I've been a fan of Japanese popular music for 40 years, and have managed to collect a lot of material during that time. So I decided I wanted to talk about Showa Era music with like-minded fans. My particular era is the 70s and 80s (thus the "kayo kyoku"). The plus part includes a number of songs and artists from the last 30 years and also the early kayo. So, let's talk about New Music, aidoru, City Pop and enka.
Credits
I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.
Yesterday, I met an old friend for coffee and then dinner downtown at Union Station. It had been a few years since the last time I met him so I figured that we would be catching up on a lot of stuff. Part of the reason that we went for Union Station as the meeting place was that I'd heard about the renovation of the station, especially where the food was concerned. Being a foodie, I was interested about a new flood of restaurants and cafes creating a mega food court underground. You can take a gander at the above video by Toronto Our City whose husband-and-wife team has been exploring the various eateries of our city.
By the way, I know that there is a certain group of otaku in Tokyo who love to explore the underground malls, passageways and crevices of one of the world's biggest cities. Considering next year's World Cup which will have a few games played in Toronto and that our metropolis may have the biggest underground commercial complex on Earth (the PATH system), I cordially invite those folks to do a bit of exploration here, too).
After enjoying an hour of coffee, conversation and one of the best almond croissants that I've ever had, we were getting lost in the maze that was the Union Station underground before opting for dinner. When we got to Union Chicken, the place was packed with Toronto Maple Leafs fans for about half an hour before it got all cleared out like a drainpipe getting the Drano treatment (there was a home game just down the street). Then it was easy to get a table where I got the three-piece Chicken Tenders with Fries. I'm glad that I didn't get the five-piece version since that would have killed me. The above video is from the official Union Chicken YouTube channel.
Anyways, getting reacquainted with the main train station of Toronto and being back in my room in front of my computer again, I've decided to put up an Author's Picks based on kayo kyoku or J-Pop songs with the word "station" or "eki" in their titles. Enjoy!
Yellow Magic Orchestra gets my eternal gratitude for helping me not only get into technopop as it was used throughout music in Japan, but also into the synthpop and New Wave of bands outside of the nation of my ancestry during the 1980s.
One of those showstopper synthpop songs and frankly one of the legendary 80s songs, period, is A-ha's"Take On Me". Released three times with the latest being in September 1985, this Norwegian band came up with a melody that has been catchier than the most effective flypaper and is also notable for vocalist Morten Harket's ionosphere-scratching falsetto. It also didn't hurt that the song came with a music video that is still causing jaws to drop almost forty years later. The lines between reality and comic books got a whole lot more diaphanous as a result. It's not surprising that "...the video won six awards and was nominated for two others at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards." according to Wikipedia.
In the past few years, it looks like trailers for movies and television have been grazing on the pop music of yesteryear for songs to add that oomph. As such, we've had Elton John's"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" being woven into the next "Ant-Man" sequel and New Order's"Blue Monday" getting into "Wonder Woman 1984", and in the past few months, "Take On Me" has had its role in the trailers for "The Last of Us".
Of course, the amazing pencil-drawn animation sequence from the video wasn't going to be left alone. It's been used in "Family Guy".
I also remember that the famous NBC cop show "Hill Street Blues" used the technique for one of their commercials. It's probably been used in other commercials that I have yet to see, and as I did for the "Hill Street Blues" ad, I would start singing out the synth intro for "Take On Me".
The song reached No. 2 in Canada whereas in the States, it hit No. 1. Incidentally, I was also a big fan of the extended remix whenever it came out on the radio dance shows on Saturday night. That synth bass was really rocking!
Now, what was hitting the Top 10 of Oricon in September 1985? We have Nos. 1, 3 and 5.
Took a little break to refresh myself after tackling Part 1 of Tsugutoshi Goto's Creator article, and now I'll go for Part 2.
