A Taste of Honey -- Boogie Oogie Oogie

 

The disco/R&B band A Taste of Honey has had residency on KKP since the blog was three weeks old. I was tackling one of the great kayo classics in "Ue wo Muite Arukou" (上を向いて歩こう）, aka "Sukiyaki", when I also mentioned that A Taste of Honey provided their own cover on the song in the early 1980s...which proved to be their second and final hit in their career thus far.

However, as commendable as their elegant cover of the iconic Kyu Sakamoto（坂本九）song was, their first big hit has been the one that has been usually recognized when it comes to A Taste of Honey. The strange thing is that when I first heard their 1978 debut single "Boogie Oogie Oogie", it was through a TV performance of this song by then-teen sibling stars Kristy and Jimmy McNichol on some sort of nighttime special. With the whole mainstream disco craze, the McNichols' popularity at the time, and the novelty song-esque nature of that title, I actually did assume that this was the McNichols' tune, front and centre.

And yes, the above has Kristy and Jimmy, but no, it isn't for "Boogie Oogie Oogie".

So, it was actually many years later that I found out the truth that "Boogie Oogie Oogie" was by A Taste of Honey, and yeah as performed by Janice-Marie Johnson (and Hazel Payne) while slapping that bass hard and wearing those heels, maybe even the folks who were thinking that disco started to suck would have been willing to give a reprieve to this one. Heck, if I had been born a decade earlier, I probably would have been rarin' to run to my nearest disco and hit the dance floor. My dancing would have sucked for sure but I would have had oodles of fun doing so.

"Boogie Oogie Oogie" was not only a hit on the dance floor but also a hit outside of it as well. It hit No. 1 on Billboard's pop, disco and soul charts in September 1978, and according to the Wikipedia article for the song, it also became the first certified Platinum single in the history of Capitol Records by selling over 2 million records. I would probably posit that the chairman's office became a disco dance floor in celebration. 

So, we've got one of the primo disco songs coming out in 1978. What else was winning at the Japan Record Awards that year? 

Grand Prize: Pink Lady -- UFO

Best New Artist: Machiko Watanabe -- Kamome ga Tonda Hi （かもめが翔んだ日）

Gold Prize: Naoko Ken -- Kamome wa Kamome （かもめはかもめ）

The Trammps -- Disco Inferno

 

Welcome to the weekly Reminiscings of Youth! I remember when I saw "Ghostbusters" at the theatre over 40 years ago, there was that one scene with nebbishy accountant Louis Tully (played by "SCTV" cast member Rick Moranis who excelled in playing such characters) holding a party for his clients. Just to show how out of touch he was with most things, The Trammps' "Disco Inferno" was playing all too loudly on his stereo during a time when disco was considered way out-of-date in the new age of New Wave, synthpop and breakdancing music. Plus even the term "Disco Sucks" itself was pretty much a cliché at that point.

But I remember when "Disco Inferno", along with a lot of other similar songs back in those 1970s, was the bee's knees in the record shops, dance clubs and radio. I also heard it a lot on those disco LP compilation commercials on TV. It was released on December 28th 1976 and though it didn't make too much headway up the charts in its initial release, it was given rocket boosters once it had been included onto the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack in its nearly 11-minute version. In the following year of 1978, "Disco Inferno" even scraped the Top 10 by reaching No. 11 in America while in Canada, it actually penetrated the Top 10 on RPM by scoring a No. 6 ranking. 

Never had a chance to dance to this, but after seeing John Travolta incinerating the floor at the disco, I wouldn't dare. Anyways, what was at the top of the Oricon charts on December 27th 1976?

1. Harumi Miyako -- Kita no Yado Kara （北の宿から）

2. Koichi Morita and The Top Gallants -- Seishun Jidai （青春時代）

3. Naoko Ken -- Abayo （あばよ）

Junko Sakurada/Naoko Ken/Miyuki Nakajima -- Omoidegawa（おもいで河）

 

Being an original Miyuki Nakajima（中島みゆき）song and all, it's no surprise that there are no videos currently showing the singer-songwriter herself performing "Omoidegawa" (River of Memories), her 6th single from August 1978. There are the many cover versions on YouTube and I was able to find a LINE excerpt of the song right at this link. Kei Wakakusa（若草恵）took care of the arrangement of the Nakajima-penned song that deals with drinking one's sorrows after another failed romance. I did love the metaphor from the lyrics of the ship of sand sailing on the titular river of memories.

