Teruhiko Aoi/Miyoko Yoshimoto -- Sentimental Carnival（センチメンタル・カーニバル）

 

Another blistering day out there. As such, this has been the earliest that our family has pulled out the air conditioner and activated it. Mind you, from tomorrow, the high temperatures will plummet like rocks for the rest of the week, but that's OK. We'll be happy to have the AC on standby for the eventual summer that does arrive.

A couple of days ago, I was watching "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新BS日本のうた）and encountered a new song that I hadn't heard before titled "Sentimental Carnival" by Teruhiko Aoi（あおい輝彦）. Listening to it on the show and then hearing it on YouTube, I had assumed that it was a Group Sounds/pop creation from the 1960s, only to realize that Aoi had released it as his 14th single in June 1977. Yes, the very first "Star Wars" movie is older than this song. 

But as written and composed by Toshiro Abe（阿部敏郎）, it's still quite the jangly and twist-happy tune. Yesterday, I wrote about The Tube's "Midnight Beach" and how the seashore at night can make for a romantic setting. Well, I gather that the same can be had for the annual carnival although folks will be a lot busier on the rides or just strolling hand-in-hand through the various games and concession stands. With the snappy arrangement by Shunichi Makaino（馬飼野俊一）, "Sentimental Carnival" was Aoi's final Top 10 hit, peaking at No. 8 and eventually becoming the 53rd-ranked single of 1977.

Eleven years later, "Sentimental Carnival" was covered by aidoru Miyoko Yoshimoto（芳本美代子）as her own 14th single in June 1988. As arranged by Shiro Sagisu（鷺巣詩郎）, it was given some snazzy contemporizing with synths, syn-drums and sharp horns, and it earned the snaggle-toothed lass a No. 20 ranking on Oricon. Maybe it's just me, but I think Yoshimoto's voice seems a fair bit more mature here.

Rumiko Koyanagi -- Sakura Zensen（桜前線）

By contri via Wikimedia Commons

This saying has been making the rounds in Toronto for a few weeks now: maybe we're done with winter but winter isn't done with us. And sure enough, it isn't. We're getting another dumping of the white stuff including some freezing rain, and the high temperature come Tuesday will be -6 degrees Celsius. Just makes one want to flee for the warm and fuzzy, doesn't it?

Today signifies the Ides of March and thus we are still about a week away from official spring, but hopefully viewers will forgive me if I opt to jump the gun and get some spring here on KKP. We have Candies' "Haru Ichiban" (春一番）and Yoshie Kashiwabara's（柏原芳恵）"Haru Nanoni" (春なのに）as prime representatives of the season. However, I also found this proud harbinger for spring recently.

"Sakura Zensen" (Cherry Blossom Front) was Rumiko Koyanagi's（小柳ルミ子）17th single from January 1976 (so I guess the songwriters were also pushing for an early spring back then, too, huh?), and it's notable for that sharp trumpet heralding the coming of spring and perhaps better things to come. Within Koutarou Aso's（麻生香太郎）lyrics, there is reference to a past love that became part of history during the dark winter but also a look forward to warmth, high school baseball season and of course those hothouse strawberries...all in the prefecture of Kagoshima.

Koji Tokuhisa（徳久広司）took care of the melody while Shunichi Makaino（馬飼野俊一）was the arranger. "Sakura Zensen" maanged to peak at No. 21 on Oricon, and apparently though it didn't get onto one of Koyanagi's studio albums, it has been included in some of her BEST collections.

Masako Mori -- Tachimachi Misaki（立待岬）

by Benlisquare via Wikimedia Commons

I heard this one several weeks ago on an episode of NHK's "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新BS日本の歌）and it was my first time with it. Not only that, I hadn't heard a Masako Mori（森昌子）song in quite a while, so I just had to add it to the KKP collection.

"Tachimachi Misaki" (Cape Tachimachi) is Mori's 39th single from August 1982 and it's a go-touchi song of the titular geological formation found just southeast of Mount Hakodate in Hokkaido (officially, it represents the city of Hakodate). As soon as I also read in its J-Wikipedia article that it juts out into the Tsugaru Strait, I realized right there and then that this would be an enka/kayo kyoku regarding lost love. After all, the Tsugaru Strait seems to be the go-to spot for sighing over heartbreak as in perhaps what is the most famous example, Sayuri Ishikawa's（石川さゆり）"Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyu Geshiki"（津軽海峡・冬景色）.

