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.
Kantaro Yamamoto（山本寛太郎）is a singer-songwriter who was active from the late 1970s into the early 1980s, hailing from Shizuoka Prefecture. He already has one entry in "Kayo Kyoku Plus" but only as a composer for THE GOOD-BYE's 1983 hit"Kimagure One-Way Boy"（気まぐれOne Way Boy）.
However, as mentioned above, he also did his share of singing and up to 1982, he released 7 singles and 1 album. Yamamoto's 3rd single was the comfy "Silver Sweet Heart" released in 1979. Written and composed by the singer with Kazuo Shiina（椎名和夫）arranging the song, I had wondered whether this would actually come under the City Pop banner although I certainly labeled it as New Music. It's also got some classy bossa nova, and then I figured if I could do the same thing for similarly Latin-tinged songs such as Junko Yagami's（八神純子）"Omoide no Screen" (思い出のスクリーン）and Keiko Maruyama's（丸山圭子）"Douzo Kono Mama" (どうぞこのまま）, well, I can also give the City Pop tag to the caipirinha-friendly "Silver Sweet Heart". By the way, I have to point out that Yamamoto has got quite the handsome visage along the lines of Akira Fuse（布施明）. Yamamoto's voice isn't a boomer though...more of a soothing croon.
Yamamoto seemed to be dormant for several years away from the music industry but then started up a band called OPCELL with two other people in 1995. I'll have to talk about that band shortly.
I might never figure out the configuration of Haruko Kuwana's（桑名晴子）identification vis-à-vis her early singles. Initially, I had thought she and her band Baker's Shop first got together in 1980 to come up with the album "Hot Line", but then I saw the thumbnail for the above video which has "Vanishing Point", a single from November 1978. On that single cover, it has Haruko Kuwana with Baker's Shop although "Hot Line" had Baker's Shop with Haruko. Finally, J-Wiki lists the singer's 3rd single just under her name only.
But I'm just haggling over semantics or something here. "Vanishing Point" is a cool if lonely song about sudden heartbreak with a more hushed Kuwana. Still, even a more hushed Kuwana provides plenty of sultry sex appeal, and the music and arrangement by Akira Inoue（井上鑑）possesses its good share of strutting down Shinjuku, Roppongi or Akasaka. Kohei Oikawa（及川恒平）wrote the lyrics here.
(3:43)
Enjoy her live performances as well. And sorry...my English teacher may be showing here but I think her pronunciation of the title is quite a bit better in performance than on the recorded version. Haruko's a tiger on the stage!😁
Well, the next annoying thing to the fact that I have such a long backlog of songs to cover is the fact that it seems a good chunk of that backlog includes music that I have already covered. For whatever reason, I neglected to delete the songs from the list when I completed the articles. So, it's gotten quite a trim now although it's still plenty long.
One such song was Mari Iijima's（飯島真理）"Pink no Rouge"（ピンクのルージュ）that I was planning to do today, but I found out that I'd actually already done it back in December 2020 in the depths of the pandemic. Therefore, I decided to punch in Iijima's name and City Pop into the YouTube search engine, and I discovered this track from her May 1990 album"For Lovers Only". And for those AOR fans who see "Who's Right, Who's Wrong" as something familiar, you are absolutely right (not wrong!). "Who's Right, Who's Wrong" is the song that was originally recorded by the AOR band Pages (later to transform into chart hitmakers Mr. Mister in the 1980s) for their 1979 album"Future Street". In fact, I devoted a ROY article to the song back in 2020.
I've never listened to "For Lovers Only" but it's been listed on Iijima's J-Wikipage as a concept album, so perhaps she may have been covering those light and mellow tunes there. No one is going to beat Michael Brecker at that silky sax in the intro of the original, but Iijima's cover of "Who's Right, Who's Wrong" isn't too bad either and considering that the album came out in 1990, it's certainly nice if indeed the singer had wanted to bring back some of that old-fashioned West Coast soft rock back into our ears.
The whole thing here reminds me of the surprise that I got when I discovered that paris match had covered Kingo Hamada's（濱田金吾）"Yokaze no Information"（夜風のインフォメーション）.
I'd never been to Kyushu before, let alone Nagasaki. So, last December, my mom and I decided to use the opportunity to explore this culturally and historically rich part of Kyushu. Much of what I know about Nagasaki comes from a combination of enka/ryukoka/mood kayo, travel shows, and classes on Japanese history. Because it was the main (at times the only) port of entry into Japan for foreigners back in the day, traces of Chinese and Western influences are particularly strong. Case in point, a Chinatown and Holland Land (Huis Ten Bosch) in just one prefecture. It was where Christianity thrived, but was also the site where its persecution was particularly intense during the Edo era. It is one of the most featured locations in enka and mood kayo. It is where Kiyoshi Maekawa (前川清) is from! Needless to say, I was stoked to visit such an iconic place.
