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.
Showing posts with label Toshiaki Matsumoto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Toshiaki Matsumoto. Show all posts
Well, I gotta say that as a Misia fan along with tons of other people, I was rather surprised and delighted to see the famed singer-songwriter show up on two NHK shows within as many nights. First off, she appeared on the morning information variety program "Asaichi"（あさイチ）as a guest on the Premium Talk segment and then earlier tonight, she was even one of the panelists on the popular "Chiko-chan" quiz show. And in both cases, she was talking up a storm. The "Asaichi" appearance alone was the most that I had ever seen her converse with anyone.
My history with Misia has been long and has had its ups and downs. When I first heard about her in the late 1990s, I considered her to be one of the biggest vocal powerhouses and pioneers of J-R&B going into the turn of the century, mixing in soul, hip-hop and dance music into an intoxicating blend. Of course, she came through with some heartrending ballads and for a number of years, I lost touch with her because I just thought that she was overdoing it with the love songs. I also enjoyed her upbeat and danceworthy tunes, too.
Well, somebody has got to update the J-Wiki article for Misia's discography because the R&B diva has just released a new single in the last few days titled "Love Never Dies". Of course, she introduced it on "Asaichi" and one YouTube commenter noted that it sounds like some of her old dance stuff, and that person is right and doesn't mind at all. I certainly don't mind at all. Created by Toshiaki Matsumoto（松本俊明）and Misia, the above has gotten a remix by Eric Kupper.
A considerably shorter version of "Love Never Dies" is the soundtrack for the official music video starring the vivacious Naomi Watanabe（渡辺直美）in a Cinderella-esque role.
Last week, I provided Part 1 to Chisato Moritaka's（森高千里）November 1992 7th original album, "Pepperland"（ペパーランド）. As I mentioned there, this had been an album that stayed up on my shelves for the longest time after first listening to it and just finding it a little too outré for my impressions of Moritaka back then. However, after many years, I've decided to give it another go and I'm more open to it now. Let's go with Part 2, then, shall we?
Track 6, and perhaps this could have been the beginning song to Side B if an LP version of "Pepperland" had been released, is "Ame no Asa"（雨の朝...Rainy Morning）. Composed by Yasuaki Maejima（前嶋康明）of the band Spick & Span, he's also accompanying Moritaka's drumming with his Fender Rhodes and synthesizer according to the liner notes. It's a familiar track to me so I've probably put it into one of my old mixtapes and it's the funkiest and grooviest track on the album, although the lyrical content is such that you want to give the lass in the story a great big hug. She is not having a good morning as she has to get ready for another day of the corporate grind while watching a downpour outside her apartment.
That lass probably wishes she were in the story of Track 7, "Tokonatsu no Paradise"（常夏のパラダイス）, (and maybe she is), as Chisato sings about being as happy as one can be after a not-so-great previous year. Written by Moritaka (as she did for all of the tracks) and composed by Toshiaki Matsumoto（松本俊明）, I think the original version on "Pepperland" had that Beatles-y sound but the remake above also has incorporated some Okinawan feelings. One of the other things that I like about this one is Chisato's "Ha~i!" in the chorus.
"U-Turn ~ Wagaya"（Uターン (我が家)...My Home） has a distinctly Japanese summer theme as someone is returning by train to the old hometown for a long-awaited visit. That someone can look forward to seeing mountains and rivers and having Mom's home cooking once again. Chisato's piano pretty much lays it out: this is one swaying nostalgic and welcome trip home. Yuichi Takahashi（高橋諭一）, who has also provided the melodies for some of the earlier tracks, is back here on music.
The next track on the album is "Gokigen na Asa"（ごきげんな朝）which I actually posted almost a decade ago as this jangly tribute to the band Shocking Blue. So have a look at it there through the link and then we go to "Rock Alarm Clock" which, like "Ame no Asa", is another work-related tune. This time though, the young lady is making a very energetic effort to get to work on time after her alarm clock lets her down, and in all likelihood, not for the first time. The vocalist and leader of the rock band Carnation, Masataro Naoe（直枝政太郎）, was responsible for the melody.
