Kensaku Tanikawa -- Theme from NHK's "Sono Toki Rekishi ga Ugoita"（その時歴史が動いた）

 

I've never been a huge fan of those historical documentaries that NHK has been expert at for decades. The language and the material were simply too difficult for me to wrap my head around. But as with every documentary that the national TV network tackled, the producers made sure it was as grand as possible.

One such show was titled "Sono Toki Rekishi ga Ugoita" (Then History Changed) which had its run between for nearly a decade between 2000 and 2009 on NHK. I remember ending up catching the last few minutes of the show because I'd wanted to catch the following news, and so the scenes were a recap of some monumental moment in Japanese history that was the show's topic each episode.

However, it was the theme song for "Sono Toki Rekishi ga Ugoita" that got my ears because it was such a sumptuous orchestral overture that seems to have come out of some motion picture or very ambitious one-shooter video game. The producers figured that there a monumental moment in Japanese history deserved no less than the best musical tribute. For the person at the centre of the moment, if they were still alive, they would be marching off into the sun with great pride, and that is all thanks to pianist and composer Kensaku Tanikawa（谷川賢作）. 

Tanikawa comes from a very famous family. His grandfather was philosopher and Hosei University president Tetsuzo Tanikawa（谷川徹三）, his father is poet Shuntaro Tanikawa（谷川俊太郎）, his mother is theatre actress Tomoko Okubo（大久保知子）and his daughter is fashion stylist Yumeka Tanikawa（谷川夢佳）. Kensaku has scored several movies and a few television dramas.

Marie -- Ki ni Naru Anata（気になるあなた ）

 

I'm in the middle of what I call the Holiday Tunnel, that time of revelry and tourism between Canada Day on July 1st and America's 4th of July. My family had their get-together last night which involved copious amounts of Swiss Chalet and then a carrot cake for dessert. For those living in Eastern Canada, they know that my repast wasn't quite light dining...tasty, mind you.

Well, it's nice then that I can hear something as light and refreshing as Marie's（麻里絵）"Ki ni Naru Anata" which literally means "You That I've Fallen For" but frankly, it sounds better if it were "I've Fallen For You" even if the latter translation targets more of the action rather than the topic of said action. OK, we're kinda getting into heavy stuff here...back to light and refreshing.

By the way, Marie is actually not one woman but a duo consisting of Akemi Furuta（古田明美）and Keiko Yoshikawa（吉川恵子）. They lasted between 1976 and 1979, and their duo name came about thanks to another folk duo Bread & Butter's（ブレッド&バター）song "Marie"（マリエ）according to a July 2008 interview with Furuta and Yoshikawa on a TV Asahi show. The jaunty "Ki ni Naru Anata", which was penned by Takao Onoda（小野田孝雄）, was their first of four singles released in August 1976 and in the previous year, they used this song to get into the 10th Annual Yamaha Popular Song Contest. No prizes there but Marie did win in 1976 with another song "Mou Ichido Anata to"（もう一度あなたと...Once More With You）.

That TV Asahi show also revealed a sweet story in which a woman named Marie（麻里絵）had been given her name after her mother listened to the duo's fourth and final single. The lady named Marie asked whether Furuta and Yoshikawa couldn't make a comeback, and for a short time, Marie the duo was back performing. 

As one final aside, there is another Marie（マリエ）here on the blog but she has no connection with the folk duo. She's been a mystery lady who happened to sing a duet with enka singer Hiroshi Itsuki（五木ひろし）for "Duo Shinobi Ai"（デュオしのび逢い）in 1984. I've therefore inserted Furuta and Yoshikawa as "Marie (folk duo)" in Labels.

SPEED -- Steady

 

Despite the negative news about "The Flash", I had been interested in seeing this superhero movie for a while because of all of the powers that the titular character possessed through decades of comic book and cartoon production. And of course, there were also the TV versions of "The Flash" that happened in 1990 and over the past decade. 

Well, as it turned out, it wasn't the greatest flick. For example, the plot has been done over and over again in "Star Trek" and even a recent Marvel "What If" story involving Dr. Strange, and those special effects especially in the beginning rescue mission were just...ouch. However, it wasn't the horrifying skid trail that some folks were describing either and that was because of the performances of Ezra Miller and Michael Keaton among others. They were able to lift things a little higher.