With all of Goto's bass work and provision of cool tunes for folks like Shinji Harada（原田真二）and Kenji Sawada（沢田研二）, the musician and songwriter has also given lots of music to various aidoru over the decades and that includes the first mighty aidoru supergroup, Onyanko Club（おニャン子クラブ）, and its individual members. For example, one such song was "O-saki ni Shitsurei"（お先に失礼...Sorry In Advance）, which was composed by Goto alongside Yasushi Akimoto's（秋元康）lyrics. At one point, the two of them were known as a golden combination for songwriting, and "O-saki ni Shitsurei" was the Club's July 1986 5th single and a No. 1 hit for the group, thanks to the cute lead vocals by Harumi Tomikawa（富川春美）, Yukiko Iwai（岩井由紀子）, Tomoko Fukawa（布川智子）and Marina Watanabe（渡辺満里奈）, and that rockabilly arrangement by Goto. It ended up as the 69th-ranked single of the year.
Cue ahead twenty years and that golden combination was still working for another aidoru supergroup, AKB48. According to J-Wiki, there was a set list for Team A's 2nd Stage performance "Aitakatta"（会いたかった...Wanted to See You） in 2006 with one of the songs being "Rio no Kakumei"（リオの革命...Rio's Revolution）, a catchy dance-club type of tune.
As I mentioned above, Goto also provided songs for the individual members of Onyanko Club including Sonoko Kawai（河合その子）. In fact, a number of her tunes were composed by Goto and some of them are represented on this blog along with her "Jessy no Higeki"（ジェシーの悲劇）. Over here, we have her second single"Ochiba no Crescendo"（落葉のクレッシェンド...Fallen Leaves Crescendo） released in November 1985. Once again, the golden combination of Akimoto and Goto were at work to provide Kawai with a surprisingly summery-sounding tune despite the title's hint of autumn. The song peaked at No. 2 and became the 54th-ranked single of 1985.
One interesting point that I discovered about Goto on his J-Wiki profile was that he had been known as The Aidoru Killer. The reason for such a fearful nickname was that he had "dared" to break the cardinal rule and actually have romantic relationships with the female teenyboppers. In fact, he first married Tae Tamai（玉井タエ）of the folk duo Simons (シモンズ). Then later on, he was wed to 70s aidoruMidori Kinouchi（木之内みどり）for a while before finally getting married in 1994 to the aforementioned Kawai.
But it wasn't just only the female aidoru for whom Goto created songs. He also composed and arranged for the male aidoru including popular 80s Johnny's groupShibugakitai（シブがき隊）. For them, he came up with "Sushi Kui ne!"（スシ食いねェ！）and over here, we have his "Samurai Nippon"（サムライ・ニッポン）, another rousing rockabilly-like number for the boys. Masao Urino（売野雅勇）came up with the lyrics for this hit which got as high as No. 3.
Goto delved a bit into enka as well here and there. He composed and arranged "Natsu Koi Bayashi"（夏恋囃子...Summer Love Band） for Sayuri Ishikawa（石川さゆり）with bit of extra guitar-led brio in 1998. The song was used for a Kincho mosquito coil commercial which does fit since those spiral insect repellants are as much a sign of summer as any local festival. Masao Urino（売野雅勇）came up with the lyrics.
My final song for the works of Tsugutoshi Goto, although it's obvious that I've only scratched the surface of his creations, is Mariko Takahashi's（高橋真梨子）"Apple City"（アップルシティ）. This was a track on Takahashi's 2nd album"Sunny Afternoon", and it was composed/arranged by the bassist alongside the singer's own lyrics. So, along with his ability with the enka idiom, Goto was also able to come up with some of that exotic kayo flavour for the late 1970s going into the new decade. I never got the impression that this was another tribute to New York City, especially with what sounds like a bouzouki in the arrangement. As such, I thought that this was a vacation through Greece.
To get a better idea of the breadth and depth of Goto's works, you can browse through the Tsugutoshi Goto file here or go through the deeper list for his songs on J-Wiki. I'm just going to go take a catnap before dinner.
There has been of late some love for the pop culture zeitgeist of the 1980s. The hit show "Stranger Things" have brought back Kate Bush's"Running Up That Hill" to prominence after nearly 40 years, Kenny Loggins'"Footloose" got its day in the sun on "The Umbrella Academy", and there's that whole thing for Japanese City Pop since the late 2010s. And now I hear that one of my personal 1980s cultural touchstones may be making a comeback: Max Headroom! One of the streaming networks is thinking about rebooting the suave and stuttering AI for a TV show in the not-too-distant future (maybe 20 minutes later). I told this to my brother last weekend and on hearing that Matt Frewer will be returning as Max, he remarked on how carbon-dated he had to be.
