Swingout Sister -- Twilight World

 

Welcome to the regular Thursday edition of Reminiscings of Youth. And it's always wonderful to come back to the song stylings of Corinne Drewry and Swingout Sister with their touch of sophisticated pop class. In the past, I've covered their introspectively romantic "Now You're Not Here" and their "Let's have a great time!" breakout "Breakout".

Today, I'm looking at their fourth single "Twilight World" which was released in April 1987 in the UK and then months later in December in the USA. For me, it was the second song by Swingout Sister that I took notice of following the smashing "Breakout", and in terms of tone, it's somewhere between "Breakout" and "Now You're Not Here". It's not a ballad but there's a bit more darkness and mystery in "Twilight World" than in the gloriously happy "Breakout" although the music video (which I saw for the first time only ten minutes ago) still has Drewry and company truly feeling that it's better to travel.

Despite the difference in tone, "Twilight World" is still a Swingout Sister-style smash with the sophisti-pop horns and strings returning. Reading the lyrics by the band, the song seems to be one for anti-romance as Drewry warns listeners about the dangers of love and preferring the anonymity and solitude of the crowds. Maybe that's why there is that train station announcement in Japan at the beginning. Nothing more crowded than Tokyo or Shinjuku Station at rush hour. The music also hits me as something appropriate for a 1960s spy thriller along the lines of James Bond or Harry Palmer, so try to imagine "Twilight World" being used in "You Only Live Twice" within the exotic setting of Japan.

Being both a Swingout Sister fan and an admirer of the swinging jazz spy themes of the 1960s, it was a foregone conclusion that I would get the record of "Twilight World" with the original and the remix tracks. In both the UK and the US, the single managed to get up into the low 30s on their respective charts.

So, what was on top of the Oricon charts for December 1987?

1. Hikaru Genji -- Glass no Juu-dai （ガラスの十代）

2. Yukari Morikawa -- SHOW ME

4. Shizuka Kudo -- Again

SANISAI -- Live to sing

 

With the untimely passing of singer-songwriter Nobuo Ariga（有賀啓雄）earlier this year, I discovered that he had also been helping out a vocal group since the late 2000s.

SANISAI began their time together in 1999 when Wakako Yamada（山田和嘉子）first met Shingo Murai（村井伸吾）at university, later to be joined by Yamada's younger brother Ryuhei Yamada（山田隆平）. Putting their voices together, they found out that there was something special there so they began singing together and releasing several singles as an indies act from 2002. Up until the end of May 2005, the trio had been known as Sunny Side Up but then made the change in their name to the current SANISAI. 

In October 2007, the group released their debut single as a major act, "Live to sing" with sound production provided by Ariga who would officially enter SANISAI as the bassist and extra voice in 2020. For "Live to sing", the three of them proved their title right especially Wakako, and I enjoy the lighthearted nature of the song with the country folk arrangement. The music video is also just right.

Junko Tokumaru -- Koi wa Seesaw Game（恋はシーソーゲーム）

 

Well, we're not only in the middle of the week but we're in the middle of our first heat wave for this season. The weather folks are forecasting Humidex values in the low 40s Celsius today and possibly tomorrow. Not a fan of those figures but after several summers in Tokyo, I can probably take those without too too much hassle.

I was never a fan of amusement park rides and frankly under certain circumstances, even the old-fashioned seesaw could have me crying "Uncle!" (note to folks: try not to get on one after a few rounds at the buffet). Figuratively speaking, I have ended up being in the middle of a seesaw game of love although I wasn't in the direct line of fire, so to speak...just the messenger, although messengers have been shot.

Therefore, it's not surprising that there would be an 80s aidoru tune titled "Koi wa Seesaw Game" (Love is a Seesaw Game) by Junko Tokumaru（徳丸純子）. Released as her third single in October 1983, this was written by Taeko Ohnuki（大貫妙子）and composed/arranged by Nobuyuki Shimizu（清水信之）. Shimizu is someone that I've known as a longtime collaborator with EPO and her brand of bright and spritzy pop but here, he's concocted something very quintessential as an 80s aidoru tune with the wistfully sweeping atmosphere with the strings but there's also a nice touch with the soft horns. "Koi wa Seesaw Game" didn't impress too many purchasers, though, only ranking in at No. 116 on Oricon. I'm still good with it. 

