Ahhh.innocent times indeed. No need to worry about things like income tax, pension plans or what-not. Anri（杏里）came out with her 17th single, 'Oriental Rose' back in February 1986 as I was going through 2nd year at the University of Toronto, and yep, I didn't have to worry about the above things, except for those irritations known as exams and essays.In any case, I was more interested in the B-side to that single, 'Innocent Time'. It didn't become an Oricon hit although I think it was good enough to earn an A-side. Every time I hear Anri singing it, it just reminds me of those wonderfully breezy summery songs that came out by specialists like her, TUBE and Omega Tribe in the 1980s. Composed by Anri herself and written by Kazunori Sonobe（園部和範）, 'Innocent Time' is about as sunny and smiling as they come and has about as much to do with work as laying on the beach all day.
The melody alone just seems to whisper, 'hedonism'.And as the video below will tell you, it can reflect both the best of enjoying the summer and winter. In fact, 'Innocent Time' was used as the theme song for this TV Tokyo show called 'Ski Now '86' for which the below is the opening credits. My favourite part is that electric guitar solo in the middle as well as that thumping bass throughout the song. Probably one of the most recognized enka songs there is, 'Hisame' ( Icy Rain) is the song that most likely every enka singer and even beyond has tackled on stage or in front of the TV cameras. On YouTube, Mood Kayo veteran Kiyoshi Maekawa ( 前川清of The Cool Five) has given his rendition, but Akina Nakamori（中森明菜）also covered it some years ago, and even the late singer Minako Honda（本田美奈子） gave her tribute to it.But I wanted to center this article on the renditions by the original singer, Akio Kayama（佳山明生）, the first female enka singer to give it a spin, Mika Hino（日野美歌）, and finally Teresa Teng（テレサテン）, who makes any enka song sound great.
'Hisame' was written and composed by Ren Tomari（とまりれん）, and it follows the classic enka trope of 'crying into your sake' as the lonely protagonist just hangs about in a bar feeling sorry for himself/herself since there is no one home to come to.at least, not anymore.The very first version of 'Hisame' came out in December 1977 as Hokkaido-born Akio Kayama's debut single. It seems to have been the enka song that would never die as it was released again in late 1981, and then a 3rd release was made in July 1982. Well, it was three times lucky for Kayama as this version torpedoed into sales of about 800,000 records into 1983. I'm not sure if the 1982 version had undergone major changes from the first two attempts, but the video above is for this version, and it is the one with that famous melancholy intro that has greeted professional enka singers, karaoke amateurs and audiences alike for years. It peaked at No. 2 on Oricon and eventually became the 5th-ranked song for 1983.
And at the Japan Record Awards for 1983, it won the Grand Prize as well as the Long-Seller's Prize. I guess timing is everything, even for a song that at the time was already 6 years old. In December 1982, Mika Hino covered 'Hisame' as her 2nd single.
The arrangement here is different but no less melancholy. Although the song can and has been covered by male and female singers alike, I've wondered if the song was truly made for a woman. Kayama's delivery seems, at least to me anyways, to take on a feminine quality, and Hino certainly makes her version her own.
Sotte Bosse
Her delivery has a bit more of a fuller body and more resonance when she sings it. And apparently, the lyrics for her version have also been slightly altered. As for her success with the song, it peaked at No.
5 and then became the 15th-ranked song for 1983. I can gather that it isn't everyday that the same song sung by two different singers can get into the Top 20 of Oricon in the same year. Magnolias and dandelions all! Come and march with us!
I had never heard of this 1990 International Garden and Greenery Expo in Osaka until I watched an episode of 'Music Fair', and The Alfee (yup, the definite article was being used here) appeared. As usual, they and fellow guest, aidoru Yu Hayami (早見優）, performed some of their past hits until the last 10 minutes when the band launched this marching melody, and then Toshihiko Takamizawa（高見沢俊彦） screamed out in full-throated glory 'TO BE A ROCK FLOWER REVOLUTION!!!' Watching The Alfee perform this proud paean to all things botanical at close to 11:30 p.m. On Sunday night from the comfort of my futon was a bit surreal.