When the smarmy Max Headroom first popped up on television screens whether it be through MTV or those Coke commercials, I actually thought (hoped) that he was actually the first sentient artificial intelligence since I was (and still am) a hopeless nerd. But as it turned out, he was actor Frewer in some elaborate makeup against greenscreen. Still, the character invented in the mid-1980s by George Stone, Annabel Jankel (whose brother is up here on the blog) and Rocky Morton was a hit because of the allure of all that cyberpunk and computer animation. Those brief appearances turned into a British TV sci-fi movie, a music video show hosted by VJ Max and then a 1987 American television series adaptation of the original British movie.
I remember catching that ABC series which I think lasted for a year. I ended up having an increasingly tenuous relationship with the show as the episodes crept along since I believe that the producers were perhaps a little overly focused on the techno-dystopian elements than they were in a long-standing and cogent story. Not even sure whether Max was all that compelling to anyone by the end which made me think that wrapping an entire series around a pop cultural phenomenon was a step too far.
Anyways, this special holiday edition of Reminiscings of Youth (it's a Civic Holiday here in much of the country) features this wholly appropriate collaboration between this bizarre 80s pop icon and the avant-garde synthpop of Art of Noise. Released as a single in April 1986, "Paranoimia" is all about Max's difficulty in getting to sleep due to various extreme worries (the title is a portmanteau of "paranoia" and "insomnia") while the usual AON bells and whistles are whirling around his ironically soothing tones.
"Paranoimia" hit No. 31 on Canada's RPM singles chart while in America, it got as high as No. 32 on Billboard's Top 100. I got my original version as a track on Art of Noise's album "In Visible Silence" which came out in the same month as the single. The above video features an extended mix.
So, how was the Oricon chart for April 1986 doing? Well, I've got No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6.
That is one frightfully cute photo of 80s aidoru Sonoko Kawai（河合その子）, also a member of Onyanko Club（おニャン子クラブ）; in fact, I believe that her official club number was 12.
When I first heard her debut single"Namida no Jasmine Love" (Tearful Jasmine Love) from September 1985, I thought that intro was faintly akin to the melody from the theme for "Soul Train", but that's more my humour-infected mind at work. However, then the song jumps headlong into an intriguing mix of light 50s pop, a pinch of West Coast AOR and Asian exotica behind Kawai's cute and delicate vocals. Such is the genius of composer and arranger Tsugutoshi Goto（後藤次利）.
The lyrics for "Namida no Jasmine Love" were by T2 which is actually the collaborative combo of Goto and director Tatsufumi Inaba（稲葉竜文）. It was an auspicious debut for Kawai since the song hit No. 1 and quickly ended up as the 50th-ranked single of the year. The song also became a track on the aidoru's debut album"Sonoko"（その子）which was released in December of that year, and it also did very well by peaking at No. 4 on Oricon.
Time for another ROY article. Recently, it came to my attention that episodes of the original "Peter Gunn" gumshoe series were coming up onto YouTube including the pilot which indeed I did see. Yep, I now realized where a lot of those lone-wolf detective conventions originated from: the sardonic voiceover by the main character, the down-and-dirty jazz soundtrack and the surprisingly preferred setting of not-so-nice areas of town. And yet, Peter Gunn himself was not just urban but also urbane and sophisticated which apparently wasn't the usual description of movie or TV private eyes back in the day.
"Peter Gunn" had a short-but-sweet run on NBC and then ABC between 1958 and 1961, so the famous theme has been much better remembered than the actual series with Craig Stevens. And to reiterate, it wasn't the theme that begat the show but the show that begat the fame for the theme originally by the legendary composer and arranger Henry Mancini. That's how incredible the song has been.
It was one of the first songs that I had ever heard in my life thanks to that collection of standards which came with our old oak Victor stereo. And the version that I preferred (which was on that collection of standards) among the original takes of it wasn't the one with Duane Eddy or the one that played in the brief opening credits, but the one with John Williams (yep that John Williams) on the piano and the French horns trumpeting like mad elephants warning of danger. No matter which version, though, "Peter Gunn" was the song that you wanted accompanying you if you went outside on the town and were in that "I gotta a job to do!" mood. You'd invest in the trench coat, even.