Written by Ou Yoshida（吉田旺）, composed by Keisuke Hama（浜圭介）and arranged by Shunichi Makaino（馬飼野俊一）, "Tachimachi Misaki" has certainly got the dramatic brio as Mori pines for that one that got away (the wailing chorus helps). But then again, something as dramatic as this cape should get something equivalent. And it was lauded for it as the song reached No. 36 on Oricon and won the Grand Prize at the Masao Koga Memorial Music Awards for that year. Plus, it would serve as Mori's invitation for her 10th consecutive appearance at NHK's Kohaku Utagassen.

Cherish -- Bijutsukan（美術館）

 

First off, my compliments to YouTuber Glasbo for his video of the Art Gallery of Ontario. I have to admit that I haven't visited one of Toronto's big highlights in nearly fifty years. My Grade 6 class visited the AGO in 1976 on a field trip, and I remember that the tour included a class activity which involved us splitting into pairs with one partner going into a huge black fabric sack and molding each other into some sort of Henry Moore-esque sculpture. I don't think that would wash nowadays.

Anyways, that preamble ramble was for the song of this article, "Bijutsukan" (Art Gallery) by the folk duo Cherish（チェリッシュ）. A track from their 1973 album "Cherish no Chiisana Koi no Monogatari"（チェリッシュの小さな恋の物語...Cherish's Little Love Story）, it's a wistful song beautifully sung by the pair as they describe a woman making her way to the titular art gallery to assuage some of those melancholy feelings after a romantic breakup. Well, at least it's cheaper than running away on a train to the Tsugaru Strait. 

Written by Daizo Saito（さいとう大三）and composed by Shunichi Makaino（馬飼野俊一）, it's a lovely song for the broken hearts with the boss drumming of 70s kayo, shimmering strings and an electric guitar. I also love the cover for the Cherish album with Yoshitaka and Etsuko Matsuzaki（松崎好孝・松崎悦子） sitting in what looks like one corner of an old art gallery. Nice 70s threads, too.

Agnes Chan -- Koibito-tachi no Gogo（恋人たちの午後）

 

I guess if there's a template for the typical Agnes Chan（アグネス・チャン）single, it would contain a moderately bouncy rhythm with a folksy country arrangement while the Hong Kong-born singer sang in her high sing-songy style.

That's certainly the case with her 9th single from March 1975, "Koibito-tachi no Gogo" (Lovers' Afternoon). I can only imagine Agnes with her boyfriend riding on the back of a haycart in the middle of rural Japan simply enjoying each other's company. In Michio Yamagami's（山上路夫）lyrics, the singer trills about wrapping each wonderful memory in the sunshine within her handkerchief and taking them home with her. Mind you, logistically, I think having that Polaroid camera would have been easier.

Koichi Morita（森田公一）came up with the sweet melody while Shunichi Makaino（馬飼野俊一）took care of the arrangement. "Koibito-tachi no Gogo" hit No. 7 on Oricon.

Goro Noguchi -- Meguriau Seishun（めぐり逢う青春）

 

Continuing on from that "Seishun" songs article I wrote just some minutes ago, my further observation when it comes to the Japanese and their salad days is that after several years away from formal education, they start getting those urges to get back together through various school reunions whether it be elementary, junior high or high school...and probably university as well. Maybe they'll reserve a large room at an izakaya and then hit the nearest karaoke box to sing all those oldies-but-goodies with plenty of alcohol imbibed.

However, this particular song by Goro Noguchi（野口五郎）that I heard being covered on a recent episode of "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新・BS日本のうた...Songs of Japanese Spirit） doesn't involve any sepia-toned reminiscing although that word of "seishun" is in the title. "Meguriau Seishun" (Youthful Encounter) is more of the here and now with a young man getting stabbed full bore by several arrows as he lusts for a young lady. This was Noguchi's 6th single released in September 1972.

