Shigeru Matsuzaki -- Yuuhi no Uta（夕陽の歌）/Hassen-Nana-Hyaku-Roku-Jukkai no I Love You（8760回のアイ・ラブ・ユー）

 

We're starting off this business week on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" with a twofer. As a lot of the kayo kyoku vets know, Shigeru Matsuzaki（松崎しげる）is most famous for his "Ai no Memory"（愛のメモリー）, a single released in August 1977 which became a huge hit. 

Until then though, he'd had some very lean years with him and his manager getting doors slammed on them. But on hearing the May 1977 single immediately before the successful "Ai no Memory", I'm hoping that folks have had a change of heart in his earlier works. "Yuuhi no Uta" (Song of the Setting Sun), which was his 13th single, is a lovely little ballad if perhaps a bit on the Kleenex-friendly sentimental side given further heft by Matsuzaki's tender vocals. Along with Shunichi Tokura's（都倉俊一） old-fashioned folksy melody and arrangement are Makoto Kitajo's（喜多条忠）lyrics. It sounds like something that I would have heard on a K-Tel compilation of American pop balladry. I have to say that the young Matsuzaki on the single cover looks like the world's most casually-dressed Secret Service agent.

And speaking of him on the cover, Matsuzaki looks like a veritable kid posing for his high school photo on his very first single as a solo artist. Yes, just to take a little tangent here, back in his days at the Nihon University College of Art, he'd been with Tomiaki "Tommy" Hidaka（日高富明）and Mamoru "Mark" Horiuchi（堀内護）in a short-lived band called Milk or Hot Milk (Tommy and Milk would end up with the band GARO in the 1970s). Famous singer-songwriter Ryudo Uzaki（宇崎竜童）had been a manager at Ohashi Productions who would scout young Matsuzaki during his time with Milk.

Getting back on track, that very first single was "Hassen-Nana-Hyaku-Roku-Jukkai no I Love You" (I Love You 8,760 Times) released in October 1970. Written by Yu Aku（阿久悠）and composed by Kunihiko Suzuki（鈴木邦彦）, it stands out for being a regular kayo kyoku compared to his later stuff which sounds more in the New Music vein of things, and of course, his vocals don't sound like the familiar resonant and slightly raspy tones that we've become accustomed to. As for the rather convoluted number in the title, it stands for the number of hours in a year. Mind you, after having "I Love You" said to that special someone once an hour every hour for an entire year, I'm not sure if that someone will want to reciprocate anymore.

Agnes Chan -- Haru Tou Karaji（春不遠）

 

Agnes Chan（アグネス・チャン）will always be that one singer who I believe was born with long silky hair and an acoustic guitar attached to her hands. And she'll always be playing under a tree for any and all of the children in the neighbourhood. Her works as an aidoru in the 1970s have swung between touches of folk and country.

I read on one person's website that her November 1979 22nd single "Haru Tou Karaji" didn't become a major hit for Chan but it still resides solidly within his list of Top 5 Agnes Chan favourites. Indeed, it is a pleasant and wistful song that sides more into the folk side of things. 

Written by Makoto Kitajo（喜多條忠）, composed by Kisaburo Suzuki（鈴木キサブロー）, who has a recent Creator article, and arranged by Masaaki Omura（大村雅朗）, I was a bit stuck on how to translate that title since it came across as something akin to a typical Japanese four-kanji proverb (though I know that there are just three in the title). I actually had to find a page that had the Portuguese translation of "Haru Tou Karaji" and then translate the Portuguese title into English and it is "Spring Is Not So Far Away". Looking through Kitajo's lyrics, yep, I can see that working since a woman, recently losing her beau, is walking a park path all by her lonesome although the message is that spring will be back and so will opportunities for new love.

Candies/Michiyo Azusa/Rie Nakahara -- Gingakei made Tonde Ike!（銀河系まで飛んで行け!）

 

Let's see...during the 1960s original series "Star Trek", Captain Kirk had quite a few romantic dalliances throughout the three seasons the show was on NBC. Meanwhile, Spock also had his amourous adventures with a few guest stars from off the ship. But then, on the latest entry in the nearly 60-year-old franchise, "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds", which takes place in the pre-TOS decade, younger Spock has already been making out with three ladies, two of whom are his shipmates! For a half-Vulcan who's trying to keep hold of his emotions, he's a pretty randy guy! Love long and prosper indeed!🖖

My "Star Trek" preamble ramble was so that I could introduce this song which is part of a massive 5-LP box set, "CANDIES 1676 DAYS"（キャンディーズ1676日）, that was released in December 1977. Can you imagine a Candies fan getting this as a Christmas present? The tears of joy that would flood that living room floor! The set was put out there to commemorate the trio's singles and other songs ranging from their debut to the end of their farewell concert with the first three records containing those singles including B-sides while the fourth record has the ladies' cover versions of Japanese and English-language songs. Finally, Record No. 5 has new stuff.