Otherwise, we're going to go with the cover versions by other singers. According to J-Wiki, there were two done in the following years with the first one being 70s aidoru Junko Sakurada（桜田淳子）as a track on her 1978 album "Hatachi ni Nareba"（20才になれば...When I Turn 20）. The pacing is a little jauntier than the folksy Nakajima original and I think Sakurada was tilting toward a more mature take vocally, perhaps to follow the Nakajima style. the album managed to reach No. 28 on Oricon.

Then in December 1982, Naoko Ken（研ナオコ）, who has sung other Nakajima-penned tunes such as "Hitoribocchi Odorasete"（ひとりぽっちで踊らせて）in the past, recorded her cover of "Omoidegawa" as a B-side to her 30th single, "Furareta Kibun"（ふられた気分...The Feeling of Rejection）. Wakakusa also arranged Ken's cover as he did the original by Nakajima in 1978, but this time, the feeling is a melancholy City Pop take thanks to a darker piano. Ken seems to be ideally suited to take on those sad girl-done-wrong songs because of her voice which often takes on a heartbreaking quality. Ken's "Omoidegawa" also made it onto her 1984 album "Again".

Aki Yashiro/Naoko Ken -- Tomoshibi（ともしび）

 

I've noticed that I hadn't been covering any of the 1970s kayo kyoku all that much recently...not that I've been intentionally snubbing the songs from that decade; it just turned out that way.

So, luckily, I've encountered this atmospheric piece by the late Aki Yashiro（八代亜紀）titled "Tomoshibi" (The Light) which was the singer's 11th single from May 1975. Delivered softly and wistfully by the singer, if I've read the lyrics by Keiko Yuuki（悠木圭子）correctly, "Tomoshibi" deals with a woman in agony because her former significant other may be on his last legs and the light in him is slowly fading away. It's a nice nostalgic kayo to listen to because I can't quite qualify it in any one genre. I can get the regular kayo but also I feel that it has two other limbs in Mood Kayo and enka at the same time. My compliments to composer and arranger Jun Suzuki（鈴木淳）, especially when it comes to the sharp trumpet. The song reached No. 10 on Oricon and became the 35th-ranked single of the year.

Later in December that year, singer-actress Naoko Ken（研ナオコ）released her 3rd album "Guzu"（愚図...Indecisive） in which most of the tracks were covers of songs including Yashiro's "Tomoshibi". Her take is more along the straight pop line with a twangy guitar replacing the trumpet and some shimmering strings. What stands out for me is that Ken's usually smoky and world-weary vocals come across higher and more emotional.

Naoko Ken -- Kyoto no Onna no Ko（京都の女の子）

 

On a recent episode of the information variety show "Don't Sleep Through Life" with the CG Chiko-chan（チコチャン）on NHK, there was a segment which involved the city of Toyota in Aichi Prefecture. During their annual summertime O-Bon festival, the locals have been dancing to the go-touchi song "Kyoto no Onna no Ko" (Kyoto Girl) for decades although Kyoto is obviously located outside of Aichi Prefecture. As for the reason, one resident simply replied that it just sounded good to dance to. End of story.

"Kyoto no Onna no Ko" was recorded by veteran singer-actress Naoko Ken（研ナオコ）as her 4th single in July 1972, and it's been seen as a nostalgic throwback to the Group Sounds days of the late 1960s. Indeed, the intro especially reminded me of Pinky and Killers' "Koi no Kisetsu" (恋の季節）of 1968. Written by Yu Aku（阿久悠）and composed by Koichi Morita（森田公一）, it's a 60s jangly cool tune about falling for that cool beauty of Kyoto. The interesting thing is that I've heard of the reputation (true or not) of Kyoto women being outwardly polite and hospitable but concealing some haughtiness and a razor-sharp tongue as a verbal shiv.

The single reached No. 52 on Oricon. As far as I know, those Toyotans will continue to be dancing to Ken-san later on this summer.

Whitney Houston -- Saving All My Love for You

 

On this week's Reminiscings of Youth entry, I believe it's about time to bring in the wonderful Whitney Houston. Yup, my days at University of Toronto were filled on the radio with her music and that amazing voice of hers. I heard her first single "You Give Good Love" back in 1985, but it didn't particularly hit me all that hard.

