Takajin Yashiki -- Tokyo（東京）

 

Takajin Yashiki（やしきたかじん）left quite the legend behind when he passed away about a dozen years ago, and evidently, anyone who has ever met him knew where he/she stood with him fairly quickly. Of course, there was the whole thing about him not liking Tokyo or Tokyoites, but as I mentioned in my first article on the late singer "Yappa Sukiyanen"（やっぱ好きやねん）, I think it was more that he disliked certain media corporations in Tokyo and their ways rather than a blanket hatred for the city.

Speaking of his signature "Yappa Sukiyanen" from 1986, which seems to be the one song of his that still gets performed by some of his friends such as Yoshimi Tendo（天童よしみ）, I was surprised to realize that his April 1993 20th single "Tokyo" was his biggest hit, according to the song's J-Wiki entry. I actually first heard it last night on the weekly episode of "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新BS日本の歌）, and my eyebrows soared up on seeing the title and who the singer was considering what I noted in the first paragraph. However, I reminded himself that Yashiki didn't have any particular axe to grind when it came to Japan's capital itself.

Written by Neko Oikawa（及川眠子）and composed by Akihiko Kawakami（川上明彦）, Yashiki seemed to grab onto the words and music like a football and run to the end zone with it. It's quite the Latin-tinged pop song of greatly regretting that lost love in Tokyo, although going through the Kansai dialect-friendly lyrics, I sometimes wonder whether the protagonist was actually heartbreakingly lamenting no longer being in Tokyo anymore. 

"Tokyo" got no higher than No. 52 on Oricon and initially, sales weren't all that brisk. However, over the next few weeks, the requests to radio stations started flooding in and pretty soon, Takajin got noticed once more not just in the Osaka area but all throughout the nation.

Tomiko Kobayashi -- Kono Hi no Ame wo Wasurenai（この日の雨を忘れない）

 

It was only recently that I discovered that singer-songwriter Tomiko Kobayashi（小林登美子）had unfortunately died in 2022 at the age of 52. My belated condolences to her family, friends and fans.

As with the other entries of Kobayashi on the blog, this song also belongs to her September 1994 album "Soul Wonderland". "Kono Hi no Ame wo Wasurenai" (Won't Forget Today's Rain) was written by Neko Oikawa（及川眠子）and composed by the singer herself with Motoki Funayama（船山基紀）as the arranger. At first, I wasn't quite sure about the categorization: just straight funky R&B or do I play the City Pop card? Of nothing wrong with it at all...it starts off as a funk/pop combination powered by Kobayashi's vocals, but then I do get that feeling of swinging horn City Pop of the 1990s when the feeling was that the Bubble Era had never ended.

Kanako Wada -- Wake Up Dream

 

Ahhh....it's so nice to hear the velvet tones of Kanako Wada（和田加奈子）once more after so long. And the crazy thing is that this song "Wake Up Dream" was included on her "Golden Best" compilation but I never mentioned it in its article.

Well, allow me to rectify. "Wake Up Dream" was Wada's final single to date, released in July 1991, and it's been given the subtitle of "New Arrange Version". Thing is, I can't find the so-called "old arrange version" anywhere in her other singles or albums. But in any case, this arrangement is a fine one with that refreshing feeling of bossa nova in the morning. Haven't heard this in so long that hearing it again a few days ago brought some hairs to attention.

Neko Oikawa（及川眠子）was the lyricist while Hideya Nakazaki（中崎英也）took care of the soothing melody. Some very nice background vocals accompanying Wada's own lovely voice which would make it sound quite ideal for radio. The song was also used in a Morinaga Piknik ad; it looks to be some yogurt drink. Below is a commercial for the product but from 1987.

Keiko Yoshinari -- Itsuka Kagayaku（いつか輝く）

 

Despite my anime buddy's gift of "Magic Knight Rayearth"（魔法騎士レイアース）episodes some years ago, I never really cottoned onto the series for some reason. Not sure what it was but it never clicked with me. Mind you, the opening theme for Season 1, Naomi Tamura's（田村直美）"Yuzurenai Onegai"（ゆずれないお願い）, was so catchy that I ended up buying the CD single even before I realized that it had been used for the "Rayearth" franchise. A lot of my anime-watching friends even got really excited about her appearance on NHK's annual Kohaku Utagassen that year.

Well, recently, I discovered a song that had been used as the second ending theme for Season 2. Titled "Itsuka Kagayaku" (Shining Someday), this was sung by aidoru Keiko Yoshinari（吉成圭子）as her 3rd and final single from October 1995. Written by Neko Oikawa（及川眠子）and composed by Touben Yukawa（湯川トーベン）, it's a mid-tempo pop tune with some interesting chord progressions that kinda hint at something urban contemporary.