Written by Toshiko Ohinata（大日方俊子）and composed/arranged by Shunichi Makaino（馬飼野俊一）, I gather that the deep feelings that the lad has for the lass is on full display through the oomph-laden arrangement. In fact, with the electric guitar and the smooth strings in there, I thought that "Meguriau Seishun" would have been fine as a theme song for a tokusatsu hero series or a cop show. Mind you, I'm sure that the guy would love it if he could become the hero for the target of his affections. Anyways, the song reached No. 12 on Oricon and became the 90th-ranked single of 1972. It also garnered Noguchi his first of twelve invitations to NHK's Kohaku Utagassen that year.

Good heavens! What are they drinking?

Chieko Tani -- Hana no Joshikou Kazoe Uta（花の女子高数え歌）

 

Dang! This song really gets funky considering that it has nothing to do with the cops or any street-level shenanigans in Shinjuku. "Hana no Joshikou Kazoe Uta" (Flower Girls' High School Counting Song) is the first single for late-70s aidoru Chieko Tani（谷ちえ子）which was released in June 1977. It's all about a teenaged girl who's grumbling in envy about specific classmates and then entire grades getting to enjoy the metropolitan life out there while she herself has to be the good girl stuck in the library. With that funky melody by Taiji Nakamura（中村泰士）which was then massaged by arranger Shunichi Makaino（馬飼野俊一）, I'd probably think that the heroine was also thinking about hitting the mean streets herself. Shinichi Ishihara（石原信一）took care of the lyrics.

Tani, whose real name is Chieko Sasaya（笹谷智恵子）, hails from Hokkaido and made her appearance on the NTV audition show "Star wa Tanjo!"（スター誕生!）. Including "Hana no Joshikou Kazoe Uta", she released four singles and one album up to the middle of 1978. She basically retired after that, but in 2012, when she held a reunion concert, she started up her singing career again with four more singles up to 2020. The singer also has experience in Japanese dance and min'yo, and her favourite singers are Shinichi Mori（森進一）, Sayuri Ishikawa（石川さゆり）and Tanya Tucker.

Mari Amachi -- Niji wo Watatte（虹をわたって）

The above photo is apparently 
from the SONY website. It's only 
being used for illustrative purposes.

 

When I was writing up last week's Reminiscings of Youth entry for Seals and Crofts' "Summer Breeze", I had been tempted to include this song for this article, 70s aidoru Mari Amachi's（天地真理）"Niji wo Watatte" (Crossing the Rainbow), as one of the comparative kayo songs. It was released on September 1st 1972, just a day after the release of "Summer Breeze".

Ah, but then I sheepishly discovered that I had yet to even cover this song, Amachi's 4th single. Oh, goofy me! For the record, "Niji wo Watatte" is the follow-up single to the lass' biggest hit "Hitori Janaino" (ひとりじゃないの）which came out back in May, and with the same composer Koichi Morita（森田公一）and arranger Shunichi Makaino（馬飼野俊一）from that song helping out on "Niji wo Watatte", it's not totally surprising that there is a certain similarity between the two in terms of the rhythm and style.

Michio Yamagami（山上路夫）was the lyricist here as Amachi sings about crossing that rainbow to be with that boyfriend. Strangely enough, my family and I had seen a rom-com movie starring the singer at the old Japanese-Canadian Cultural Centre back in the 1970s. I could recognize "Hitori Janaino" right off the bat being performed in the movie but there was another tune that Amachi sang on screen which may have been "Niji wo Watatte". In any case, the song was another big hit for her as it flew around the Oricon Top 10 for almost three months, hitting the top spot twice during that time. It ended up becoming the 13th-ranked single for 1972, selling a little over half a million records.

Cherish -- Ochiba no Mori no Bansankai（落ち葉の森の晩餐会）

 

It was about nine years ago that I put up folk duo Cherish's（チェリッシュ）famous and amiable "Tento Mushi no Samba" （てんとう虫のサンバ）which was their July 1973 7th single. My, how time flies. 

Well, the B-side of the single is "Ochiba no Mori no Bansankai" (The Dinner in the Woods of the Fallen Leaves) which was taken care of by the same duo behind the A-side: lyricist Daizo Saito（さいとう大三）and composer/arranger Shunichi Makaino（馬飼野俊一）. Melodically speaking, it sounds just a bit more contemporary kayo than the folksier "Tento Mushi no Samba", but personal as well as professional partners Yoshitaka Matsuzaki（松崎好孝）and Etsuko Matsui（松井悦子）still bring their happy-go-lucky charm to their vocals.