So, of course, when I begin an article with the Scarlet Speedster, guess which group I'm going to have to mention? Obviously, it'll be the 90s hit quartet SPEED. And I'm bringing in their second single "Steady" which was released in November 1996. To be honest, of all of their songs that I've covered in KKP, "Steady" is the one that I've remembered the least about; it actually took me until the main chorus to recognize it again. I'm gathering therefore that I probably got to know "Steady" originally more through SPEED's performance of it in quick clips on music shows.

Frequent SPEED songwriting contributor Hiromasa Ijichi（伊秩弘将）was responsible for words and music. "Steady" hit No. 2 on Oricon, became a million-seller (1.5 million copies) and ended 1997 as the 5th-ranked single of the year. It was also a track on the group's debut album "Starting Over" from May 1997 which was at the top of the charts for three weeks straight and sold 2.5 million copies. 

I didn't know that "Steady" had been used as the theme song for the TV Asahi live-action dramatization of the manga "Itazura na Kiss"（イタズラなKiss...Playful Kiss） which had its run in the last few months of 1996.

Ryuichi Sakamoto -- Sweet Revenge（スウィート・リヴェンジ）

 

Currently in the holiday tunnel between Canada Day and America's 4th of July, it's been a rather "stand-by" day in terms of the weather. It looks like something might erupt but it's been holding off for the past few hours. 

I was inspired to give this song by Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）a shot considering what I read in preparation for yesterday's "Kayo Kyoku Plus" article on Kazuhiko Maeda's（前田和彦）"epitone" yesterday. In short, Maeda wasn't a huge fan of The Professor's June 1994 album "Sweet Revenge" and Maeda showed his disappointment by not listening to Sakamoto's radio program for a few years in the late 1990s. I don't have a copy of "Sweet Revenge" but according to J-Wiki (with the original source being a "What's In?" interview), it covers bossa nova and hip-hop, a pretty interesting juxtaposition of genres to say the least. There was one sentence that I was struck by in the article that I was able to translate and it was "It is technically Sakamoto-like, but it is an easy-to-understand work."

Not sure if that was a genuine compliment or a backhanded one, but I am wondering whether Maeda had been disappointed with "Sweet Revenge" on that point. But perhaps I can agree that the Professor's fans may not appreciate watered-down Sakamoto. Anyways, the song here is the title track and it's neither bossa nova nor hip-hop. It's actually more like the easy listening music that I remember Sakamoto recording for the public at large in those 1990s. 

"Sweet Revenge" is an introspective and melancholy piece that had actually been played during part of the ending credits for Bernardo Bertolucci's movie "Little Buddha" from 1993 for which Sakamoto had created the soundtrack. Once again, according to that "What's In?" interview, the composer's initial attempt at the song had Bertolucci stating "Make it sadder!" for which a re-working of it by Sakamoto had the director blurting out "It's too sad! There's no hope in it!". The Professor blew a gasket and the final product was created with the title incorporating some of that revenge against Bertolucci. Not sure whether the director was finally satisfied. I'm good with it, though, despite Maeda's dissatisfaction with the album as a whole.👍

Interestingly enough, within the same J-Wiki article, the origins for the album title of "Sweet Revenge" came from somewhat less frustrated origins. It had initially been suggested to go with "So sweet So radical", inspired by a female staff member in the A&R division of Virgin Records who felt that Sakamoto's bunch of tracks both had sweet and radical elements with the former represented by pop music recorded by singers such as Whitney Houston and the latter represented by rap music. However, The Professor wasn't sure of the alliteration but wanted to keep the basic feeling of that suggestion, so "Sweet Revenge" was born.

Ira Newborn -- Theme from "SCTV"

 

I did forget that it's a KKP tradition (or my own tradition on KKP) that I put up a special ROY article during a national holiday. Seeing that it is Canada Day, we can try for some Canadian content and so I'd like to introduce one of the best television products that my country has ever given out: the beloved and hilarious "SCTV". Standing for Second City TV for the famous improvisational comedy troupe that has roots in both Chicago and Toronto (we just lost Alan Arkin, one of the most famous graduates from Second City...all my condolences), the show had a run for several years lasting from the mid-1970s into the early 1980s as it jumped from channel to channel.

Last Canada Day when I was providing the ROY article there, I used Geddy Lee's "Take Off", the theme song for one of the show's most famous segments "Great White North". 

