Megumi Shiina -- Shy na Boy (ShyなBoy)

I quickly mentioned Megumi Shiina (椎名恵) in my selection of Eurobeat songs as the singer who was going to record Megumi Hayashibara’s (林原 めぐみ) "Yoake no Shooting Star" (夜明けのShooting Star) in the first place, but nothing more was said about her in my entry.

I felt kinda bad because I really like singer-songwriter Megumi Shiina, or, more specifically, her debut album, “MISS YOU”, which was released in March 1986. As for the song I decided to highlight today, it’s called “Shy na Boy” and is the album’s opener.

With a strong and steady bass line, “Shy na Boy” can be described as a mixture of synthpop, funk with a touch of R&B (I don’t really know if City Pop is a good term to include here but I used this label as well). Maybe I lack a solid genre to classify it, but the sound is typical mid-80s, for sure. Besides the bass and some classy synths prior to the choruses, a nice guitar is introduced in the bridge and then, again, near the end of the song, giving “Shy na Boy” a “cool” vibe.

Other than the arrangement, Megumi’s vocals were a great surprise for me when I first heard this song and the whole “MISS YOU” album. To be honest, I didn’t expect Megumi Shiina to be such a strong vocalist, and I can’t really tell why I had such prejudice. The way she sings the whole chorus and pronounces “shy na boy” in a calm, yet firm way just makes me enjoy her singing a lot, and also the fact that her vocals just go up and down in the melody without major interferences.

As a fun fact, I can’t help thinking she is saying “China boy” instead of “shy na boy”. Taking in consideration that Japan refers to China as Chuugoku, I don’t really know if this sentence was premeditated or just a fun coincidence. In the end, I’m doomed to always hear “China boy”.

Like I said, “Shy na Boy” was included in Megumi Shiina’s debut album, but apparently the song was released in single format in 1997 as well. As I couldn’t find many information about this fact, I don’t know if she re-recorded the song or if she just released the 1986 version as a single.

Lyrics for “Shy na Boy” were written by Hiroki Ootomo (大友博輝). As for the composition, Hiroya Watanabe (渡辺博也) was the responsible.

Takajin Yashiki -- Yappa Sukiyanen （やっぱ好きやねん）

If someone asked me about any sort of pop ballad from Osaka, I would usually blurt out "Osaka Bay Blues" by Masaki Ueda（上田正樹）. Then sometime in my final year in Japan, one of my old friends who ran a cram school for the kids in the neighbourhood was kind enough to give me a CD of Takajin Yashiki's（やしきたかじん） biggest hits. I had never heard of him before so I plopped the disc into my Discman and gave him a try.

The first track was "Yappa Sukiyanen" (I Really Do Love You). It was notable just from the title since it was in the Kansai dialect....or at least, tried to be ("yappa" is actually a Kanto expression; "yappari" or "yappashi" is more the Kansai thing). To my ears, it came out as an emotion-drenched love ballad with a melody that sounded middle-of-the-road pop....perhaps a tune that Ruiko Kurahashi（倉橋ルイ子） would tackle. And much of the other songs on the CD were along the same lines. Yashiki definitely put in a lot of emotion into his music, but "Yappa Sukiyanen" was the one song that has stayed with me so far.

Takajin Yashiki（家鋪隆仁） was born in Nishinari Ward in Osaka back in 1949. He wore a number of hats in his celebrity career. Along with being a singer, he was also a radio personality, an emcee and a regional tarento. As a singer, he officially debuted in 1976 with "Yume Irankane"（ゆめいらんかね...Do You Need A Dream?） (his very first song was to have come out in 1971 but since the lyrics dealt with incest, the release was cancelled). Although Yashiki had lived for a time in Tokyo, he returned to Osaka in 1982, and apparently harboured a lot of resentment against at least the Tokyo media. In fact, he had a standing threat to resign from show business if any of his TV and radio programs ever got broadcast in the capital city.