All in all, "Ochiba no Mori no Bansankai" is a cheery and breezy tune that could any accompany any picnic on a Sunday. In fact, there's something about that title that has me thinking of that tea party in "Alice in Wonderland".

Akiko Wada -- Waratte Yurushite（笑って許して）

 

Well, I noticed that the previous article was No. 9699 so I figure that I ought to finish off tonight's slate of articles with No. 9700.

And I've got an oldie-but-a-goodie by veteran singer-TV personality Akiko Wada（和田アキ子）. I remember hearing "Waratte Yurushite" (Forgive Me with a Smile) on various shows but it was good to be reminded of it once more. This was actually Wada's 4th single from March 1970 when she was just a month shy of her 20th birthday.

Written by the legendary Yu Aku（阿久悠）and composed by Ryochi Wada（和田良知）...no relation to the singer...under the pseudonym Takekuni Haneda*（羽根田武邦）with arrangement by Shunichi Makaino（馬飼野俊一）, the memorable parts of "Waratte Yurushite" are the coquettish way that Wada sings the title and that persistently tinkling piano (reminds me a bit of the "Perry Mason" theme). It's a brassy kayo about a woman who's in her innocent "little ol' me" mode as she asks for forgiveness for some sort of romantic malfeasance.

"Waratte Yurushite" just missed out on the Top 10 by placing in at No. 11 on Oricon. The song sold 200,000 records and won the Best Arranger prize at the Japan Record Awards that year. Even more importantly, Wada was invited at the end of the year to NHK's Kohaku Utagassen for the very first time to sing this song, something that she would do again in 1973 and then in 2010 and 2015. The singer came onto the New Year's Eve special a total of 39 times with the 2015 edition being her final appearance to date.

*Not totally sure about the pronunciation of that pseudonym.

Keisuke Yamauchi -- Kuchibiru Scarlet（唇スカーレット）

(short version)

The last time that I wrote about a Keisuke Yamauchi（山内惠介）song, it was for his 2018 single "Sarase Fuyu no Arashi"（さらせ冬の嵐）, a wintry and haunting enka piece created by lyricist Goro Matsui（松井五郎）and composer Hideo Mizumori（水森英夫）. Almost a year later, the three of them got together again to produce Yamauchi's 20th single "Kuchibiru Scarlet" (Lips Scarlet) released earlier in March 2019.

(cover version)

Now, we have quite the opposite result here...a passionate love song with Yamauchi promising all sorts of hot action to his lady love. It's been categorized as an enka at J-Wiki, but I think it's more of a Latin-spiced Mood Kayo, since I don't really see trees of any particular season or a single person walking in a lonely manner through the forest. This is more some fellow having his usual time of his life in a swanky establishment in Akasaka.

(empty karaoke version)

Yamauchi's hit peaked at No. 7 on Oricon and according to J-Wiki, there are 8 (count 'em...8!) versions of "Kuchibiru Scarlet" sold depending on its colour label with the difference lying in the coupling songs with the CDs ranging in time between around 16 and 22 minutes. I'm kinda wondering whether the singer's recording company has taken a page out of the AKB 48 playbook with that maneuver.

I actually caught Yamauchi singing this on an episode of NHK's "Gogo Uta"（ごごウタ）yesterday, and I realized as I was watching the lad doing his Latin bump-and-grind with the style of song and that certain nasal quality in his delivery, his performance reminded me of a young Hiromi Go（郷ひろみ）! It would be intriguing to see whether Yamauchi and Go will collaborate in a future Kohaku Utagassen or even "Uta Kon"（うたコン）.

Mirei Kitahara -- Ishikari Banka （石狩挽歌）

On that episode of "Itsuki Sensei no Utau! SHOW Gakko"（五木先生の 歌う！SHOW学校.）which featured Hokkaido kayo such as "Souran Wataridori"（ソーラン渡り鳥）, I also got re-acquainted with another tune that sparked my memory engrams due to the onomatopoeic lyric "Onbororo, onborobororo..."（オンボロロ、オンボロボロロー）. However, I couldn't just pay tribute to this song by simply calling it the "Onbororo" tune.