But then a few months later, I saw the above music video for her August single "Saving All My Love for You", and I was absolutely smitten. I was surprised to find out that the Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin creation had actually been recorded by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. for their 1978 album "Marilyn and Billy", so Houston's rendition was actually a cover but I'm pretty certain that her version is the definitive one. Although at the time, I had never heard of the genre term Quiet Storm, it has become one of my favourite genres in music and "Saving All My Love for You" is one of my favourites within this genre. Houston's voice along with all of those perfectly fit instruments made the song her first No. 1 hit. It also broke the Top 10 in Canada by landing at No. 8.

As I've mentioned many times before on the blog, it was all about the melody over the lyrics for me, so I completely missed out on the theme of adultery that was taking place in the song and in the video. It's not the happiest ending for Whitney's character in the video, but I'll always be in love with the arrangement. By the way, the above video is for the McCoo original which is also great, but as I've just intimated, I'll always prefer the Houston version. Hard to believe that it's been over a decade since we lost her.

In Japan, "Saving All My Love for You" was released under the title "Subete wo Anata ni"（すべてをあなたに...All for You）. In a way, the ballad was perfect for Japanese ears since adultery and affairs had been part and parcel of lyrical themes in kayo kyoku for years.

So, what was in the Top 10 on Oricon in August 1985? Today I'll go with Nos. 6, 7 and 8.

6. Onyanko Club -- Sailor Fuku wo Nugasanaide （セーラー服を脱がさないで）

7. Toshi & Naoko -- Natsu Zakari Honoji Gumi （夏ざかりほの字組）

8. Akina Nakamori -- Sand Beige - Sabaku e　(砂漠へ)

Naoko Ken -- Hitoribocchi Odorasete（ひとりぽっちで踊らせて）

 

When I first saw the title for Naoko Ken's（研ナオコ）22nd single from August 1979, "Hitoribocchi Odorasete" (Let Me Dance By My Lonesome), I had assumed that it was going to be one of her City Pop numbers with Ken singing in those lower tones in a "seen it, done it" attitude.

But actually, the melody by Miyuki Nakajima（中島みゆき）has more of a fresh country lilt to the proceedings as if the setting were more out in the rice fields rather than some dingy bar in shitamachi Tokyo. Still, Nakajima's lyrics are pretty dour with a lady simply wanting to be left alone for the next little while after realizing that her paramour has probably tired of her and is now chasing after the next romantic conquest. And the thing is that Kawai's voice is able to wring all of the tears and hurt from those words. Most of all, the singer is channeling Nakajima herself when she sings.

"Hitoribocchi Odorasete" reached No. 39 on the Oricon rankings and it earned Kawai her 3rd invitation to the Kohaku Utagassen at the end of 1979. On that night, jazz pianist Yuzuru Sera（世良譲）accompanied the singer when it came time to sing "Hitoribocchi Odorasete", but there was a bit of a misunderstanding in terms of the tempo which apparently knocked Kawai off her timing. However, things got corrected smoothly enough for her to complete her number. The song was also a track on the singer's 8th original album "Akireta Otoko-tachi"（あきれた男たち...Crazy Men） which came out in July 1980.

Nakajima and Kawai had another collaboration earlier in 1976, "Abayo"（あばよ）, which would become the latter's most successful hit.

Bill Conti/Maynard Ferguson -- Gonna Fly Now

 

When it comes to Sylvester Stallone, folks have known him to be the tough-as-nails cop or military maverick who will take down the worst of the worst in various guises whether it's Rambo or the first Judge Dredd or Cobra. He's even shown up in the Marvel Universe in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" sequel a few years ago.

However, despite all those roles and decades in show business going all the way back to the late 1960s, I will always recognize Sly as Rocky Balboa, the local boxing palooka from Philadelphia who gets his miraculous shot at greatness against the world champion Apollo Creed. Even though I never caught the very first "Rocky" as a kid on the big screen, I remember seeing the iconic montage of Rocky training and running up those steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. At the same time, reading the "Cracked" magazine parody of the movie helped me to learn about eating raw eggs, feeding turtles and punching frozen sides of beef. On a more serious note, the movie was one of the first examples that I discovered about a guy winning even though he still lost.

