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.
It's another Hump Day here on Kayo Kyoku Plus, but I have to admit that it's looking really nice outside although the temperatures are still below seasonal. Anyways, let's a little whimsical with another Author's Picks, and this week, I just wanted to give my tribute and congratulations to the astronauts aboard Artemis II (along with Nutella) who are now en route back to Earth after doing that whip around the Moon.
Back in September, I'd already done my first batch of Moon Songs commemorating the autumn lunar festival, so this will be Moon Songs 2, but I don't have quite enough moon-themed songs that I know off the top of my head (although some of them may have already been posted on the blog...my memory isn't that good anymore). As such, I've cordially invited some other tunes with titles of a planetary nature within the Sol System.
When it comes to the more traditional Japanese music genres, the name Tsugaru（津軽）has had a deep position. In all aspects of talking about Aomori Prefecture at the northern end of the main island of Honshu, it's been used for geographical features, musical instruments and styles, historical clans and the like. Of course, it's popped up in songs such as Sayuri Ishikawa's（石川さゆり）"Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyu Geshiki"（津軽海峡・冬景色）and even commenterJim Laker recently noted a monument by the Tsugaru Strait with the lyrics of a song (possibly Ishikawa's hit).
I don't know much about the genre of min'yo aside from the facts that it represents the traditional folk songs in Japan going back centuries and that it's used at the many festivals which flourish often during the summer. However, I figure that I should get to know some more, including any from the historically and culturally rich aspects of Tsugaru. One that I did find was "Tsugaru Jonkara Bushi" (Tsugaru Jonkara Song) which depending on the area of Aomori can also be pronounced "Tsugaru Jongara Bushi".
From what I could find out about the history of the song, it may have originated as early as 1597 as a ballad based on one monk's futile and fatal attempts to stop the rampaging warlord Tamenobu Oura（大浦為信）, later to take on the surname Tsugaru to form the Tsugaru clan, as he consolidated power in what would become Aomori Prefecture.
Despite its origins, the lyrics of "Tsugaru Jonkara Bushi" have changed over the centuries so that the song basically just describes life in the region. Not only that, but certain sections of the melody can be improvised so that it has been compared as a form of jazz, and according to one site regarding the song, it's now expected that performers of "Tsugaru Jonkara Bushi" come up with their own original arrangements. The instrument itself, the Tsugaru-jamisen (which is also the name for the form of shamisen music from Tsugaru), apparently can lend itself to improvisation.
Above is Yoko Nagayama's（長山洋子）conventional version of the song while below is Takashi Hosokawa's（細川たかし）unique take with a good dollop of disco in the arrangement. In any case, if anyone can clarify or correct my description above on the history of the song, please let me know.
One of the legendary titles of anime that has been heard in the winds surrounding me all these years is "The Five Star Stories".
I had never seen the March 1989 movie although there was an opportunity back in the early 90s when my anime buddy and his buddies decided to hold a presentation of it at the University of Toronto at the Robarts Library complex. As it turned out, I couldn't see it that evening since I actually had a night class so basically it was just seeing the opening title and then coming back to meet the guys for a celebratory dinner.
Well, I finally caught it at my buddy's place the other Sunday. And yup, after getting home, I spent some time reading up on all the palace intrigue and characters including Ladias Sopp since I couldn't quite understand what was happening at first glance. But man, was it gorgeous! It's been a long time since I'd seen anime characters drawn that way.
Plus, I have to tip my proverbial hat off to the person behind the movie score, Tomoyuki Asakawa（朝川朋之）. The prologue for the soundtrack is especially quite sumptuous, heralding the epic story to come. When things start rolling from 1:37, I got that ASMR feeling down the back of my neck. There was that John Williams feeling although not just from any movie, but specifically from 1977's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". At the same time, and perhaps it is strange for me to say this, but that galloping theme reminds me of overtures that have populated many a 1950s romance flick in the opening credits. Golden Quickpen font titles race through my head!