It is, in fact, titled "Ishikari Banka" (Ishikari Elegy). The song has been covered by a number of enka singers over the decades but ultimately, the most famous version is the first one as sung by Mirei Kitahara（北原ミレイ）when it was released in June 1975. J-Wiki mentions it became a huge hit for her and arguably the most famous tune by the singer but I couldn't find out how it did on Oricon. She is also famous for an even darker ballad.

I would probably have to listen to a number of interviews about why "Ishikari Banka" has been so popular with the kayo artists. However, I can speculate that it could be the power of the arrangement (pride mixed in with tragedy) including the trumpet intro and the personal story permeating the lyrics that have probably attracted so many to sing it.

Keisuke Hama（浜圭介）was the composer behind "Ishikari Banka" but the lyrics belong to longtime lyricist Rei Nakanishi（なかにし礼）. And Nakanishi based the words on his seemingly cursed ne'er-do-well older brother who just couldn't get his life together. One incident involved his brother managing to get a huge catch of herring one time but instead of getting his money in Hokkaido, he decided to roll the dice and move it down to the main island of Honshu where he could potentially get even more money. Instead, his bountiful haul ended up rotting on the way and he was left owing a ton of money. It's from here that Nakanishi came up with the song although his lyrics state that the poor fisherman here lost his catch due to a torn net.

As for the "Onbororo, onborobororo...", I'm not completely certain what it is referring to, although I think it is the audio equivalent of that crushing feeling of disappointment.  In any case, the song generates that power from the synergy of two enka sources, the manly-man out-on-the-sea music and the overall woe-is-me theme.

Mentioning above all those singers who have covered "Ishikari Banka" since the Kitahara original, Aki Yashiro（八代亜紀）is one of them above. And then there is Kouhei Fukuda（福田こうへい）below. But looking at the list of videos on YouTube, there are quite a few covers available so you can choose which one you really like.

Agnes Chan -- Hoshi ni Negai wo （星に願いを）

In tribute to Masaaki Hirao（平尾昌晃）who passed away in the last 24 hours, I've already written about one of his songs as a singer in the 1950s. However, I also want to pay my last respects through one of the many songs that he had written for others.

Therefore, who better to select than Agnes Chan（アグネス・チャン）since Hirao was the one who brought her over from Hong Kong, where the singer had already become famous, to Japan. Hirao also helped create four of her tunes, including her hit "Sougen no Kagayaki" (草原の輝き）.

Another song that can be included in that quartet is "Hoshi no Negai wo" (Wish Upon A Star) which was her 5th single from February 1974. Another typically bubbly and bouncy number for Chan, the lyricist was Kazumi Yasui（安井かずみ）who had also written the lyrics for "Sougen no Kagayaki". I realize that Hirao whipped up songs for so many singers but it was hard for me to imagine that a rockabilly singer such as this fellow was able to create such 70s aidoru-tastic tunes like this one.

"Hoshi no Negai wo" went as high as No. 4 on Oricon and finished the year as the 26th-ranked single. I'm positive that the next "Uta Con"（うたコン）will be providing some news and tributes to Hirao on Tuesday night so perhaps I won't be surprised if Chan or enka singer Hiroshi Itsuki （五木ひろし）appeared on the program.

Yoko Aso -- Touhikou （逃避行）

Happy Monday! After all of the kerfuffle involving that nutty ending to the 2017 Oscars, the usual Trump hijinks, possibly losing the heart of the Toronto Raptors to injury for the rest of the season and the lead-up to the NHL's trading deadline day on Wednesday, I can certainly use some calming kayo to start the week. Bet that this is the only place online that you'll ever read something like that previous statement.

Well, I found one in Yoko Aso's（麻生よう子）"Touhikou" (Elopement). Actually I bookmarked this song several months ago but never got around to talk about it until tonight. Since I had only heard this once before, I had forgotten how the song sounded like but getting to listen to it again a couple of times, I can understand why I did select it for retrieval.