Yoshinari made her debut in 1991 and in the following year, she became the first leader of the aidoru group Seifuku Kojo Iinkai（制服向上委員会...Uniform Improvement Committee） for the first two years of its initial fourteen-year existence. Along with those three solo singles and a 1991 single under the name Keiko Yoshinari & Ripples, she had two studio albums in 1995 and 1997. She then retired from show business in 1997.

Rieko Miura -- Rakuen no Tricot（楽園のトリコ）

 

Well, I did have the above CD cover as the photo of the week in the upper-right corner for about a week so I figure that at least I should find out what the song is all about. I've not covered aidoru Rieko Miura（三浦理恵子）before now.

The tune is associated as an image song with an interesting anime created by Italian production companies and broadcast on NHK from 1994 to 1995. Titled "Montana Jones"（モンタナ・ジョーンズ）, it was about anthromorphized cats with an adventurous streak, and yes, the show was inspired by a famous Hollywood hero-adventurer. 

Not sure how Miura's "Rakuen no Tricot" fit in as an image song for "Montana Jones". Perhaps it was placed as a track in the soundtrack or a character song album. However, the aidoru's 8th single from August 1994 is a cheerful and bubbly tune with some cool horns to add some urban jazziness to the proceedings. Written by Hirofumi Nagatomo（長友博文）and Neko Oikawa（及川ネコ）with Minoru Komorita（小森田実）and Hiroshi Shinkawa（新川博）handling composition and arrangement duties respectively, though I wouldn't quite place it as a 90s City Pop song, there is something of the caviar and champagne in there. Incidentally, I had to dig a tad to find out what a tricot was...apparently, it's some sort of knitted fabric so I gather that "Rakuen no Tricot" can be translated as "Paradise Fabric". It peaked at No. 38 on Oricon.

Miura went on a solo aidoru career once her group CoCo called it quits in 1994. However, I recall seeing her more on television as a tarento, although she would continue releasing albums and singles on her own until 1997.

Wink -- Eien no Lady Doll ~ Voyage, Voyage（永遠のレディードール）

 

Happy Monday! It's been over five years since I put up a Wink article outside of any inclusions of their material within an Author's Pick or a ROY. So, definitely, long time no see.

Heading toward the mid-1990s, Sachiko Suzuki and Shoko Aida's（鈴木早智子・相田翔子）star as the porcelain doll aidoru duo was no longer in the ascendant. Being in Toronto in those years before heading off to Japan once more, I didn't really hear much from Wink so I only heard about this 17th single (February 1993) by them only recently. In their grand tradition of doing cover tunes, such as Bobby Caldwell's "Special to Me", Kylie Minogue's "Turn It Into Love" and Kool & The Gang's big hit "Joanna" (the last song that I wrote about Wink on KKP), Suzuki and Aida sang "Eien no Lady Doll ~ Voyage, Voyage".

What kinda stood out to me is that this No. 19-ranking song didn't have the usual Eurobeat sound that I had been accustomed to hearing by Wink in their heyday at the turn of the decade (although the feathery vocals were still intact). However it did possess some moody technopop rhythms thanks to Motoki Funayama's（船山基紀）arrangement accompanying Neko Oikawa's（及川ネコ）lyrics. And those were the responsibility of the original composers, Dominique Dubois and Jean-Michel Rivat.

Yes, indeed, from those names, "Voyage, Voyage" was originally a French synthpop song released by singer Desireless back in 1986. The song became a multinational hit across Europe for a couple of years following its release with No. 1 rankings in Norway, Austria, West Germany, and Spain (in France, it peaked at No. 2). The music video struck me as being an absinthe-fueled dream perfect for a case study in Psychology 200. If a biopic were ever made of the life and times of Desireless, then I want Cate Blanchett to be the star!

Kawai Fujii -- Hitoyo Momo Iro（一夜桃色）

 

When I first encountered this song called "Hitoyo Momo Iro" by singer Kawai Fujii（藤井香愛）some months ago, that title reminded me of another tune from a few decades prior. Mariko Takahashi's（高橋真梨子）"Momo Iro Toiki"（桃色吐息）was probably that singer's biggest hit, although there are other tunes by her that I've enjoyed much more. Still, one thing that was niggling at me was the "momo iro"（桃色）part which translates as "peach-coloured". Both songs are treated as love ballads, but I've never associated peach with love.