The final track is the sad and perhaps reflective-of-the-times song "Aoi Umi"（青い海）. Composed by Hiroyoshi Matsuo（松尾弘良）in a deceptively cheerful way, it's the story of a widowed man in his mid-sixties owning a bookstore in his seaside town. His daughter has moved away due to marriage to probably the big city. He goes and visits her but doesn't seem to enjoy the big city life and finds the travel arduous to the point that he may not make a second visit. By the end of the song, the bookstore has been torn down to become a parking lot. Meanwhile, the sea remains blue. 😭 I think I saw this scene play out in yesterday's episode of NHK's current morning serial drama "Omusubi"（おむすび）.
Once again, as was the case with Akina Nakamori's（中森明菜）"Crimson", I've found redemption in Moritaka's "Pepperland" as an album where the singer-songwriter-musician has decided to make a pivot in her style from the synth dance pop where she first made her name to a more grounded form of arrangement. And wiser people than me discovered this far earlier since the album hit the charts at No. 5.
For this week, I had been expecting to give a tribute to a recently departed star in pop culture tomorrow during the regular Reminiscings of Youth article. However, last night I discovered that regrettably I have to give another one right now. Seiyuu and singer Emi Shinohara（篠原恵美）passed away on September 8th at the age of 61. Of course, she's been known for many roles in anime but the one that I will always associate her with is Makoto Kino（木野まこと）, aka Sailor Jupiter, within the original "Sailor Moon" anime series of the early 1990s.
Mako-chan was a most interesting character within the five main Sailors since her character fused a couple of typical personality types together: the tall, tough and just girl who could wipe the pavement of many a thug and a lass who loved to cook, admire cute things and happily fall in love with any guy. Initially striking me as being the most serious warrior, she also got her chance to partake in the goofy world of Usagi Tsukino（月野うさぎ）, aka Sailor Moon.
All of the seiyuu in "Sailor Moon" were also involved in singing and in 1994, during the second season of the original series known as "Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon R"（美少女戦士セーラームーンR キャラクターソング）, there was a CD single series known as "Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon R Character Songs" in which each of the seiyuu put out their own songs under their characters' names. Shinohara's own CD came out in March of that year with the final track being "Wasureru tame ni Koi wo Shinai de" (Don't Fall in Love Just to Forget).
Sung softly by Shinohara and as the character of Makoto Kino, the song fits her and her circumstances to a T as Mitsuko Shiramine's（白峰美津子） lyrics describe Mako-chan, having broken up with a boy recently, makes her slow recovery though she still has feelings for the lad. The synthpop arrangement is very plucky in a nearly Shibuya-kei way and more importantly, it sounds hopeful for the future. The melody was created by Toshiaki Matsumoto（松本俊明）who came up with a lot of pop songs for other artists including a couple of Xmas outings for Junichi Inagaki（稲垣潤一）in 1990 and then Misia in 2000.
My condolences to Shinohara's family, friends and fans.
The theme for today's "Uta Con"（うたコン）was weddings since June is known as the month for the celebratory event, so songs such as Kaela Kimura's（木村カエラ）"Butterfly" and Official Hige Dandism's（Official髭男dism）"Hyaku-juu-go-man Kilo no Film"（115万キロのフィルム）were featured. For those relative newlyweds who feel like tearing up a bit, feel free to pick up a tissue.😢
Although this particular song wasn't on the wedding song list on "Uta Con", I did find it on an online list of popular wedding-themed J-Pop tunes. Who better to signify the bonding of two people in matrimony than Misia with her 29th single"Shiawase wo Forever"(Happy Forever) from September 2013? Written by the singer and composed by Toshiaki Matsumoto（松本俊明）, it is a gentle and soulful tune with the touch of the gospel, and with Misia delivering another heartfelt love song, it's probably no wonder that "Shiawase wo Forever" has been a favourite at wedding receptions.
The official music video of a couple's relationship from meet cute to the exchange of wedding rings is chock-filled with celebrities, and that includes the bride and groom. Actress Kazue Fukuishi（吹石一恵）would get married to singer-songwriter/actor Masaharu Fukuyama（福山雅治）a couple of years later while former 80s aidoruand actor Noriyuki Higashiyama（東山紀之）had already gotten married to actress and TV personality Yoshino Kimura（木村佳乃）back in 2010.
"Shiawase wo Forever" peaked at No. 26 on Oricon and it's a track on Misia's 11th original album"New Morning" which came out in April 2014. It was also used as the campaign song for the bridal magazine "Zexy".
