Marico -- Kanashimi no Festa（悲しみのフェスタ）

 

The singer and tarento Marico（真璃子）is someone that I had never heard about during my early years appreciating Japanese popular music. Actually, I first heard about Mariko Koga（古賀真里子）through my work on the blog over the years. During her initial run as a singer between 1984 and 1995, she had started out as an aidoru for songs such as "Nijuu-ni Shoku no Heart"（22色のハート）but by the early 1990s, she was probably considered more as a pop chanteuse covering ballads including "Anata no Umi ni Naritai"（あなたの海になりたい）.

Marico's transition happened halfway somewhere but I can't really make that distinction even with her 5th single "Kanashimi no Festa" (Festival of Sorrow) which was released in March 1987. So, I'll just throw in the appropriate Labels. In any case, despite a thumpy synthpop intro, "Kanashimi no Festa" quickly becomes a dramatic Latin funk fest along the same lines as Akemi Ishii's（石井明美）"Cha-Cha-Cha" although without the Eurobeat tropes. Words and music were provided by Toshihiko Takamizawa（高見沢俊彦）from ALFEE fame with Satoshi Takebe（武部聡志）handling the arrangement.

Marico -- Anata no Umi ni Naritai（あなたの海になりたい）

 

Happy Monday to everyone. Looks like we here in Canada are in that relative lull between Thanksgiving and Halloween, so perhaps it's time to finish up on the leftover turkey and pumpkin pie.

But to start off this week of "Kayo Kyoku Plus", we will not start with Monday, but Tuesday. As in "Kayo Suspense Gekijo"（火曜サスペンス劇場.... The Tuesday Night Suspense Movie) on NTV. Of course, we gotta have that appropriately suspenseful explosion of brass in the beginning followed by the "Mission: Impossible"-like flash-forward of scenes. There's gotta be a knife involved and some key scene on top of a cliff somewhere. I'm just surprised that in the history of the mystery series, a movement protesting discrimination against cliffs never surfaced. 

One other trope for "Kayo Suspense Gekijo" has been the ending credits ballad which has usually been of the soothing and wistful brand. The pattern was instigated by Hiromi Iwasaki's（岩崎宏美）supremely successful "Madonna Tachi no Lullaby" (聖母たちのララバイ）which was the first ending theme from the fall of 1981, and Iwasaki would provide four more similarly poignant ballads in succession to end each episode up to the end of 1987.

The 1991-1992 edition of the "Kayo Suspense Gekijo" ending theme was provided by singer Marico（真璃子）. My last article on her was back at the end of 2020 where I wrote about her contribution to Xmas, the City Pop "24th.Dec.20:45", and for today's article, this is her contribution to a long-running mystery series. "Anata no Umi ni Naritai" (I Want to be Your Ocean) was also her 16th single released in November 1991. Written and composed by Iwao Yamaguchi（山口岩男）with arrangement by Motoki Funayama（船山基紀）, the song follows the same pattern of wistful balladry. Marico's vocals are appropriately hushed and slightly faint to reflect the bittersweet conclusion of those episodes.

Reviewing most of the Marico songs that I've put onto the blog including "Nijuu-ni Shoku no Heart"（22色のハート）which was a track on her debut album "Marico" from September 1986 when she had been known as a mid-1980s aidoru, I realize that she may be one of the more underrated pop singers that I've come across. If there's an album still in existence somewhere online, I'd like to see if I can get it. Also, to finish up the "Kayo Suspense Gekijo" line, Marico's "Anata no Umi ni Naritai" replaced Mariya Takeuchi's（竹内まりや）"Kokuhaku"（告白）as the ending theme.

Marico -- 24th.Dec.20:45

 

Well, the Premier of our province made it abundantly clear in his press conference today: no gatherings outside of our immediate households this Christmas which shows how confident he and the experts feel about infection rates coming down enough to open things up again socially...not very. It's a pity but perhaps there might be a Christmas miracle in the coming weeks.

Speaking about a blue Christmas, as I was saying to Rocket Brown last weekend, the Yuletide in Japan is often seen as a second Valentine's Day with couples reserving restaurants especially on December 24th. Of course, there are also the large groups of friends getting together for parties and families bringing in the KFC for dinner. And then there is that one other group...the one which consists of folks who no longer have any significant others and have been left to mope about on what would ordinarily be a festive time. There is something almost downright masochistic about how this aspect of J-Xmas is depicted in pop songs although the songs themselves are arranged in a beautifully wistful manner.