Ichiro Fujiyama -- Shanghai Yakyoku (上海夜曲)

Recently, I met a fellow early Showa kayo enthusiast I got to know on the 'gram in person while he was on vacation in Tokyo. I brought him record hunting and introduced him to my favourite record haunts in the Jimbocho area. The topic of conversation amid vinyl viewing was, naturally, the musicians of the time and the technicalities of records - fascinating stuff. One of the artists we touched upon was none other than the great Ichiro Fujiyama (藤山一郎). My natsumelo acquaintance did comment that I seemed kinda "late to the party" on the Fujiyama train despite doing deep dives into the world of Japanese prewar and postwar popular songs. In a way, I do agree with that.

On one hand, Mr. Fujiyama had been one of the very first ryukoka characters I'd encountered nearly a decade ago. I enjoyed some of his spunky evergreen hits and thought he was a pleasant presence with that crystal clear voice. I've also always respected him as one of the kayo greats, all the more so when I came across a video of an elderly Fujiyama fiercely asserting that having a cold was no excuse for not being able to sing. This made me see him as that intimidating music teacher who strives for nothing less than discipline and excellence. In fact, it's the reason why I call him "Mr. Fujiyama" rather than his nickname of "Pin-chan". But that was about it and I never bothered to pay much more attention to him despite his omnipresence in old kayo shows and VTRs.

And then "Shanghai Yakyoku" (Shanghai Serenade). Specifically, this live performance on the music program "Natsukashi no Utagoe" (なつかしの歌声) from 1969.

In Kiyomaro Kikuchi's (菊池清麿) "Showa Enka no Rekishi" (昭和演歌の歴史... History of Showa Enka) from 2016, Taro Shoji (東海林太郎) described his "Murasaki Kouta" (むらさき小唄) as having an ethereal, eerie air to it. I felt the exact same way about "Shanghai Yakyoku" when I watched the this clip. Maybe it was the black and white footage that accentuated the haunting nature of Takio Niki's (仁木他喜雄) score. Maybe it was Toshio Nomura's (野村俊夫) lyrics that seem to relay a mysterious love affair in the enigmatic bayside city. Or, perhaps it was the singer himself, smartly-dressed as always, effortlessly gliding towards the camera just as the music sounded most foreboding with its bellowing strings and deep, menacing trumpets. Strangely ethereal. Wonderfully eerie. Combined with his hearty, textbook perfect delivery and crisp enunciation, Mr. Fujiyama had never seemed so... alluring.

The original take.

Anyway, while the 1930s were chock full of China-centric songs and I can think of a couple that are of a similar dark atmosphere as "Shanghai Yakyoku," I can't help but compare it to another entry from 1939 that falls on the complete opposite end of the ambience spectrum, Tadaharu Nakano's (中野忠晴) "China Tango". They're like different sides of the same, tango-inspired, romantic tune coin. The fantastical "China Tango" feels as though you're about to be treated to a wonderful night on the town with a playful Nakano leading you by the hand. And then we have "Shanghai Yakyoku", its intense atmosphere making it feel as though you've just stepped into a 1920s Shanghai Noir film. Who committed the murder in that alley? No one knows. Maybe the suave Mr. Fujiyama does, and he'll take you by the hand to show you who did it - if you can trust him *cue Niki’s dramatic music*. 

But at the end of the day, the image I hold of Mr. Fujiyama remains more or less that of a strict classical music teacher who does “moral”, appropriate-for-the-whole-family rajio kayo. “Shanghai Yakyoku”, however, finally enabled me to see him as a pop singer who can be fun to tune in to. Would I get invested into Mr. Fujiyama? I'd be surprised if I do, because I think his singing's "too perfect" and not much feeling gets conveyed as a result (compared to the fellows I love, at least). For now, though, I'm just happy to listen to more of his works with a renewed appreciation for him. 

Ai Furihata -- Play Boy

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With the title and the appearance of that bunny girl in the video, yeah, I'd say that Hugh Hefner's modest magazine and club had a lot to do with it.

I just encountered this one by pure happenstance when it popped up on the right side of YouTube in the last few minutes. "Play Boy" is Ai Furihata's（降旗愛）latest digital single which was released at the end of June last week, and it's got enough of a buzzy synthesizer in there for me to consider it a synthpop creation by Akimitsu Honma（本間昭光）. At the same time, the groove and funk are in there to make me think that it's also in the Neo-City Pop sphere. Furihata was responsible for the lyrics about a fellow falling for a lady (no idea on whether she's actually wearing a bunny outfit) despite her complicated nature.