Created by a couple of kayo veterans, Kazuya Senke（千家和也）on lyrics and Shunichi Tokura（都倉俊一）on music, "Touhikou" is a bittersweet ballad about a young lady making the ultimate choice to join the man she loves and leave all that she loved behind as they begin new lives in a new town somewhere. Released in February 1974 as Aso's debut single, what got me about "Touhikou" is that mix of 70s Showa Era pop with the haunting strings and boppy drums and an arrangement that reminded me somewhat of some of the Carpenters' best hits. Also, there were Aso's vocals. If I were to assign a flavour to them, I could say that they were butterscotch...there was that warm colour and velvety texture. In a way, they were reminiscent of the wonderful voice of Naomi Chiaki (ちあきなおみ).

(cover version)

"Touhikou" had a long run on the Oricon charts, spending almost half a year in the Top 100 and peaking at No. 32. It ended up as the 88th-ranked single of 1974 and earned Aso a prize as The Best New Artist at the Japan Record Awards although the Kohaku Utagassen didn't come knocking. Selling close to 150,000 records, this was the singer's most successful release although she would come out with a total of 26 singles and 6 albums up to 1993. The song was also the title track on the Osaka native's debut album also from 1974.

Agnes Chan -- Ai no Mayoigo （愛の迷い子）

https://www.flickr.com/photos/hkpop/3891804629

The other night, I was watching a special via TV Japan which featured some of these unsung craftsmen who had the ability to make miraculous restorations from supposedly lost causes. What was interesting was that it wasn't just about tables and chairs. One fellow who might be someone I would call a forensic culinary researcher was able to re-create a lost beloved curry sauce recipe for a lady whose late father ran a small restaurant but never wrote down how to create any of his dishes by asking some of his old regulars and checking the remains of the curry levels in the old pot.

What wrapped up the special was the appearance of former 70s teen aidoru Agnes Chan（アグネス・チャン）. She brought her old guitar which is most likely the one you see in the above picture. Tenderly referring to it as her companion and security blanket of sorts in her early years in Japan, she came on the show to find out if someone was able to restore the guitar since it had gotten a good amount of fuzz in the sound over the past number of years. The master guitar repairer checked it out to realize that the bracing inside the instrument had cracked thereby causing the undesired roughness. Several days, some glue and many vice clamps later, Agnes' old friend was back as she tearfully and gratefully played a Stevie Wonder song on the guitar. It was actually the first time in my life that I got to hear her sing in English.

With that happy prelude, I bring to you Chan's 8th single from December 1974, "Ai no Mayoigo" (Love's Lost Child). It's kinda ironic since the song by lyricist Kazumi Yasui（安井かずみ）and composer Masaaki Hirao（平尾昌晃）is about a poor woman trudging through an autumn forest (and nothing says lost love more than a lot of dead leaves in kayo kyoku) after her beau decides to stop the romance and head back home, although near the end of the song she admits that she is wiser for the experience. And for a sad ballad, Hirao made quite the galloping melody which contrasted interestingly with Chan's characteristically sing-song vocals.

"Ai no Mayoigo" peaked at No. 2 on Oricon and ended up as the 19th-ranked single for 1975. The song was also able to have Agnes appear on the annual Kohaku Utagassen for a 3rd straight time. It would be her final time at the Kohaku, though, since the next year, she would start studying social child psychology at the University of Toronto for the next couple of years although that apparently didn't stop her output of singles. In terms of her singing career in Japan, I think the heyday most likely started fading from that point but obviously she's been able to go on to bigger and better things since then such as a UNICEF ambassadorship, a professorship and appearances as the occasional tarento.

Shizue Abe -- Coffee Shop de （コーヒーショップで）

When it comes to the jazz or Latin of Mood Kayo, I think of nomiya or the Akasaka Western-style bars. However, with coffee shops, I often imagine some of the folk/pop from the early 70s...the group GARO comes to mind, for instance. And so when I came across Shizue Abe's （あべ静江）video above, I just felt that I had to include this in the blog. Over the years, I did hear and see the name but never heard any of her music so when the video popped up on YouTube, I gave "Coffee Shop de" (At The Coffee Shop) a try and enjoyed the nostalgic pop from 40 years ago.