However, I'm sure the organizers for Expo '90 looked at the Takamizawa-penned 'Flower Revolution' with sage approval. And heck, although this occurred in the dead winter, I rather promised myself to shake hands with the first crocus I met thanks to this happy song.
It was a bang-on call to arms for the flora of the planet.The 34th single by The Alfee was released in January 1990, and peaked at No. Not only was it the image song for that expo, but it was also the theme for the Osaka International Women's Marathon in the same year. The song was also on their album, 'Arcadia', released in October of that year.Never ended up taking the Bullet down to Osaka to see the Expo, but did pick up the single. Continuing my posts on various J-Doramas, I wanted to post this entry on one of the most tragic of the J-Doramas that I've seen, 'Majo No Jouken' 「魔女の条件」AKA 'Forbidden Love' which starred the stunning beauty, Matsushima Nanako/松嶋菜々子. NGN Hawaii recently just finished broadcasting the 2011 NTV drama 'Kaseifu No Mita' 「家政婦のミタ」, a very odd but compelling TV drama series featuring Matsushima. Wikipedia mentions that Matsushima wanted to star in 'Kaseifu No Mita' as she wanted to work with famed screenwriter Yukawa Kazuhiko/遊川和彦 again on another series as they had previously collaborated on the immensely popular 「GTO」 and this series. Her role as the sympathetic yet disgraced high school teacher Hirose Michi was one of former model Matsushima's first starring roles on TV and is often considered a career defining performance that showed that Matsushima was more than just a pretty face and was a serious and talented actress as well.
The story premise is indeed a bit lurid for the time - 26 year old math teacher, 広瀬未知/Hirose Michi (Matsushima) has always depended on others to make decisions for her - her stern educator father had urged her to become a teacher and even went so far as to select the particular school in which she serves as a math teacher. Her current banker boyfriend, the affable Kitai Masaru/ 北井大 ( 別所哲也/Besshou Tetsuya) was introduced to her by her best friend and high school classmate Uda Kiriko/ 宇田桐子 (西田尚美/ Nishida Naomi) and is now set to become her fiance and future husband.
While Michi has mixed feelings about marrying Masaru, she feels pressure from her parents to start a family. One faithful day Michi is almost run over by rebelious, 17 year old rich boy Kurosawa Hikaru/ 黒澤光 ( 滝沢秀明/Takizawa Hideaki of the Johnny's/ジャニーズ事務所 duo タッキー&翼) riding his motorcycle. It is love at first sight as Michi is enthralled by the handsome yet mysterious student. Hikaru is the son of Kurosawa Kyoko/ 黒澤鏡子 (Kuroki Hitomi/ 黒木瞳 ), a former nurse who is now head of a small but influencial hospital in Tokyo, which was established by Hikaru's late physician father. Hikaru's father had died when he was 7, and now his mother has become emotionally dependent on him (almost to the point of being incestial). Hikaru has transferred to Michi's school after being expelled from his previous school and has been assigned to Michi's homeroom. As Michi and Hikaru interact they soon find themselves becoming more than teacher and student and soon develop a romantic relationship with each other.
As their love affair becomes more intense and heated, their secret and taboo relationship soon becomes exposed with devasting results.' Star-Crossed' Lovers - Michi (Matsushima) and Hikaru (Takizawa) - Image courtesy of rebuking Masaru's wedding ring proposal, the normally good natured Masaru becomes insanely jealous and vows to get win her back at whatever cost. Hikaru's mother conspires with Masaru to have Michi arrested on kidnapping charges and seducing her son. Kiriko, secretly in love with Masaru and bitter at Michi for hurting him, betrays her friend by aiding Hikaru's mother. Hikaru's mother goes so far as to even force Hikaru to transfer to a school in the United States to seperate him from Michi. Michi's disciplinarian father disowns Michi and she is forced to quit her teaching job and find menial employment in a variety of low paying jobs.