One tidbit that I found out about composer and harpist Asakawa is that he used to be a member of the rock unit Ryudogumi（竜童組）, led by singer-songwriter Ryudo Uzaki（宇崎竜童）. Asakawa took on the name of Taro Tanaka（田中太郎）at the time and manned the electric harp.
While the ending credits were scrolling up, I was surprised to hear a song that I have heard before but not within the confines of "The Five Star Stories". And to further add to the surprise is that it's current veteran enka singer but then-aidoruYoko Nagayama（長山洋子）who sang "Hitomi no Naka no Faraway" (Far Away in Your Eyes).
I mean, it didn't quite fit the tone of the movie but it's still a happy enjoyable aidoru tune by Nagayama, and it's one that I've heard somewhere a number of times before...most likely during one of my buddy's anison hours. This was her 15th single released in February 1989 and was written by Masumi Kawamura（川村真澄）and composed by Masato Ishida（石田正人）. The single managed to reach as high as No. 27 on Oricon.
As a kid, one of my life's simple pleasures was having the car getting a car wash at the nearby gas station. There was a certain thrill in getting on that conveyor belt and moving through all of the contraptions to get the auto clean. For a person who's never enjoyed amusement park rides, the car wash "ride" was probably the closest thing.
Never had the opportunity in Japan since I never drove a car there and most of my friends in the Kanto region are content with public transit, but apparently the approach to a car wash in my home-away-from-home is that the car wash itself moves while the car stays static. Quite the pleasant surprise, eh (price aside)?
Another pleasant surprise has to do with "Car Wash". Nope, not the 1975 funk classic by Rose Royce, but a track from Yoko Nagayama's（長山洋子）5th original studio album, "F-1" from September 1988. Yes, this is indeed the same Nagayama who has been known for the past few decades as a dynamic enka singer, but do remember that she did have her aidoru phase in the 1980s. Still, I guess that she wanted to put a little more high octane in the engine for "F-1" (har-de-har-har) with singer-songwriters including Masayuki Suzuki（鈴木雅之）, Yasuhiro Abe（安部恭弘）and Meiko Nakahara（中原めいこ）...all of them well-versed in the City Pop genre...putting in contributions.
So that's what I get with her "Car Wash" which was composed by Martin Suzuki and written by singer-songwriter and essayist Mebae Miyahara（宮原芽映）. And yet I hear quite a bit of Junko Yagami（八神純子）circa late 1970s/early 1980s, even in Nagayama's delivery. Plus, I will always enjoy that Seinfeldian bass and a good set of horns. Good to hear Suzuki in the background, too. I'm not sure if this will be enough for me to invest in the album itself (if it's available) but seeing some of those above names in the liner notes does give me pause.
Yup, I'm talking about Yoko Nagayama's（長山洋子）"Suterarete"(Cast Away). It's a rather sad song about longing for that special somebody although the chances for success are low, but what I like about it is that melody and the way the singer sells it with her come-hither vocals. It's been classified as an enka song and Nagayama wears her kimono, but that arrangement has me thinking about some hostess club in the depths of Ginza or Akasaka. It's a pretty urbane song that Satoshi Hinokibara（桧原さとし）whipped up while Noriyo Suzuki（鈴木紀代）wrote the lyrics.
This was Nagayama's 7th single as an enka singer, and her 24th single if we include all of her previous aidoru songs in the 1980s, which was released in March 1995. "Suterarete" was a pretty big hit for her as far as enka songs at the end of the century were concerned since it peaked at No. 32 on Oricon and it stayed within the Top 100 chart for virtually a year, selling around 325,000 copies. I mentioned about that "Demo ne" which started things off; apparently the gesture that Nagayama used when saying that also became a selling point.
"Suterarete" was nominated for Best Song at the Japan Record Awards for that year, and Hinokibara won the Best Composer award. Nagayama would appear on the 1995 Kohaku Utagassen for the second time to perform the song.