The setup in "Play Boy" reminds me one time when we were having coffee in the Ginza branch of Cozy Corner, a café franchise. I'm sure that the different branches all over Tokyo have their own atmosphere and clientele reflective of the neighbourhood. The Ginza shop had plenty of very well-manicured ladies (perhaps some were club hostesses) sipping coffee while waiting for their well-to-do beaus to show up. My friend and I made sure we were in a dark and cozy corner since we certainly would have stood out for our pedestrian garb.

Marvin Hamlisch -- Theme from "Good Morning America"

 

Good afternoon, America! I know that the national holiday is not here but in the States but what the heck? It's time for another special holiday edition of Reminiscings of Youth along the lines of what I provided on Canada Day.

This was obviously several years before my time when Dave Garroway introduced the very first episode of NBC's venerable morning news show "Today" back on January 14th 1952, the first of its kind not only in the USA but in the world. For whatever oddball reason, I did have an affinity for morning shows whether it be the old "Canada AM" here or the kids' show "Rocketship 7" on the Buffalo ABC affiliate. Maybe it was the fact that there was a certain freshness behind the sharing of news or fun so early in the morning.

In 1975, I heard that there was going to be a new morning show on the ABC network in November called "Good Morning America", and it was going to be a breaking of the mold that had been set by the "Today" show over twenty years prior. For one thing, it was going to be headed up by actors David Hartman and Nancy Dussault. Actors are going to be doing breakfast news?! That was weird to say the least, especially since I had already known Hartman on at least one prime-time drama "The Bold Ones". Dussault was someone that I had seen on a commercial and then would gain even bigger fame starring with Ted Knight on the sitcom "Too Close for Comfort" a few years later.

Regardless, I remember practically begging my mother to wake me up early so that I could catch this "Good Morning America" right from the opening credits. It took a few tries but I finally did it, and it certainly was different. I guess I saw it with the same level of expectation and excitement that viewers had (well, those who had TV sets back then) when Garroway introduced "Today". I don't think I had ever seen a news set which resembled a well-to-do living room and kitchen from "Good Housekeeping". The approach was quite light: Steve Bell provided the news on the half-hour for a few minutes, a happy weather person came on, and then Hartman and Dussault brought in the celebrities and consumer interest folks for some light chatter. "Good Morning America" was also the show where I first heard about this weird upcoming film called "Star Wars" thanks to entertainment reporter Rona Barrett which included the TIE fighter attack scene.

It was all so very welcoming and that included the theme song by the late great Marvin Hamlisch who's already represented here on KKP via his composition of "Nobody Does It Better" by Carly Simon in another ROY article. As of this writing, it is the only morning news show theme that I still remember after 48 years since I'm not even sure whether "Today" or the CBS equivalent had theme songs at the time. Regardless, I heard different variations on the "Good Morning America" theme throughout the broadcast including a Dixieland jazz version and a flute-driven take as the show went into commercial. I do enjoy the version above although I don't think it's the one that greeted me on those mornings decades ago; it's got that pleasant AOR feeling.

I no longer watch "Good Morning America" but of course the personnel has changed and the suburban living room set is long gone. However, I am hoping that everyone enjoys the show's golden anniversary in a couple of years. As I mentioned above, the show began near the end of 1975 so who were the winners for the Japan Record Awards back then?

Grand Prize: Akira Fuse -- Cyclamen no Kaori （シクラメンのかほり）

Best Performance: Hiroshi Itsuki -- Chikumagawa (千曲川)

Best New Artist: Takashi Hosokawa -- Kokoro Nokori（心のこり）

J-Canuck's "America" Tunes

 

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For everyone reading this in the United States, Happy 4th of July. If I'm not mistaken, America is celebrating its 247th birthday today...getting close to that special 250th anniversary. According to Wikipedia, the word that you can use to describe such an occasion is a Sestercentennial which is probably a whole lot easier to pronounce than Bicenquinquagenary which is an alternate term. But we can all worry about that a few years down the line in 2026, eh?

Anyways, I was figuring that since I did a "Canada" Tunes article on Canada Day, I thought that I would do the same thing for the United States of America south of us. Of course, there is plenty of variety in terms of the music involved.

(1986) Checkers -- Song for U.S.A.

(1982) Anri -- Omoikiri American（思いきりアメリカン）

(1979) Circus -- American Feeling

(1978) Shigeru Suzuki -- Kennedy Airport

(1980) Junko Yagami -- Purpletown (パープルタウン）You Oughta Know By Now