Yet despite these hardships and the world seemingly turning against them, Hikaru and Michi still manage to keep their love alive even managing to runaway to the country briefly to live together. Michi however soon becomes pregnant with Hikaru's child but suffers complications from all the stress that she has been suffering.Looking for the 'Dream World' - Michi (Matsushima) and Hikaru (Takizawa) - Image courtesy of BananaIdol (is to the series directors' credit (Doi Nobuhiro/土井裕泰, Naniwa Kazuhiro/難波一弘 and Katayama Osamu/片山修) that they treat an otherwise salacious story and plot with seriousness, integrity and touching sentimentality. While others would have exploited and played up on all the taboo and kinky sexual themes, of the story, prolific screenwriter Yukawa Kazuhiko/遊川和彦 grounded the series, choosing to focus on the tender love story between two individuals who just so happen to be teacher and student (I'm not completely sure how much inspiration Yukawa drew from the infamous Mary Kay Letourneau case which occurred at around the same time). Eternal Beauty - Matsushima Nanako - Image courtesy of Kootation (series' success (earning an average 21.5% viewership rating during it's original air dates) owes in large part to the bold and convincing portrayals of its stars Matsushima and Takizawa.
Enough can't be said of how great Matsushima was as the conflicted teacher Michi. Matsushima brought just the right amount of emotional vulnerability and sensitivity to her difficult role. In addition to her appearances in such diverse drama series as 「花より男子」(2005) and 「 ラッキーセブン」(2012), Matsushima has also been making a name for herself on the big screen in such films such as the popular 'Ring' 「 リング」(1998), 'Bizan'/ 「眉山 」 (2007) and most recently in 三池崇史/Miike Takashi's electifying and gritty 'Shield of Straw'/「 藁の楯」(2013). Utada Hikaru's/ 宇多田 ヒカル stirring and powerful ballad was appropriately selected as the theme song for this drama and I feel it is a absolutely perfect fit. Utada's vocals mixed with the tearful lovelorn lyrics only enhance the powerful tone of the tragic series. 'First Love' was Utada's 3rd single from her landmark debut Japanese album of the same name which shattered Japanese and Asian record sales in the year of its release 1999.
According to Wikipedia, the album 'First Love', sold over 2 million in its debut week, and topped the Oricon album chart for 6 weeks. 'First Love' was Japan's 7th highest album in debut sales and is also noted as the best-selling album in Asian music history. It sold over 10 million copies worldwide.Cover to the Utada's 'First Love' Single - Image courtesy of Review Carnival (http://reviewcarnival.blogspot.com/2010/07/j-pop-album-review-utada-hikaru-first.html). 'First Love' the single was another major hit for Utada, ranking in the top ten Oricon charts for the month of its release. There is both a 8cm single version and a 12 cm single version which featured different arrangements of the song in additional to the standard single. Written and composed by Utada with arrangements by longtime collaborator Kawano Kei/河野圭, the song has been a popular cover for a variety of artists including, Nakanishi Yasushi/中西保志, Cao Xue Jing and among others.
With its bilingual (Japanese-English) lyircs, it is a popular song staple at Karaoke Bars especially among foreigners. The inventive PV for the song incorporated some very elaborate high-speed camera effects to achieve its dreamy stylistic look.
While various love stories such as 「Beautiful Life」, 「神様、もう少しだけ 」 and 「東京ラブストーリー 」 are often credited as being the golden standards of weepy, romantic dramas I consider 'Majou No Jouken' to be just as good as, if not in some ways superior to those dramas in its boldness and straightforward approach to tackling an otherwise sensationalized topic. While nowhere near as bleak and over-the-top tragic as the similarly themed cult series 「高校教師 」(1993) or its sequel 「高校教師 2003 」(2003), 'Majou No Jouken' is nonetheless a powerful and sometimes sobering drama that looks a true love and dealing with tragedy through the eyes of an unconventional romantic couple.' Now and Forever' - Chinese replicas of the promise rings that Michi and Hikaru exchanged in the series - Image courtesy of http://global.rakuten.com/zh-tw/store/asterism/item/414405/.