One of those songs on the final LP happens to be "Gingakei made Tonde Ike!" (Fly to the Galaxy!) which is about one lass dreaming of her beau taking them away from all of the burdens of Earthly living and warping out to the end of the Milky Way. Kinda like the Enterprise. Written by Makoto Kitajo（喜多條忠）, composed by folk singer-songwriter Takuro Yoshida（吉田拓郎）and arranged by Koji Makaino（馬飼野康二）, it's notable for its disco arrangement over a folky rhythm and what sounds atypically like a koto or a harp periodically dropping by to say hello. 

I can imagine the pitchman narrating the commercial for "CANDIES 1676 DAYS" and excitedly saying "Wait there's more!". Well, wait there's more! Michiyo Azusa（梓みちよ）gave her own more laconic cover of "Gingakei made Tonde Ike!" as her 42nd single in March 1978 with just a breath of rock in there. Then in September 1983, Rie Nakahara（中原理恵）also released her take on the song as a single; this one is notable for incorporating a country banjo and a synthesizer to create something that is still recognizably "Gingakei made Tonde Ike!" but on a rather bizarre level. Ichizo Seo（瀬尾一三）arranged this version.

Now, we finish up in this year. The original Candies version has been provided as the theme song for a CG anime titled "Ginga Tokkyu Milky Subway"（銀河特急 ミルキー☆サブウェイ...Galaxy Express: Milky Subway）. 

Yutaka Kimura Speaks ~ Japanese City Pop Masterpieces 100: Sumiko Yamagata -- Natsu no Hikari ni（夏の光に）

 

Number: 061

Lyricist: Makoto Kitajo

Composer: Sumiko Yamagata

Arrangers: Toshiyuki Watanabe

From Yamagata's 1976 album: "Summer Shade"

"Natsu no Hikari ni" is a song with a bossa rhythm composed by Yamagata（やまがたすみこ）for an album that represented her shift from polished folk singer to pop singer. The usual bossa nova song is sung rather softly but in her case, perhaps it's something left over from her folk days, but her beautiful enunciation and strong vocals have somehow lent a unique attractiveness.

The above comes from "Disc Collection Japanese City Pop Revised" (2020).

Pandaful-House -- Kaze Gurashi（風ぐらし）

 

The first time that I heard this song, I thought I could hear a bit of Richard Harris' "MacArthur Park" (I will definitely have to cover that as a ROY sometime soon) in there. "Kaze Gurashi" (Living Like the Wind) is not only new to my ears but the originating band is also a first-timer for me.

Pandaful-House（パンダフルハウス）sounds like a children's fashion brand but it was actually a folk trio led by Tsuguto "Panda" Yamada（山田嗣人）who used to be the bassist of the far more well-known folk group Kaguyahime（かぐや姫）in the early 1970s. It had a short life, just between 1977 and 1980, but managed to release seven singles and a couple of albums. "Kaze Gurashi" just happened to be their third single from April 1979 and it's an artfully whimsical folk/New Music tune led by some good ol' country strings. Written by Kaguyahime member Makoto Kitajo（喜多條忠）and composed by Yumi Matsutoya（松任谷由実）which indeed caught my ears, the song was also arranged by bassist Tsugutoshi Goto（後藤次利）. 

As I mentioned above, there's something about "Kaze Gurashi" that reminded me of "MacArthur Park" but instead of reminiscing over a past love, Pandaful-House's tune is about a Harajuku-based love that never was. A young man sighs over his unrequited crush on a force of nature who has since left the neighbourhood; realizing that there was no way that he could ever win over her affections, the lad just hopes that she's doing OK wherever she may be now. "Kaze Gurashi" was also a track on the band's 2nd album "Settle Down" released in June 1979.

In addition to Panda Yamada（山田パンダ）, there were also Keiko Yoshino（吉野恵子）and Yamada's younger brother Toshihide Yamada（山田智秀）. There had been another member by the name of Osamu Uchiyama（内山修）who was with folk groups The Ligannies（ザ・リガニーズ）and Neko（猫）in the 1970s.

(24:30)

Kaguyahime -- Maxie no Tame ni（マキシーのために）

 

Last night's "Uta Con"（うたコン）episode had folk music as the theme, something that I don't recall seeing in the several years that the weekly NHK kayo kyoku program under its current title has been broadcasting. But it was good hearing some of the oldies including a cover of Toi et Moi's 1970 "Dare mo Inai Umi" (誰もいない海）, itself a cover of the original by Yasuko Ouki（大木康子）in 1968.