However, when I looked up Jisho.org, I found out that "momo iro" can also refer to "pink" which has been associated with love and sex in Japan. Then I scrolled down further and saw the expression "momo iro yuugi"（桃色遊戯）which is translated as "sex play". Personally, my safety word will always remain "apples". 🍎😍

Regardless, "Hitoyo Momo Iro", which I guess can be translated as "One Night of Passion", is Fujii's 4th and most recent single which was released in January 2022. Written by Neko Oikawa（及川ネコ）and composed by Kohei Miyuki（幸耕平）, Fujii tenderly philosophizes about love and that night. The arrangement by Masayuki Sakamoto（坂本昌之）has that light and wistful Mood Kayo or perhaps a Neo-Kayo, somewhat reminiscent of some of the songs that enka singer Sachiko Kobayashi（小林幸子）had been singing back in the 1980s. "Hitoyo Momo Iro" peaked at No. 14 on Oricon.

Little Black Dress -- Gyakuten no Regina（逆転のレジーナ）

 

The above is a trailer for the June 17th 2022 theatrical OVA version of one of the "Kaito Queen"（怪盗クイーン...Mirage Queen） novel series which began in 2002. Specifically, according to Wikipedia, the adaptation is of the first novel, "Kaito Queen wa Circus ga O-suki"（怪盗クイーンはサーカスがお好き..."Mirage Queen Aime Cirque"）. Additionally, from the website "My Anime List", I found out that the whole ball of wax involves a charismatic phantom thief queen who travels on an airship looking for treasure to pillage and adventures to experience. For this particular episode, the Queen has to match wits and guile with a bunch of talented and shrewd circus performers.

Now, I'd never heard of either the novel series or this particular OVA. The information came by when I was doing the research for its theme song "Gyakuten no Regina" (The Queen Turns the Tables) performed by Little Black Dress who also showed up on "Uta Con"（うたコン）a few nights ago right after Goro Noguchi（野口五郎）.

Back in the fall last year, I wrote my first article on Little Black Dress when she had appeared on "Uta Con" for the first time as a young musician who also enjoyed the old kayo. Her 2nd indies digital download single "Nora Ningen"（野良ニンゲン）from June 2019 had me thinking of Misia when it came to her vocalization, while the song had some Ringo Shiina（椎名林檎）vibes. However, as for "Gyakuten no Regina" which is her 3rd major single that came out on June 8th this year, the NHK host introduced the song as an example of Reiwa Era City Pop. 

Hmmm...perhaps I'll have to hear some more examples of this Reiwa City Pop but I'll still throw in the label of City Pop since the composer is none other than Tetsuji Hayashi（林哲司）, a master of the genre's melodies (and he has already made an appearance on KKP earlier today). Neko Oikawa（及川眠子）took care of the lyrics with Akimitsu Honma（本間昭光）handling arrangement. But no complaints at all about the dynamic "Gyakuten no Regina" with the horns; there's something quite Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra here (with no ska, though), and I do like the suspense infused into it.

EVE -- Joseph Joseph

 

Going back into the time vaults for this one since the first time that "Joseph Joseph" got its due from the record player was all the way back in 1938 thanks to The Andrews Sisters.

Actress/singer Nellie Casman and her husband, playwright Schlomo Steinberg, first came up with their big hit "Yossel, Yossel" in 1923 but it got a name change years later and popularized through The Andrews Sisters. The whole story involves a maid who's getting more and more frustrated over the fact that her beau Joseph won't state the obvious and settle down with her. Sounds like many an anime female character.

Back in late July, I noted that the Shinzato sisters under their vocal group name of EVE tackled an emotion-drenched Mood Kayo song with an 80s urban contemporary twist titled "Namida no Night in Tokyo"（涙のNIGHT IN TOKYO）. Well, this time around as their 7th single in October 1990, EVE decided to take a page out of The Andrews Sisters' playbook and go with some jazz in their own cover of "Joseph Joseph". 

With Japanese lyrics by Neko Oikawa（及川眠子）and arrangement by Shiro Sagisu（鷺巣詩郎）, EVE's take on "Joseph Joseph" isn't just about the jazz. There is some of what sounds like New Jack Swing thrown in there and a growling electric guitar for a teaspoon of rock. Maybe this was one of the ancestors for all of that Electro Swing that got hatched years later just before I returned from Japan for good. "Joseph Joseph" was also included in the trio's 5th original album "EVE" released at the same time as the single.

Before I finish off, though, I also have to say that I really enjoy this gypsy jazz version of "Joseph Joseph" by the Gypsy Swing Revue through their "I Love Paris" album of October 2016.