Of course, the theme song for "Rocky", "Gonna Fly Now", was the secret sauce for the greatness of the movie. When it was first created by composer/conductor Bill Conti and performed by his orchestra, it was all about following the epic rise of the boxer through 1970s downtown rock n' soul music (launched by that horn fanfare) as the chorus of DeEtta West and Nelson Pigford kept pushing forward with "Trying hard now", "Getting strong now" and "Gonna fly now". Since then, it's not only been the go-to song for any training montage but also the inspiration number for any tough project.

I hadn't been aware that "Gonna Fly Now" was nominated for an Oscar for Best Song (losing to Barbra Streisand's "Evergreen"), although the movie itself won for Best Picture. Released as a single in November 1976 on the same day that "Rocky" came out, it hit No. 1 on the US Billboard Top 100 and finished the year as the 21st-ranked song.

Canadian trumpeter Maynard Ferguson also put out his own faster and disco take on "Gonna Fly Now" in 1977. I've heard this version as often as I've heard the Conti original.

It's also been mentioned in the Wikipedia article for the song, but although "Gonna Fly Now" has often been used at sports events, especially in Philadelphia, in my Toronto, both the Conti and Ferguson versions have been used for the "Citypulse" news broadcasts on City-TV for years. I gather that there's nothing like this particular song to pump up the reporters. Also in my final year in band class in high school, our class tried to play the song. Let's say that neither Conti nor Ferguson had anything to fear but we had something to fear in the form of Stallone punching us in the side!

Once again, we come to the part in our weekly ROY article where we do the comparative thing and find out what singles were released in Japan at around the same time. As usual, a couple of the songs have some discrepancies in terms of when they were released depending on the source. "Showa Pops" says that all of them were released in November 1976 when the Conti original came out but J-Wiki has stated other months which I will also now include.

Naoko Ken -- Abayo （あばよ）(September 1976)

Shogo Hamada -- Ai no Kakehiki （愛のかけひき）(October 1976)

Kentaro Shimizu -- Shitsuren Resutoran (失恋レストラン）(November 1976)

Ken Shimura & Naoko Ken -- Ginza Atari de Gin! Gin! Gin!（銀座あたりでギン!ギン!ギン!）

Veteran comedian and tarento Ken Shimura（志村けん）passed away earlier today at the age of 70 due to pneumonia brought on by COVID-19. I had heard that he contracted the coronavirus as the first Japanese celebrity to announce it several days ago, and when I did, I feared the worst due to his age and the fact that whenever I saw him on TV in interviews, he almost always had a cigarette in his hand. And tragically, the worst came to pass.

Shimura has already gotten some attention on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" through his work with the comedy group The Drifters（ザ・ドリフターズ）. As a kid, I got to know him through videotapes of The Drifters' long-running Saturday-night variety show "Hachi-ji da yo! Zen'in Shuugo"（8時だヨ！全員集合）. He had replaced member Chu Arai（荒井注）and although I don't remember Arai's temperament and comic skills with the group, I'm pretty sure that he didn't quite match Shimura's level of lunacy that probably often had the TBS switchboard lighting up with complaint calls about some of the naughty bits that characterized the segments introduced by him and his group partner Cha Kato（加藤茶）, although their famous "Hige Dance" sketch above wasn't one of them.

Shimura's ballerina with swan head probably was, though. I mentioned this before in a past article but I saw him as Japan's Jerry Lewis and maybe even Jim Carrey, years before Jim Carrey was Jim Carrey. As for some of his comedy, one of my students who belonged to that English conversation circle that I had taught for a decade remarked rather tersely that she considered The Drifters to be offensive and never allowed her children to watch "Hachi-ji da yo!" because of him and Kato.

However in recent years after The Drifters had their heyday, Shimura's most famous character was Bakatono-sama（バカ殿様）, a hedonistic and moronic feudal lord who simply wanted to have fun for the rest of his days, usually at the expense of his long-suffering court. Not surprisingly, Shimura brought some of his bawdiness to his character and the situations around him.

Being in variety for decades, Shimura would also do his fair share in music although he was never a recording artist per se. However, from time to time, he did release songs but almost always in collaboration with another celebrity. One such tune was "Ginza Atari de Gin! Gin! Gin!" which I think may translate as "Shine Shine Shine in Ginza".