Case in point: I found this Christmas ballad by singer-songwriter Marico（真璃子）several months ago judging by the fact that it was far back in the backlog. As someone who's interested in the J-Xmas sub-genre, I just had to keep it for this occasion. Titled "24th Dec.20:45", this is a track from her 5th album released in November 1990, "Venus-tachi no Kisetsu ni"（ヴィーナスたちの季節に...In the Season of Venuses）. The song does feel like something to go along with Marico's lyrics of being alone in the city because either her boyfriend is too busy at work or the relationship went completely kaput some time previously.

Singer-songwriter Junko Hirotani's（広谷順子）music has a pleasant bluesy lilt almost to match the protagonist's slow lonely walk on the pavement during Xmas Eve, and there's a nice touch with the cold-wind chorus and the classy trumpet during the instrumental break. It all ends with a few seconds of typical if ironic Christmas cheer. In a way, "24th.Dec.20:45" makes for a younger sister of sorts of another City Pop tune with an Xmas theme, the similarly titled "December 24" by Ruiko Kurahashi（倉橋ルイ子）.

Marico -- Mahou no Jikan（魔法の時間）

Almost two years ago, "Kayo Kyoku Plus" introduced 80s aidoru Marico（真璃子）and one of her songs "Nijuu-ni Shoku no Heart" （22色のハート）, a number that I noted was a bit surprising since it sounded more polished than the usual teenybopper tune. I had to do a double take in her J-Wiki profile to make sure that I read it right...she was considered an aidoru. Frankly, I thought the arrangement was such that I would have put this song up with anything that EPO or Miki Imai（今井美樹）had recorded during that decade.

Well, it looks like Marico did it again to me. And once again, I can give thanks to songwriter Etsuko Yamakawa（山川恵津子）, although this time, she was responsible for the arrangement rather than actually composing "Mahou no Jikan" (Magic Time). The composer here was the very prolific Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）while the just-as-prolific Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）provided the lyrics.

The main thing is that Marico had these three major songwriting talents taking care of this B-side to her 2nd single "Koi, Miiitsuketa"（恋、みーつけた....I Found L-O-V-E!）from May 1986. Then, there is the singer's delectably breathy, perhaps near-whispery, delivery of "Mahou no Jikan", a dreamy song which takes Marico and the listener close, but not quite, to City Pop land. It's got a strut-worthy beat, an electric guitar flitting about, and a haunting piano surrounding her, plus some nice chorus work. Once again, I am left thinking that this aidoru number is a cut above the average. Magic time, indeed. Let's see how rare one of her albums is online.

Marico -- Nijuu-ni Shoku no Heart （22色のハート）

When I was doing the write-up for Tohoku Shinkansen's（東北新幹線）"Up and Down" the other day, I also came across another song on YouTube by a singer named Marico（真璃子）. Titled "Nijuu-ni Shoku no Heart" (22-Colour Heart), it was composed by one-half of Tohoku Shinkansen, composer Etsuko Yamakawa（山川恵津子）, and written by Goro Matsui（松井五郎）.

What caught my ears about this particular tune is that although Marico started her career as a mid-1980s aidoru, this "Nijuu-ni Shoku no Heart" which is a track on her debut album "Marico" from September 1986 is a cut above the usual aidoru tune. I wanted to say sasuga to Yamakawa. I mean, there are the cute aidoru synths in there but the arrangement of the song, especially when it comes to the guitars, almost takes things into City Pop/J-AOR territory, something that Yasuhiro Abe（安部恭弘）would concoct and croon. It's very laidback and comfortable. Perhaps a number of her other tracks and singles were conventionally aidoru but as a non-single track, "Nijuu-ni Shoku no Heart" definitely feels something more urban contemporary.

The Fukuoka-born singer, born Mariko Hiura（日浦真里子）, released 21 singles up to 1995 and released 6 original albums up to 1993. According to her J-Wiki bio, Marico has also done some acting on TV and radio broadcasts but is currently a regional tarento as well as a helper at her husband's bar at night.