Tomiko Kobayashi -- Koi suru Magic Power（恋するマジックパワー）

 

I completely forgot that I'd actually written about singer Tomiko Kobayashi（小林登美子）almost three years ago for her "Natsu e no Express"（夏へのエクスプレス）.

Well, as with that track on her "Soul Wonderland" album from September 1994, "Koi suru Magic Power" (Loving Magic Power) is also another brassy uptempo tune. With music by Kazuki Katagiri（片桐和紀）, words by Neko Oikawa（及川眠子）and arrangement by Motoki Funayama（船山基紀）, I think this particular track has less City Pop than "Natsu e no Express" but even more of that ol' Motown sound. That's good with me, too, and once again, I get those Keizo Nakanishi（中西圭三）vibes.

That author on the "90s City Pop Record Book" site mentioned in his February 2017 article on "Soul Wonderland" that any sightings for the album have been rare, so if you're lucky to come across it online or even on a dusty shelf in an old/used CD shop in Japan, grab it.

Mai Mizuki (Mayuko Hosoe) -- Hanataba（花束 ）

Found another one of those singers that has been under the radar all these years.

Mayuko Hosoe*（細江真由子）hails from Shiga Prefecture and from a young age, she was taking singing and Japanese dancing lessons while also learning kendo. She has made her trade as an enka singer all these years but when she debuted in 1992, it was as an aidoru just before her 18th birthday.

However, her debut single, "Hanataba" (Bouquet) from February 1992, doesn't sound anything like an aidoru tune or a typical enka song. I would say that it probably fit more into the Mood Kayo mold with some urban contemporary influences...a brand of Japanese sophisticated pop. Even back then, the singer's voice didn't really come across as anything teenybopper. In the J-Wiki profile, it's said that Hosoe soon made the transition into a category called Adult Music which is a hybrid genre of enka and pop music, so perhaps "Hanataba" is an example of this. The song itself was created by lyricist Neko Oikawa（及川眠子）and composer Kisaburo Suzuki（鈴木キサブロー）.

I also found out that even before "Hanataba", there had been a prior release of a single under the name Mayuko Mine（峰真由子）. However, under her real name of Mayuko Hosoe, a total of 7 singles were released up to 2000. Three years later, though, she made a comeback under the new stage name of Mai Mizuki（みずき舞）and was releasing singles up to 2014.

*The kanji for her family name「細江」 has a couple of readings. There is Hosoe but it can also be read Sasae. Again, if anyone knows the correct reading, please let me know as confirmation.

Wink -- Joanna

I had breakfast with the parents at a nearby Eggsmart this morning, a local diner chain which has a pretty sumptuous Classic of eggs, sausages, potatoes and toast with bottomless cups of coffee (of course). My doctor doesn't like me having the stuff, but I like it. And didn't I say last week that my bad cholesterol went out a tad? I'll take any points I can get.

My intro here is to talk about the old Kool & The Gang song, "Joanna" from 1983. It was about as warm and sweet as the maple syrup that my Dad used to pour on his buttermilk pancakes, and the official music video took place in an old-fashioned diner where the titular Joanna, beloved owner, was serving the band and her favourite customers. "Joanna" also got lots of love from listeners (hit No. 1 with a bullet on the US Billboard R&B charts) and it was so very nice to hear that mellow trombone near the end again. I remember the video being shown over and over again on the local channels.

Well, hello Wink! It's been a while. I was surprised many years later when I bought my copy of their "Twin Memories" album and found out that the duo did a cover of "Joanna". Although Kool & The Gang will always corner the market with their hit, I think Wink...specifically Sachiko Suzuki（鈴木早智子）who handled the main vocal part...did a pretty nice job with the song. And I gotta give some respect to Neko Oikawa（及川眠子）who provided the Japanese lyrics. Suzuki sounded quite smooth singing them.

"Twin Memories" came out in December 1989. If I'm not mistaken, it was the first Wink album that I ever purchased while I was in my little town of Tsukiyono. It peaked at No. 2 on Oricon.

CoCo/DoCo -- Omoide ga Ippai （思い出がいっぱい）

Well, I gotta say that it isn't everyday that two beloved anison produced years apart share the exact same title. Therefore, today will be that special day. The one that I've already known about for years is "Omoide ga Ippai" by the folk-pop duo, H2O, the touching ballad that ended the anime "Miyuki"（みゆき）back in the early 1980s and has since become a graduation ceremony favourite, usually guaranteed to induce tears in the students.