Released in December 2001 as a maxi-single duet with longtime buddy, singer-actress Naoko Ken（研ナオコ）who often showed up with him in various skits, "Ginza Atari de Gin! Gin! Gin!" is a crazy Mood Kayo with some Boney M. disco about a corporate newbie played by Shimura and supervisor Ken possibly falling for each other. Written and composed by Hello Project head honcho Tsunku（つんく♂）, even the footage above is styled like a Morning Musume music video. Officially, the duo name was Ken♀♂ Ken（けん♀♂けん）.

Going over the announcements on the various Japanese TV channels about his passing, there have been stunned and very grief-stricken reactions among the other tarento. I can't even imagine how this is striking folks in Japan right now since I believe that they are only starting to enter the beginnings of their own rising COVID-19 wave.

At the time of his death, Shimura was hosting two regular programs. One was a late-night program and the other was the Saturday-night NTV series "Tensai! Shimura Dobutsu-en"（天才！志村どうぶつ園...Genius! Shimura's Zoo）, a variety show based on animals. According to a sports journalism website, part of the program scheduled for Saturday April 4th will be adjusted although it's not currently known what will become of the show going forward.

My condolences go out to his family and his many fans. I will finish this article with one of his many favourite catchphrases: "AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!"

Naoko Ken -- Roppongi Rain（六本木レイン）

Almost a year ago, I wrote about chanteuse/actress/tarento Naoko Ken's（研ナオコ）"Kishuu"（帰愁）, a City Pop cover of a Yumi Matsutoya（松任谷由実）song that I enjoyed even more than the original by the Queen of New Music.

Well, just before that 37th single came "Roppongi Rain" in May 1985. Also written by a couple of veterans, Masao Urino and Takuro Yoshida（売野雅勇・吉田拓郎）, I would also consider Ken's 36th a contemporary City Pop tune but this time, it seems to be mixed in with some old-style kayo arrangement of the 1970s. In a way, I can also think of it as a Mood Kayo.

As would befit the title, the story that plays out here is a woman heartbreakingly finding out that her paramour has been pulling a romantic con game all this time in the entertainment district. Again, Ken does a fine job with it due to that resigned and slightly cracking voice, but I can also imagine folks such as Akina Nakamori（中森明菜）and Yosui Inoue（井上陽水）giving their own spins on "Roppongi Rain". Perhaps by this point, Ken was probably more popular for her comical appearances on television than for her singing career, but I think "Roppongi Rain" is a hidden gem.

Naoko Ken -- Kishuu（帰愁）

One of the songs from Yumi Matsutoya's（松任谷由実）"OLIVE" that I couldn't include in my article for the album yesterday was "Kishuu" since I couldn't find it in its entirety on YouTube. However, there is a brief excerpt of it on the Amazon page below.

https://www.amazon.co.jp/OLIVE-%E6%9D%BE%E4%BB%BB%E8%B0%B7%E7%94%B1%E5%AE%9F/dp/B00005GME9

The arrangement for the original song kept reminding me of "El Condor Pasa" because of those pan flutes. "Kishuu" was actually Yuming's 13th single from June 1979 and it only did very modestly on Oricon, getting as high as No. 89...not too high compared to how "OLIVE" did.

To be honest, I may actually enjoy the cover version performed by Naoko Ken（研ナオコ）since it has more of a contemporary City Pop sheen to it. She first released the song as her 37th single in November 1985 and it was also a track on her 14th album "Deep" which came out on the same day as the single.

As for "Kishuu", apparently the kanji compound may not exactly exist...at least, not as a regular word per se, since my online dictionaries didn't register it. However, the overall meaning comes across as "return to regret". And that is what the song is all about...a lady who meets an old flame but just can't come around to say how she truly feels about him and goes home filled with regret.

Hearing Ken's voice, it has always had that smoky and cracking quality to it like burning embers or representing a woman who's seen it all and has become cynically world-weary. I would say on that point, she makes "Kishuu" work. That City Pop arrangement also sounds better here than the original's inclusion of pan flutes and mandolin.

Not sure how she (or her manager) did it, but less than 2 months after releasing "Kishuu", Ken found herself performing that very song on the 1985 Kohaku Utagassen. I'm not sure whether it even got onto the Oricon rankings.

Naoko Ken/Kuniko Fukushima -- Bossa Nova （ボサノバ）

I took a look at that listing I wrote up on the Red and White teams for the 32nd edition of NHK's Kohaku Utagassen on New Year's Eve 1981, and I've written individual articles on some of the songs that were performed that night such as Seiko Matsuda's（松田聖子）"Natsu no Tobira"（夏の扉）and Hitomi Ishikawa's（石川ひとみ）"Machibuse"（まちぶせ）. But the fact is that I haven't covered all of them due to failing memory.

