Tomoko Koyano -- Shiawase（しあわせ）

 

It was exactly two months ago that I posted singer-songwriter Tomoko Koyano's（古谷野とも子）most recent article and that was for her 1978 number "Shiawase Modoki"（幸わせもどき）which translates into "Fake Happiness". For me, it sounded a little bit ahead of its time and had quite some cool groove.

Well, her second single from April 1975 was "Shiawase"...just plain "Happiness", so I gather that the cynicism hadn't quite landed yet. Written and composed by Koyano with Ichizo Seo（瀬尾一三）providing the arrangement, "Shiawase" comes across as a languid and sunny pop song of the 1970s which brings to mind something that the Carpenters would tackle...that oboe in there always sparks off Karen Carpenter in my engrams. Plus, being early in her career, the singer sounds a little flightier and more uncertain in her vocals. Not sure whether "Shiawase Modoki" was meant to be her own response song to "Shiawase".

Tomoko Koyano -- Shiawase Modoki（幸わせもどき）

 

It's been a long while since the last Tomoko Koyano（古谷野とも子）article which was back in March 2020, just before COVID shut the world down for a couple of years. That was for "Yorisoi Nareta Ude no Naka de"（寄りそい慣れた腕の中で）and though the Koyano file on KKP is still not all that deep, I've gotten the impression that she's along the lines of fellow singer-songwriters Keiko Maruyama（丸山圭子）and Mieko Nishijima（西島三重子）with their mellow New Music stylings.

I found this track which shares space with "Yorisoi Nareta Ude no Naka de" on her 3rd album "Neutral Tints" from 1978. And "Shiawase Modoki" (Fake Happiness) may not titularly hint at good times within Etsuko Kisugi's（来生えつこ）lyrics, but man, right from the first several notes of the song, I do feel that Koyano's creation strikes me as something ahead of its time. The arrangement comes across as a lot more contemporary especially with the keyboard work (although that Fender Rhodes is a symbol of City Pop music, particularly in the 1970s). I could imagine "Shiawase Modoki" as having been created in the 1980s or 1990s even. Nice to have such a cool and good tune to finish off tonight's slate of postings, especially with that sax solo...gave me some Gerry Rafferty vibes.

Tomoko Koyano -- Yorisoi Nareta Ude no Naka de（寄りそい慣れた腕の中で）

Not quite as pensive and folksy as "Ame"（雨）, Tomoko Koyano's（古谷野とも子）debut single or as wistfully 70s City Pop as "Kyo mo Kita wa"（今日も来たわ）, "Yorisoi Nareta Ude no Naka de" (In The Arms That I've Grown Close to) is more on the borderline between Japanese urban contemporary and bossa nova. I would say that it is reminiscent of Keiko Maruyama's（丸山圭子）classic "Douzo Kono Mama"（どうぞこのまま）from 1976.

This was a track from Koyano's 3rd album "Neutral Tints", released in 1978, and as the cover shows in the video above, "Yorisoi Nareta Ude no Naka de" is something to relax by as the bossa melody takes you away. After a fairly busy week of work, this would be a nice way to get ready for the weekend for a kayo kyoku-loving guy like me. Koyano wrote and composed this one.

Tomoko Koyano -- Ame（雨）

Not so happy soppy Saturday! One Canadian's Twitter feed (I'm assuming that he/she lives in my neck of the woods) wondered very loudly about how a very frigid middle of the week can end up becoming like spring today, but with a potential Noah's Ark-like storm on the way. All I can say is that this is just Toronto...predictably unpredictable weather. We've got rain right now and then it'll all turn into sleet and maybe even snow later tonight which could wreak havoc on the power lines. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the infrastructure stays intact.

As such, I figured that I should start off with something appropriately meteorologically thematic so I found this debut single by singer-songwriter Tomoko Koyano（古谷野とも子）called "Ame" (Rain). Now, for folks who have already taken a gander at the Koyano file including my last entry "Kyo mo Kita wa"（今日も来たわ）, I've only covered her late 1970s City Pop material.

"Ame" itself was released in 1974 and it goes more along the lines of how Koyano began her career, which was as a folk singer. However, I think with "Ame", which was written and composed by her, there's quite a bit more dramatic sturm und drang in the arrangement (especially that spooky keyboard...was Isao Tomita involved?) and in her delivery which almost sounds as if she's on the verge of tears. Nope, it's definitely not a happy tune by any means, but I think it does reflect a lot of Torontonians' feelings on this day.

Tomoko Koyano -- Kyo mo Kita wa（今日も来たわ）

The bonenkai season is in full swing for me. Had my year-end party with my fellow company translators earlier tonight on a very bitterly cold evening so I truly appreciated the hot dinner. I also ended up uttering something rather atypically impolitic but apparently hilarious due to the Danforth Blue and Brown Cow speaking on my behalf. The above picture is actually from last week's get-together at Kintaro downtown. Dang, those were good cheese-and-mochi skewers from the grill!

Following a pleasant night out, it's good to unwind a bit. So in my case, that would involve me putting up an article on a song that is relaxing by its very nature. I found this one by singer-songwriter Tomoko Koyano（古谷野とも子）through her final album "From Inside" (1979) titled "Kyo mo Kita wa" (Coming By Again Today). I mentioned this release when I first spoke about another track on "From Inside" a few years back called "Unuborenaide"（うぬぼれないで）.

Well, I did get the album, and "Kyo mo Kita wa" is as soothing and laidback as a 1970s ballad can get as Koyano sings about a fellow who manages to keep on returning to the one he has feelings for, most likely a woman manning a dimly-lit fancy bar somewhere deep in the city on some mysterious side street. The keyboards are great especially the one responsible for the aural equivalent of a wind blowing off in the distance somewhere. Koyano was behind the words and music while Shigeru Suzuki（鈴木茂）arranged everything.

Tomoko Koyano -- Unuborenaide （うぬぼれないで）

I hope this video stays up for a while since it's got that catchy beat. Plus, Tomoko Koyano（古谷野とも子）is a name which I have seen in "Japanese City Pop" and wondered about for some time. She's a singer-songwriter who was only active for a few years in the (late?) 1970s, and her husband happens to be fellow singer-songwriter Shozo Ise（伊勢正三）.

"Unuborenaide" is certainly an expression that I had never heard of before, but it apparently translates as "Don't be conceited". Koyano wrote and composed this song which was a track on her 4th and final album, "From Inside" from 1979, a release which was produced by Shigeru Suzuki（鈴木茂）. Listening to this nice and peppy number, I thought the song combined the stylings of Junko Yagami（八神純子）and 1970s Taeko Ohnuki（大貫妙子）. And it definitely has that summer night-in-the-big-city feeling. I found out about this song only after I had already made my latest orders to Tower Records and CD Japan, but it looks like "From Inside" is available on both sites so hopefully, I can grab a copy for Xmas.