"Ranma 1/2"（らんま1/2）is an anime that even I have heard about but only through reputation based on the original manga by Rumiko Takahashi（高橋留美子）. Even so, I have been listening to the theme song, also titled "Omoide ga Ippai" (Full of Memories) for the second entry of the anime franchise, "Ranma 1/2 Nettohen"（らんま1/2 熱闘編...The Fierce Fighting Edition） which went on for almost 3 years (1989-1992). The song often came up as part of my anime buddy's anison hour and I've got it in my collection of anison without having known its source for a number of years.

The aidoru group CoCo recorded the original version as the coupling song to their 3rd single "Natsu no Tomodachi"（夏の友達...Summer Friends） from May 1990. Written by Neko Oikawa（及川眠子）and composed by Masayuki Iwata（岩田雅之）, the cute anison sounds like something Misato Watanabe（渡辺美里）would have sung in her junior high school days; I think it is the synths that make me think that way. The single peaked at No. 3.

But to be honest with you, my preference is for the cover version by the female seiyuu from the cast of "Ranma 1/2". Forming the quintet DoCo in 1990, the members were Kikuko (17 forever) Inoue（井上喜久子）, Noriko Hidaka（日高のり子）, Megumi Hayashibara（林原めぐみ）, Minami Takayama（高山みなみ）and Rei Sakuma（佐久間レイ）. Their "Omoide ga Ippai" was recorded for one of the franchise's OVAs "Super Vol. 2" in November 1995.

For me, the difference was just the added depth in DoCo's performance when they recorded it and that soaring instrumental bridge near the end. Incidentally, when asked how their collective name, similar to CoCo, was created, the answer provided was apparently that "D" was next after "C". Plus, there is the fact that the Japanese word "koko" means "here" whereas "doko" means "where".

Anyways, let's finish up with CoCo's performance.

Wink -- Namida wo Misenaide ~ Boys Don't Cry （涙をみせないで）

I wrote my first article about Wink for "Kayo Kyoku Plus" back in August 2012, and it was about their smash hit "Samishii Nettaigyo"（淋しい熱帯魚）which came out in July 1989 just a few weeks before arriving in Japan. As I said in that article back then, I will say again here that  "Samishii Nettaigyo" will always be the song for the duo of Shoko Aida and Sachiko Suzuki（相田翔子・鈴木早智子） considering how extensive their appearances were on TV. In addition, I think it was from that big breakthrough that I had that ultimate image of the ladies in their emotionless porcelain doll poses and somewhat angular choreography.

So it was rather strange when I bought the VHS tape of their 1st compilation of their music videos, "Heart On Wave" and saw the above video of their 4th single, "Namida wo Misenaide" (Don't Show Me Your Tears) from March 1989. It was the single immediately preceding "Samishii Nettaigyo" and the video had the ladies just looking oh-so-genki and bouncy. Quite the contrast from what was to come. And I think I had to adjust the color control settings while the video was playing as well.

"Namida wo Misenaide" was given Japanese lyrics by Neko Oikawa（及川眠子）. And it was another hit for the Wink girls as it hit No. 1 on the Oricon weeklies for 3 straight weeks and became the 10th-ranked song of the year. The above video is one of their performances on TV. I've always wondered what those orchestra members must be thinking when they are just watching the singers performing in front of them to the pre-recorded backing track without any need for their help.

As was the case with some of Wink's earlier material, "Namida wo Misenaide" was actually a cover of a Eurobeat tune. The originating band this time was Moulin Rouge from Slovenia which first started in 1985 and is still active today. Producer and keyboardist Matjaž Kosi was the one behind the music with vocalist Alenka Šmid-Čena singing the lyrics for what was their 3rd single in 1988.

Yoko Takahashi -- Zankoku na Tenshi no Tehze （残酷な天使のテーゼ）

Well, another anime season has come and gone...so, a fond farewell to shows like "Hibike! Euphonium" and "Fate Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works", and welcome to the new summer season. One of the shows that my anime buddy introduced to me was something called "Sore ga Seiyuu!" about the trials, tribulations and thrills of a trio of voice actors trying to get that break in the industry. The first episode was...OK. There was nothing particularly incredible. It was just the usual cute characters, including the lead who looked curiously like the goofy Yuki Nagato from "Nagato Yuki-chan no Shoushitsu", and a similarity to "Shiro Bako". However, what got my interest was at the very end when the actual seiyuu finished up with the jolly ending theme that will include an excerpt from a famous anison each week. The producers couldn't have done better to start off the series with a rather beloved song.