"Yappa Sukiyanen" was written and composed by Ayataro Shika（鹿紋太郎...not sure if this is the right reading so please forgive and correct me if this is indeed wrong） as his 13th single. It was released in September 1986, and although I'm not quite sure if Yashiki had the same attitude towards the song's distribution that he had towards his programs, the song managed to peak at No. 60 on Oricon. Shika was actually from Tokyo but he had a great love for Kansai culture and tried to show that in his lyrics for this particular tune. There was some criticism, though, that the Kansai dialect lyrics were not exactly accurate, but Yashiki stood up for the songwriter stating "I didn't want to so much sing a Kansai-ben song, but a song about a woman's heart", so the lyrics stayed as they were. And although nationwide, the song didn't get to smash into The Top 10, it was a huge hit in the Kansai area and started a "Sukiyanen" boom of sorts (thank you, J-Wiki).

Sadly, on January 3 2014, Yashiki succumbed to esophageal cancer. He was 64 years old.

Takashi Hosokawa/Kyoko Suizenji/Tomoe Kimura -- Naniwa Bushi da yo, Jinsei wa （浪花節だよ人生は）

Y'know....I've heard this enka classic for years on the Kohaku Utagassen (including the one last week), on "Sounds of Japan" via the actual song and as a commercial jingle, and even at the karaoke boxes and perhaps even Kuri. And all those years, I had thought it was a typically Kansai (Western Japan) song because of the brashly cheerful way it was performed. Little did I know that "Naniwa Bushi da yo, Jinsei wa" (Life Is But A Sob Story) is actually one of those examples of enka in which the raucously happy melody is joined by lyrics that resignedly tell a story of a woman being cheated over and over again.

In fact, according to J-Wiki, the enka song has been released by 16 singers of the genre via 13 record companies over the years, and performed by just about everyone in the genre numerous, numerous times. But "Naniwa Bushi da yo", which was created by Masato Fujita（藤田まさと） and Akito Yomo（四万章人）, was sung for the first time by enka singer Yukiko Ono（小野由紀子） in 1976. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a video with her performance but I could track down the performances which brought the song to prominence starting from 1984. However, just as an aside, I'd like to mention that the term "naniwa bushi" is another expression for "rokyoku"（浪曲） or Japanese narrative singing dating from the early part of the Meiji Era in the latter half of the 19th century; it often covers rather sad tales which explains the English translation. The late singer, Haruo Minami（三波春夫）, was a performer of this genre. Continuing on this tangent, in 1981, the second woman to carry the rokyoku name of Tomoe Kimura（木村友衛） gave her version of "Naniwa Bushi da yo" (video above) which started some grassroots popularity.



In August 1984, two of those 16 singers, Takashi Hosokawa（細川たかし） and Kiyoko Suizenji（水前寺清子）, released their own covers of "Naniwa Bushi da yo" and even appeared opposite of each other at the Kohaku Utagassen held that year performing that same song. It was Hosokawa's 10th time on the show, and perhaps it was his most mortifying appearance since he apparently blanked out on the lyrics mid-performance. You can see that right above.

Of course, Hosokawa survived the error very well since he would sing that song 5 more times on the Kohaku including the 2013 edition right after the NMB 48 performance. As usual, he is supported by an army of shamisen, the instrument to back up rokyoku. Hosokawa's cover managed to become the 65th-ranked song of 1984. And surprisingly, Tomoe Kimura's version ranked even higher than the Hosokawa cover, reaching No. 40.

I couldn't find a copy of Kiyoko Suizenji's performance on that Kohaku so I'm not sure how she reacted to Hosokawa's slip-up (and being a professional, she probably didn't react publicly), but I managed to track down a brief excerpt that I've put up above. Her release of "Naniwa Bushi da yo" happened to be her 90th single. Unfortunately, apparently it didn't get into the 1984 Top 100 on Oricon but I think with the double-barreled push of her and Hosokawa, the song has become one of the most well-known kayo kyoku and the one to perk everyone up on any enka programme.

