Well, Jme, If We Can't Have Uta Con Because of the Beatles...

 

This week, we're not watching any "Uta Con"（うたコン）on NHK which was a bit weird because I swore that I'd seen "Uta Con" concierge Shosuke Tanihara（谷原章介）give out the lineup at the end of last week's episode for this week. And then, I figured something was up. Indeed, something was up...the number of non-Japanese songs being sung on the June 9th episode. Notably, the show's theme tonight was all about The Beatles, and this was confirmed by commenter Brian Mitchell in my last article yesterday. 

I've mentioned it before but our streaming provider of Japanese programming here in North America is Jme, and they've given us the heads-up on their website, but when it comes to the performance of American, British or any non-Japanese songs by Japanese artists in Japan, due to copyrights and all that legal stuff, they simply can't allow them to be heard. Usually, if it's one or two songs, Jme will put up the warning blurb at the top of the screen in Japanese and then mask the aural performance with Muzak although viewers can still see the singers doing the cover. However, when there's a whole bunch of foreign music played on a program, then Jme basically can't allow the episode to be shown. This has happened once before with "Uta Con" when the theme for that episode was Disney music.

This time, it's the Beatles. Not that I'm a huge fan of the Fab Four although there are several songs that I do like by Paul, John, Ringo and George, but it still gets rather annoying to have something that my family looks forward weekly get cancelled due to legal and money stuff (and personally, I did want to see Hiromi Iwasaki and Junko Yagami give their covers). Therefore, just off the top of my head, I've decided to put up some covers of the Beatles discography by Japanese singers...simply for the heck of it.

B'z -- Let It Be

Masayoshi Yamazaki -- All My Loving (and he's performing this in front of Sir Paul himself!)

Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Day Tripper

Mone Kamishiraishi -- Yesterday

Akiko Kanazawa -- Yellow Submarine Ondo（イエロー・サブマリン音頭）

YMO -- Tegakari（手掛かり）

 

I remember the Yellow Magic Orchestra single "Taiso"（体操）with its upbeat melody and its message of up-and-at-'em just to rouse up the kids for the morning exercise session. The music video made me wonder how much in the way of stimulants and the like were pumped into its production, though.

There's a bit of lyrical psychedelia as well in the B-side for "Taiso", although the more dramatic "Tegakari" (Key) didn't get its own video which is too bad in a way. Haruomi Hosono's（細野晴臣）words seem to describe a depressed fellow who's ended up in a one-person video adventure game that could also serve as a mindscape aching to be analyzed by a psychiatrist for their thesis. Hosono and YMO drummer and vocalist Yukihiro Takahashi（高橋幸宏）came up with the urgent pounding melody that could make that fellow build up quite a sweat as he's running up and down those hills in the gamescape.

J-Canuck's Reps for Showa Kayo（昭和歌謡）

via Wikimedia Commons

As I noted in my previous article, due to Wednesday the 29th being Showa Day in Japan (and thus the official start to Golden Week), NHK's "Uta Con"（うたコン）devoted a good chunk of its broadcast tonight to some of the Showa Era kayo kyoku which I was plenty grateful about. After all, this is what we're all here for when it comes to this blog. 

I recollect that I may have done something in the past to commemorate Showa Day via an Author's Picks but I decided to still go ahead with another try at a list. Initially, I'd thought about bringing over some of a list of most popular Showa Era karaoke songs but when I realized that most of those songs originated in the years 1985 to 1987, I jettisoned that idea for being a little too centralized, time-wise. Then, after some more thought, I blurted out "Oh, what the heck!". I'll just let my memories pick out one song that immediately comes to mind when I think of a certain decade or period within Showa (1926-1989) and let the chips fall where they may. 