Yup, hearing the ladies sing "Zankoku na Tenshi no Tehze" (A Cruel Angel's Thesis) definitely perked up my eyes and ears. And I was never an Evangelion fan, either. The anime "Neon Genesis Evangelion" started up a month before I arrived in Japan in November 1994 for my longer second stint as an English teacher. However, since I didn't get into anime during my time there, it would be months before I started noticing that word "Evangelion" being bandied about on the telly and then seeing the gigantic posters of one Rei Ayanami and the Evangelion all over Akihabara. I kinda thought the latter was a mecha as designed by Charles Addams...there was something quite Lurch-like about it.

The piece de resistance was then the opening theme itself. Whenever I watched TBS' "Countdown TV" in the wee hours of Sunday morning, it seemed that "Zankoku na Tenshi no Tehze" would always be showing up in the rankings over and over for weeks and weeks on end. For an anison, I thought that the song had gone further up the Oricon list than it actually did which was No. 27 at its peak. But it was a very long resident on the charts as it placed at No. 191 in 1995 when it was released in October of that year (a whole year after the show began?!), No. 161 in 1996 and then No. 156 in 1997.

Just a brief detour, but the opening credits for "Neon Genesis Evangelion" were something that I had only discovered quite recently. They were very well done so I guess I am indeed a sucker for quick-cut openings with a killer theme song..."Mission: Impossible" and "Space: 1999" come to mind here.

Amazing thing that "Zankoku" came out almost 20 years ago. Aside from the other "Evangelion" theme that Yoko Takahashi（高橋洋子）sang, "Kokoro yo Genshi ni Modore" (心よ原始に戻れ), this song is the only other contribution I know by her. Neko Oikawa（及川眠子）provided the lyrics, and she is the one who wrote up a number of songs for the late80s/early 90s aidoru duo, Wink, including their famous hit, "Samishii Nettaigyo"（淋しい熱帯魚）back in 1989. Meanwhile Toshiyuki Omori（大森俊之）took care of the melody which seems to have that successful mix of Tetsuya Komuro（小室哲哉）and late 80s anison. It may not have actually cracked the Top 10 on Oricon but it did make TV Asahi's list of the Top 100 Anime Songs at No. 55. And I gather that the anime fans would have probably stood up and saluted if the song were played at any convention.

Yes, indeedy...get those glowsticks out!

And those amazing opening credits were just ripe for parody...even on live-action TV.

One of the craziest things that I read regarding "Zankoku" on the Wikipedia writeup was that initially during production of "Evangelion", director Hideaki Anno had apparently wanted to use excerpts from Borodin's "Polovetsian Dances No. 2" as the opening theme. My boyhood memories suddenly bubbled up at that cheap commercial (that you see above) I used to see for years and years where the old fellow explained how the 50s standard ballad of "Stranger In Paradise" was adapted from "Polovetsian Dances". The crazier thing was that a recording of "Stranger In Paradise" was something that I had heard even earlier on the old RCA Victor over and over. Y'know...I did like both versions but frankly, I'm happy that Yoko Takahashi got her chance for the anime.

Yoko Takahashi's backup singers?

Hikaru Nishida -- Namida no PEARL MOON (涙のPEARL MOON)

Since I wrote about Hikaru Nishida’s (西田ひかる) “Kitto Ai ga Aru” (きっと愛がある), I wished to write a second article about her, but this time from one of the late 80s songs she released. So, as I was finally able to buy the single, it was time to talk about “Namida no PEARL MOON”.

“Namida no PEARL MOON” was Hikaru’s sixth single, released in October 1989, and just like a bunch of songs of its time, it incorporated Eurobeat elements in the arrangement.

Although not noisy or frantic like the traditional Eurobeat songs, “Namida no PEARL MOON” is a melancholic pop song with some electronic touches thrown here and there. The pace is great and Hikaru, as a talented aidoru singer who never achieved the success she deserved, unleashed what was necessary to make this a great sentimental aidoru-pop song. Based on that, it’s probably my favourite among her songs, and she really had other nice works, such as the fun and playful “Pun Pun Pun” (プンプンプン) the already-profiled “Kitto Ai ga Aru”, and also her only Top Ten hit, “Tokimeite” (ときめいて).

Personally, I associate “Namida no PEARL MOON” with aidoru’s decay during the late 80s/early 90s. Not decay in the sense of something that became bad through time, but rather a feeling from someone who, in retrospective, knows that the good aidoru days were ending. So, it’s more or less some sort of lament... in fact, the melancholic melody in the chorus alongside the late 80s synths are also contributing factors to this feeling.