Written by Yu Aku（阿久悠） and composed by Takashi Miki（三木たかし）, "Coffee Shop de" was released in May 1973, and it has that sweet, innocent song styling that I often associated with the feminine side of kayo kyoku at that time: the light and quick work on the keyboard, the smoothly flowing strings and the gently rolling beat. Aku's lyrics show the life inside one of those Mom-&-Pop coffee shops (way before the 90s invasion of Starbucks and Excelsior) with some of the moon-eyed musings of romance over a cup of java within the wood-and-plaster décor.

As for the Mie Prefecture-born Abe, she started her life in entertainment as a popular DJ at Tokai Radio Broadcasting during her university years when she parlayed that into a singing career. "Coffee Shop de" was her debut and it turned out to be her most successful hit. It sold over 250,000 copies and broke the Top 10 on the Oricon weeklies. Ultimately, it became the 38th-ranked song of the year. As icing on the cake, Abe even earned the Newcomers' Prize at the 1973 Japan Record Awards due to the success of her debut and her sophomore effort, "Mizuiro no Tegami"（みずいろの手紙...Water-Coloured Letters）.

Later on, Abe would see further success as an actress in motion pictures and TV. Plus, she also carved out a regular presence on the variety-show circuit. For her recording career, though, she released several albums and 18 singles including her latest one in 2010.

The Café Copenhagen
in Jiyugaoka

Cherish -- Tento Mushi no Samba （てんとう虫のサンバ）

It doesn't really sound like a samba, but "Tento Mushi no Samba" (The Ladybug Samba) is just one of those old-fashioned folk songs from Japan that just makes me wanna grab a butterfly net and head out into the fields (mind you, if I skipped around and did that at my age, that net should probably be around MY head). It's one of those tunes that has come in and out of my memories over the decades via the various retrospectives and commercials.

Back in 1968, Yoshitaka Matsuzaki（松崎好孝） started his band, Cherish, with three others in his hometown of Nagoya. The name of the group came from the 1966 song of the same name by the US band The Association that used to pop up on my AM radio back in the 70s and on Muzak speakers everywhere. In 1970, Etsuko Matsui（松井悦子）joined to make a 5-strong group with an official debut a year later with the song "Nanoni Anata wa Kyoto e Yuku no"（なのにあなたは京都へ行くの...But You're Heading To Kyoto）. However in 1972, Cherish became a simple duo with Matsuzaki and Matsui.

Their biggest hit was "Tento Mushi no Samba", a cheerful and skippy song about that wedding day in the forest. It became a million-seller peaking at No. 5 on Oricon after its release in July 1973 as Cherish's 7th single and would eventually become the 24th-ranked song of the year. Written by Daizo Saito（さいとう大三） and composed by Shunichi Makaino (馬飼野俊一...the younger brother of composer Koji Makaino), it has also become a popular song to be played at weddings, giving it a certain immortality. And perhaps the song sprinkled some further good luck to the duo....Matsuzaki and Matsui would get married in 1977.

Kenichi Mikawa -- Sasori-za no Onna （さそり座の女）

Ah, yes....the flamboyant Kenichi Mikawa（美川憲一） with the song that has made him the target of tons of impressionists, professional or amateur. "Sasori-za no Onna" (Scorpio Woman) is therefore not surprisingly his trademark tune when it comes to his appearances on TV. It's how I know him best....aside from the affected speech, the tart tongue and the over-the-top fashion.

And "Sasori-za no Onna" goes all the way back to December 1972 when it was released as his 25th single. Composed by Hiroyuki Nakagawa（中川博之） and written by Ritsuko Saito（斎藤律子）, the lyrics talk of the titular woman, nonchalantly boasting of her Black Widow nature and ability to wrap her male victims around her little finger....elegantly manicured, I'm sure. Considering the Mood Kayo melody, I can only imagine her inhabiting the most exclusive hostess clubs in Ginza as perhaps the No. 1 woman.

It only got as high as No. 23 on Oricon, but in the years and decades hence, the song and singer have become permanently intertwined. Mikawa has sung "Sasori-za no Onna" 7 times amongst his appearances at the Kohaku Utagassen which is second only to Sayuri Ishikawa's（石川さゆり） 8 renditions of her classic "Amagi Goe" （天城越え）at the NHK year-end event.