The list below only consists of five songs...yes, very inadequate (I've left out City Pop and Group Sounds, for instance) but take this as an opportunity for folks to chime in with their representative kayo choices. Anyways, anything that would seem adequate would probably force me to make a new blog. Plus, Labels would throw a major tantrum at me. Still, allow me to mention the Blue Comets' "Blue Chateau"（ブルー・シャトウ）from 1967 and Miki Matsubara's（松原みき）"Mayonaka no Door" （真夜中のドアー）from 1979.

(Prewar) Ichiro Fujiyama -- Tokyo Rhapsody （東京ラプソディ）

(Postwar/1950s) Frank Nagai -- Yurakucho de Aimashou (有楽町で逢いましょう）

(1960s) Hibari Misora -- Kanashii Sake （悲しい酒）

(1970s) Pink Lady -- UFO

(1980s) Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Rydeen (雷電）

Two-Letter Abbreviations

From Dank via Wikimedia Commons

Look at all those abbreviations in the United States. Makes things rather compact, don't they? Well, it's time for a bit of whimsy here on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" today as this thought came to my mind for the latest Author's Picks. I think they're rare enough but there are some Japanese songs that have two-letter abbreviations in their titles, so why not give a few out?

(1975) Eikichi Yazawa -- I Love You, OK（アイ・ラヴ・ユー、OK）

(1981) Yellow Magic Orchestra -- U.T.

(1990) Denki Groove -- N.O.

(1990) Pink Sapphire -- P.S. I Love You

(2018) Kirinji -- AI no Touhikou（AIの逃避行）

Yellow Magic Orchestra -- LIMBO

 

Just out of curiosity, I threw something into the Yahoo Japan search engine: Any underrated songs by Yellow Magic Orchestra? After all, being a good fan of the legendary technopop band from Japan, I've covered quite a few of their songs throughout the history of "Kayo Kyoku Plus".

Well, luckily enough, I did hit some pay dirt. I'd never covered this first song, "LIMBO", on YMO's "Service", their December 1983 8th studio album. Written and composed by Yukihiro Takahashi（高橋幸宏）and Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣）with Peter Barakan also helping out on the lyrics, "LIMBO" is about whether or not to leave the Limbo or not. It may be boring but dependable. The outside world may be unpredictable but exciting and evolutionary.

I've been reading some of the English comments for "LIMBO" underneath the YouTube video, and indeed I did catch the David Bowie feeling in the vocal stylings. YouTuber withblueberry also posits "It's enormously interesting musically. It includes dance music, minimal music, atmosphere of Ambient music, etc. . . and has a contemporary cool sense." Personally, I think the arrangement of "LIMBO" also has that whimsical sense of technopop from that decade, nurtured by YMO, Taeko Ohnuki（大貫妙子）and Akiko Yano（矢野顕子）, and I've got to admit that the bass voice doing all of that slow rap adds an extra layer of intrigue as if enticing reluctant tourists from Limbo with free admission to a dance club.

OK, I have to be honest and admit that a part of me initially had thought that "LIMBO" was all about that other limbo.

Dance-y Songs for Me 2 (for International Dance Day...actually on April 29th)

 

It was exactly a year ago (and also today happens to be the current Emperor's birthday in Japan so it was a national holiday over there) that I posted up "Dance-y Songs for Me (for International Dance Day)". I don't consider myself anything of even being a mediocre dancer but I always enjoy seeing the experts trot their stuff especially when it comes to music I've come to known and love. And yes, International Dance Day is on April 29th but as I mentioned in the original article a year ago, I can't wait until the 29th. I wanna boogie now! So, without further ado:

(1977) Pink Lady -- UFO

This was one of commenter Brian Mitchell's suggestions when he spoke on the original dance article, and I see that the dance-oriented video games have agreed as well. Seeing how kayo kyoku has been getting its props around the world, I can also imagine that folks can be strutting their stuff to Pink Lady's classic in the clubs as well as the karaoke boxes.