One such song is "Bossa Nova" as performed by singer-actress-tarento Naoko Ken（研ナオコ）. Listening to it again after so long, I remember that rock guitar starting things off. And as I heard the song, I realized that although there was some Latin, it didn't sound anything like a bossa nova tune at all.

In fact, I would say that it was straight-ahead City Pop. And looking at the lyrics (and music) by singer-songwriter Kuniko Fukushima（福島邦子）, the bossa nova was actually a plot point and not the description of the melody. To explain, the story involved a woman remembering with a dollop of bittersweetness about the end of a relationship through a final dance to a bossa nova tune. In short, she would dearly love to get rid of the bossa nova from her memory. I think Ken's demeanor as she sang it above in the video pretty much said it all. I love the melody and her smoky vocals.

"Bossa Nova" was Ken's 28th single released on December 21st 1981. I mentioned the exact date since she did get onto the Kohaku a mere 11 days later so I'm kinda wondering how she was able to get onto the NHK stage in such a short time especially when the single got no higher than No. 69. Not that I'm complaining too much since my re-acquaintance with the song has me enjoying its City Poppiness.

The single was also on Ken's 9th album "Renairon"（恋愛論...Theory of Love）, a collection of cover singles released in November 1981.

And that brings me to my next point in that Ken's single was indeed a cover of the original single by Fukushima herself. In fact, "Bossa Nova" was her 4th single from 1979. Judging from her performance on Fuji-TV's "Yoru no Hit Studio"（夜のヒットスタジオ）, the original version by the Okayama-born singer-songwriter had that same Latin-tinged City Pop feeling but was lacking that oomph of the electric guitar in the intro and perhaps those smoky vocals of Ken. Still, her style is reminiscent of Junko Yagami（八神純子）and early Miharu Koshi（越美晴）. The song was also on her 2nd album "To" from May 1980.

I'm glad that I was finally able to get this article about a Kuniko Fukushima song on board since I had come across another song by her in the past several months but have yet to put it onto the blog. Now I've gotten that kick to put more of her material into play. Born in 1954, she debuted in 1978 and released 15 singles and 11 albums. Along with Naoko Ken, Fukushima has also provided songs for other acts such as Anri（杏里）, Checkers（チェッカーズ）and Akina Nakamori（中森明菜）.

According to her J-Wiki profile, she is a writer but going to her official website, apparently she is still giving concerts even in the United States and teaches piano and voice.

Toshi & Naoko -- Natsu Zakari Honoji Gumi （夏ざかりほの字組）

I gotta admit...although I've known that Toshihiko "Toshi-chan" Tahara（田原俊彦）and Naoko Ken（研ナオコ）have done their fair share of dramas and variety shows alongside their singing careers, I never would have imagined that they would actually do a duet together. I mean, Naoko was able to pull as many funny faces as she could on comedy hours such as "Hachi-ji da yo! Zen'in Shuugo"（8時だョ!全員集合...It's 8 O'Clock! Everybody Assemble） with her buddy, zany comedian Ken Shimura, but when it came to singing behind the mike, I always saw her as deadly serious. Meanwhile Toshi was always pulling off his boyish charm with his spins and flips on the stage while doing his aidoru music.

But then while I was listening to an episode of "Sounds of Japan", this song came on featuring the two of them in some sort of energized pop tune that had elements of Latin, Mood Kayo and Johnny's-type aidoru from the 1980s. And it was Toshi and Naoko! "Natsu Zakari Honoji Gumi" (The L-Word Gang at the Height of Summer) is definitely one of the more interesting song titles I've come across since starting this blog, and it was officially Toshi's 23rd single, released in July 1985.

(this time with Korokke...much hilarity ensures)

Written by the late legendary Yu Aku（阿久悠）and composed by just-as-proficient Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平）, the song seems to be about various folks falling in sultry love somewhere in the tropics. Just think of "The Love Boat" with a PG-13 rating and a Japanese cast. Apparently Toshi & Naoko made the rounds on the music shows, and if the above video is any indication, they had a pretty good time tripping the light fantastic. "Natsu Zakari Honoji Gumi" got as high as No. 5 on Oricon and was the 54th-ranked song for 1985. It would have been nice if the two had gotten on the Kohaku with their act.