Veteran folk artist Kosetsu Minami（南こうせつ）came on the show for a couple of numbers, one of which was "Maxie no Tame ni" (For Maxie). It was the B-side for the 2nd single by his old group Kaguyahime（かぐや姫）in their first iteration which lasted between late 1970 and mid-1971 and consisted of Minami, Shinichiro Mori（森進一郎）and Sanpei Oshima（大島三平）. On the flip side of "Henchou Tabaruzaka"（変調田原坂...Modulated Taburazaka）, "Maxie no Tame ni" was composed by Minami and written by Makoto Kitajo（喜多条忠）based on a female activist that the lyricist had once known. The song was actually Kitajo's first work as a songwriter.

Now, according to the J-Wiki article on "Henchou Tabaruzaka", a second version of "Maxie no Tame ni" was arranged by fellow folk singer-songwriter Takuro Yoshida（吉田拓郎）for the debut album by Kaguyahime in its second iteration (1971-1975) with Minami and Panda Yamada（山田パンダ）who had just left the garage folk group Shrieks（シュリークス）. The album was "Hajimemashite"（はじめまして...How Do You Do?）from April 1972 and its "Maxie" (as shown above) is a Takuro-sounding folk-rock number which sounds dramatically from that original B-side as heard below.

It really sounds like something that could have been used as a theme song for a sitcom based on an inner-city Tokyo neighbourhood. But Kitajo's lyrics tell a tribute to the departed Maxie which Minami clearly states was due to her taking her own life through a drug overdose. Not surprisingly, the song is a combination of admonishing and missing her. The "Uta Con" performance of "Maxie" last night was also very different in that it sounded like a funk-rock extravaganza that could have been done by Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. 

Keiko Nose -- Bon Voyage（ボンボヤージ）

 

A little under five years ago in 2018, I posted the second single of aidoru Keiko Nose（能瀬慶子）, "Hadashi de Young Love"（裸足でヤングラブ）. The lass had her very brief time in the singing spotlight with all four of her singles and a lone album coming out in the one year of 1979.

Not the strongest of singers, Nose did have the cuteness and the "Let's win this game for the coach!" gumption though which showed up in "Hadashi no Young Love", and it also showed up in "Bon Voyage". This wasn't a single but a track on that one album by Nose, "Hohoemi Prelude"（ほほえみプレリュード...Smile Prelude）, which was released in June 1979. As was the case with many an aidoru song at the turn of the decade, there is plenty of appropriately breezy and summery vibes in "Bon Voyage", and I'm guessing that the warp-powered electric guitar is being played by rocker Shogo Hamada（浜田省吾）, who composed this song as well as "Hadashi no Young Love". Makoto Kitajo（喜多条忠）was responsible for the lyrics while Motoki Funayama（船山基紀）arranged the tune to sound like it should accompany a nice romantic run down the beachside. The interesting thing is that I could catch the strings playing what sounds like a reprise from Percy Faith's "Theme from a Summer Place".

Rumiko Koyanagi -- Hitori Bayashi ~ Gion Matsuri yori（ひとり囃子－"祇園祭より"－）

Good Free Photos

Over the weekend, I caught some live YouTube coverage of the annual Gion Festival in Kyoto. It's good to see some of the venerable events back in Japan again, although the weather all over the country has been volatile, to say the least. 

Last year around this time, I also acknowledged the return of the Gion Festival with a 1986 song by Shinji Tanimura（谷村新司）simply titled "Gion Matsuri"（祇園祭）that could possibly fall into that middle ground between kayo kyoku and enka known as New Adult Music. This time, I have a much earlier song from June 1974 titled "Hitori Bayashi ~ Gion Matsuri yori" (Lone Musical Accompaniment ~ From the Gion Festival) by Rumiko Koyanagi（小柳ルミ子）.

Considering Koyanagi's status in the music industry back then, the song has been categorized as an aidoru tune but with some of the traditional melodic affectations imbued, I couldn't help but also throw in the enka tag, too. Maybe it indeed skews a little closer to that genre compared to "Gion Matsuri" by Tanimura. There's also a certain child-like innocence in the arrangement and even the vocals by the singer herself as if the famous Kyoto festival were being seen by a little kid for the first time (most likely on the shoulders of Dad considering how crowded the streets can be to witness the gorgeous floats). 

Koyanagi's 12th single "Hitori Bayashi" reached No. 21 on Oricon. It was written by Makoto Kitajo（喜多条忠）with Masaaki Hirao（平尾昌晃）as the composer. The song was also a track on her 8th album "Koyanagi Rumiko ~ Atarashii Tomodachi"（小柳ルミ子 －あたらしい友達－...New Friends） which was actually released a month earlier, although the J-Wiki article on the song warns that the arrangement is different there.