I did a casual search and it looks like nobody has written anything about this song on Kayokyoku Plus yet so I'll give it a try.
Recently, I've listening to some old Cantonese pops from the 90s and somehow I have been hooked onto Leon Lai's (黎明) "Please don't leave tonight" (願你今夜別離去), which is a cover version of Inagaki Junichi's 稲垣潤一 Terminal Station 終着駅. And since I grew up in Hong Kong, I knew about the covered version first and it's only around 10 years ago that I knew it was originally a Japanese song.
I don't know if this is considered a city pop but it certainly sounds like a city pop to me. The lyrics also carries a heavy city vibe. It's a story about a couple who bid their last goodbye at the terminal station. However, there's an urban legend that if a couple separated at the terminal station, they'd definitely meet again one day at the starting station. That's what the man/woman (depending on your perspective when you listen) was thinking as he/she is walking back towards the starting station, while recalling their fond memories. Music was written by Matsumoto Toshiaki 松本俊明. And like many of Inagaki Junichi's songs, its lyrics was written by Akimoto Yasushi 秋元康. It was released in 1992 in the album called "Sketch of Heart".
To be honest, I actually like the arrangement of Leon Lai's covered version better, although it lost the city pop feel along with it. Here's the covered version. It's also the theme song of the Hong Kong TV drama "The Legendary Ranger" (原振俠) back in 1993.
Spoke to a couple of friends over the past few days, both of whom have plenty of Japan experience, and at least one of them is really itching to head over there again for vacation, perhaps later this fall. I really hope that his wish comes true although I really doubt that I'll be able to get there again anytime before 2023. By that time, it'll have been 6 years since my last flight out to my old stomping grounds.
Speaking of those long-awaited dream flights, I have one here with that very title in Japanese. "Yume Hiko"(Dream Flight) was the B-side to Azumi Inoue's（井上杏美）debut single"Star Storm" in April 1983. At first, that name didn't quite hit the recognition circuits, because she was going full kanji at the time, but when I noticed that she'd already had an entry on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", I realized that it was the Azumi Inoue（井上あずみ）who'd been responsible for singing the theme songs for the Hayao Miyazaki（宮崎駿）classic, "Tonari no Totoro"（となりのトトロ）in 1988. The Kanazawa native was actually born Midori Miyazaki（宮崎みどり）but took on her stage name based on a book written by a Kanazawa-born author Saisei Muro（室生犀星）titled "Anzukko"（杏っ子）.
That jingly synthesizer which starts "Yume Hiko" is really quite nostalgic for me and it does remind me of those really cute aidoru tunes from the early 1980s, additionally enhanced by Inoue's high-and-clear vocals. I also can't forget that wailing electric guitar which finishes things off. Written by Rie Ohtani（大谷リエ）, the melody was composed by Toshiaki Matsumoto（松本としあき）, a pianist and composer who also later changed the transcription of his name（松本俊明）and has since become even more famous for a couple of Xmas tunes, Junichi Inagaki's（稲垣潤一）"Merry Xmas ga Ienai"（メリークリスマスが言えない）and Misia's "Everything".
I swear that the young lady in the middle of that busking band in Nakano looks a lot like an old classmate of mine. But I've never heard of her ever taking up any musical instrument let alone a banjo so it's most likely not her. 😏
Usually I can always rely on singer-songwriter Misia to come up with something to blow away the blues with her own rhythm and blues although there was a time in the early 2000s when I wasn't paying too much attention to her material since she seemed to only record introspective ballads. I did like her uptempo stuff, too.
And so it goes with "We Are The Music", a track from her 7th original album, the No. 2-ranking"Ascension", from February 2007. It brings back her happy-go-lucky disco feelings and the overall good vibes are almost downright Xmas-y. There's a bit of the song that reminds me of a really uptempo version of one of her most famous hits, "Everything", and that's not surprising since the melody was composed by Toshiaki Matsumoto（松本俊明）, the same fellow behind "Everything". Misia provided the lyrics while Seikou Nagaoka（長岡成貢）arranged "We Are The Music". Nagaoka was also behind the soundtrack for the original OVA for "Shinpi no Sekai El-Hazard"（神秘の世界エルハザード）more than a decade prior.