Seiko Matsuda -- December Morning

(cover version)

Granted, this article is coming a bit late considering that it is now January, but I still wanted to put Seiko Matsuda's（松田聖子）"December Morning" up here before it got too late. Currently, Toronto is in the middle of not only an Extreme Wind Chill Warning but also a Flash Freeze Warning. It's gonna feel like -36 degrees Celsius tomorrow morning with the wind chill. Not particularly a pleasant way to start a January morning.

However, Seiko-chan's "December Morning" is a whole lot more sedate. It is the last track of her well-regarded "Kaze Tachinu"（風立ちぬ）, and as the title may indicate, the lyrics by Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆） describes a peaceful morning waking up in lodge in what I assume to be a Winter Wonderland at the end of the year. The album itself was listed in "Japanese City Pop", but as I also remarked in the article for the album, I don't think it, and especially this song, fit into that genre, but despite Seiko's aidoru vocals, the soothing melody by Tulip's Kazuo Zaitsu（財津和夫） is such that I believe "December Morning" can go into the J-AOR category. And in a way, it stands out from the other tracks because of this. I could even imagine Ruiko Kurahashi（倉橋ルイ子）, a singer who debuted at around the same time and is known for her languid ballads, tackling this one seamlessly.

I'm not quite sure if it merits Xmas song status but just as a winter song, it does just fine. If the weather is actually sunny tomorrow, I can probably look out the window while I'm drinking down a cup of coffee as I listen to this.

Yuko Hanashima -- Kanashimi ni Ichiban Chikai Basho (悲しみに一番近い場所)

NOTE: That’s a stock article I wrote in the beginning of December 2013, which makes it a month old. For some reason, I didn’t post it earlier, but I decided to give this song some light now as I’ve been listening to it quite regularty since I wrote this article.

Yesterday, thanks to a Facebook friend, I discovered that a particular J-Pop song kind of marked the childhood of many Brazilians. It was “Kanashimi ni Ichiban Chikai Basho” by Yuko Hanashima (花島優子), the ending song of the “Bishoujo Kamen Powatrin” (美少女仮面ポワトリン) tokusatsu series (known as “Patrine” in Brazil) that was produced in 1990 and exhibited in Brazil by the extinct Brazilian TV channel, "Rede Manchete" (famous for exhibiting some classics anime and tokusatsu series like “Jaspion”, “Jiraya”, “Sailor Moon” and “Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac”, to name a few) in 1994. Unlike my friend and other Brazilians that grew up in the late 80s/early 90s, I don’t quite remember “Bishoujo Kamen Powatrin” (I was three or four years old when it was exhibited in 1994). But I had the pleasure to listen to the classic “Kanashimi ni Ichiban Chikai Basho” in 2013, and like the popular wisdom say, better late than never.

Little stories apart, taking in consideration that “Kanashimi ni Ichiban Chikai Basho” was a song released in February 1990, nothing about its dance-pop/eurobeat sound seems like a surprise. Famous acts like Chisato Moritaka (森高千里), Wink, Eriko Tamura (田村英里子) and Minako Tanaka (田中美奈子), to name a few, were following this trend imported from England’s SAW hit factory (Stock Aitken Waterman).

In the end, “Kanashimi ni Ichiban Chikai Basho” is just a plain dance-pop SAW inspired song that, at most, has a little “cult status” charm for casual listeners. And aidoru’s Yuko Hanashima vocals were far from being memorable. But something about the chorus makes me feel very nostalgic. It really has that great late 80s/early 90s aura that I enjoy. All in all, kudos to the song for being so overall positive.