Naoko Ken/Miyuki Nakajima -- Abayo （あばよ）

I recall fellow collaborator nikala writing about a Miyuki Nakajima（中島みゆき）song and remarking that the singer-songwriter's lyrics are often quite bittersweet (emphasis on the bitter) about romance and about the world at large. On reading this, I've started to notice that certain feeling with some of her songs and even the titles. And also with the song here.

"Abayo" (Farewell) was Naoko Ken's（研ナオコ）12th single from September 1976 which was written and composed by Nakajima, and I would probably say that it is downright bitter. The first two verses go as so:

There's nothing that says that guy is the world's best
As if nice guys were going out of style
For instance, over there in the neighbouring town
There are plenty of nice guys over there

So he's away today and tomorrow
What can you do if you're so hated
That he used such a transparent ruse
He's just putting on airs by saying farewell
Don't cry, don't cry, my love (for him)
That man, that man doesn't suit you

That sounds like a whole lot of "there's plenty of other fish in the sea" rationalization featuring a woman who's admonishing/reassuring herself in the mirror and not succeeding too well in the latter. She may be realizing that the marlin she just lost was perhaps the right guy for her after all.

I mentioned in a past Nakajima article that her melodies can sound either like a graceful ballet or a brusque tango no matter what the lyrics are like. After listening to "Abayo", perhaps I can also add in a country waltz. There's a certain rhythmic swish with this song that adds some lightness despite the sad lyrics, and although I had been expecting that certain usual raspiness to Ken's delivery to add to the bitter flavor, the recorded original version of "Abayo" also has the singer dancing nimbly through the words. Perhaps that raspiness might be more pronounced in her live performances.

"Abayo" became Ken's most successful hit in her career as it hit No. 1 on Oricon. It finished 1976 at No. 46 and then at the end of 1977, it even went higher by placing at No. 25. It won at least a few awards including a prize at the Japan Record Awards. It was also a track on Ken's 4th album, "Nakiwarai"（泣き笑い...Smiling Through The Tears） from August 1976 in which the entirety of the Side A songs were written and composed by Nakajima.

(cover version)

Nakajima herself did a slightly more gentle version of "Abayo" that, for me anyways, is somewhat closer to City Pop in sound. It even has that feeling that it ought to be listened to in a small cafe while it's raining outside (maybe it even sounds more European). Still, it has retained that waltzing lilt. Nakajima's cover was included as one of the tracks on her 1979 album, "Okaerinasai"（おかえりなさい...Welcome Home）, which was itself an album of covers of songs that she had created for other artists. It reached No. 2 on the album charts and became the 5th-most successful album for 1980.

Ken and Nakajima would work together again on the former's 16th single, "Kamome wa Kamome"（かもめはかもめ）, another trademark song for the singer.

Naoko Ken/Miyuki Nakajima -- Kamome wa Kamome （かもめはかもめ）

As I mentioned in the first article for singer/actress/tarento Naoko Ken（研ナオコ）, she has been seen being the zany comic cut-up on TV often with good buddy Ken Shimura. Ironically, I've also known her to be the singer of some really melancholy but beautiful songs. Case in point, allow me to introduce you to "Kamome wa Kamome" (A Seagull is a Seagull) which was written and composed by Miyuki Nakajima（中島みゆき）.

Released in March 1978 as Ken's 16th single, the heartbreaking ballad is a message on the lines of "I love you but I can never be with you". It's a grand torch song of a woman giving her final goodbyes to someone who was probably the closest to being the love of her life but ultimately the pair couldn't make it work. What's left is her pronouncing that she is the titular seagull flying solo never stopping anywhere for long.

At the time, Ken was making a comeback into the entertainment spotlight after about 6 months in exile due to suspicions of her possessing marijuana. Before the trouble, the singer had had her greatest success to date with her 12th single, "Abayo", back in 1976 which was also a Nakajima-created song. Nakajima once again helped Ken get another hit with "Kamome wa Kamome". Although it didn't become as big a hit as "Abayo"（あばよ...Farewell） had, it has become one of Ken's signature tunes. It won a Japan Record Award Gold Prize in 1978 and the singer was back on the NHK stage at the Kohaku Utagassen to sing it. Getting as high as No. 7 on the Oricon weeklies, it finished the year as the 39th-ranked entry, selling over 300,000 records.