There isn't a separate J-Wiki article for Misia's song "Ashita e" (Toward Tomorrow), a track on her April 2011 10th studio album"Soul Quest", but Wikipedia does have an English-language article on the song.
"Ashita e" was created by the singer and Toshiaki Matsumoto（松本俊明）as a song of support and hope after the March 11th 2011 Tohoku Earthquake which had occurred several weeks earlier. As usual, her voice and the arrangements by Matsumoto (who was also on the piano and synthesizer) hit "Ashita e" out of the park, and perhaps on second thought, there is really no need to put up anything huge on the online encyclopedia or here. Just listening to the song is nourishment enough. However, I will add that Misia made her first appearance on the Kohaku Utagassen on NHK with this song at the end of 2012. "Soul Quest" itself peaked at No. 7 on Oricon.
I think I did mention earlier tonight about a cooling song for these blisteringly hot times on both sides of the Pacific.
Well, it looks like I've found another one in the form of this bossa-influenced tune by Michiru Kojima（児島未散）. This would be "Bayside Blue ~ Yorokobi no Asa no Tame ni" (For A Joyful Morning). A track from her October 1992 6th album which has the second half of this song title as its own title, it actually does feel like it would be perfect for morning listening while munching down on that slice of toast and sipping that cup of coffee. Composed by Toshiaki Matsumoto（松本俊明）, it is that mix with the amenable sophisticated pop music from the late 80s and early 90s and some mellow Brazilian; I could almost be describing a nice brand of java here in itself.
The lyrics were provided by Miki Fuudo（風堂美起）which is a pseudonym for former 80s aidoruMie Takahashi（高橋美枝）. And since some of her aidoru tunes are up on YouTube, I will have to take a look at them as well. "Bayside Blue" was also the coupling song for Kojima's 10th single"Ren'ai Eiga wa Owari"（恋愛映画は終わり...The Love Movie Is Over）which came out in February 1993.
Discovered another Noriko Ogawa（小川範子）song that I liked just in the last few hours. Amazing this YouTube. "Kore de Ii no" (It's Fine as It Is), a track originally from Ogawa's 5th album"Doushite Konna ni Suki nan darou"（どうしてこんなに好きなんだろう...Why Do I Love Him So Much?）which was released in August 1992.
From listening to her debut single from 1987, "Namida wo Tabanete"（涙をたばねて）, I got that impression that Ogawa the aidoru may have tackled songs with a bit more style. However, I think several years later, I can't really say that she was an aidoru by the time of "Kore de Ii no" which is solidly in the pop vein. Written by Ayuko Ishikawa（石川あゆ子）and composed by Toshiaki Matsumoto（松本俊明）, there is a certain dreaminess in the song with a bit of urban contemporary balladry.
Oh good heavens! It's been almost a year since my last Misia article. Wonderful thing to have her back in the fold.
Buying her debut album"Mother Father Brother Sister" in the late 1990s, my impression was that there was a true talent in Misia but perhaps she was tapping those higher registers a bit too much in those tracks. However, with some more judicious usage of that sonic weapon, she could make a dramatic statement.
Her 4th single"Wasurenai Hibi"(The Unforgotten Days) actually was on her 2nd album from New Year's Day 2000, "LOVE IS THE MESSAGE" with the single itself coming out in November 1999. As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder, so it's definitely nice to hear this one again. Actually, I used to hear this one quite often back in the day because it was used as a campaign song for Hitachi Maxell audiotapes (I guess they were still selling those back then).
Man, I do miss those soul ballads from back then. Misia came up with the lyrics about a lady asking her very-soon-to-be ex-boyfriend to hold her hand one more time and remember past days before the end of their relationship while Toshiaki Matsumoto（松本俊明）composed the lovely music. It may have signaled the end of a romance but "Wasurenai Hibi" couldn't get much more romantic. In all likelihood, folks in the audience had to grab a Kleenex or handkerchief before Misia finished her performance.
The single got as high as No. 4 on Oricon and ended the year as the 65th-ranked single for 2000 as it went Platinum. As for "LOVE IS THE MESSAGE", it went all the way to No. 1 on the weeklies and became the 4th-ranked album of the year, winning a Best Album prize at the Japan Record Awards and breaking the 2 million barrier in sales.