To finish, here's a nice live medley of aidoru's debuts in early 1990. We can see Rumi Shishido (宍戸留美), Yuko Hanashima, Akiho Sendo (千堂あきほ) and Eriko Tamura (this one debuted in 1989 but somehow got a spot in this medley) among others that I can't really recognize. Sticking to the song introduced today, it starts right after the 2:10 mark. Yuko Hanashima sings a small part of "Kanashimi ni Ichiban Chikai Baisho" with a live arrangement. Overall, this video is very interesting. Check it below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t_ZS9B6dIo

“Kanashimi ni Ichiban Chikai Basho” was far from being a hit, reaching only #43 on the Oricon charts. Lyrics were written by Ayuko Ishikawa (石川あゆ子), while music was composed by Toshiaki Matsumoto (松本俊明). As for the arrangement, Yasutaka Mizushima (水島康貴) was responsible.

nikala's 80s Playlist

Happy New Year, everyone! After JTM's, Marcos', and J-Canuck's great entries on what they consider the best of the best in 80's Japanese music, it's time for me to offer my take. To be honest, I've never earnestly thought about such a list before because I liked talking about songs I enjoy on their own without isolating others. But given the occasion and everyone's enthusiasm for this project, I gave it a go. Picking out only 10 songs from the hundreds and thousands that go through my ears on a regular basis wasn't an easy task for sure, so I reflected on what obstacles I used to face with making rankings and decided that my Top 10 list would focus on songs that remained fresh and memorable to me even after multiple listens and those that basically influenced my taste in old Japanese music as I grew up with it from a preteen into an adult. This ended up sounding similar to J-Canuck's criteria, but at the end of the day, music is personal and so are rankings.

Moreover and to spare further headaches, I decided to avoid ranking these from least to most favorite. So the order in which I listed these songs doesn't matter, since they're all equally special to me for their own unique reasons.

1. Off Course -- Kotoba ni Dekinai [オフコース -- 言葉にできない] (1982)

There isn't a single ballad out there that makes a bigger emotional impact on me than this one. With its resonant melody and Kazumasa Oda's heartfelt vocals, it's one of the most genuine love songs dealing with heartbreak. Some emotions don't require words, just like the “la la la”s that ring throughout the refrain. I first heard Oda's remake in a 2006 film “Tegami”, and from then on I sought other songs by the singer and the early 80's pop scene that the song belonged to. I was never a fan of ballads up to that point, yet “Kotoba ni Dekinai” alone changed that mindset. That's why it's so important to me.

2. Akiko Yano -- Hitotsudake [矢野顕子 -- ひとつだけ] (1980)

There were tons of candidates for my top technopop song, but Yano's quirky and sweet “Hitotsudake” just had to be the one. That melody cannot be mistaken for any other, and the technopoppy synths that build up in the bridge and drive it towards the chorus give this happy-go-lucky song a nice edge. I can't help but smile whenever I listen to it. It reminds me of my best friendships and long-lasting bonds. While it was not the first time YMO contributed to Yano's solo material, I think “Hitotsudake” and the whole “Gohan ga Dekita yo” album was when the quality of their work was at its height. It was also the first technopop song I liked before warming up to YMO's individual sound.

3. Minako Yoshida -- Town [吉田美奈子 -- TOWN] (1982)

Whenever I think of City Pop, this song always pops up in my head. Right from that multilayered urban sound containing some of the most thrilling bass, drumming and horns I've ever heard, it proudly declares “This is a big city!”. Yoshida may not be someone who sells many records, but she definitely has a lot of talent and has proven to be one of Japan's greatest R&B and funk artists. It's interesting to note that only about half of the song features her singing, while the rest goes into an epic instrumental rampage that brings to mind a sleepless city. And I never want it to end.

4. Motoharu Sano -- Heartbeat [佐野元春 -- ハートビート] (1981)

For pop-rock I've decided to nominate Sano's bluesy ballad “Heartbeat”. The live arrangement featured above is the one that particularly strikes me. Must be the tingly synths right before the chorus. Love everything about this song: the introspective melody, emotional saxophone, Sano's tough yet vulnerable delivery, and the harmonica that closes the piece with a melancholic mood. Sano has intrigued the listeners with his talent and versatility over the years, and this song was one of the earliest examples of that. I always have to stop what I'm doing and focus whenever this comes on my mp3 player, and this has already happened many times.

