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.
I think one of the reasons that I've enjoyed Yujiro Ishihara's（石原裕次郎）Mood Kayo renditions is that they're very comforting to me....almost on a lullaby level. The Big Man's voice had that gravitas but not quite the gravel of some of those other enka singers. You might say that his vocals could be compared to that glass of fine aged brandy; he was just made for listening to in a Ginza or Akasaka bar.
Ishihara's 2nd-last (and his first posthumous) single is "Kita no Tabibito" (North Traveler), released in August 1987, less than a month following his untimely passing from liver cancer. Considering the title and the sound of the song, perhaps it should've been released in the fall or even the winter. The smooth-as-silk strings, the Latin guitar and his voice are all fine attractors for an izakaya regular to come in from the cold...just like a good steaming bowl of oden.
Author/lyricist Yoko Yamaguchi（山口洋子）who passed away earlier this year was responsible for the lyrics of loss and longing in the north country. She also wrote Hiroshi Itsuki's（五木ひろし）breakthrough hit, "Yokohama Tasogare"（よこはま・たそがれ）and my favourite Ishihara tune, "Brandy Glass". Tetsuya Gen（弦哲也）composed the calming melody. The prolific composer also came up with other songs for many other enka singers (including Ishihara), such as the powerful "Amagi Goe"（天城越え）for Sayuri Ishikawa（石川さゆり）about a year previously.
"Kita no Tabibito", not surprisingly, went all the way to the top of the charts and became the 30th-ranked single of the year, selling nearly 220,000 copies. It also earned a special prize at the Japan Record Awards for 1987.
Ai Suru Koto (To Love) is probably the 2nd best known song from Midori Karashima (辛島美登里) besides Silent Eve (サイレント・イヴ). It appeared in her 3rd single after Karashima moved from Fan House to Toshiba EMI. It reached 13th place on the weekly chart, according to Oricon. The song was also awarded Best Lyrics in the 37th Japan Record Award in 1995. As with 99.9% of Karashima's songs, she composed it and wrote the lyrics herself.
I really like the dramatic and operatic opening, with Karashima's angle like vocal. She sang:
How long does it take for love to be born and subsequently exhaust its breath?
Even upon rebirth, I certainly wish we would encounter each other once again.
Then, it pretty much mesmerized me from that point on. After this dramatic opening, the song goes back to a soft and quiet ballad. In the bridge, it picks up its tempo and builds up tension, and finally repeats the dramatic chorus once again. I also like the last chorus where Karashima raised her key by half a step to finish off.
According to Midori Karashima, she wrote the song as a result of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, or Kobe Earthquake in 1995. She saw the disaster areas on TV at night. She thought, "Here's what I want to say now. I must convey that message right now!" It's under this constant "pressure" that she wrote the song and lyrics. Karashima also said, every time she sings the song, it reminds her how helpless she was when she saw helpers and volunteers trying to provide assistance to the victims. A few years after the quake, when she's finished performing this song at a live house in Kobe, she would break into tears unintentionally. The participants cried too. Even now, she still remembers how she spent that miraculous night, she wrote.
I have translated the lyrics into English. If you're interested, you can visit my blog.
A few years back, I was able to find the video where she sang this song live (with her playing the piano) at the 37th Japan Record Award. I couldn't find it anymore. Too bad. However, I am able find the following MV though. By the way, the first video is a recording of her X'mas Concert in 2008. Karashima has been having her annual X'mas Concert, in classical style (with full orchestra), since 1999. Enjoy!
First things first, J-Canuck has already done an article on this Mood Kayo classic, so you can check it out here.
Anyway, I had finally a good listen to Hiroshi Mizuhara's (水原弘) voice via his comeback hit, "Kimi Koso Waga Inochi". Sure I had heard him here and there with songs like "Tasogare no Beguine" and "Kuroi Hanabira" (those 2 have also already been profiled), but I never actually listened. Boy did I miss out on his fruity, smooth but at times husky voice! As you know, I very much enjoy singers who sing at a lower pitch, say around baritone to bass, so Mizuhara basically represents my preference well.
Other than the music, composed by Kosho Inomata (猪俣公章), that is jaunty and quintessentially 60's starting with the blare of the trumpet - reminds me of Takuya Jou's (城卓矢) "Hone Made Aishite" (骨まで愛して) - the lyrics by Kouhan Kawauchi (川内康範) are what makes me like this classic even more. As what J-Canuck had mentioned in his article, the song basically puts how much our protagonist loves his girl into words. Let me give you some examples:
Anata wo honto wa sagashi te ta I've been searching all over for you Anata ni hitomi ni niji o mita I see the rainbows in your eyes
And let's not forget...
Kimi koso inochi kimi koso inochi waga inochi You are life, you are life, my life
More emphasis on the 'my' part. A rather sweet set of lyrics with the fellow gushing about his feelings, especially on that rainbow part... ... That must be some lady. But it's the sappiness that I like since I'm a sucker for such things, and the bonus is that the lyrics of these songs are generally easier to decipher.