Another case in point...as I pointed out at the top, Mikawa and this particular song have been a bountiful harvest for monomane tarento known in English as the professional impressionist. In North America, folks like Rich Little had their heyday in the 60s and 70s copying the popular celebs of the day such as Dean Martin, President Richard Nixon and Bing Crosby. Now, you might see that just on episodes of "Saturday Night Live" on NBC in the US or if Robin Williams or Jim Carrey are in the mood.

However, the monomane tarento in Japan are still popping up in routines all over TV, and there are even seasonal 2-hour monomane specials in which not only the professional impressionists, but even other types of tarento and TV announcers, mimic their favourite celeb targets through song. The most famous impressionist is Corocket （コロッケ）who's been entertaining folks since 1980. Amongst his impressions is the one for Mikawa and "Sasori-za no Onna"; in fact, he should be paying copyright fees to his buddy in gratitude. Fortunately for him, the singer has been quite generous. Woe betide Corocket if Mikawa hadn't.

Jiros -- Senso wo Shiranai Kodomo Tachi （戦争を知らない子供たち）

I remember hearing this one over the years and regarded this as a very pleasant oldie-but-goodie, not knowing much about the story behind it. Jiros （ジローズ）started life as an amateur band headed by Jiro Sugita（杉田二郎）, while he was a student at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto in 1967. The name was chosen since Sugita and the two other members had similar first names. However, this version of the band broke up a year later.

Then in 1970, Sugita started the 2nd version of Jiros, this time with Jiro Morishita（森下次郎） partnering up with him, with their 2nd of 6 singles, "Senso wo Shiranai Kodomo Tachi"(Children Who Don't Know War) becoming their biggest hit. Released in February 1971, it was composed by Sugita and written by musician Osamu Kitayama（北山修） who also had his own big hit during that year. According to the Wikipedia entry on the song, with the Vietnam War raging and US troops stationed in Japan at the time as citizens were still dealing with the aftermath of World War II, the song was seen as a mild and happy-go-lucky anti-war song, although Jiros never reflected any direct association with the peace movement.

And going through the lyrics, I don't see any particular anti-war sentiment, although Jiros sing about the then-young generation being as happy as sheep in their long hair, growing up in a time of no war and humming peace songs. If anything, I think the two were pushing (ever so slightly) more for hedonism. And in the same Wiki article, lyricist Kitayama later considered the song "....a puerile effort to satirize, and rebel against, the contempt felt by older generations who experienced WWII for younger people born in the postwar period--who were denounced for weak-mindedness and lack of self-discipline...". Uh, ouch!

Yeah, I think the song is so pleasantly sung that those same older generations that Kitayama referred to probably happily clapped along to it. I didn't especially get any feeling of lyrically sharp slashes slicing through the fabric of society any more than a plastic knife would carve through a frozen block of butter. But that's me. In any case, the song was a pretty decent hit with it peaking at No. 11 on Oricon, and winning two Japan Music Awards for Best Newcomer and Best Lyrics.

Mieko Nishijima -- Ikegami Sen （池上線）

"Ikegami Sen"(Ikegami Line) is arguably Mieko Nishijima's（西島三重子）most famous hit. It was her 2nd single, originally from her debut 1975 album, "Fuusha"（風車...Windmills） before it was given its own release in April 1976. Written by Jun'ei Sato（佐藤順英）and composed by Nishijima, the title refers to one of Tokyo's private train lines on which a young couple is undergoing a sad but quiet breakup. Listening to Nishijima's soft but unyielding vocals, her description of the situation and the couple's neighbourhood creates an intimate atmosphere; something akin to one of the most famous folk songs in Japan, "Kandagawa"（神田川）by Kaguyahime（かぐや姫...Princess Kaguya) a few years back (already profiled). It would probably make a lot of listeners give off a wistful sigh.

Although Nishijima has had a career for the past few decades as an illustrator, less than a couple of weeks ago, she released a new single titled "Ikegami Sen Futatabi"（池上線ふたたび...Ikegami Line Revisited), created by her and lyricist Kenji Kadoya（門谷憲二）.