I decided to go for the trifecta. After profiling two other songs by the same title: one being the end theme for the anime 'Macross'by and the other being the big hit by, I thought it time to bring in the third, the sweet and inspirational one by Mariko Takahashi（高橋真梨子）.' Runner' was never released as an official single but was a track on Takahashi's 3rd album, 'Monologue'in 1980. Although I eventually got the album, my first time with the song came when I received an audiotape of her concert album, 'More 5th Love Affair' which came out in the mid-80s.
Written by Akira Otsu（大津あきら）and composed by Kisaburo Suzuki（鈴木キサブロ）, it starts off like a Carpenters song, has a bluesy bridge and ends nearly like a rock gospel song. The lyrics talk of trying to dig oneself out of trouble and then run for one's life with support at his side.Not surprisingly, 'Runner' has been a favourite tune to finish off a Mariko Takahashi concert.
It's a fine song for the chanteuse to leave the stage on. Both melody and lyrics were created by Iruka, and I was also moved by her story which describes that poor stray dog at a station staring sadly at some scraps thrown it by someone or about that cat who has just been run over and left dying at the side of the road while the singer looks helplessly at it from a train.
Her point is that animals should never be taken for granted, even going against her mother's opinion that fauna such as chickens and cows are for humanity's benefit. It is a musical manifesto which should get pet owners hugging their charges a little closer.This was the title track on Iruka's 6th album, released in September 1979, which hit No. 1 on the album charts. Every time I landed in Japan, I always came across new forms of popular music. In 1981, it was the first of the decade's frilly-and-sweet aidoru boom along with technopop, and in 1989, it was kayo kyoku making way for the diversification into J-Pop. And then in t he mid-90s, on the one hand, it was the dance music steamroller driven by Tetsuya Komuro（小室哲哉）, and on the other, was the jangly guitar pop of bands like Mr.
Children, Spitz and this unit calledThere were a few songs which best represented my time in Japan in the 90s, and included in that group was My Little Lover's 'Hello, Again'. Actually, I first heard about the duo of Akiko 'Akko' Akamatsu（赤松亜希子） and Kenji Fujii（藤井謙二） through their debut single, 'Man & Woman', a swingy and sprightly tune released in spring 1995 and created by songwriter and producer Takeshi Kobayashi（小林武史）that was a regular inhabitant on the 'CDTV' and Oricon charts. I remember it primarily for Akko's delivery of 'Ma-an, Woman'. It was a cute number but it wasn't quite enough for me to pick up a single or album by them.Then, Takeshi Kobayashi officially joined My Little Lover as a member, and the trio was complete. There was a second single, 'Shiroi Kite'（ 白いカイト.White Kite) a couple of months later, and then in even less time in August came their third song, 'Hello Again.Mukashi Kara Aru Basho'（ 昔からある場所.A Place That's Been There For Ages）. This was the one that reeled me in, hook line and sinker. There was just something about Akko's soft but resonant voice and the breezy melody that pulled me in.
The song and video also had plenty of airplay on 'CDTV', so I got to say hello again to 'Hello Again' over many weeks.The song was written and composed by Kobayashi with Fujii co-writing the melody. 'Hello Again' was a huge hit; in fact, it's been the band's biggest hit up to now with over 1.73 million discs sold. It hit the No. 1 spot on Oricon and later became the 6th-ranked song of the year. Fuji TV's recent J-Dorama series, which ran earlier this year (April 11 - June 20) is another great drama featuring one of my all-time favorite actresses Shinohara Ryoko/篠原涼子. It's been a good three years since Shinohara last did a drama series (2010's NTV series Ogon No Buta/ 「黄金の豚-会計検査庁 特別調査 」) and 'Last Cinderella' served as a welcome comeback vehicle for her. While Shinohara's character, Toyama Sakura/遠山桜 is similar to a lot of the rebellious, tough girl roles she has done in the past, Sakura also had a attractive vulnerability about her as well and the character is very likeable in her quirkiness.