(1979) Hideki Saijo -- Young Man (ヤングマン）

Hey, the Village People brought it to the disco-crazed masses but Hideki Saijo（西城秀樹）also made it his own as a beloved piece of his discography. The danceability is already built in, and as with "UFO" above, I'm sure that both the karaoke boxes and dance clubs felt the love for "Young Man". Certainly, Saijo may be looking at us with a smile.

(1980) Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Tighten Up

I don't usually consider the music of Hosono（細野晴臣）, Takahashi（高橋幸宏）and Sakamoto（坂本龍一）something to hit the disco floors for (despite YMO marking itself "the No. 1 dance band in Japan"), but "Tighten Up" can be one exception since as with "Young Man" above, this was a Japanese cover of a song by an American band that liked to get the folks up and moving. I still want that YMO shirt!

(1982) Kingo Hamada -- midnight cruisin'

I'm surprised that I hadn't included this one in the original article but I guess Labels was pretty stuffed to the gills with entries, so I'm glad that I get to put it the second list. After all. Kingo Hamada's（濱田金吾）classic is a City Pop party favour for big city living. Plus, YouTuber hirokoboogie shows how folks can move to the groove if you refer back to the "midnight cruisin'" article.

(1982) Hiroshi Sato -- Say Goodbye

This was another one of Brian's recommendations. Having listened to "Say Goodbye" in the years since I posted up the article for the song and got my copy of the 1982 album "Awakenings", I'm wondering if the late great Hiroshi Sato（佐藤博）had been channeling his inner Stevie Wonder or Herbie Hancock when he came up with this masterpiece. Shimmy those shoulders away.

(1983) Anri -- Goodbye Boogie Dance

Speaking of hirokoboogie, here she is with her friends as they cut up a rug doing Anri's（杏里）"Goodbye Boogie Dance". Not sure if there had been a lot of lockin' when the song first came out in 1983, but I'm sure folks at home were shimmying up a storm. I can't even imagine how the new fans were reacting on the dance floor at the City Pop dance parties several years ago to this one.

(1986) PSY-S -- Woman-S

PSY-S was another technopop band that burst onto the scene with some great hooks...hooks that could potentially grab onto listeners and force them to boogie, shimmy or however folks tend to move. The two versions of "Woman-S" had their own ways of manipulating people into doing their steps; the original (below), for example, had that booming percussion.

I've got a feeling that "Dance-y songs for Me 3" will be coming out in 2027!

The Year of the Horse

From Alexandra Sigrit2323
via Wikimedia Commons

Y'know...I should have posted this one up right on New Year's Day almost a month ago, but then again, I was rather busy with family stuff on January 1st. But I digress. This year is once again the Year of the Horse; people who were born in that year are supposedly responsible, confident and agreeable.

As such, I'm not sure whether I can find any kayo kyoku that are responsible, confident and agreeable, but at least I can find some songs that have some sort of relationship to horses.

(1970) Salty Sugar -- Hashire Koutarou（走れコウタロー）

(1980) Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Rydeen (雷電）

(1988) Yuki Saito & Takao Kisugi -- ORACION - Inori （ORACION -祈り-）

(1996) Koji Tamaki -- Den'en （田園）

I realize that this last one may not have anything directly to do with horses, but dang it, the rhythms here just remind me so much of taking a running ride on a steed through the countryside!

Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Gradated Grey

Considering the lyric analysis that will soon be shown below, I'm surprised that Yellow Magic Orchestra's "Gradated Grey" was never used for an ending scene of a particularly gritty thriller drama. A track from the band's November 1981 "Technodelic" LP, this was written by Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣）and Peter Barakan with Hosono also taking care of the melody.

When it comes to my own personal adventure with the music of YMO, I've divided their discography into two halves. The first half, which is the one that I've preferred, happens to be the songs from the early years in the late 1970s with songs like "Firecracker" and "Rydeen" when the guys were enjoying filtering various music genres through the wonders of synths and emulators. Meanwhile, the second half which continued from the early 1980s seemed to be the band's flight of fancy into pure artistic techno and less of the pop. For me, it was OK but some songs never grabbed me.