5. Moonriders -- Kanashii Shirase [ムーンライダーズ -- 悲しいしらせ] (1985)

I've been a fan of Japanese New Wave for nearly 10 years now, always thinking back to Moonriders and how they furthered my interest in Japanese music as a creative force of its own. This song just works as it crosses many genre boundaries like folk, pop and doo-wop while remaining perfectly structured and melodic at the same time. That's basically my formula for a great song: adventurous but easy to follow. Moonriders were one of the first artists to show me that (before I came across New Music and City Pop). This is one of those songs that you can come back to again and again and still pick out interesting details. And there's that eccentric wonder to the melody that I've found inspirational for some reason.

Somewhat related to Eiichi Ohtaki's sudden passing last month, Moonriders' drummer Tetsuro Kashibuchi (かしぶち哲郎) lost battle to esophageal cancer on December 17th. What a way to end the year.

6. Tomoko Tane -- Katakoi Doumei [種ともこ -- 片恋同盟] (1986)

“Katakoi Doumei” may not have been a single, but it was surely the most impressive highlight in Tane's second album “Minna Ai no Sei ne.” and my personal favorite from her catalogue. It's both dynamic and ethereal at the same time, kind of like an action-packed children's story book. The way Tane switches between the titular and secondary lyrics in the chorus as the background rhythm beats like a clock is just wonderful, and there's a beautiful twist to the melody in the center of the song. Whoever came up with that synth arrangement was clever in making an ordinary tune into something more.

7. Rebecca -- One More Kiss (1988)

I was never a big fan of Rebecca minus some songs, but this one is simply delightful. It's hard for me to find words to describe how beautiful it is. And even with the nostalgic sound, it remains timeless at the same time. Growing up in the 90's, I first only enjoyed 80's music for its novelty factor, but hearing songs like sparked my interest even further. Then I realized they don't really make music like this anymore. I particularly enjoyed the slight reggae touch to the arrangement in the verses and instrumental bits. Also, Nokko's vocals in the song strike a nice balance between sweet and sensual, something that appeals to me. Hats off to the video director for providing all the gorgeous visuals and making the song even more special.

8. Kiyonori Matsuo -- Itoshi no Rosie [松尾清憲 -- 愛しのロージー] (1984)

Shortie but a goodie. There have been a mini-trend in the 80's of reviving the sounds of the 50's and 60's thanks to acts such as The Checkers and Ohtaki. Not to take anything from them, but I have to say that Matsuo's debut single “Itoshi no Rosie” will always be my favorite when it comes to these retro throwbacks. Matsuo originally started off as a member of a British-style pop/techno group Cinema in 1981 before he went solo and polished the old style even further. His debut single is full of charming instrumentation especially the drum beat and percussions which I've gotten quite addicted to. And even though the lyrics are kinda cheesy, I think the eclectic arrangement makes up for it. The song just “sparkles”, for the lack of a better word.

9. Mari Iijima -- Ai Oboetemasuka [飯島真理 -- 愛・おぼえていますか] (1984)

I apologize for a slight overlap with JTM's list, but as far as 80's idol pop goes, Iijima's signature song will always be the most memorable for me and not because of its connection with “Macross”, which I never watched. For me, Iijima has always stood out from the crowd thanks to her unique high vocals and in this one she sounds more beautiful then ever. And let's not forget Kazuhiko Kato's chill-inducing melody. This is basically my go-to track for reminiscing the good old days.