The story is a bit cliche - Shinohara's Sakura is a 39 year-old hair stylist who manages a trendy beauty salon called 'Happy Go Lucky' in a fashionable section of Tokyo. She has a loyal and faithful clientelle due to her personable nature and good natured outlook (her mostly older clients love talking to her regarding their problems). While Sakura is pretty, she often times downplays her attractiveness by not wearing makeup and dressing like a 'tomboy'. In fact she is often labeled as an 親父ギャル/'Oyaji Gal', a new generation of older women who rebel against Japanese societal expectations to get married, be femine, act subserviant and confirm to a more traditional female role. Sakura has not really dated much in the past (and is currently not in any relationship) and seems content in just devoting herself to her work. She has a bit of a love-hate relationship with her boss, Tachibana Rintaro/立花凛太郎 (Fujiki Naohito/藤木直人) a rising star in the fashion world of styling and they frequently lock horns, get into heated arguments and exchange in witty and playful name calling (Rintaro loves teasing Sakura on her name and how it is similar to the famous movie character of Toyama Kinsan - in fact his nickname for her is 'Kin chan'). Enlisting the help of her handsome step-brother Saeki Hiroto/佐伯広斗 (Miura Haruma/三浦春馬) an accomplished BMX Biker with dreams of becoming a National Champion, she has Hiroto try and seduce Sakura and then dump her when he tires of her (similar to the film 'Cruel Intentions').
Hiroto agress to go ahead with the plan for fun but soon inexplicably finds himself really falling in love with Sakura (nearly 15 years her senior). While the story (penned by Nakatani Mayumi) follows the atypical meledramatic J-Dorama beats - heartbreaks, misunderstandings, cruel revolations, proclamations of love and three-way romantic triangles) there is a nice charm about the series and Shinohara is so damn cute in in role.
25 year old pop singer-songwriter Rihwa (リファ) was born in Hokkaido, Sapporo and is of Korean-Japanese decent (similar to Ito Yuna/ 伊藤由奈). During high school she transferred to Belleville, Canada where she graduated from a local high school there. After graduating from high school there she later moved back to Japan to follow her dream of becoming a singer.
Her experiences abroad have had a profound impact on her songwriting and this is very much apparent in her current hit 'Last Love' which is sung entirely in English. While the 'Engrish' lyrics of 'Last Love' are a tad bit distracting, Rihwa's incredible vocals and melancholy sound is very appealing. It's been a while since I really enjoyed watching a great J-Dorama series. I'm a big fan of 80s and 90s J-Doramas, especially the darker toned dramas of writers such as Nojima Shinji/ 野島伸司 who would craft wickedly entertaining and emotionally intense stories such as Kou Kou Kyoushi/ 「 高校教師 」 (1993), Seija No Koushin/ 「 聖者の行進 」 (1998) and Kono Yo No Hate/ 「この世の果て 」 (1994) which were filled with over-the-top soap-opera style tragedy and love romance. That's why I was really happy to finally watch NTV's recent Spring 2013 'renzoku' drama series 35 Sai No Kou Kousei/ 「35歳の高校生 」. While Ayako is not the same timid and frightened girl that left high school years before, she soon discovers that Kunigita High School is still wrought with the same type of bullying problems that she remembers from years ago but has since taken on an even more sinister aspect, growing into a brutal social hierarchy system (known unofficially on the school's internal online blog as the 'School Caste' which ranks student popularity based on group ranking (i.e.