"Gradated Grey" is one song that seems more into the avant-garde part although I think it's still approachable. There is that feeling of waking up in a haze of uncertainty and possibility with the periodic siren-like blasts. As for the lyric analysis, I will have to give credit to one of the commenters for the above video on YouTube, @kunwarbedi3882, for his summary as follows:

Yellow Magic Orchestra's song Gradated Grey is a melancholic yet hopeful masterpiece that explores the complexities of human emotions and the concept of change. The song starts with a description of the singer's current state of mind while driving and listening to a song that makes him feel uneasy and unsure. As the song progresses, the lyrics talk about how the singer has been through many experiences that have made him see many shades of grey. He has seen sadness, despair, and hopelessness but has also seen beauty and hope.

The landscape that the singer drives through is described as unique and unfamiliar, with shades of grey that he has never seen before. This suggests that the singer is in a transitional phase of life, experiencing new and unfamiliar emotions and situations. However, the song also hints at a sense of hope and anticipation for what is to come. The last line of the song talks about racing towards a point where grey meets white, which could symbolize a new beginning or a fresh start.

Overall, Gradated Grey can be interpreted as a reflection on the complexities of human emotions and the constant evolution of our lives. The song acknowledges the inevitability of change and the importance of embracing the unknown, even if it makes us feel uneasy.

If I'm not mistaken, I think among the three key YMO members, Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）and Yukihiro Takahashi（高橋幸宏）, Hosono is the only one who hasn't gotten himself in front of a camera for a movie or TV show. Try to imagine him in the driver's seat in a movie as he has been driving for many hours, wondering what has befallen him and what is to become of him. I keep thinking that Michael Mann would have to direct this film.

Considering that this is the last day of November, a month that perhaps has that greyness compared to the gold and orange hues of October and the white and red colours of December, "Gradated Grey" seems to be the appropriate entry to end this month of KKP entries. Plus, as hinted in the song, that grey looks to be shifting into something brighter hopefully.

The Firsts (Audio Ware) by J-Canuck

 

Welcome to the final full week of November 2025. With the autumn in full swing, it's easy to get a bit wistful about the passage of this year and time in general. And I've gotten into this mood as well. I've been doing "Kayo Kyoku Plus" now for what will be approaching 14 years so our baby has turned into a snappy teenager. 

I first started the blog out by talking about the many examples of kayo kyoku and J-Pop that I purchased and knew for years and years and what the surrounding situation was for each article. Of course, that has changed since for the past several years, I'm writing mostly about new songs by familiar and not-so-familiar singers and bands that I've encountered and sometimes when I get into a whole long series of those, I do wonder about getting things "on track" in a manner of speaking and at least presenting those songs that I've known about since my toddlerhood.

We have "The First" category in the Labels and I remember that I put up my own article almost five years ago on some of the firsts that I achieved through particular songs such as the first kayo kyoku that I ever heard. Well, along that similar track, I'm going to post about the first examples of Japanese music media that I ever bought or got as a gift since they are different from that other list. The above thumbnail shows the first entry.

1. First Tokusatsu Maxi-Single: Kamen Rider/Mirror Man/ Silver Kamen/Ultra Seven (1972)

2. First Audiotape: Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Yellow Magic Orchestra (1978...bought in 1981)

3. First 45" Single: Hiromi Iwasaki -- Madonna Tachi no Lullaby (聖母たちのララバイ）(1982)

4. First LP: Seiko Matsuda -- Train (1985)

5. First CD album: Akina Nakamori -- Cruise (1989)

6. First CD single: Miho Nakayama -- Virgin Eyes (1989)

Ryuichi Sakamoto/YMO -- Happy End

 

Although I spent one month of 1981 in Japan, I still can't imagine what a time it was for Japanese music lovers over there back in those days. There was the regular kayo kyoku along with the Golden Age of Aidoru rolling in, and at the same time, there were the twin lines of City Pop and technopop for those who had some more particular tastes. Of course, outside of Japan, there was what remained of disco, the roaring New Wave and just good ol' American pop.

