Rodgers and Hart -- Lover

 

No, I'm painfully aware that I'm not young anymore but I'm not quite THAT old yet. Admittedly, though, this is going to be one of the more unusual ROY articles for this Thursday since the origins of this song go far back to the year 1932. So, if you can bear with me for a few paragraphs, I can let you know where the youth (well, toddlerhood) part of this comes in.

According to Wikipedia, the popular song "Lover" by the legendary songwriting team of Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers was created in 1932 and first used in the musical flick "Love Me Tonight" starring Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald. Ironically, I'd thought that the song, from its title, was this sweeping romantic waltz for the lovers in all of us but when McDonald sung it, her character was trying to control an uncontrollable horse, so it was more of a comical thing.

It's been covered numerous times over the century in its sung version and as an instrumental piece. The cover above is by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra with Jack Fulton as the vocalist as recorded in 1933.

Maybe the one cover that is most generally known is the one by the famous Boston Pops Orchestra led by Arthur Fiedler and then John Williams (yes, that John Williams). I've known about the Boston Pops since I was literally a baby because they were often on that compilation of five LPs by RCA Victor when we got our huge oaken stereo. It was labeled "50 Years Of Hits In Stereo" and was the source for all of my nostalgic love for the standards through the Pops, Bing & Rosemary, Henry Mancini, etc.

I don't know when exactly Fiedler and the Pops first recorded their version of "Lover" but interestingly enough, their majestic version wasn't included on "50 Years Of Hits In Stereo". By this time, I've heard this "Lover" frequently, and it certainly feels like it was meant for dozens of couples traipsing joyfully all over the ballroom floor. The strings and the French horns are absolutely exquisite, and really, I can't imagine any horses trying to be calmed down with this take.

Ahhh...this is where the ROY comes in although I was indeed far younger. Speaking of "50 Years Of Hits In Stereo", there was a version of "Lover" among the discs but this was the one done by bandleader and pianist Marty Gold and his Orchestra. Originally his cover showed up on his August 1960 album "Skin Tight", and this was my first exposure to the Rodgers and Hart classic.

Man, this was one swinging blast! Gold arranged things so that he threw trumpets, trombones, saxophones, percussion and even a crazed timpani into this massive jazz party march. If it had been used in a movie, his "Lover" wouldn't have been calming down a horse or inviting dancers for a waltz; instead it would have been instigating one of the classiest chase scenes involving the Rat Pack...while they were sipping martinis...very dry ones.

It's hard for me to choose which one I prefer, the Fiedler waltz or the Gold swinger.

Anyways, seeing that "Lover" was born in 1932, let's see if we can merely bring back the three songs that have already been written on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" from that year.

Ichiro Fujiyama -- Kage wo Shitaite（影を慕いて）

Masao Suzuki -- Tankō Bushi（炭坑節）

Fumiko Yotsuya -- Ginza no Yanagi （銀座の柳）

Masao Suzuki/Michiya Mihashi -- Tankō Bushi（炭坑節）

This article is a sequel of sorts to my talk with my new friend, Aja, who has been practicing Japanese dance for years, Yesterday, she sent me a list of various songs that she has known, and one of them was "Tanko Bushi" (Coal Mine Melody). Now that song rang a whole lot of memory bells since I've not only heard the classic minyo but I've actually danced to it.

Let me explain. 30 years ago when I was an undergraduate at the University of Toronto, the Japanese-Canadian Students' Association (as it was called back then) had just begun its time at the St. George Campus in downtown Toronto. Not long after its genesis, we heard an advertisement for some cultural festival that was to be held, and I believe one of the components was a demonstration of the world's dances. So, one of our more effervescent members, Yoko, who had experience in dance, wanted to get a small group together to demonstrate Japan's "Tanko Bushi". My good friend, Laura, (who introduced me to Aja), myself and a few others decided to take part and so we learned how to dance it in the large common room of the residence where Yoko had lived. And the dance was practiced as how you see it above in the training video.

Somehow our motley crew got our act together and when the dance demonstration was done at the main auditorium of the Medical Sciences Building, we not only did it but we did it a second time inviting members of some of the other dance troupes. It worked out pretty well but I distinctly remember (and felt) the participating member of the Jewish Students' Union accidentally smacking me in the knees during the second run. No offense taken, though, obviously.

"Tanko Bushi" was originally recorded back in 1932. According to Wikipedia, the most popular version was the one recorded by minyo singer Masao Suzuki（鈴木正夫）, although it didn't state whether Suzuki's take was the very first recording (his career lasted from 1931 to his death in 1961). It is, though, the recording that our JCSA group followed.

The minyo is known as a folk song from Fukuoka Prefecture and at this time, it is said to have originated in the city of Tagawa with the lyrics referring to the old Miike Coal Mine. As for those lyrics and the melody, I couldn't find any record of who created the song unfortunately.

From what I've read, there have been a number of variations on "Tanko Bushi", so I'm sure enka and other kayo singers over the last century and into this one have given their renditions. The legendary Michiya Mihashi（三橋美智也）gave his contribution in 1956 according to the description under the above YouTube video with Kikutaro Takahashi（高橋掬太郎）providing some more lyrics and Toshiro Yamaguchi（山口俊郎）giving perhaps a more mellower enka-like feeling to the proceedings. Perhaps it can still be danced to.

Anyways, I'm providing the translation for the song below. It comes straight from the Wikipedia article on "Tanko Bushi".

The moon, has come out,
Oh, the moon is out, heave ho
Over Miike Coal Mine has the moon come out.
The chimney is so high,
I wonder if the moon chokes on the smoke...
Heave Ho!