Those in the highest rank 'Ichi Gumi' have free reign to do whatever they want while those at the lowest level 'San Gumi' are open targets for unrelenting cruelty and abuse). While its story is nowhere near as landmark a school drama as 「GTO 」, Gokusen/ 「 ごくせん 」 or the iconic San Nen 'B' Gumi - Kinpachi Sensei/ 「3年B組金八先生 」, '35-Sai No Kou Kou Sei' succeeds primarily on the strength of its lead heroine and star, the tall and beautiful Yonekura, who portrays a character very close to her own age. I've been a fan of the former model turned actress ever since watching her in the drama Seikei Bijin/ 「整形美人 」(2002). While Yonekura seems to play the same type of character (strong willed, coolly intelligent, physically tough) in most of the dramas such as 「 Doctor X 」, Koshonin/ 「交渉人 」 and 「Hunter 」, it is still fun to watch her charismatic performances and marvel at ability to shift from lighthearted comedy to serious drama at the drop of a hat. Yonekura was recently voted #2 in a as one of the “coolest” ( エロ可愛い) actresses on TV (just under Maki Yoko/真木よう子) along with another one of my favorite actresses, 篠原涼子/Shinohara Ryoko (who ranked #5)The beautiful Yonekura Ryoko/ 米倉涼子 is heroineBaba Ayako/ 馬場亜矢子The supporting cast is also terrific with the standout being Suda Masaki/ 菅田将暉. Tokusatsu fans may be particularly surprised as Suda's portrayal of the scumbag character of Masamitsu as it is a complete departure from his affable and fun-loving, heroic character of Philip in the Kamen Rider - W/ 「 仮面ライダーＷ（ダブル） 」 series. Although not as unapologetically cruel and manipulative as Fukuda Saki's/ 福田沙紀 'ultimate bitch' character Anzai Manami/ 安西愛海 in the similar series 「LIFE 」, Suda's performance here is nothing short of chilling as his adolescent character is pure evil (although the writers do cop out in the end by having Masamitsu have a change of heart and ending up befriending and making amends with Ayako).'
Queen Bee' Kudo Mitsuki (Shikawa Yuua - Center) and her underlings (L-R - Miyazaki Karen, Kojima Fujiko, Mizuno Erina, Shikawa Yuua and Kitayama Shiori)Teen bastard Tsuchiya Masamitsu (Suda Masaki - Center) and his punk henchmen - (L-R - Takazuki Mahiro, Suda Masaki and Nomura Shuhei). The title song for the series is EXILE’s catchy and triumphant 「Flower Song 」.
Written by EXILE lead singer ATSUSHI in collaboration with Swedish Music Producer Magnus Funemyr and singer/song writer Nomura Yoichiro, the song is EXILE’s 42 nd single and was a moderate hit ranking No. 2 on the Oricon Charts for June and earning decent CD sales. It got a lot of airplay on Japanese radio and I think its one of their more fun and energetic songs ( being the other one I like a lot).Single cover for EXILE's 'Flower Song' - Image courtesy of Kanpeki Music - http://kanpekimusic.wordpress.com/2013/05/29/exile-flower-song-%E6%AD%8C%E8%A9%9E-lyrics-video/. I definitely recommend “35 Sai No Kou Kou Sei” to fans of Japanese drama as it is a compelling and interesting drama series. While not as uplifting as 「 GTO 」 or as relentlessly grim as 「LIFE 」 it is very addictive to watch and one can't help but root for Yonekura's character 「馬場ちゃん」 'Baba Chan' to fulfill her goal and win her classmates hearts.Here's a promotional interview with Yonekura Ryoko where she talks a little bit about her role in '35 Sai No Kou Kou Sei'. This was to help promote the start of the series in Japan earlier this year. The series is currently available on Japanese and released by VAP.
Chage & Aska Yah Yah Yah2. B'z Ai no Mama ni Wagamama.3. The Tra★Bryu Road4.
Southern All Stars Erotica Seven5. B'z Hadashi no Megami6. Zard Makenai de7. Wands Toki no Tobira8. Yumi Matsutoya Manatsu no Yoru no Yume9. Zard Yureru Omoi10. Miho Nakayama & Wands Sekaiju no Dare Yori KittoThat B'z entry at No.
2 probably has one of the longest song titles in J-Pop history. Still, considering their success, Inaba and Matsumoto could probably title a tune 'Fido'and it would become a million-seller. B'z and two other bands managed to get double entries into the Top 10 of 1993, and strangely enough, neither of the other two were named Southern All Stars. It was certainly high times for Zard as it got what would be one of the most popular songs in terms of encouragement up on the list in the form of 'Makenai de'. Rock band The Tra★Bryu's 'Road' was a popular song to sing in the karaoke boxes during the early part of my time in Japan.