Since I wrote an article yesterday on Yoko Nagayama（長山洋子）as she is now as a veteran enka/Mood Kayo singer through her latest single, I thought I might as well get whimsical and feature her aidoru age with her very first single. "Haru wa SA-RA-SA-RA" (Spring is Refreshing) was released in April 1984 when Nagayama had just turned 16, and it just sounds like your typical breezy 80s aidoru tune with those strings in there.
What's remarkable about the song is that it was actually a cover of a tune by Finnish singer Eini titled "Kiitävän hetken hurma" from 1983. The original sounds more like a fairly Eurobeat-ish technopop tune.
Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）provided the Japanese lyrics on "Haru wa SA-RA-SA-RA" which was also used in the Japanese trailer advertising a 2014 Spanish film titled "Magical Girl". The original single got as high as No. 41 on Oricon. Not too bad a start for Nagayama whose aidoru era lasted a little under a decade, and actually she would have even more success with a cover of another more famous tune a few years later.
I really ought to be giving myself a Gibbs-level slap to the back of my head right now since I've been quite amiss when it comes to enka singer Yoko Nagayama（長山洋子）. Up to now, the only Nagayama entry that I've had on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" is her cover of "Venus" and that was back in her aidoru days. She's been an enka singer for almost a quarter of a century and I had nothing to represent that period.
(short version)
Up until now, that is. For those TV Japan viewers who are also fans of Nagayama, the past week must have been seen as a good one since she appeared not only on "Uta Kon"（うたコン）but also on that new NHK kayo-and-talk show "Gogo Uta"（ごごウタ...Afternoon Songs）that's televised Friday afternoons.
Her most recent single is "Wakare Jouzu" (Good At Breaking Up) which to me is a great title for something that is a bit more on the Mood Kayo side rather than the enka side according to the Latin-ish arrangement. Maybe the title has been used before but it's the first time for me to hear it, and it rather embraces that classic Mood Kayo trope of the love 'em-and-leave 'em heel. However, the way Nagayama sings it, it doesn't sound like the latest victim of this Lothario is too broken up about it; perhaps she's pouty that the time flew by so fast but knows that he'll have her in his arms after a while again. The single, by the way, is dedicated to her 35th anniversary of being in show business, and yep, that includes her aidoru age.
Keisuke Hama（浜圭介）took care of the music while Noriyo Suzuki（鈴木紀代）provided the lyrics. "Wakare Jouzu" was released in July of this year according to her website. Not sure how it did on Oricon. But I'm glad that I finally got the singer's enka discography finally represented.
Last night was the annual "Omoide no Melody"（思い出のメロディー...Melodies of Memories）special on NHK. Often called the Summer Kohaku Utagassen, the focus is on the classic kayo and last night's performances all involved folks up to the 1980s.
One pleasant surprise was seeing the wife of a sumo stablemaster appear on stage to perform some of her old hits when she was but a teen. It was Mizue Takada's（高田みづえ）first appearance in front of the cameras in 31 years, and in my early Kohaku viewing days, she was an annual performer who I first heard on an ancient tape of kayo kyoku. She also had a career as a tarento, often appearing on the old Drifters' variety show and more than willing to get dunked in water and other stuff to get the laugh.
The Kagoshima-born Takada made her debut as an aidoru after winning the championship on the Fuji-TV talent search show, "Kimi koso Star da!"（君こそスターだ!...YOU Are The Star!）in 1976 at around the age of 16. In March 1977, she started off her career with "Garasuzaka" (Glass Slope), the very song she sang last night in "Omoide no Melody".
Written by Takemi Shima（島武実）and composed by rocker Ryudo Uzaki（宇崎竜童）, "Garasuzaka" is a pretty jaunty tune that I found notable for Takada's phrasing. There is this countryside lilt to the song that was also quite appealing to me with Uzaki's lyrics . I'm not 100% sure about the overall meaning but I believe Takada was softly admonishing someone for not having the gumption to relate his/her true feelings for that special someone.