We were in Nagasaki city for about four days and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. The food was mostly great, the city picturesque with Chinese and western colonial architecture, and it had a rather quaint atmosphere. Oddly enough, the cultural mix and hilly terrain reminded me of Hong Kong and just a hint of Singapore. I would like to share some highlights through the Nagasaki-themed songs I filled my ears with throughout the trip. Nagasaki songs, particularly those from the early Showa era, seemed to have a more exotic and European sound, if not Chinese, but my selection here mainly features the former. I'm not very familiar with European music, but I reckon some melodies could be Portuguese-influenced.
If you know other tunes featuring Nagasaki, feel free to mention them too. With that said, let's begin.
We kick things off with Hachi's signature, "Nagasaki no Hito". I thought it was a pretty good way to begin the trip since it sounds rather bright while describing the features of the city, like the sotetsu (Japanese sago palm), ishi-datami (cobblestone paths), the minato machi (port town), Oranda-zaka (Hollander Slope), etc. It fit the only day when the weather was clear and we were able to take a stroll down the port. We did see sotetsu. Many sotetsu. Seeing palm trees thriving in winter was a first for me.
Akira Nakai, Masaru Takahashi & Coloratino -- Shianbashi Blues (思案橋ブルース)
After our walk, we headed to a place featured in one of my favourite mood kayo songs and karaoke go-to's, Shianbashi. It's basically a watering hole with a number of Chinese joints and bars. Kinda seedy, but not unexpected, considering it's a mood kayo staple. The wistfulness conveyed by lead vocalist Nakai's high tenor in the original "Shianbashi Blues" fits perfectly in the warm, neon-lit streets of Shianbashi, but more so when it's raining... which would come later...
We then adjourned to Tsuruchan, a Nagasaki institution. This more-than-a-century-old kissaten is renowned for a Nagasaki B-grade gourmet food, Toruko raisu (Turkish rice). I don't think there's anything Turkish about it, but to say that it was hearty was an understatement: large servings of double carbs (napolitan spaghetti plus rice pilaf) and a slab of tonkatsu with gravy. Never had a, "Gochisousan" been more appropriate after I polished off everything. Mom would later remark that she'd never seen me eat that much carbs in one sitting before. Neither have I, mother.
Mae-Kiyo and the Cool Five finally make their appearance! Yes, I had saved the Nagasaki-made group's iconic hit for Day 2 of our trip because that's when the rain came. A lot of it. I don't like rain, but I took it as an opportunity to experience what most Nagasaki songs feature. Also, there's just a warm feeling when you hear one of your beloved singers' songs that first got you into him at the place he came from.
Later in the day, mother and I finally found and visited Glover Garden. Besides the fact that this residence of the titular Scottish businessman is a famed historical spot in Nagasaki, we wanted to go up there because the Glover house was often used in extremely cheesy and cringe-worthy karaoke videos from the 1970s and 80s, some featuring Mae-Kiyo and his cronies. I still cannot bear to rewatch some of those videos because I die of secondhand cringe every time. It was a beautiful place, however, with an amazing view of the bay and city, especially in the evening. We also did the tourist thing of having castella and tea at a cafe on the premises. Castella is... cake. That's all I can say. But its worth got elevated because I was cold, drenched, and hungry.
Dick Mine & Sendaka Fujiwara -- Nagasaki Elegy (長崎エレジー)
Before ending our day a Glover Garden, we first began the day going uphill. Up Oranda-zaka and exploring the old grounds of a Catholic/Christian girls' school (I forgot what it was called). In the rain. Oranda-zaka and the surrounding slopes were really steep and lined with cobblestone, so the anxiety from trying to slide down the hill was palpable. Oura Cathedral was the main checkpoint in mind. It was one of the well-known churches from the persecution days and I believe where Christianity was "rediscovered" in Japan once the hunt was over. Rather poignant, especially under the grey skies, light rain, and with Mother Mary watching over the town from up a hill. So, I thought "Nagasaki Elegy" was fitting with its references to Catholicism and a fine drizzle. Also, this song was constantly running through my head throughout my time in Nagasaki.
On the note of poignant, nothing was more so than the Nagasaki Peace Park and Ground Zero for the atomic bomb. It was chilling to read survivors' accounts and to imagine what it must've been like then and there. And yet, it was tranquil and there was a sense of hopefulness that radiated from tributes to the victims of the devastation and monuments symbolizing the strive for peace. One of these sculptures was the Nagasaki no Kane (Bell of Nagasaki). According to the J-Wiki, it was built in 1977 in memory of military factory workers, many of whom were school students, who perished when the bomb hit a nearby factory.