Before listening and reading up on "Kimi Koso Waga Inochi", I had always thought that Mood Kayo crooner Mizuhara would have a barrage of hits throughout the 60's, which seemed to be the genre's golden age. And I mean, he had a great voice for it. On the contrary, after his debut hit "Kuroi Hanabira", Mizuhara had a long dry spell that lasted for nearly 10 years albeit having some of his singles being used as theme songs for TV shows and movies. Until this faithful song came along in 1967. "Kimi Koso Waga Inochi" was so well received it eventually got dubbed as Mizuhara's "Miracle comeback" and allowed the fellow to receive the 'Singing Prize' during the 9th Japan Record Awards. He also sang this song 3 times at the Kohaku: in 1967, 1969 and 1973.
I've seen many covers of "Kimi Koso Waga Inochi" - not surprising here - but the one I usually come across and actually like is Shinichi Mori's (森進一) rendition of it. Although I don't listen to the guy often, I must admit he did a fine job... you'd expect it to be different in terms of its delivery since Mori's voice is a lot higher and huskier in comparison to Mizuhara's, but it worked out well. (I'm afraid Mori's rendition has been deleted but below is Yujiro Ishihara's cover.)
And as for where I first heard "Kimi Koso Waga Inochi" - it wasn't the original by the way - it was from Mae-Kiyo... or at least half of it before Mori came in for the next part (which was also where I first got a taste of Mori's cover). I think Mae-Kiyo's voice suits the song a little better. Okay, I could be biased on this one.
Wow! It's been a while for this one. Junko Yagami（八神純子）was one of the singers that I had first discovered through "Sounds of Japan", and during my two times in Japan as a resident, I managed to buy a number of her albums which reflected her early Latin influence and then her later R&B material.
However, the very first Yagami album I ever bought was an audiotape of "Yaga Mania"（ヤガマニア）at Wah Yueh, notable for that cover of her looking like she just saw a ghost...or me after a shower (yeah, like I wouldn't wish that on my 2nd-worst enemy). Before and since her 10th album, she's always looked rather sedate. But that wasn't the only interesting thing about "Yaga Mania" which came out in October 1986. Remembering how much heavy rotation I gave it on my tape recorder, especially during the all-night sessions getting those university papers ready, I think the album was a crossroads for Yagami. I don't recall any hint of her old bossa style in there, and there was a whole lot more of a pop/rock and R&B feeling.
Two singles came from the album, "Fun City" and "Chameleon", but the one that I've always associated with "Yaga Mania" has been the lead track, "Loser". Written and composed by Yagami, it starts off with something that sounds like a sputtery growly New Wave synth before another keyboard provides a more harmonic thrum and gives way to the familiar power of the singer's vocals. She may have been changing genres but the voice has remained constantly soaring. As she gives this tough-as-nails threat to her possibly erstwhile lover that if he leaves her, he's a loser, that voice slowly rises until that sonic boom I've known so well makes its appearance during the refrain.
"Yaga Mania" went as high as No. 33 on the album charts. If the tape hasn't worn out too much, I'd like to give it another go.
A couple of nights ago on Christmas Eve, TV Japan aired the 2013 version of "Nodo Jiman The World", hosted by SMAP's Masahiro Nakai. The special features non-Japanese people from all over the planet who are invited onto the show to sing their favourite J-Pop songs extremely well. These folks probably end up hitting the karaoke boxes alone since I can envisage them intimidating their friends right out of the room with their talent.
Anyways, I was struck by Chris Hart's rendition of one song. The San Francisco-born Hart has become very well-known in Japan over the past year especially as a beautiful singer of kayo kyoku/J-Pop. He got his big national exposure almost a year ago when he appeared on the Kohaku Utagassen. In any case, the song he sang was Chiharu Matsuyama's（松山千春）"Ohzora to Daichi no Naka de" (The Big Sky and the Great Land). Good golly, Hart sent that one over the roof!
I was charmed so much by the ballad that I tracked down the original on YouTube. I was surprised to find out that "Ohzora to Daichi no Naka de" was never made an official single but was the 2nd track on Matsuyama's debut album, "Kimi no Tame ni Tsukutta Uta"（君のために作った歌...The Song I Made For You）which was released back in June 1977. Written and composed by the singer, I've become an instant fan of the song, thanks to the mellow horns and his distinct delivery. It has become one of the representative tunes for Matsuyama's native Hokkaido. I've only been there once, and when my plane was landing at Shin-Chitose Airport near Sapporo, I took a look out the window and was reminded of the Canadian countryside.
As for the album, "Kimi no Tame ni Tsukutta Uta", peaked at No. 8 on Oricon but also became a long-lasting hit. In fact, about 18 months after its release, it ended 1978 as the 29th-ranked album and even ended up as the 19th-ranked album for 1979.