Then, “Namida no PEARL MOON” is, for me, the simbolically representation of the last swan song from the bubble-era aidoru world.

Far from being a hit, the single reached only #57 on the Oricon charts. Lyrics were written by popular aidoru lyricist Neko Oikawa (及川眠子), while music was composed by Hideya Nakazaki (中崎英也). As for the arrangement, Tetsu Nakamura (中村哲) was the responsible.

cute Hikaru-chan

Wink -- Sexy Music

Originally a song recorded in 1981 by the Irish girl group The Nolans, “Sexy Music” was covered by Wink in March 1990. If the original version, with all the violins, horns and powerful vocals, represents heat and energy, Wink’s version, full of synthesizers and smooth vocals, is cold and mysterious.

An interesting detail is to think about the song’s title, as Wink’s image, comprised mostly of 19th century Victorian clothes and apathetic facial expressions, is far from being considered “sexy” (maybe the lyrics could clarify some aspects about what sexy really means in the context of Wink and the “Sexy Music” song). Moreover, we can associate it with the original music video (you can watch it at the beginning), a true odyssey of dated visual effects, in which the girls are apparently in a parallel dimension performing “Sexy Music”. In spite of being dated, we can see the team’s effort to match Wink’s expressionless personas with the video’s vibe. And they surely had a strong impulse to be creative and effective, because Wink was a very popular aidoru duo during the late 80s/early 90s.

For the ones who, like me, loves live performances, here’s Wink performing “Sexy Music” on the amazing Yoru no Hit Studio.

To finish, here’s the original “Sexy Music” by The Nolans. It’s a great disco-pop song.

“Sexy Music” reached #1 on the Oricon charts, selling 329,090 copies (it was Wink's 5th consecutive #1 hit single, but also their last one). The single also reached #24 on the yearly Oricon chart for 1990. Japanese lyrics were written by Neko Oikawa (及川眠子), music was composed by Ben Findon, Mike Myers and Bob Puzey, and, for the arrangement, Satoshi Kadokura (門倉聡) was the responsible. "Sexy Music" was later remixed into a funkier tune for Wink's "Velvet" album, and was also included in a number of Wink's compilations. One of them is the great "WINK MEMORIES 1988-1996", which you can see a picture below. As for the original version of “Sexy Music” performed by The Nolans, it was released as a single exclusively in Japan in March 1981. Their version was a commercial hit, reaching #7 on the Japanese charts, with 270,000 copies sold.

Yoko Takahashi/Megumi Hayashibara -- Kokoro yo Genshi ni Modore (心よ原始に戻れ)

“Kokoro yo Genshi ni Modore” (心よ原始に戻れ) is probably a well known song in the anime fandom, because it's an image song for the "Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth" 1997 movie. As the title of the post suggests, I’m going to introduce two different renditions of this song, both released around the same time. The original one, sang by Yoko Takahashi (高橋洋子), is the b-side of her famous “Tamashii no Rufuran” (魂のルフラン) single, released in February 1997. The other version is sang by Megumi Hayashibara (林原めぐみ) and  it's an album track of her best-selling album, “Iravati”, released in August 1997. An ethereal downtempo version of “Tamashii no Rufuran” is also included in “Iravati”, but that’s not subject for today.

About the original version, featured at the beginning of the post, I can say that Yoko’s voice is very strong. The arrangement is upbeat and rich, with lots of cool electronic elements thrown here and there. The chorus is made of call and response sentences between the singer and the backing vocalists, which is very nice. Finally, the violin (not 100% sure if it's a violin) introduced at the last minute of the song is just beautiful. It's probably my favorite part of this version.

Now, let’s check out Megumi’s version. Listen to it below.

Megumi’s version, called “Kokoro yo Genshi ni Modore (Naked Flower Version)”, in contrast, is not as upbeat as the original. The arrangement is filled with latin elements and a mystic atmosphere pervades it. About Megumi’s voice, it’s ethereal and gentle at the same time, which I find truly amazing (in my opinion, it’s one of her best vocal performances). Moreover, the call and response chorus is even more evident in this version, because the slower arrangement fits it better (in my opinion, of course). I’m probably being biased as Megumi is my favorite singer, but I find her version way more beautiful than the original. Being fair with Yoko, though, we can’t really compare the versions because both are different with very distinct vibes.