"Peter Gunn" has probably popped up in a number of TV shows and movies over the decades to show just that sort of atmosphere for the characters. For example, there was "The Blues Brothers".
Then several years later, I was absolutely gobsmacked when avant-garde pop group Art of Noise (with the help of the aforementioned Duane Eddy and his guitar), whom I'd known for some of the most weirdly infectious songs that had ever come out of the 1980s such as "Beat Box", "Close to the Edit" and "Legs", actually tackled one of the coolest songs ever. I think that I saw the music video first before hearing the song on radio, and that video was glorious with the late Rik Mayall as it took some affectionate pokes at the genre that the original series was representing.
Art of Noise's"Peter Gunn" was unmistakably Art of Noise and unmistakably "Peter Gunn". It was a musical synthesis made in heaven for me and became a must-hear whenever it got onto radio and even now, whenever I need a boost in my energy levels, I go to YouTube to listen to it among other cool tunes. Not surprisingly, it won Best Rock (!) Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group Or Soloist) at the Grammys in that same year.
I regret not ever buying the remix LPs back in the day but I finally got my copy of AON's"In Visible Silence" which had originally come out on April 14 1986 with both this song and "Legs".
So now that I've gushed forth my love for Art of Noise's"Peter Gunn", what were some of the top-sellers on Oricon in the month that "In Visible Silence" came out? Well, I got Nos. 3, 5 and 6 for you.
Realizing that a number of 80s aidoru got very successful and spread their wings into the genre of general pop, it still took me by a bit of surprise when I heard this song by Sonoko Kawai（河合その子）, who I will always remember for the speedy "Aoi Station"（青いスタスィオン）.
"Hillside no Hoshizora" (Starry Sky Hillside) is a track from Kawai's 6th and penultimate album"Dancin' In The Light" from March 1989. Starting off with a pensive and urban contemporary melody, and then on hearing her relatively lower and slower vocals, "Hillside no Hoshizora" sounds like a post-twilight song that would just as easily adorn a commercial for Parliament Cigarettes. As I said, it was a surprising revelation for me.
Yumi Morita（森田由美）came up with the lyrics about the complications in a romantic relationship while the couple is driving through some countryside one night. Meanwhile, Jean Curiale, Beckie Foster and Austin Roberts composed the music. The album "Dancin' In The Night" peaked at No. 38.
Good heavens! It's been a good long while since 80s aidoruSonoko Kawai（河合その子）has made her appearance on "Kayo Kyoku Plus"...a little over 4 years when I contributed the fleet-footed "Aoi Station"（青いスタスィオン）.
Well, time to rectify the situation. Plus, I'm still on that kick about searching for some of those "lost" aidoru tunes from the late 1980s. I managed to find one through Mamiko Takai's（高井麻巳子）"Yakusoku"（約束）. And going through Onyanko Club's（おニャン子クラブ）other members' solo efforts, I was able to find Kawai's"Aishuu no Carnaval" (Carnival of Sorrow).
This was Kawai's 6th single from February 1987. Written and composed by the same duo behind "Aoi Station", Yasushi Akimoto and Tsugutoshi Goto（秋元康・後藤次利）, "Aishuu no Carnaval" starts off sounding like a typical slow-paced ballad when it then takes off with a burst of speed and a distinct synthesizer sound that doesn't take its foot off the pedal. Rather like "Aoi Station", Kawai takes us listeners on a whirlwind tour somewhere exotic...perhaps not in France this time, mind you, but somewhere else in Europe perhaps.
The opening bars sparked off some memories so in all likelihood it was placed on some borrowed compilation tape or maybe it even got onto "Sounds of Japan" years ago. In any case, "Aishuu no Carnaval" peaked at No. 3 and was placed as a track on her 4th album"Rouge et Bleu" in July 1987.
nikala has already given some fine contributions for Sonoko Kawai（河合その子）. Allow me to give one as well. Back in my university days, I was able to borrow a mix tape of aidoru songs from my friend for which, unfortunately, the singers' names and titles weren't listed. A few of the songs did stand out, including one which had this drumming that sounded like a heart processing a bit too much sugar, and a French accordion-like synth making a breezy entrance.