However, the even bigger karaoke favourite was Chage & Aska's 'Yah Yah Yah', the audience-lifting megahit theme song to a pretty dark medical drama on TV. I just remember this video going on heavy rotation on the music shows such as 'CDTV' in the late 90s. Black Biscuits was the so-called archenemy to that other trio Pocket Biscuits. As was the case with the latter unit, Black Biscuits was formed in that Friday night comedy-variety show starring comedic duo Ucchan-Nanchan（ウッチャン・ナンチャン）.
With Pocket Biscuits on the road to success with their first two singles, 'Rapturous Blue' and the powers-that-be must have thought it was time for another rival (after Chiaki and the gang had defeated McKee) to push the band. So, the Black Biscuits were formed with Taiwanese singer/actress/model Vivian Hsu, Kiyotaka 'Nanami'Nanbara（南原清隆） of Ucchan-Nanchan and Hiroyuki 'Amajan' Amano（天野ひろゆき）of Kyaiiin, the latter two being partners of the guys who were now in Pocket Biscuits.The trio supposedly made their first appearance on the program in early January 1997, but their first single, didn't come until near the end of the year. The debut did very well, selling over a million copies but then came their 2nd single, 'Timing', in April 1998 which brought even more success. Composed by 90s funkster Keizo Nakanishi（中西圭三） and Takao Konishi（小西貴雄）, and written by Hiromi Mori（森浩美）with help from the Black Biscuits, 'Timing'had a fun strut in it, and everyone in the group added something vocally. Plus, there was the karaoke-friendly choreography which probably had a lot of beer and lemon-highballs spilling onto the carpet in the boxes and bars.
And the video was even shot in Manhattan; I think even jaded New Yorkers were probably trying to figure out what these weirdly-dressed Asians were all about. Being just a casual fan of Shizuka Kudo（工藤静香）, I didn't know the title for this song nor where it stood in her discography.
However, I did remember it for the opening words: a breathless repetition of 'Tell me why', and then some pretty intense synth string activity. I would never have pegged it as Kudo's actual debut song; it just seemed a little too muscular for a launch tune for an aidoru.
I thought it was something that happened much later in her solo career, and that Kudo started that career off with the usual sweet little ditty.But then again, Kudo would later take on that image of a kickass aidoru with the huge mounds of hair, stark makeup and the bright dresses, so perhaps 'Kindan no Telepathy'( Forbidden Telepathy) was prescient or the people behind her career were. Strangely enough, though, the cover of the single showed a rather different visage of a girl in shorter, darker hair and with a bit more baby fat in those cheeks. The lyrics by Yasushi Akimoto（秋元康）, about a woman who's trying to recover from a sudden breakup, should probably hint at some sort of love ballad, but Tsugutoshi Goto's（後藤次利） dramatic melody keeps the words closer to a suspense-thriller (almost kinda like the editing genius on YouTube who manipulated scenes from Tom Hanks' romantic dramedy 'Sleepless In Seattle' into a trailer for a dangerous stalker going after Hanks). I first heard.and saw.
Goro Noguchi（野口五郎） on the 1983 Kohaku Utagassen performing this song, '19:00 no Machi'( 7 p.m. At the time, I didn't know about his career as an aidoru in the 70s or his media-created loose association with Hideki Saijo（西城秀樹） and Hiromi Go（郷ひろみ） as the Shin-Gosanke（新御三家.The New Big Three), although I did see those two on the first few Kohaku I had caught on TV here. But I do remember the announcers on that 1983 show along with the audience creating a louder-than-usual hoopla when he made his appearance for some reason.
Apparently, Noguchi had been a fixture on the NHK New Year's Eve program since he had appeared consecutively from 1972 to 1981, but not having any sort of hit in 1982, his invitation was summarily dropped which caused some ripples. So his return in 1983 was a bit of a comeback of sorts, although this appearance would be his very last one up to the present day.I enjoyed '19:00 no Machi' as the dapper Noguchi performed it in front of that darkened huge staircase behind him all decked in lights.