But at the same time, I can also believe that some of the more outlying stuff, musically speaking, would never have come onto weekly shows such as "The Best 10"（ザ・ベストテン）or "Yoru no Hit Studio"（夜のヒットスタジオ）. It was just a little too weird, not to put too fine a point on my expression. For example, Yellow Magic Orchestra was having its heyday as the No. 1 band in Japan with its amazing and catchy technopop but some of their other melodic adventures further afield may have been considered a little too outré. 

I am not one of those people, by and large...otherwise, this blog would have been far smaller by this point. And there's a lot I like about Ryuichi Sakamoto's（坂本龍一）"Happy End" which was the Side B to his April 1981 single "Front Line". It certainly doesn't sound as if The Professor had wanted to pay any tribute to his then-bandmate Haruomi Hosono's（細野晴臣）old band from a decade earlier. In fact, I would say that "Happy End" sounds like the perfect soundtrack to a ballet performed by shiny silver androids and robots with that synth-string playing a classical melody.

A version of "Happy End" was even included in Yellow Magic Orchestra's 1981 "BGM" album. I had forgotten about that but it was no wonder. That synth-string melody was taken out of that version so what I was listening to was even more outré and avant-garde. Couldn't see this played live on a music show. It didn't strike me as being a happy end as it was more of a drunk high end after having too much of that absinthe of malice.

Computer Tunes

Wikimedia Commons
via Adam Schuster

Hello there! Some of you faithful viewers of KKP may have noticed that I was absent yesterday from any new articles. That is because Monday was saved for a computer parts shopping spree downtown with my good friend who is also someone very blessed with computer-creating and computer-repairing skills. We brought back everything to my place and he used a few hours to give some fine upgrades to my two computers and they're now humming with increased speed and capacity now. My great gratitude to him. There's still one more part to come in but basically we're done.

As such, I thought I would put up another Author's Picks with the theme here being songs which have something to do with computers. One entry might seem a bit odd but in that case, you can take a look at its original article to find out why I chose it.

(1978) Yellow Magic Orchestra -- COMPUTER GAME ~ Theme From The Circus

(1981) NHK Jido Gassho Dan -- Computer Obaachan （コンピューターおばあちゃん）

(1982) Donald Fagen -- I.G.Y.  (What A Beautiful World)

(2015) Natsume Mito -- 8-Bit Boy (8ビットボーイ)

Just for Fun...The J-C AI Gallery -- Akira, Hiroko & YMO

 

Akira Terao -- Shadow City

Hiroko Yakushimaru -- Sailor Fuku to Kikanjuu （セーラー服と機関銃）

Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Cosmic Surfin'

Alphabet Songs

Wikimedia Commons

Welcome to a steamy Sunday in the Greater Toronto Area. I think you have probably read me referring to Yasushi Akimoto's（秋元康）harem of aidoru groups such as AKB 48 as the Alphabet Aidoru. Well, today to start this broadcasting day on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", I'll be providing some Alphabet Songs through their titles.

There's something here that is almost downright "Jeopardy" about this selection. I'll take Alphabet Songs for $200, Alex!

(1985) AB'S -- CIA

(1985) Miho Nakayama -- C

(1989) Princess Princess -- M

(1986) Bernard Fowler and Ryuichi Sakamoto -- G.T.

(1981) Yellow Magic Orchestra -- U.T.

Boz Scaggs -- Jojo

 

In the past few years, there have been a lot of YouTube reactors covering the works of singers from long ago and enjoying them greatly. And in turn, being a fellow who has been appreciating the cool music from his childhood and adolescence (which is why I've been including ROY articles here on a Japanese music blog), I've been enjoying the reactions greatly myself. Furthermore, it seems as if the songs of Boz Scaggs and Steely Dan have been getting particular attention and joy. 