Mayuko Nishimura -- Tenshi no Tsume（天使の爪）/Hitokoi Someshi（ひと恋初めし）

 

This will be a short file on aidoru Mayuko Nishimura（西村まゆ子）since she only recorded two singles in her brief career in the geinokai including a role in a movie in 1977. Born Mayumi Nishimura（西村真優美）in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1960, she was attending high school when she won the sophomore edition of Horipro's audition campaign known as the Horipro Scout Caravan（ホリプロタレントスカウトキャラバン）out of 23,508 entries in 1977. She then went to Tokyo and attended the school of the stars, Horikoshi High School near my old English school.

Touted as the second coming of Momoe Yamaguchi（山口百恵）...yeah, no pressure there, eh?...she was given the stage name of Mayuko Nishimura and in 1978, she released two singles "Tenshi no Tsume" (An Angel's Nails) and "Hitokoi Someshi" (The Beginning of One Love). The above video supplied by YouTuber Showa Channel has both of those A-sides. Both songs' arrangements and the delivery of Nishimura does indeed remind me of the early Momoe with the shimmery strings along with the brass section and the wailing electric guitar. Both of them were written by Makoto Kitajo（喜多條忠）, composed by Takashi Miki（三木たかし）and arranged by Kei Wakakusa（若草恵）. "Tenshi no Tsume" ended up selling 70,000 records while "Hitokoi Someshi", which has a bit of that mariachi flavour, sold 50,000 records.

However, midway through that same year of 1978, her contract with Horipro was abruptly terminated and Nishimura briefly retired from show business, but returning to her old high school in Kumamoto and graduating in 1979, she joined Kumamoto Productions, an entertainment company run by her uncle's good friend, and she became a TV personality locally. Nishimura then retired for good in the 1980s and got married.

Hitomi Hayase -- Kita No Misaki（北の岬）

 

I don't know about some of the enka-listening veterans out there, but I often find it difficult to discover female enka singers outside of the most famous people such as Hibari Misora（美空ひばり）and Sayuri Ishikawa（石川さゆり）in the 1970s and 1980s. Not sure why but perhaps at the time, girls or women who wanted to get into a singing career tended to aim for aidoru, folk or pop singer.

So, it's always pleasant when I do find such a singer. Case in point: Hitomi Hayase who was born Hitomi Chiba（千葉仁美）in 1961 in Iwate Prefecture.  According to a local newspaper feature (1983) in her home prefecture via J-Wiki, the singer has been a great fan of kayo kyoku through TV and radio programs since she she was little, and lucky for her, she was blessed with a great voice without any particular need for vocal training. 

Winning as Grand Champion on the audition show "Star wa Kimi da!"（スターは君だ!...The Star is You!）, Chiba took on the stage name Hitomi Hayase（早世ひとみ）and made her debut with "Kita no Misaki" (The Northern Cape) in November 1980. A melancholy enka with a folksy bent, the song had been created by lyricist Makoto Kitajo（喜多条忠）and composer Takashi Miki（三木たかし）and deals with a woman wondering what went wrong when her wonderful relationship with a man suddenly ended while they were walking along one of those spectacular capes. There is something rather Ishikawa-esque about her delivery.

As far as I know, I don't ever recall seeing her appearing on any TV program, certainly not on NHK, and it looks like Hayase never quite hit A-level stardom. However, she had been steadily working until the early 1990s. Since then, she's released a couple of singles and an album in the 21st century. With a slight change in her stage name kanji（早瀬ひとみ）but with the same pronunciation in 2003, Hayase has been focusing mainly on live performances.

Kaguyahime -- Imouto（妹）

 

It's taken over a decade on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", but I've finally completed the trio of Yojouhan Folk（四畳半フォーク...4.5-Tatami Folk） songs that was a part of legendary folk band Kaguyahime's（かぐや姫）discography. Singing wistfully about living a poor but good and simple life in Tokyo in that tiny room, the band's 7th single from May 1974, "Imouto" (Little Sister), joins 6th single "Aka Chochin" （赤ちょうちん）and 5th single "Kandagawa" (神田川）.

"Imouto", which was created by Kaguyahime members Makoto Kitajo（喜多条忠）and Kousetsu Minami（南こうせつ）under Ichizo Seo's（瀬尾一三）arrangement, is about a man who had been taking care of his beloved little sister in his tiny ramshackle apartment since their parents passed away. However, the sister has grown up and is probably on her way to marry the fellow's best friend, so he's proudly if a bit sadly passing the baton now to his buddy. Kinda gets you right there, doesn't it? 💓

The band's final single before making their first breakup in 1975 and multiple reformations hit No. 16 on Oricon and sold about 600,000 records. A few months later after the release of the single "Imouto" in August, a movie based on the song with the same title was released into theatres starring Kumiko Akiyoshi（秋吉久美子）.