As a debut single, "Garasuzaka" did very well. It broke the Top 10 on Oricon, peaking at No. 9 for Takada, and becoming the 36th-ranked single for 1977. It sold a little over 300,000 copies and earned the singer not only a Best Newcomer prize at that year's Japan Record Awards, but also her first invitation to the Kohaku Utagassen.
Unlike Takada, I know little about Midori Kinouchi（木之内みどり）except for whatever I was able to glean from J-Wiki. The Hokkaido native also debuted as an actress/aidoru back in 1974, and has had two pretty famous husbands with Hubby No. 1 being bassist/composer Tsugutoshi Goto（後藤次利）and Hubby No. 2 being actor Naoto Takenaka (竹中直人...who co-starred in the original "Shall We Dance?").
Kinouchi actually first brought "Garasuzaka" into the world a month before Takada's version as the title track of her 5th album. Her version seems a bit more languid but that same syncopated delivery is also there.
Former aidoru-turned-enka singer, Yoko Nagayama（長山洋子）, gave her own version of "Garasuzaka" in the mid-1990s.
And someone was kind enough to actually upload Takada's return to the NHK stage after 3 decades. I was also quite happy to see her sing her most successful single, "Watashi wa Piano"（私はピアノ）last night as well. "Garasuzaka" was actually her 2nd-most successful release.
Last night as I was watching the news on CTV, I could feel the aging process speeding up. The reason wasn't because of some news story but on the admission by one of the two co-anchors that she had never heard of Bananarama before! Mind you, Michelle Dube was probably born at the same time that the British trio had hit it really big with "Venus", but still.....OUCH! Anyways, Bananarama's cover of the Shocking Blue single from 1969 was truly a heavy-rotation song and video on Canada's Muchmusic and a popular tune on the dance floors at some of our favourite haunts in Toronto such as The Copa or Sparkles.
Now, the danceable appeal of "Venus" was also not lost on the Japanese pop music scene. According to the article on the song on J-Wiki, Kiyohiko Ozaki（尾崎紀世彦）and Momoe Yamaguchi （山口百恵）in the 1970s had covered it on their respective albums (couldn't find Ozaki's cover anywhere and Yamaguchi's supposed concert cover just turned out to be some sort of stage performance involving a motorcycle while the music only was playing in the background: you can give it a listen here -- http://music.163.com/#/song?id=671701).
If I were to put up an article on a Yoko Nagayama （長山洋子）song from the last couple of decades, the genre tag I would place on the right there would most certainly be enka since she has been an enka singer since 1993. However, for almost a decade previously, Nagayama was one of the many cute aidoru of the 80s from the various talent agencies. She debuted in 1984 with "Haru wa Sa-ra Sa-ra"（春はSA-RA SA-RA...Spring is Refreshing） but her big hit from those days was her cover of "Venus", and probably for most fans who had known her before she sported the kimono and shamisen, this would be the song that she's most identified with. I vaguely remember seeing her on the music shows performing it and nowadays, such video footage is probably shown whenever Nagayama shows up as a guest on some program doing a retrospective on her life. But watching the video above, she cut quite a dynamic figure especially with that Yoko Oginome-esque outfit. Her cover was released as her 8th single in October 1986 and went as high as No. 10, selling 400,000 copies. Shocking Blue guitarist Robbie van Leeuwan wrote and composed the original "Venus" but for the Japanese version, Hitoshi Shinohara （篠原仁志）provided the lyrics.
Speaking of the other Yoko, Oginome （荻野目洋子）also gave her version of "Venus" (excerpt only) several weeks following the release of the Nagayama single via her 6th album, "Non-Stopper" which came out in December 1986. If there were anyone who would be picked as the go-to singer for this one, Oginome probably would've been one of the top 3 folks to be selected. Her cover along with the 4 official singles that came out of the album helped push "Non-Stopper" to become the No. 1 album of 1987 on Oricon.
