singer-songwriter Yuming（ユーミン）has been much talked about, especially on the topic of when her best days were. I've pointed out that the 1970s and 1980s and a tad into the 1990s had her best stuff, although others have remarked that her best time was in a much shorter time frame...basically those years when she was known as Yumi Arai（荒井由実）in the early 1970s, before she got married and took on the name Matsutoya（松任谷由実）. Then there are others who believe that the 80s were the time for her. Everyone has got an opinion.
Still, there is no doubt that Yuming created some wonderful classics during her early years when she first became known as the Queen of New Music. "Ano Hi ni Kaeritai"（あの日にかえりたい...I Wanna Return to Those Days）is one of those songs for me and so not surprisingly it was one of the first Yuming songs I covered in the blog. There was that nice touch of sunset bossa nova in there with Junko Yamamoto（山本潤子）from Hi-Fi Set（ハイ・ファイ・セット）providing those lovely background vocals.
Well, many years later, someone came up with the bright idea of producing a tribute album to Yuming called "Queen's Fellows - Yuming 30th anniversary Cover Album" which was released in December 2002. Some of the popular artists from the past and present at the time joined in to give their own covers within the Great Yuming Songbook. Lisa Ono（小野リサ）did her bit and gave her lusciously mellow spin on "Ano Hi ni Kaeritai". Of course, she would be the one to cover it. Get the sherry out! The album itself managed to peak at No. 7 on Oricon.
Nursing a bit of a tension headache for some reason, it is still nice and sunny if bitterly cold out there at -13 degrees Celsius. The throbbing in my cranium might be due to the fact that North America has turned the clocks ahead by one hour into Daylight Saving Time which meant one less hour for sleep. Well, nothing that a Tylenol and a session with that vice-like massager from Tokyu Hands can't handle.
Plus, a dose of Lisa Ono（小野リサ）doesn't hurt either. With her brand of bossa nova, I'm sure some good release of endorphins often result from the listening experience. I found her take on "Chega de saudade" very soothing. A cover of the 1959 song created by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes for the album of the same title, it is just the tonic that I need to have right now. Too bad that I couldn't find a video of the singer performing this on stage. Ono's version was recorded on her 1998 album"Bossa Carioca".
According to Wikipedia, the original album "Chega de saudade" has been called the very first bossa nova album and the expression means "enough longing". My jisho.com translation has it meaning "enough nostalgia". May need Marcos' opinion on this. In any case, I can feel the knot at the base of my neck slowly unraveling.
One of the other guests on the latest episode of "Uta Kon"(うたコン) a few nights ago was the wonderful bossa nova singer Lisa Ono（小野リサ）. She used to make a few appearances on the NHK program's predecessor "Kayo Concert"（歌謡コンサート）so it was nice of her to make a return trip.
In all honesty, I haven't been following her career like a die-hard fan although I like bossa nova and have bought a few albums by Ono. Still, listening to her vocals is like hearing those clear summer chimes in Japan called fuurin（風鈴）...she seems to bring a lovely coolness into the room. She may be just the thing to bring down air conditioning costs...almost.
Anyways, she performed one of the pillars of bossa nova that night, "Garota de Ipanema", otherwise known in English as "The Girl From Ipanema" and in Japanese as "Ipanema no Musume". And when Ono was performing that song, I knew I was in for a treat. Having an ice cream at the same time would have just perfected the moment. I tracked down her performance to an album that she released in November 2007, "The Music of Antonio Carlos Jobim" (her cover of the song is Track 1).
I guess I have a soft spot for that girl from Ipanema since the bossa ballad by Antonio Carlos Jobim was one of the first songs that I remember hearing as a toddler. As far as I know, I don't think my father had the record as part of his collection but it was a tune that I heard quite frequently on radio and TV. Years later, it was required playing during my lone year of band class back in high school although I didn't quite have the appreciation for it that I do now (playing off-tune renditions of it on an old clarinet can take the buzz off). Realizing that the song has become possibly so ubiquitous to the point of kitsch, I think if "The Girl From Ipanema" is given its due respect, it can still be that wonderfully cooling song from 1964.
Imagine someone asking me back in Japan, "What did you do last night?" If I had answered, "Oh, I went to Tokyo", my conversation partner probably would have looked at me in askance and given me a look that would have matched the same expression if I had been asked "What did you have last night for dinner?" and I answered "I had food".
There are too many different areas in the The Big Sushi. If I went to Akihabara, it would be to race into the electronics shops before they closed up. If I went to Shibuya, it would be to browse in Tower Records or some of the used CD shops to look for a hidden gem. If I went to Shimbashi or Ginza, it would be having dinner with some friends at a local izakaya, and if I ended up in Akasaka, people would be asking me how many zeroes there were in my client's bank book. One night in Tokyo means many things depending on which area I go to.