Hiromi Iwasaki -- Rengesou no Koi（れんげ草の恋）/Kanashimi no Hotori（悲しみのほとり）

 

I've just noticed that with my recent inclusion of the category of Fashion Music within Labels (finally!), there was one singer that I had yet to put in. She wasn't even in my list of Fashion Music that I concocted all the way back in 2018, and yet Hiromi Iwasaki（岩崎宏美）was one of the first singers that I had heard when I got onto this fateful journey into kayo kyoku back in 1981. Her cover of Jackey Yoshikawa and His Blue Comets' "Sumire Iro no Namida"（すみれ色の涙） (the very first song that I'd ever heard from Hiromi) can be considered to be a form of that Japanese baroque pop.

Perhaps she was on a run of such music because right after the release of "Sumire Iro no Namida", there was her 26th single from October 1981, "Rengesou no Koi" (Milkvetch Love). You can look at the Wikipedia entry for the flower, and yep, the translation doesn't sound particularly romantic but the lyrics by Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）talk of the poignant fragility of loving someone from afar...fragile like a milkvetch. The melody and arrangement by Kimio Mizutani（水谷公生）and Mitsuo Hagita（萩田光雄）respectively seem right out of an especially melancholy melodrama involving a large wooden villa out in the countryside; the cello really helps.

The B-side to "Rengesou no Koi" is "Kanashimi no Hotori" (The Shores of Grief) and though the melancholy is still there, the beat is a bit more uptempo with the strings getting a little choppy in the intro. Hagita was once again the arranger but the lyricist and composer this time were Makoto Kitajo and Koichi Sakata（喜多条忠・坂田晃一）respectively. For whatever reason, a lady no longer has a beloved one next to her which has left her in deep despair, perhaps enough to throw herself in the nearby lake. 

The single managed to reach No. 19 on Oricon. Apparently, "Rengesou no Koi" was the third and final single in Iwasaki's "Kusabana"（草花...Flowering Plants） series of songs following "Koimachigusa"（恋待草...Love Grass） and "Sumire Iro no Namida" throughout 1981.

Ann Lewis -- Shonan no Otoko-tachi（湘南の男たち）

 

I have to say that the above video is a lovely one showing off Shonan Beach in Kanagawa Prefecture, and to give credit where credit is due, the YouTube channel responsible is Peace Nippon Project. As it has been a long weekend in Japan due to Monday being Marine Day, despite the increase in COVID rates, I'm fairly sure that the beaches were quite full of summer lovers. Shonan would have been one of the more popular sites, too.

The above is a nice enough introduction to bring back singer Ann Lewis（アン・ルイス）into the "Kayo Kyoku Plus" fold after almost six years. Yup, the last time that I put up one of her songs onto the blog was back in late 2016 for her "Shampoo" (シャンプー). 

I realize that Lewis was famous for her rock and disco material from the late 1970s onwards, but I guess that as late as 1978, she had still been singing those more innocent pop kayo. Case in point is the B-side to her 14th single "Onna wa Sore wo Gaman Dekinai"（女はそれを我慢できない...Women Can't Stand That） from May 1978. "Shonan no Otoko-tachi" (Shonan Guys) is an upbeat if slightly teasing tune by Lewis about how women are looking for the truest purest love while guys (at least in the Shonan area) are merely searching for something more physical and less permanent; wolves they are! Written by Makoto Kitajo（喜多条忠）, composed by Kunihiko Kase（加瀬邦彦）and arranged by Motoki Funayama（船山基紀）, "Shonan no Otoko-tachi" has got a hint of some of that 50s or 60s rock n' roll underlaying the innocent tune. Meanwhile, it's good to hear Lewis' distinct and slightly pleading vocals once more. The single itself went up to No. 12 on the charts.

Candies/Takuro Yoshida -- Yasashii Akuma（やさしい悪魔）

 

Well, isn't that a kick in the pants? It's been over ten years since I began the blog and my first entry for the 1970s aidoru trio Candies（キャンディーズ）, "Haru Ichiban" (春一番）was written all the way back in 2012, and I just realized that I had yet to contribute what is perhaps their most successful song in their time together.

Ah, ah...devil. My sweet little devil...👿

Yep, I've been hearing those above words for years including the years that "Kayo Kyoku Plus" has been in existence and I never bothered to write about "Yasashii Akuma" (Sweet Little Devil). Feeling like a Gibbs slap right now, but better late than never as they say.