Finally, I found out a few sleeps ago that it was Kawai's 3rd single, "Aoi Station" (Blue Station), written by Yasushi Akimoto（秋元康）and composed by Tsugutoshi Goto（後藤次利）, and released in March 1986. I think it was that accordion which hooked me into the rest of the song.... could imagine Sonoko traipsing down the Champs-Elysees to it.
"Aoi Station" was created as the campaign song for Hi-Soft, a caramel manufactured by confectioner Morinaga. Originally, it had been first given the title of "Omoide Kigaete"（思い出着替えて...Change Your Memories）. However, the director behind the recording wanted a French-sounding title, so a switch was made to "Kaze no Chelsea"（風のチェルシー...Chelsea of the Wind）. But, there were a couple of problems with that solution: 1) "Chelsea" isn't exactly a French word, and 2) Chelsea was a name of a product of one of Morinaga's corporate rivals, Meiji....rather awkward for a commercial. So, the folks went with "Aoi Station" with the katakana going with the French pronunciation of that second word in the title. What people have to do to get an aidoru song produced.... boggles the mind.
In any case, "Aoi Station" was a huge hit for Kawai, reaching the top spot on Oricon, and ending up as the 10th-ranked single for 1986. Now that I've got one aidoru mystery solved, it's time to track down some of the others from that mystery tape.
Like I mentioned in the "Jessy no Higeki" entry, in 1987Sonoko Kawai (河合その子) began her transformation from a girl-next-door singing ordinary songs to an artist with a passion for songwriting. By the time she released "Replica" in 1990, on which she had produced and composed all the songs, she decided to retire from the music industry. There've been rumors since then speculating her return, but alas, only rumors they were.
About a week ago while taking my usual stroll on a bike through the quiet side of Gifu City, I dropped by a used CD shop and picked up this lovely album there. Though I've listened to it before thanks to the wonders of torrenting, it felt nice to actually have the real thing in my hands after all these years. It's a great album, really, though that won't be obvious at first because many of the songs are of a slower variety. The first time I listened to this, it passed me by like a breeze so I gave it a few more plays while running some errands in the background. It eventually stuck to me. It's not the kind of album that screams "I'm awesome!" right from the get-go, but rather grows on you as you start noticing all the neat subtle details that Sonoko slides in there.
(cover version)
Case in point, the opening track "Hitotoki no Mirai" (ひとときの未来) is a song that glows brighter as it progresses. Calming verses, elegant chorus, stunning piano bridge. It's actually pretty simple, but I adore the way everything ties together. It's like a mental soundtrack for spending some solitary time on a shore during sunset. Sonoko's wistful tone gives it even more elegance. She was never a memorable singer as an idol, but since then her vocals have matured on both technical and emotional level. You can hear it clearly on this track. It's also the only song on the album where she wrote the lyrics.
My favorite track on this album is probably the third one, "Sayonara no Uso" (さよならの嘘), and it's the one that stood out the most upon first listen. Right from that saxophone solo, it takes you away from the seaside of the first two tracks as you now find yourself at a nighttime lounge bar in Tokyo. There's also some welcome Latin flavor thrown into the chorus. The introspective mood still remains, as the protagonist in Yuko Morimoto's (森本抄夜子) lyrics laments over the breakup of an unstable relationship while picking up the scattered pieces to make herself stronger. I made a note above on how Sonoko's voice has changed over the years. Well, she barely sounds like her young self here as she sings in low register and lets out some pretty long notes.
(Refer to above link)
The fourth track, "Setsuna de Odoritai" (刹那で踊りたい) carries over the nocturnal vibe from the previous song, just with more beat and without the jazz. I actually have nothing constructive to say about it, even though it happens to be one of my favorites. It's just one of those songs that makes an impression without sounding fancy on paper.