Of course, one of many fans' favourite parodies was for Perry Como's "Still Alive" concert tour. For those who may not know him, Como was a singer who was known for his very relaxed approach to performances, and well, "SCTV" expanded on that a hundredfold. I remember at the Emmy Awards when the singer was actually giving out the award for Best Writing for a Variety or Music Program for which the show was nominated, and the excerpt they showed on the screen was "Still Alive". I don't think I've ever seen an entire audience laugh up their guts like that; Alan Alda needed oxygen badly.

Considering all of the changes in production locations, channels and formats, perhaps it isn't a surprise that the theme song for "SCTV" also switched quite a few times. There were two that I remember which were basically zany comedy-themed instrumentals. However for the 1981 season at least, composer Ira Newborn whipped up my favourite theme which is just known as the theme from "SCTV". It wasn't goofy in the least but a really cool AOR instrumental (it's not surprising then that Newborn also became the musical director for the Manhattan Transfer since they were also performing some kakkoii urban contemporary at the time). I'm only disappointed that the theme doesn't have a full official version.

So, which songs were at the top of the May 1981 charts? I only choose this particular month because American network NBC picked up "SCTV" then as a 90-minute show to be broadcast late at night after "The Tonight Show".

1. Akira Terao -- Ruby no Yubiwa (ルビーの指輪)

2. Seiko Matsuda -- Natsu no Tobira（夏の扉）

4. Chiharu Matsuyama -- Nagai Yoru（長い夜）

Kazuhiko Maeda -- epitone

 

This YouTube video was uploaded just a few days ago by a fellow named Mind Tinkerer, and usually I don't go straight to writing about a newly uploaded tune because it just seems a little too voraciously forward of me. However, this title track from Kazuhiko Maeda's（前田和彦）April 1997 debut album "epitone" has gotten itself buried so deep into my head that even a Ceti Alpha Eel would probably go "Whoa, dude!". 

Indeed, "epitone" is a really catchy technopop song by Maeda who doesn't have a whole lot written about him, and when I attempted to look him up on J-Wiki, all I got was a scholar in chemistry with exactly the same name. There are a couple of sources including one Japanese blog which noted that the late Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）had been strongly encouraged by his own senpai to listen to "epitone" after which The Professor was totally floored by the first and title track and then the rest of the album. Ironically, Maeda had once submitted a demo audition to Sakamoto's radio program although he didn't bother listening to that episode because he'd been temporarily disappointed by Sakamoto's 1994 "Sweet Revenge" album and ended up not patronizing the program for much of the late 1990s.

The crazy thing is that "epitone" sounds like something that Sakamoto would have made if he were in a really cheerful and whimsical mood. Maeda created a hybrid of a Professorial tune and a glorious toy march with one heck of a beefy percussive rhythm. If "Doctor Who" ever came up with a story where the people of a planet commuted to work in the style of Monty Python's Minister of Silly Walks, then "epitone" is the song that I want played. Then again, though I like Little Big's "Skibidi" song and music video, I have to confess that the video goes quite well with "epitone", too.

J-Canuck's "Canada" Tunes

 

As it says up there, Happy Canada Day! How's it going, eh? Everything is closed today which means I get to have lots of time to figure out how to commemorate the occasion on our humble little blog. But first off, a little aside here regarding another old interest of mine.

The most recent episode of the latest "Star Trek" entry, "Strange New Worlds" showed off its third episode this season, and it involves time travel which is not a new thing at all for the franchise. But this time, a couple of characters end up in 21st-century Toronto, and this time around, Toronto isn't sitting in for another metropolis. La'an Noonien-Singh actually pegs it as my hometown right in the middle of Yonge-Dundas Square (mind you, it helps that the show is actually filmed in the Toronto area)! And who da thunk it?! James T. Kirk actually loves hot dogs and poutine. Get this guy a Timmies Double-Double!

Anyways, the soft tradition that I've had around July 1st is putting up a Canada-affiliated kayo kyoku or J-Pop song. Nope, it's not easy to do but I've tried my best over the years. And I finally decided to make this Canada Day's edition on KKP an Author's Pick compilation bringing together those relevant songs that I've mentioned. So, without further ado, here we go! And by the way, I also have the "America" tunes up and running as well.

(1978) Masaaki Hirao and Yoko Hatanaka -- Canada Kara no Tegami (カナダからの手紙）

(1980) Junko Ohashi & Minowa Central Station -- Canadian Lullaby （カナディアン・ララバイ）

(2008) Superfly -- Vancouver （バンクーバー）

(1993) Yosui Inoue -- Canadian Accordion （カナディアン アコーデオン）

(1983) Yasuko Agawa -- Canadian Star