Fujiyama's solemn "Nagasaki no Kane", though only related to the structure by name, quite aptly represents the gravity of this place. I feel it does this through the initial hopelessness that morphs into strength to carry on upon hearing the bells of the Nagasaki cathedrals toll in each stanza. An emotional song to fit such a significant place.
Uchiyamada Hiroshi & The Cool Five -- Omoikiri Bashi (思い切り橋)
On a lighter note, Chinatown and Megane Bashi (Spectacles Bridge) were next on the itinerary. Compared to Yokohama's Chinatown, Nagasaki's felt more... real? Less kitschy. There was a section that you could easily tell was geared towards tourists, but outside that bubble was a much larger, proper local suburb/settlement dotted with old Chinese Buddhist temples and a Hokkien clan association. Connecting Chinatown to other parts of town were bridges. Many bridges. That's not to be unexpected since the city is by the coast with many waterways. And one of the most iconic bridges is the Megane Bashi, a cobblestone bridge with two perfect arches that stretches over a tiny section of the Nakashima river. I believe it's Japan's oldest surviving arched bridge, but I could be wrong. It was very picturesque, especially when you see its reflection on the surface of the water.
I don't know any kayo that feature this bridge specifically but as an ode to the many ancient bridges in the area, I bring another Cool Five tune, "Omoikiri Bashi". A very dramatic and jaunty number with Mae-Kiyo's recognizable anguished cries.
Along the uber-long, more than a-century-old shopping street that follows the Nakashima river, my eyes picked up an old, rather Chinese-style sundries store. It oozed early Showa-era vibes, but what stole my attention was a pile of pomelos inside. Despite the freezing rain, I couldn't help but smile because the very first Nagasaki-themed kayo I'd heard came to mind, Obata's cheerful "Nagasaki no Zabon Uri". It wasn't on one of the steep inclines of the city, the store was empty, and I don't even think pomelos were actually much of a thing in Nagasaki despite the Chinese settlement, but it was just a happy little coincidence to add to my Nagasaki song experience.
Yuri Akemi -- Nagasaki Monogatari (長崎物語)
On our final day before heading off to the airport, we checked out Dejima, where the Dutch settlers were confined during Tokugawa's reign in an attempt to stave off religious influence. It had been made into a sort of open-air museum with preserved Dutch-style buildings. "Nagasaki Monogatari" is one such song that gives a shout-out to the little island, among other Nagasaki tropes while telling the tragic story of one Jagatara Oharu (じゃがたらお春).
Shizuo Higuchi -- Nagasaki Chanson (長崎シャンソン)
Ah, yes, traditional Japanese cuisine
Rounding off the trip was lunch at a family grill restaurant where Mom and I tried the Sasebo burger, the taberu milkshake (a milkshake you eat, not drink), and the lemon steak. It was pretty decent fare, with the latter being more delicious than it sounds. On the way back, I had Higuchi's exotic and jiving "Nagasaki Chanson" in my ears. Having enjoyed my time in the city, even with the rain, I think I can agree with the following welcoming lines from this ode to the port city:
Batten Nagasaki yume no machi
Mimase yokatokko yorimasse
Batten Nagasaki yume no machi yume no machi
"Batten" roughly translates to something like "although" or "but" in the Kyushu dialect, and this last bit of the last stanza proudly claims something like, "Nagasaki, city of dreams! Come on over, it's fabulous!" Couldn't have put it better myself. For that matter, it is indeed also an "uta no machi" (city of music), considering I was able to make a whole list out of just some kayo that are Nagasaki-themed.
If you do have the opportunity to visit Kyushu, perhaps give Nagasaki a visit. It's great if you're a foodie and/or a history and culture buff. If I have the opportunity, I would love to go back. There's just so much more of the city and prefecture to see. Next stop, Sasebo, Saikai, and the "Kaeri Bune" (かえり船) music plaque.
On a final note, since Mae-Kiyo is a Nagasaki native (Sasebo city), he serves as a mascot/spokesman for the local police force's fight against fraud and other related crimes. Ever since I spotted my first Mae-Kiyo anti-crime poster, I took it upon myself to do a "Mae-Kiyo Sagashi" (Spot the Mae-Kiyo) and try to find at least one picture of the pillar man a day. I was more or less successful, and it culminated in the ultimate piece: Mae-Kiyo on the cover of the "Karaoke Fan" magazine. I'd waited an eternity for him to be on any magazine cover, and it just so happened that his long-awaited cover appearance coincided with my trip to Nagasaki :).