The first time I heard this song, those opening piano chords almost made me expect Sonoko to blurt out "Last Christmas, I...", but thankfully I was able to retain my sanity. "Sora wo Miagete" (空を見上げて) is perhaps the most aidoru-sounding song on the album with its sparkly synths and cute melody, yet Sonoko's delivery gives it an elegant ethereal quality. It ends up soaring during the chorus. I'm not surprised that this song is considered one of Sonoko's fans' favorites as it provides an accessible balance between her early and later sounds.
(Refer to above link)
"Koi wa Yasashiku" (恋はやさしく) is indeed as honey-sweet as the title suggests, depicting a couple that enjoys every moment of each other's company. The arrangement is classy and totally brings to mind a romantic scene set in a serene urban neighborhood with lots of greenery. Don't try to concentrate too hard on this song analyzing every single detail. It's slow and runs for almost 6 minutes while developing gradually into a well-crafted piece. Just let the mood carry you while you enjoy a cup of tea.
(Refer to above link)
Now here's one that never fails to make me sigh pensively. The final track, "Giniro Kaigan ~Mind Lithograph" (銀色海岸～Mind Lithograph～) closes the album as seamlessly as "Hitotoki no Mirai" opens it but with an extra emotional punch. Stunning from start to finish. The clip above also provides some interesting footage showing Sonoko's growth as an artist. She always had a cute face, but somehow she looked even prettier after the passing of her idol phase. It must be the hair.
The album only managed to peak at #50 on Oricon weeklies and charted for 3 weeks. Sonoko may not have gone out with a bang, but for me this album will always remain a treasure.
This entry is actually a response of sorts to the discussion about idols and artistic freedom that took place in the comment section of Marcos V's entry on Akina Nakamori's hit "Aibu". Do check it out if you haven't yet. It's an interesting read. :)
Sonoko Kawai (河合その子), also known as the Onyanko Club (おニャン子クラブ) member #12, had a relatively short but nonetheless intriguing career. When she joined Onyanko Club in 1985 at the age of 20, she became an instant favorite among the fans for her cute looks and sweet voice. She launched her solo career that same year with the release of the single "Namida no Jasmine Love" (涙の茉莉花LOVE) in September 1985. She graduated from the group in 1986 but still continued singing her old lightweight songs such as "Aoi Station" and "Saikai no Labyrinth".
By 1987, it became evident that swaying from side to side in frilly dresses to cute tunes just wasn't Sonoko's thing, and she threw her old image away to pursue ambitions in songwriting. Her seventh single "Jessy", renamed to "Jessy no Higeki" (ジェシーの悲劇.....Jessy's Tragedy) on her fourth album Rouge et Bleu, marked a real step in that direction and was even marketed as a self-produced single during its promotion campaign. The cover image of Rouge at Bleu you see above features Sonoko looking somber in a ballerina-like costume, hinting at the dark atmosphere of the music contained within. Tsugutoshi Goto (後藤次利), who composed and arranged all of her previous singles, was still present here, but he and Sonoko seemed to enter into a different conversation. She was finally given leeway to choose the material she wanted to sing, a feat that she would repeat for the rest of Rouge at Bleu and the albums following it while gradually taking control in the composing department. She peaked artistically in 1990 with her seventh album Replica, where she composed and produced all of the tracks. However, this was to be her final release: she retired from the music business in 1994 after marrying Goto.
I chose to write about the album version of "Jessy" because this arrangement sounds so beautifully bone-chilling compared to its relatively inferior sister. I can just picture the song playing behind a dramatic scene from an eighteenth-century French play. According to J-Wiki, Sonoko's artistic director suggested to her and Goto to go for a European classical music effect, as evident in the song's march-like drum rhythm and the blend of piano, guitars and synthesizer that seems to channel an orchestra. Masumi Kawamura (川村真澄) rewrote the lyrics of the original to change the melancholic mood of "Jessy" into a desperate one of "Jessy no Higeki". And let's not forget Sonoko's painful tone that echoes all over the piece. This was no longer the sweet idol everyone knew from her Onyanko Club days, but a real dramatic singer.
Here's the single version of the song (unfortunately that video was taken down) that was released in June 1987, about one month prior to Rouge et Bleu. It peaked at No.3 on Oricon weeklies and charted for nine weeks, selling 78,000 copies.