Boz Scaggs is a name (and it's a name that I can never forget) that has been synonymous with radio listening since I was that kid of the 1970s but it's only been within the last decade or so that I've finally appreciated his funk, soulfulness and balladry. In fact, I inadvertently ended up providing Reminiscings of Youth articles on his legendary "Lowdown" twice in less than a year here and here. Such is my love for that 1976 single and personally I think for any budding graduates who are heading for prom night and despite the nature of the lyrics, "Lowdown" is the type of song that should be accompanying the limos filled with high school seniors to the hotel ballrooms.

However, getting back to those reactors, they have been going ga-ga for not only "Lowdown" but also for his June 1980 single "Jojo". For instance, the guys on the YouTube channel Views from the 502 above went into total meltdown especially when Adrian Tapia did his sax solos on the song. I used to hear this one all the time on radio but it's been only within the last several years that this romantic-sounding tune about a dangerous pimp (and for some reason, I can only believe that Jojo lives in the Big Apple) being backed by a jazzy and sunset disco arrangement has been truly appreciated by me. The backing chorus, the horns, the groove, and of course Tapia's saxophone and Scaggs' vocals are splendiferous and it's a kind of a wonder that "Jojo" wasn't even made into a movie.

The other thing that makes this ROY stand out among the others is that I had actually introduced "Jojo" much earlier as a cover version performed by fusion band Chikara Ueda & The Power Station（上田力&パワーステーション）some months after the original had been released. I've provided some further information on the original song in that article but let it be said that it was Scaggs, David Foster and David Lasley who were the brains behind "Jojo". Also, though I didn't mention it in the Power Station article, Ueda unfortunately passed away in 2017.

In the United States, "Jojo" peaked at No. 17 on Billboard while in Canada, it hit No. 15 on RPM. Now, what else was being released in June 1980?

Juicy Fruits -- Jenny wa Gokigen Naname　（ジェニーはご機嫌ななめ）

Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Rydeen (雷電）

Off Course -- Yes-No

Just for Fun...The J-C AI Gallery -- Mizue, Minako, Shinji & YMO

 

Mizue Takada -- Watashi wa Piano (私はピアノ）

Minako Yoshida -- Koi wa Ryuusei (恋は流星）

Shinji Tanimura -- Subaru （昴）

Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Taiso (体操）

"Soundtrack" from "Otona no Wagamama Tabi"（大人のわがまま旅）

By Alix Lee
at Good Free Photos

by Maibaru Travel

I didn't think that I would write such an article but after having watched NHK's travelogue "Otona no Wagamama Tabi" (An Adult's Selfish Trip) last night, I was rather inspired by the "soundtrack" pushing things along. The city for last night's episode was Taipei, Taiwan, and unfortunately, I couldn't find any sign of anything of the NHK show but I figure that the network had done its usual search-and-destroy mission of any signs of unpermitted NHK coverage on YouTube. However, I've found a fine video by Maibaru Travel as you can see above. I've been to Taipei myself once and all I can say after watching the episodes is that I still have much to discover about the city, especially when it comes to its gastronomy.

Anyways, about that eclectic "soundtrack", and yes, I have put it in quotation marks because I'm fairly sure that NHK is not going to put out an actual soundtrack but I thought it was nice to hear some of the old songs, a few of which were instrumental covers while others were the real McCoy. Here is what I heard as the actor/model on "Otona no Wagamama Tabi" was touring and eating his way through Taipei. 

(1997) Yumi Yoshimura -- V.A.C.A.T.I.O.N.