Released as their 13th single in March 1977, "Yasashii Akuma" follows the often happy-go-lucky melodies of Candies' past hits but this time, the slightly sultry love song was written by Makoto Kitajo（喜多條忠）and composed by folk singer Takuro Yoshida（吉田拓郎）with arrangement by Koji Makaino（馬飼野康二）. According to J-Wiki though, with the wider musical range involved, Ran, Miki and Su had a heck of a time getting through recording almost to the point of waving a white flag. Rumour had it that composer Yoshida, who was a fan of Candies, had wanted to push the envelope with them to make them better.

Well, the hard work paid off. "Yasashii Akuma" once more broke into the Top 10 of Oricon and peaked at No. 4 with a No. 27 ranking for the yearly charts. Although Candies would get their share of No. 1s, this song was the trio's most successful in sales, selling more than half a million records. One government minister who was also a fan of theirs hailed "Yasashii Akuma" as their most accomplished song and even Candies themselves stated that this was one of their very best tunes. They would sing this for their third and final appearance on NHK's Kohaku Utagassen. Take a bow, Mr. Yoshida!

The song also stood out for Candies' performances in concert and on television due to their devil dresses which were actually designed by singer Ann Lewis（アン・ルイス）. One personal observation is that when I see them dance in the video above, I actually do get Perfume vibes, and I distinctly remember that one of the first outside comments for this blog that I read referring to a KKP article (I believe that it was for "Haru Ichiban") came from one person who likened Candies to a 1970s Perfume.

Incidentally, Yoshida did a cover version of his own creation through his first album of covers "Private"（ぷらいべえと）which came out a month following the original Candies' single. His take has more of a country rock sheen, and I actually thought that this would make a fine jingle for a Dodge Ram commercial. The album hit No. 1 and ended the year ranked No. 23.

Aya Shimazu -- Natsu Tsubaki（夏つばき）

 

Somehow, I think that the Japanese names for certain plants and flowers lend quite a bit more warmth than their English-language equivalents. For instance, natsu tsubaki（夏椿）is known officially on Wikipedia as Stewartia pseudocamellia. Gesundheit! However, translating it directly brings out the more romantic summer camellia.

As well, enka singer Aya Shimazu（島津亜矢）also provides some justice through her rendition of "Natsu Tsubaki", her 70th single released in July 2021. Being one of the most well-known female singers of her genre, comparing her to some of her contemporaries is quite interesting. Sayuri Ishikawa（石川さゆり）always struck me as the representative of steel under silk whenever she sings while Yoshimi Tendo（天童よしみ）has had that Kansai robustness. Shimazu seems to possess that tenderheartedness that she wears quite openly on her sleeve whenever she sings of affairs of the heart. I don't see her often cry during a performance but the tears are still there in her voice, no matter the song, and that also has had her singing English-language soul ballads quite effectively, too.

"Natsu Tsubaki", which was written by Makoto Kitajo（喜多條忠）and composed by Tetsuya Watari（渡哲也）, has the titular flower being the backdrop of the aftermath of a torrid romance that has clearly come to an end with the protagonist probably picking up the pieces in the form of camellia petals. It does start off with an electric guitar riffing away followed by some horns booming (perhaps reflecting the past affair) before Shimazu softly but clearly describes the scene. This can be just one of those enka examples for taking that lonely drink in a quiet bar somewhere.

(short version)

Sayuri Ishikawa -- Hitorizake（獨り酒）

 

Kamiya Bar（神谷バー）is an Asakusa institution that was literally around the corner from my NOVA branch although I only went there once since I was never much of a drinker. Supposedly, it is the oldest bar of its type in Japan and it is also the place where the Japanese cocktail Denki Bran（電気ブラン...Electric Brandy） was invented in the late 19th century.

The website "Cool Material" has a description of what Denki Bran is all about but what goes into the drink and in what quantities are apparently still secret. As for the above video by Sanpo suru Android（散歩するアンドロイド...The Walking Android）, we get to see the young lady enjoy a meal and the famed libation at the source itself. That one time that I visited Kamiya Bar, I did try a Denki Bran and had some of those dishes that go well with the drink, but perhaps unsurprisingly, I don't remember very much. However, I can say that I did visit this famous place.

During my years in Japan, I did visit the various izakaya chains with friends and students to celebrate certain events and/or to just hang out after catching a movie in Shinjuku or Ginza. But I don't recall ever going to a bar just because I wanted to drown my sorrows in drink following a bad day or relationship. Doing such a thing though is definitely one reason to hit the watering holes in any nation.