I was looking around for kayo for the earlier Elton John-based ROY article today and discovered that I had yet to cover this particular song by the late Hideki Saijo（西城秀樹）.
For folks who didn't know Saijo all that well, the usual song that will come to mind is his anthemic cover of "YMCA" from 1979, but earlier in his career, he was also an aidoru who belted out tunes with a red and bloody heart on his sleeve; sorry, I don't mean to make that sound like a horror movie, though. What I'm saying is that Hideki did have his moment of singing ardent and anguished love songs when he first started out in the early 1970s.
"Chigireta Ai" (Tattered Love) was most likely the first of those songs. Released in September 1973, it was written by Kazumi Yasui（安井かずみ）and composed/arranged by Koji Makaino（馬飼野康二）as a story passionately recorded by Saijo about a couple very much in love with each other but also up against a cruel world together. Listening to Hideki sing his heart out, it reminded me of his later hits, "Kizudarake no Lola"（傷だらけのローラ）and "Hageshii Koi" (激しい恋).
The singer's 6th single scored a number of firsts: it was his first No. 1 hit on Oricon, staying at the top for four weeks straight, it was the first hit for the combo of Yasui and Makaino, and it earned Saijo his first Best Performance prize at the Japan Record Awards that year. However, it would be another dozen months before he got onto the Kohaku Utagassen for the first time. "Chigereta Ai" ended the year as the 15th-ranked single for 1973 and is one of the two title tracks on his October 1973 album "Exciting Hideki ~ Chigireta Ai/Jounetsu no Arashi"（エキサイティング秀樹 - ちぎれた愛/情熱の嵐）.
I've had a fair number of Judy & Mary songs included onto the blog including "Brand New Wave Upper Ground", but I realized that the only YUKI tune that I've had up in the nearly eleven-year history of KKP is "JOY" from 2005. And it certainly deserves to be up there because it is such a quirkily marvelous solo single for the vocalist of J&M.
Well, the second song by YUKI goes up here and it is "Prism" which was actually her 2nd solo single from March 2002. Written by the singer, it was composed by Andy Sturmer of the rock band Jellyfish who also helped out Puffy Amiyumi at one point. According to the J-Wiki article on the song, YUKI's lyrics reflect the hopes and fears of her going solo as well as her gratitude to her fellow band members following the band's breakup in 2001. In addition to her wonderful vocals, there is some great Elton John-esque piano accompanying her and the overall melody is wonderfully wistful.
The video of YUKI as a mysterious sprite has a rather environmental feeling and the besuited company worker getting all sorts of dirt heaped onto him in the forest is played by actor Hidetoshi Nishijima（西島秀俊）. Nishijima would later star in 2021's"Drive My Car" which got an Oscar last year for Best International Feature Film.
"Prism" peaked at No. 11 on Oricon while ranking in at No. 160 on the yearly rankings. The song eventually earned YUKI her first invitation onto NHK's Kohaku Utagassen in 2012 (no error with that year, by the way). It also exists on her first solo album"Prismic" which was released in March 2002, getting as high as No. 3 and becoming the 65th-ranked album of the year.
Ahhh...there's nothing like a trailer for an upcoming blockbuster to bring back an old pop chestnut. Yup, "Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania" is due to come out next month and I'm predicting that not all of the Pym-Lang clan are going to come out alive. I'm just hoping that Phase 5 is off to a better start than what Phase 4 brought...I was a bit disappointed last year.
In any case, I ought to get to this week's Reminiscings of Youth and it is this song that was winding through the trailer. I've known Elton John's September 1973 (when it was released in the UK) masterpiece "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" since I was a kid with the family radio but back then, I hadn't been paying attention to the lyrics but to the music and especially the famous chorus that I've pathetically tried to emulate in text above to start things off.
Elton John even managed to infiltrate my thick head at the time since he was so over-the-top in his fashion, including his glasses, whenever I saw him on telly, but it would be a while before I connected him and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". I didn't even know the title for the song for several years. Of course, I was scratching my head at why this elegant ballad was making this reference to "The Wizard of Oz", the Judy Garland fantasy that we traditionally watched on Saturday nights on CBS whenever a major holiday was upon us. Eventually, I realized that the John-Taupin creation was all about remembering and reappreciating where one came from. It's something that I've gotten to understand in the last few years, too.
"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" hit No. 1 on Canada's RPM Top Single charts while it reached No. 2 in the United States. The song is a good choice for the "Quantumania" trailer as the Pyms and the Langs enter a microversal Oz not by choice and try to get home.
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