(1986) Akiko Yano -- David

(1981) Eiichi Ohtaki -- FUN X 4

(1990) Kome Kome Club -- Roman Hiko (浪漫飛行）

(1978) Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Tong Poo（東風）

(1998) Misia -- Tsutsumikomuyouni （つつむ込むように）

Japanese Pop Songs: Female and Male Names

 

Last Sunday, I put up an article titled "Japanese Pop Songs: Female Names", celebrating the fact that kayo kyoku and J-Pop shared a tendency with Western pop music in coming up with songs named after women. Well, men's names have been used on both sides of the Pacific to title certain ditties over the decades, too. Although I couldn't find a whole bunch of male names for songs, I did find some more female names fronting those tunes so here is my additional list of female and male names.

(1980) Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Rydeen (雷電）

(1974) Hideki Saijo -- Kizudarake no Lola （傷だらけのローラ）

(1986) Akiko Yano -- David

(1970) Salty Sugar -- Hashire Koutarou（走れコウタロー）

(1973) Pedro & Capricious -- Go-ban Gai no Mari e (五番街のマリーへ）

(1973) Pedro & Capricious -- Johnny e no Dengon （ジョニイへの伝言）

Just for Fun...The J-C AI Gallery -- AB'S, YMO & B'z

 

Welcome to another visit to the AI gallery. This time, we've got some lettered bands to help us out here with the imaging process.

AB'S -- In The City Night

Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Rydeen (雷電）

B'z -- Ultra Soul

Just for Fun...The J-C AI Gallery -- Shizuko, YMO & Miporin

 

Hello. It's been a while since I've opened the AI art gallery, and nope, this isn't a second Xmas edition like the last one I did back on November 24th. The next Xmas edition will come out on Christmas Eve, I promise you. However, take a gander at today's selections.

Shizuko Kasagi -- Tokyo Boogie-Woogie （東京ブギウギ）

Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Technopolis（テクノポリス）

Miho Nakayama -- Midnight Taxi

The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Lyrics!

 

Well, last day of the first month and it's a Hump Day, too. So, I figure that something whimsical was in order, and on "Kayo Kyoku Plus", we do like to go whimsical now and then. Therefore, I'd like to try a little something that we haven't done before on the blog, and in this case, I'm giving my own personal list of songs in which a certain lyric sticks out. But it's not for the depth of its meaning but just because it sounds so catchy and has basically imprinted itself into my memories forever. Maybe it's staccato, velvety smooth or explosive...it doesn't matter.

(1976) Momoe Yamaguchi -- Yokosuka Story （横須賀ストーリー）

Korekkiri, korekkiri mou korekkiri desu ka

これっきり、これっきり、もうこれっきりですか。

Is it over...is it over...is it really over?

(1977) Hideki Saijo -- Boomerang Street （ブーメランストリート）

Boomerang, boomerang, boomerang, boomerang...Kitto anata wa modotte kuru daro

ブーメラン ブーメラン ブーメラン ブーメラン...きっとあなたは 戻って来るだろう

Boomerang, boomerang, boomerang, boomerang...You will come back to me

(1979) Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Technopolis

TOKIO, TOKIO, T-E-C-H-N-O-P-O-L-I-S, TOKIO

(1981) Junko Ohashi -- Telephone Number

Awooooooooooooo....56709!

(1981) Seiko Matsuda -- Natsu no Tobira （夏の扉）

Fresh! Fresh! Fresh! Natsu no tobira wo akete

フレッシュ! フレッシュ! フレッシュ! 夏の扉を開けて

Fresh! Fresh! Fresh! Open up the gates of summer

(1984) Hiromi Go -- Ni-Oku Yon-Sen-Man no Hitomi (２億４千万の瞳）

JAPAN!....JAPAN!

(2014) KMM Dan -- Witch Activity （ウィッチ☆アクティビティ）

Pippiko pippiko narase Witch☆Activity! Sono ki sono toki ikioi notteke! notteke!

ピッピコピッピコ鳴らせウィッチ☆アクティビティ その気その時イキオイノッテケ！ノッテケ！

Ring-a-ding-ding Witch Activity! That's when I feel like it! Get into it! Get into it with gusto!