"Hitorizake" (Drinking Alone) is a lovingly arranged enka sung by veteran Sayuri Ishikawa（石川さゆり）as her August 2021 single. Composed by Keisuke Hama（浜圭介）, it's not one of those electric guitar-powered gutsy songs but an enka with a gentle guitar and strings that are as reassuring as the sympathetic hostess of one's favourite nomiya who will always act as the salve. But the lyrics by Makoto Kitajo（喜多條忠）and singer-songwriter kinuyo don't play up the fact that the typical bar is on the same level as a medical clinic. It is simply the place to drown those sorrows, no better or worse.

Ishikawa showed up on last week's "Uta Con"（うたコン）to sing "Hitorizake" and to talk of the late Kitajo. She mentioned that her single may have indeed been the final song that he wrote before he left this mortal coil in November.

Masatoshi Nakamura/Judy Ongg/Takuro Yoshida -- Itsuka Machi de Atta nara（いつか街で会ったなら）

 

Last week, I noted about the passing of lyricist Makoto Kitajo（喜多條忠）late last year at the age of 74 through one of his songs for actor/singer Hiroyuki Sanada（真田広之）. Well, I've found an earlier creation by him and folk singer/composer Takuro Yoshida（吉田拓郎）which received some more appreciation and fame.

"Itsuka Machi de Atta nara" (If We Meet In Town Someday) is wistful with a capital "W" as originally recorded by actor/singer Masatoshi Nakamura（中村雅俊）. Released as his 3rd single in May 1975, it tells of a man's encounter, affair and breakup with a woman who still has an effect on him. I believe that the protagonist realizes that the relationship is over and done with but in his mind, he still would like to meet her again if only to go over old times. The arrangement just screams for an observation point overlooking the ocean at sunset.

The song peaked at No. 6 on Oricon and became the 16th-ranked single for 1975. It was also used as an insert tune within Nakamura's own detective series "Ore-tachi no Kunshou"（俺たちの勲章...Our Medals）, a show that I've already noted in a TRANZAM article.

"Itsuka Machi de Atta nara" has gotten its share of covers. I've read that Masayuki Suzuki（鈴木雅之）tackled it as well so I tried searching for his cover, but alas, it's not up on YouTube. However, I did find one cover by Judy Ongg（ジュディ・オング）, a few years before she recorded her most famous hit, "Miserarete" （魅せられて）. Her take on the Nakamura original as arranged by Yusuke Hoguchi（穂口雄介）is a little more uptempo and was a track on her 1975 album "Ai wa Seimei"（愛は生命...Love Is Life）.

Composer Yoshida also provided his own cover of "Itsuka Machi de Atta nara" in his April 1977 album "Private"（ぷらいべえと）which focused on covers of various kayo. His version of the song has a bit more of a gallant country feel. The album hit No. 1 and ended up as the 23rd-ranked album of the year.

Hiroyuki Sanada -- Sabaku no Machi ni（砂漠の都会に）

 

I've just watched the first episode of NHK's "Uta Con"（うたコン）for 2022 and I discovered that lyricist Makoto Kitajo（喜多條忠）had passed away from cancer on November 22nd last year at the age of 74. Beginning his career in 1973, he's had a long list of songs right up to 2021 whose words he provided to many acts including the lyrics for the folk classic "Kandagawa"（神田川）as recorded by the band Kaguyahime（かぐや姫）in which Kitajo was a member.

Another song that he created didn't become anywhere as famous as "Kandagawa" but it's quite the soothing ballad sung by actor/singer Hiroyuki Sanada（真田広之）who's become rather famous in Hollywood over the past couple of decades. Sanada's 6th single was "Sabaku no Machi ni" (In A Desert Town) from March 1982. May I say that was quite the head of hair that Henry was sporting back then; in a dictionary under the term "blow-dry", that single cover would be the photo.

Composed by folk singer Takuro Yoshida（吉田拓郎）as this appropriately folksy lone-wolf-on-a-journey song, Kitajo's lyrics have that lone wolf singing about the devastated young lady she's left behind, bereft of her paramour in that small desert town. And yet, I think that it's really the lone wolf who's suffering while he rationalizes his feelings by throwing them on her.

However, before anyone thinks that Sanada was singing about love and life in the Old West, "Sabaku no Machi ni" was actually as the ending theme for a jidaigeki epic on Fuji-TV called "Kage no Gundan III"（影の軍団III...Shadow Warriors III）. So it wasn't exactly guns being drawn here but katana and shuriken, and I gather that from the ending credits above (sorry but that video has been taken down), the show did also have its fair share of humour. If I'm not mistaken, Sanada is the third character to show up in the credits.