A few nights ago, I was watching the latest episode of NHK's "Kayo Concert", and the theme of the night was classic kayo duets. Two of the guests came out and did an exquisite number called "Una Sera di Tokyo" by The Peanuts. I had never heard of this entry by Emi and Yumi before, and the title alone screamed Mood Kayo even before I heard a single note. The rest of the performance was just so soothing and bar-friendly. Needed to swirl that whiskey on the rocks.
Well, when I started looking up the information for this song, I uncovered quite an interesting story for this Friday night. And as you can see from the heading for today's article, I think I may have brought together the Ocean's Eleven of Mood Kayo stars. First off, "Una Sera di Tokyo" (One Night in Tokyo) started life slightly differently. It had actually been conceived as a November 1963 single by The Peanuts titled "Tokyo Tasogare"（東京たそがれ...Tokyo Twilight）, and that is the above video. Created by lyricist Tokiko Iwatani（岩谷時子）and composer Hiroshi Miyagawa（宮川泰）, it was a pleasant enough ballad, I suppose, but I think it suffered a bit from a lack of oomph and an intro that sounded like something from an old monochrome horror movie. Not surprisingly, it wasn't such a big hit.
However, there was an unforeseen catalyst that came in from Italy. Singer Milva, who had gained a popular reputation in Japan as The Queen of Canzone (another title to add to two others: La Rossa and The Panther of Goro, arrived in 1964, presumably to hold some performances. King Records (which produced "Tokyo Tasogare") must have sponsored the tour since it was a staffer from that company who suggested that Milva could do a cover of The Peanuts song. The singer not only agreed to do the cover version but she did it in accurate Japanese.
Well, the skies opened, the rays of light beamed down and a chorus of Hallelujah rang down. Milva scored raves for her version of the song.
Light bulbs turned on above the folks at King Records, too. They and The Peanuts decided to give the song another chance. And with some tweaking in the arrangement and a wholesale change of the title from "Tokyo Tasogare" to "Una Sera di Tokyo", the new and improved version came out as a single in September 1964, almost a year after the first version had come out. To use my baseball analogy, a bloop single became a grand slam home run.
In fact in that year, a lot of musicians jumped onto the bandwagon. The Peanuts were up against Mood Kayo experts Hiroshi Wada & Mahina Stars（和田弘とマヒナスターズ）, Sachiko Nishida（西田佐知子）and Sumiko Sakamoto（坂本スミ子）in the "Una Sera di Tokyo" sweepstakes. All of those folks had released their own version of this hit.
Sachiko Nishida's version had a more intimate and sultrier vibe to it. According to the J-Wiki article on the song, the winner of the "Una Sera di Tokyo" race was the Mahina Stars. However in terms of legacy, I think The Peanuts ultimately got the trophy.
And in the years hence, a lot of other singers have done their own special take on the song...never bad if a song is aiming for a certain timelessness. Master crooner Yujiro Ishihara（石原裕次郎）just had to cover it as well. In addition, Yosui Inoue（井上陽水）and Akiko Yano（矢野顕子）have covered it.
Then, I came across this lovely and rich version by Lisa Ono（小野リサ）when she included it on her 2011 album, "Japao".
(2:27)
Of course, Oricon didn't exist at the time so the song's success didn't register on the charts. However, to add to the Cinderella effect, both Iwatani and Miyagawa earned prizes in their areas at the Japan Record Awards of 1964. And The Peanuts ended up performing "Una Sera di Tokyo" three times on the Kohaku Utagassen: 1964, 1969 and 1973. The above video is for their 1969 performance.
And in a great tribute to the composer, when Miyagawa passed away in 2006, it was this song that was playing at his wake. It would also become one of The Peanuts' most remembered songs.
As has been the case with a whole lot of singers and particular songs, I ended up discovering them via TV commercials in Japan. The tie-up industry over there must be a special interest group at this point. One particular example involves Japanese-Brazilian singer Lisa Ono（小野リサ）. I first saw her in the above commercial from the turn of the decade into the 90s selling some sort of wine and I was far more captivated by her gentle voice than for any opportunity to guzzle some cheap plonk. Accordingly, over the years I ended up buying a few of her albums.
However, there is one song that she performed on her 12th album from 2000, "pretty world" that has always remained stuck to my heart and that is the title track itself. It's a cover of one of the tracks from Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66's 5th album, "Crystal Illusions" from 1969, and the way Ono sings it and the overall arrangement are just perfect for me...and any young couple starting out together in life. And considering that yesterday was Tanabata in Japan....well, good timing there. The song is all sun and happiness.
Lisa Ono'sbiography is over at Wikipedia, so you can take a gander at that. Years ago, some of my students told me that her father had opened up a restaurant in the Yotsuya-Sanchome neighbourhood of Tokyo (pretty much next door to Shinjuku). I had always wondered about going there, especially since I've heard Ono herself has popped up from time to time for an impromptu performance. Well, perhaps, if I have an extended stay in my old stomping grounds, I may finally be able to check it out.
Anyways, to finish it off, the above video is of the original version of "pretty world". Enjoy it with that caipirinha. And all the best to the remainder of the World Cup as well!