As my humble Japanese music knowledge started mostly with Megumi Hayashibara, her version was the first one I came across when I got a huge MP3 file with all of her albums in very low quality back in 2005. But shortly after, I discovered Yoko’s original recording. At the time, I enjoyed both and listened to them a lot. I dare to say that I used to listen to Yoko's version more times because it's upbeat and I was not very fond of ballads and slow songs back then. Nowadays I listen to Megumi’s version with more frequency than Yoko’s one, which reflects my preference. The fact that I own Megumi’s “Iravati” helps a lot too as I really like to sit on the couch and listen to an album while looking at the booklets and photo books that are part of the package. All in all, “Kokoro yo Genshi ni Modore” is a great song and both versions are offering something different to the listener.

Yoko’s “Tamashii no Rufuran” single reached #3 on the Oricon charts, selling over 631,320 copies. It also reached #41 on the yearly chart of 1997. As for Megumi’s “Iravati” album, it reached #5 on the Oricon charts, selling 277,060 copies (source: generasia). It’s important to note that “Iravati” isn’t only Hayashibara’s best-selling album, but still is the best-selling seiyuu album of all time. “Kokoro yo Genshi ni Modore” was written by Neko Oikawa (及川眠子), while the composition and arrangement were made by Toshiyuki Ohmori (大森俊之). Hayashibara’s “Naked Flower Version” was also arranged by Ohmori.

To finish the article, here's a photo of my own copy of Megumi's "Iravati" album. It came with a  slipcase and a hardcover photo book, which is always very nice.

CoCo -- EQUAL Romance (EQUALロマンス)

I remember that “EQUAL Romance” (EQUALロマンス), by aidoru group CoCo, was the first “old” Japanese song that I ever listened. It was used as the second ending theme for the anime Ranma ½ (らんま1/2), which I was watching at the time.

About the particular performance chosen to start the article, I was very lucky to find it on YouTube, because it was the one that I saw while listening to the song for the first time back in 2006. My first reaction was “WOW! THAT’S KINDA OLD”. We can surely understand this reaction because, at the time, I was not accustomed of seeing girls wearing those kinds of clothes with cute little smiles on their faces while dancing inside a strange blue box lost in the middle of a black background. In general, aidoru culture was just something new and strange for me.

“EQUAL Romance” was CoCo’s debut single back in July 1989. As for the song, it is a typical aidoru synth-pop tune of the late 80s, with some cute vocals and a girly melody behind it. I really like it. It’s just a happy-go-lucky song from the end of the so called aidoru era.

To be honest, though, CoCo’s discography, as a whole, is not my everyday cup of tea. But I must confess that the group and some of their songs are cute and fun. And if purity and naivety are two of the top aidoru qualities, CoCo surely succeeds on it. Their faces and expressions just make the spectator want to take care of them.

“EQUAL Romance” reached #7 on the weekly Oricon charts, selling 119,140 copies. It also reached #82 on the yearly Oricon chart for 1989 (source: generasia). The song was later included on CoCo’s first album, “Strawberry”. As for the lyrics, they were written by Neko Oikawa (及川眠子). The music was composed by Mioko Yamaguchi (山口美央子) and the arrangement was made by Satoshi Nakamura (中村哲).

Wink -- Ai ga Tomaranai (愛が止まらない）

When I landed in Japan in 1989, the airwaves were often punctuated with Wink's big hit at that time, "Samishii Nettaigyo"（淋しい熱帯魚）which had been released on July 5. That initial image as living dolls has always been my image of them. But if I had arrived some months earlier, I would've had a slightly different feeling about them.

"Ai ga Tomaranai"(Love Doesn't Stop) is the duo's most successful single to date. Their third single reached the top spot after its release in November 1988 and became the 5th-ranked single for 1989. But getting back to my statement in the last paragraph about a different feeling about them. I bought a VHS tape of Wink's music videos up to and including "One Night in Heaven", and so I got to see "Ai ga Tomaranai"for the first time. Sachiko and Shoko were definitely a lot looser in their choreography, although those scenes in the shop window kinda foreshadowed how they would be performing in the next year. And of course, their cute earnest looks were there. For all intents and purposes, Wink was the Japanese conduit to that dance genre of Eurobeat for me which brought a bit of nostalgia since my university dances and all those trips to the Toronto discos back in the mid-80s (it wasn't always Kuri on Friday nights) were filled with the sounds of Stock, Aitken and Waterman via Bananarama and Kylie Minogue and Rick Astley (yeah, like my group wasn't exactly too hardcore when it came to nightclubs).

Speaking of Kylie, Wink's "Ai ga Tomaranai"was the Japanese cover of Ms. Minogue's "Turn It Into Love", which was the B-side to "I Should Be So Lucky", released nearly a year before. Feel free to make a comparison.