The full name for the entire early 1980s TV franchise was "Hattori Hanzo ~ Kage no Gundan"（服部半蔵～影の軍団）with the late great Sonny Chiba（千葉真一）as the star who played different ninja in each of the four seasons of the TV franchise including different generations of the legendary Hanzo Hattori.

I guess Chiba and Hattori were not done with each other even into the 2000s. The more you know, eh?

Candies/℃-ute -- Shochū Omimai Mōshiagemasu（暑中お見舞い申し上げます）

We're not quite yet at midsummer but watching last night's "Uta Kon"（うたコン）, there was that light theme of summery songs and then I also thought about the Ochuugen（御中元）season which represents the time of summer gift-giving in Japan. Whenever I entered a supermarket or department store anywhere there during the hot season, I would always see these huge boxes of anything food-related ranging from coffee to meat being sold. I myself never partook in the tradition since I saw Ochuugen as basically being a corporate way of thanking clients for their continued patronage. Mind you, I was tempted to purchase one of those boxes of AGF Coffee or Nippon Ham for myself.

In any case, one of the summer songs that got featured through old footage on last night's "Uta Kon" was "Shochū Omimai Mōshiagemasu" (Midsummer Greetings). This was Candies'（キャンディーズ）14th single from June 1977 that I had never heard before last night. Written by Makoto Kitajo（喜多條忠）and composed by Juichi Sase（佐瀬寿一）, the trio sing about going over to meet the beloved beau during summer for all sorts of romance under the hot sun. The arrangement was handled by Koji Makaino（馬飼野康二）.

The nostalgia is strong with this one with its Candies-esque arrangement. But one thing that I have to say is that some of that pounding piano reminded me of Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" for some reason. "Shochū Omimai Mōshiagemasu" peaked at No. 5 and became the 39th-ranked single of the year, selling around 320,000 records according to the J-Wiki article for the song. It is also a track on Candies' 9th album "Candy Label" which was released in September 1977. Not　surprisingly, "Shochū Omimai Mōshiagemasu" was also used as the campaign tune for a Japan Post commercial for summer greeting postcards.

Another point about the song is that during its rise into the Top 10, Candies held a concert in July that year at the Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall in Tokyo where they blurted out their intention to disband. Man, I hope that the ladies' manager and other staff were in on the announcement beforehand. Sure enough, eight months later, Candies had their final roundup in April 1978.

There have been a number of covers of "Shochū Omimai Mōshiagemasu" over the years including the one performed by Hello Project's ℃-ute as their 9th single in July 2009. Aside from a bit of synthesizer updating, the arrangement is pretty much the same, and even ℃-ute is performing in very similar outfits to the ones worn originally by Candies.

Because we're on the summer kick right now, after watching "Uta Kon" last night, I'd wondered about doing a list of summer songs, especially on seeing Misato Watanabe（渡辺美里）perform her classic "Summertime Blues". However, my mind must have gone a bit swoony from the heat since I'd already provided Part 1 and Part 2 of such a list almost a couple of years ago. Please peruse those if you wish.

Hiroshi Miyama -- Bokyo Sanga（望郷山河）

Not sure how many of you were able to watch the live broadcast of the 70th Kohaku Utagassen today, but as usual, when I woke up in the Eastern Standard Time zone, NHK was already two-thirds into the special. However, I've been able to record it through PVR, so I figure that the whole family can catch it tomorrow night (or to be more accurate, fast-forward to the parts we like) following osechi.

One of the segments in the live broadcast that I did miss due to sleep was enka singer Hiroshi Miyama's（三山ひろし）usually zesty performance. The thing here, though, is that he and several dozen other folks were trying to see if they could top their official Guinness world record performance from last year's Kohaku in kendama catching. I won't give any spoilers here...you can just watch the show for yourself, but as you can see in the above video, the Force truly is with Miyama.

The song that he performed on the Kohaku earlier today was his March 2019 single "Bokyo Sanga" (The Mountains and Rivers of Nostalgia). Whenever I think of New Year's Eve and the New Year's holidays in general in Japan, enka does come into the mind because of its traditional nature. Of course, folks there will head for their hometowns everywhere in the country during this time so Miyama singing this proud ode to the old surroundings was appropriate, I think.

With lyrics by Makoto Kitajo（喜多條忠）, Miyama may be relating about the purifying power of the homeland and family, and that all of the problems one might have don't amount to a hill of beans when it comes to what the natural surroundings have gone through over millions of years. Plus, family is also there to help you get over what's troubling you. It's kinda like the enka version of a breath of needed fresh air. Tensho Nakamura（中村典正）composed "Bokyo Sanga"; it was most likely one of his last creations before his passing later in August this year at the age of 83.