There's a slight "separated-at-birth?" aspect to the target of this article when I think back of the one I wrote for Ai Saotome's（早乙女愛）"Maho no Kagami"（魔法の鏡）about two weeks ago. Like the one for Saotome, I discovered Marumi Shiraishi's（白石まるみ）"Orion-za no Mukou"(Beyond Orion) from purely browsing through YouTube. But that wasn't the only connection. There's the fact that Yuming（ユーミン）was also behind the lyrics, although she used her pseudonym Karuho Kureta（呉田軽穂）with her husband, Masataka Matsutoya（松任谷正隆）creating the music; in addition, Shiraishi wasn't doing a cover of an old Yuming song but a tune that was specifically made for her by the Matsutoyas.
There was also a similarity between Saotome and Shiraishi when it came to their entry into the geinokai. Although the latter singer was from Tokyo while the former was born in Kagoshima Prefecture, both had their big chances through mass auditions. In Shiraishi's case, she had tried out for a role among 40,000 hopefuls as the romantic interest of Hiromi Go（郷ひろみ）in the TV drama, "Muu Ichi Zoku"（ムー一族...The Muu Family）back in 1978. That opportunity didn't quite pan out, but coming in 2nd place, she was able to score a role as the kid sister of a bar owner in the same drama. And the then-16-year-old would find celebrity embracing her with open arms as she got more roles in other TV and movie productions and then a stint as a radio personality.
Then in January 1982, Shiraishi would release her first single in the form of "Orion-za no Mukou", thereby entering the music world in the same year as Akina Nakamori（中森明菜）, Kyoko Koizumi（小泉今日子）and Chiemi Hori（堀ちえみ）. She released just two more singles in the 80s before one last single in 1996. There was only one studio album, "Kaze no Screen"（風のスクリーン...Wind Screen）.
As for my impression of her debut single, it has a rather pleasant coquettish beat mixed in with a bit of a 50s pop angle which reminds me of songs like Yuki Okazaki's（岡崎友紀）"Do You Remember Me?". The lyrics are the usual ones about the innocent young girl falling head-over-heels in love. I wouldn't mind getting this song as a part of a compilation of aidoru songs from that decade.
Just a few months from returning to Canada for good, my anime buddy and I got into our well-worn routine of meeting every couple of Sundays for food and anime viewing at his place. At the same time, he also passed me some other anime for viewing at home...one of which was "Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu"（涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱...The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya）. He was quite gangbusters about this show so I decided to give it a try.
The first thing I saw was this buxom girl by the name of Mikuru Asahina（朝比奈ミクル）with the voice of a drunken, tone-deaf angel trying to sing "Koi no Mikuru Densetsu"（恋のミクル伝説...The Legend of Mikuru in Love）against a musical backdrop of an 80s B-movie. I managed to get through it....slack-jawed, mind you...before I turned the TV off. My initial impression was "Man, what WAS he thinking? I didn't know he was that much into moe."
However, as all of the Haruhi fans know, I was being a bit hasty in my judgement. I gritted my teeth, gave it another shot and realized the first minute was just part of a student video (basically the pilot episode) created by the main character. And then after all that, I realized that "Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu" was all about this weird girl with a personality mix of Lucy Van Pelt and Peppermint Patty who dearly craves to encounter the strange and unusual while unknowingly being surrounded by the very people she seeks due to some far greater reason of universe-shattering proportions.
At around the same time, I was also watching "Mawaru Penguindrum", another mind-screw of an anime, so it was a fairly intense few months for me. I would have ended up a total zombie if my buddy had also thrown in "Madoka Magica".
Well, getting to the point of this article, I was happier with the ending theme of the show, "Hare Hare Yukai" (Shiny Shiny Happiness). And yep, it is fully imbued with shiny shiny happiness. Written by Aki Hata（畑亜貴）and composed by Tomokazu Tashiro（田代智一）, it was one darn catchy tune right from the get-go. Sung by seiyuu Aya Hirano（平野綾）, Minori Chihara（茅原実里）and Yuko Goto（後藤邑子）who portrayed the three main female characters of Haruhi Suzumiya, Yuki Nagato（長門有希）and the aforementioned Mikuru respectively, I can't help but associate the actual singing of the song more to the characters than to their voice actors.
Part of the reason for that is the closing credits of the show which had Haruhi, Yuki and Mikuru along with the two male characters of Kyon（キョン）and Itsuki Koizumi （古泉 一樹）also performing some pretty elaborate choreography. It impressed so many people that it became an Internet sensation with some of those flesh-&-blood folks emulating what has become known as the Haruhi Dance. According to the J-Wiki article on "Hare Hare Yukai", Shoko Ikeda（池田晶子）was the Kyoto Animation director behind the dance, and she went through a lot of music videos of various aidoru to envision the moves for the characters, settling mostly on the choreography of the group Berryz Kobo（Berryz工房）.
The above video is the full version of the song which was released as an official single in May 2006. I think it did phenomenally well as an anison, getting as high as No. 5 on Oricon and going Gold in terms of sales. By the end of the year, it was ranked at No. 104.
Getting through the 13 episodes, I was glad that I did stick with it and not totally flee after that initial bit of Mikuru karaoke. And as someone who has never been all that comfortable socializing, I could actually relate to the concept of The SOS Brigade.