The video for Misia's "Everything" is one of the most memorable for me. I think the three ingredients for a Xmas-themed video are: 1) kids....lots of kids, 2) snow and 3) slow motion. "Everything" has got everything....including footage of what looks like Yokohama's Red Brick Park.
Misia has had a number of uptempo songs and ballads which have become hits since her debut in 1998. But I think when all is said and done, "Everything" may be the one that she will be best known for. It's one of those exquisitely-sung love ballads that depending on the situation and the season, it can just hit me in the throat and tear ducts. At karaoke, if amateur (and decent) singers really want to stop the gang from talking in the booth, they select this one.
Lyrics were by Misia and the notes were by Toshiaki Matsumoto（松本俊明）, who had also composed Jun'ichi Inagaki's（稲垣潤一）"Merry Christmas ga Ienai"（メリークリスマスが言えない）almost a decade before. The accolades for "Everything" are many. Released in October 2000, it debuted on Oricon at the top spot and stayed there for a non-consecutive total of 4 weeks, quickly became the 14th-ranked song for the year and even jumped up a couple of more ranks the following year. According to Wikipedia, it is the best-selling single by a female artist in Japan in the 21st-century, and the 3rd-best-selling single overall by a female Japanese artist behind Namie Amuro's"Can You Celebrate?" and Hikaru Utada's"Automatic". It sold 2 million copies. And it just happened to be another hit theme song for a Monday-night-at-9 Fuji-TV drama, "Yamato Nadeshiko".....the sweet spot when it comes to Japanese TV dramas which has been occupied by shows like "Tokyo Love Story" and "101st Proposal".
As is plainly evident, I love everything about "Everything", but the special part for me is that instrumental bridge when the strings go into a gospel mode and just hit this crescendo before Misia finishes up with the final verses.
The single was also a track on Misia's 3rd album, "Marvelous" which was released in April 2001.
With all of the celebrity that has surrounded Junichi Inagaki's（稲垣潤一）"Christmas Carol no Koro ni wa"（クリスマスキャロルの頃には....already profiled) over the years, it can be surprising that the J-AOR crooner actually had released a prior Xmas song. "Merry Christmas ga Ienai"(I Can't Say Merry Christmas) is another one of those sad ballads of a lonely person on the 24th reminiscing to happier times when he did have a significant other to celebrate the Holidays with.
Released in November 1990 as Inagaki's 20th single, the song was written by Yasushi Akimoto（秋元康） and composed by pianist-songwriter Toshiaki Matsumoto（松本俊明）, who would later create a Misia masterpiece, "Everything" a decade later. Compared to "Christmas Carol no Koro ni wa", "Merry Christmas ga Ienai" has more of the traditional Yuletide arrangements, albeit it's a more melancholy song. It was released 5 times as a single between 1990 and 1994, with the 3rd and 5th times being coupled with its more frenetic cousin "Christmas Carol". The first release was, by far, its most successful outing in terms of sales with it peaking at No. 10 on Oricon. The song was also a track on Inagaki's 11th album, "Will", released in April 1991.
My two favourite Misia songs are both ballads: "Everything" and this one "Hatenaku Tsuzuku Story"(The Neverending Story). The latter one was used as NHK's official theme song for its coverage of the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Hard to imagine that it's been over a decade since this video was first presented.
This is one of the more majestic tie-ups for a Games theme, and I have often thought this wasn't so much for the Olympics more than it was a requiem for one hero. The sweeping orchestral arrangements and Misia's soaring vocals always get me a bit verklempt whenever I hear it for the first time in a long time. It's almost a pity that other remixes of the song (disco, Latin jazz and one more dance remix) have been included with the maxi-single since they kinda undercut the original version's grandeur. Just imagine listening to Simon & Garfunkel's legendary "Bridge Over Troubled Water"....and then a few seconds later, the 5-minute Polka version of it comes on. Still, the remixes are fine...nothing bad about them at all; it's just that the original version is so epic.
Written by Misia and composed by Toshiaki Matsumoto, her 9th single was released at the end of January 2002, and peaked at No. 3 on the weeklies. It ended up becoming the 68th-ranked song of the year. The song was also included on Misia's 4th album, "Kiss In The Sky", released later that September. It hit the top spot on Oricon and was the 14th-ranked album of the year.