However, "Kamome wa Kamome" was actually first released as one track on Ken's 5th album, "Kamome no You ni"（かもめのように...Like A Seagull） which came out in October 1977.

Listening to one of Ken's most famous songs, I could imagine and hear Nakajima through the melody and lyrics. And sure enough, from her April 1985 album, "Oiro Naoshi"（御色なおし...Change）, she gave her own cover version of "Kamome wa Kamome". Nakajima even one-ups Ken with her version of the song being turned into an epic organ-propelled musical elegy as if it were being used to remember a recently-departed dear friend. Not surprisingly, it's the song that ends the album....the only thing missing was the "Amen" at the very end. The album itself hit No. 1 and later became the 18th-ranked album of the year.

Naoko Ken/Southern All Stars -- Natsu wo Akiramete （夏をあきらめて）

I often took photographs within the schools I'd taught at....candid, slice-of-life stuff of the students having fun since I preferred those over the usual composed, "look-at-the-birdie" shots. When I showed one photo to the kids, they all laughed at one girl in the picture (as did the girl herself) since she was draped on the lounge sofa with her head on one arm of the couch looking resolutely sleepy. They all called her "ennui"....just like the French word for "boredom". But of course, when the Japanese take a "gairaigo" (foreign loan word), it takes on a certain nuance. "Ennui" in Japanese takes on a more studied meaning as in a person who has more money than he/she knows what to do with saying something like "Oh, bother....I am so consumed with tedium here on my chaise longue in the Hamptons. I should really go out and get some air. Oh, Jarvis! Hail the jet....I'll be having dim sum for dinner tonight in Hong Kong."

Uh, yeah. Anyways, whenever I hear "Natsu wo Akiramete" (Giving Up On The Summer) by Naoko Ken（研ナオコ）, I get that Japanese air of ennui. The song was written and composed by Keisuke Kuwata（桑田佳佑）of Southern All Stars (who provided hits as well for other singers at that time such as Mizue Takada and Masatoshi Nakamura), and Ken did her own cover of the originally SAS-sung song in September 1982. I guess it is the world-weary way that Ken sings it along with the sophisti-pop arrangement that has brought me to think of it in those French terms. And Kuwata's lyrics relate a mood of the melancholy ending of the hot season as I imagine the protagonist looking out the window of his/her hotel room and seeing the ominous clouds rolling in from the sea and assuming the end of some romance somewhere on the beach.

Naoko Ken, who hails from Shizuoka Prefecture, has been a staple not only on the music shows but also on the variety programs as well as a tarento and comedienne. In fact, I know her more as Japan's tomboyish-looking version of Carol Burnett coming up with a smart remark or completely bumbling around in physical comedy, notably with the notorious Ken Shimura（志村けん） from The Drifters. She debuted all the way back in 1971 but had her first big hit, "Guzu"（愚図） in 1975, thanks to songwriters Ryudo Ozaki and Yoko Aki（宇崎竜童・阿木耀子）, and then her biggest one with the Miyuki Nakajima（中島みゆき）-penned "Abayo"（あばよ） the following year.

"Natsu wo Akiramete" was Ken's 29th single which earned her a high place on the Oricon weeklies, reaching as high as No. 5. It also received a number of awards, including the Gold Prize at the 1982 Japan Record Awards, and an invitation onto the Kohaku Utagassen. In fact, that is where I first heard the song; it was kinda weird seeing Ken singing rather seriously on stage. On the yearly rankings, the song was ranked at No. 74 in 1982, but actually finished 1983 at No. 68.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCzTuNI7qik

As I mentioned above, the original version was sung by Kuwata....not as a single but as a track on Southern All Stars' 5th album, "Nude Man" which was released in July 1982. I had never heard Kuwata's version but it sounds less ennui-laden than the Ken cover and comes across to me as a straight-up pop ballad. In the lyrics, there is a shout-out to a hotel from his hometown of Chigasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture. In the 2nd verse, there is a reference to the "Pacific Hotel" which was actually The Pacific Park Chigasaki, a hotel that had been in operation from 1965 to 1988 and was once run by the father-son tandem of actors Ken Uehara and Yuzo Kayama. Sadly, the hotel was left to basically rot since its closing until its final teardown a decade later. Currently, an expensive condominium complex known as Pacific Garden now exists on the old site.