(15:25)

10. Yoshitaka Minami -- Jules et Jim / Totsuzen, Honoo no Gotoku [南佳孝 -- 突然炎のごとく] (1986)

Last but not least, Minami's mysterious jazzy number from his excellent album “Last Picture Show” provides a perfect soundtrack for those late-night walks to my apartment I have to take on a regular basis. I particular enjoy the surreal foggy ambience created by the fusion between the haunting synths and strings in the foreground and the muted trumpet in the background. Minami's relaxed yet sharp vocals glide with the music seamlessly. Not surprisingly, the title and the music were based on Francois Truffaut's New Wave classic “Jules et Jim”, and there's certainly a sense of the film's elegant setting guiding the melody. It's a masterfully crafted track, in my opinion.

So that's it. There were many strong candidates that had to be pushed aside, so I hope to give them their own recognition in more genre-specific rankings which I plan to do later. It sure does feel strange to narrow down a decade-worth of good music to a tiny list like this, but it was an educational experience nonetheless. Most of these may not have been successful on Oricon and some weren't even singles, but they're still great tracks in my book. I tried to make this list as diverse as possible, but I must say that I only take punk and avant-garde in small doses and still have a long way to go with rock in general, so I stuck with poppier material which I'm more comfortable writing about. Perhaps we'll get a new contributor in the future who is an expert on those?

Finger Five -- Koi no Dial Six-Seven-Oh-Oh （恋のダイヤル６７００）

I mentioned about Finger Five, that kiddie singing group, when I wrote about "Gakuen Tengoku" （学園天国）all those months ago. And I only found out a few minutes ago, but I didn't even give them their own label on the side there, although they were the original singers of the song with Kyoko Koizumi（小泉今日子） covering it years later.

To rectify that oversight and to give them a bit more of their due than I did for "Gakuen Tengoku", allow me a little background on them. The Tamamoto Brothers（玉元） from Okinawa started their singing lives as All Brothers in 1967; at that time, it was just the three siblings of Kazuo（一夫）, Mitsuo（光男） and Masao（正男）. I mentioned in the other article that they reminded me a bit of The Osmond Brothers from the United States whose littlest brother Jimmy had his own brief success in Japan as well. Well, according to the Wikipedia article, they would do covers of The Jackson 5 and also had some inspiration from The Partridge Family, although that was a TV-invented group. The three brothers decided to strike it big in Tokyo and signed up with King Records in 1970; they would change their name to The Baby Brothers. However, their three singles with King didn't sell well, so they did a bit of a reboot by recruiting their brother, Akira（晃）, and little sister, Taeko（妙子）, and then switching over to Philips in 1972. Of course, there was that final name change to Finger Five.

The reboot worked and the records started selling like hotcakes. Their 2nd single with the new label proved to be their first big hit, "Kojin Jugyo"（個人授業...Private Lessons）which sold over 1.4 million records when it was released in August 1973. But their biggest success came later in December of that year with "Koi no Dial 6700" (Love Call 6700) with that old-style phone, Taeko giving the cute response of "Hello, darling" and the boys launching their "Ring, ring, ring..." becoming one of the more recognizable intros of a kayo kyoku.

From that video above, Finger Five seemed to not only emulate those above-mentioned American groups in song but also in fashion. I vaguely remember seeing them on TV as a very young kid myself but my first sight of them was actually through the pages of one of those thick pulp manga . The group had become so popular that they were getting depicted in that medium as well.

In any case, "Koi no Dial 6700" became a monster hit with it hitting No. 1 right on New Year's Eve 1973 and staying there for another 3 weeks. It sold 1.6 million records and was also another hit for lyricist Yu Aku（阿久悠） and composer Tadao Inoue（井上忠夫）. It eventually became the 4th-ranked single for 1974.

As for what happened to Finger Five, they would release a total of 22 singles and 7 albums with the final single coming out in June 1978. Since then, the group has popped up a number of times under various names to get another shot at glory only to get more curiosity than adulation. But in 2003, they got together for a 30th anniversary concert which brought in their fans from all over the country.

A number of cover versions of "Koi no Dial 6700" have been performed, including one by the group Dream5 which released their version in January 2011. It peaked at No. 20 on Oricon.