It helped give that image of nightlife that the song was providing. The lyrics by Kaoru Ito（伊藤薫） concocted a nighttime metropolitan scene during the winter as a light sleet hit the glass and the fog rolled into the city; I especially enjoyed that early metaphor of 'The city is the ocean, the people are the desert, and love is the mirage'. There are also references to the cars passing by and cigarette smoke floating up.makes me miss the ol' Tokyo scene. The bluesy, languid music by Kyohei Tsutsumi（筒美京平） evokes images of being in that hotel top lounge, and perhaps it's the high-pitched chorus behind Noguchi but that refrain reminds me a tad of a Bee Gees song. About a few years later, I was actually to pick up the song via a compilation tape sold in Chinatown. '19:00 no Machi' was Noguchi's 43rd single since his debut in 1971.
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It was released in January of 1983, and was used as the theme song for a drama that starred him called 'Dareka ga Watashi wo Aishiteiru'（ 誰かが私を愛してる.Somebody Loves Me）. The song also got its fair share of accolades as it was his 30th single to get into the Top 20 of Oricon, and it was his first single since his 1978 'Good Luck' that was able to get into the Top 100 for the year. 71st place for 1983 with 177,000 records sold. On the weekly charts, it peaked at No.
16.Interestingly, Noguchi also got one more accolade for his song. It won the Julio Iglesias Prize at the 12th Annual Tokyo Music Festival World Competition. I guess when it came to this Shin-Gosanke, where Hideki Saijo was the rocker and Hiromi Go was the Casanova heartbreaker, Noguchi would probably be seen as the urbane man-about-town.somewhat akin to Iglesias. That 1983 Kohaku would also be the final get-together of that trio.Goro and his guitar. Along with the big bonanza of a hit in 'Diamonds' back in 1989, Princess Princess scored another home run the following year with a driving pop/rock song that I first saw on a Sony commercial for those quaint little things called audio tape cassettes. Titled 'Oh Yeah!' , this was about a year before Kazumasa Oda's（小田和正） ballad 'Oh Yeah!'
Came out, and is obviously a wholly different animal.Written by guitarist Kanako Nakayama（中山加奈子） and composed by lead vocal Kaori Okui（奥居香）, those first guitar blasts make 'Oh Yeah!' Instantly recognizable for all those teens and twenties in the early part of the 90s, and it's always nice with that added horn section. The song hit the No. 1 spot on Oricon and then became the 5th-ranked song of the year after its release in April 1990 as Princess Princess' 9th single. Along with 'Diamonds' and 'Sekai de Ichiban Atsui Natsu'（ 世界でいちばん熱い夏）as the band's 7th and 8th singles respectively, the turn of the decade was a huge one for them. I didn't see the protracted genesis of this trio, Pocket Biscuits, consisting of pixie-ish tarento Chiaki (千秋.vocal), Teruyoshi Uchimura（内村光良） from the comedic duo Ucchan-Nanchan (keyboardist) and the Frankenstein-ish Udo Suzuki（ウド鈴木） from the other comedic duo Kyaiiin (keyboard and other instruments), but from what I've read of the group on J-Wiki, it seems as if the birth of this group kinda followed the same path as the one which would lead to Morning Musume about a year later. Apparently, on an Ucchan-Nanchan variety show, a segment began in which the boys started an audition for two female tarento to back up model Rie Takayama（高山理衣） as the 3-person band McKee to help sell Takayama to the rest of Asia.
Eventually, Sayuri Kokusho ( 国生さゆり.formerly of Onyanko Club) and actress Shigeru Muroi（室井滋） were selected, leaving poor Chiaki, who had wanted to become a singer, in the dust. The tears started flowing, and from there it was decided to create another trio which would become Pocket Biscuits. To add to the (most likely contrived) drama, McKee and Pocket Biscuits went head-to-head with their respective debut singles, with the winner being the band with the higher ranking on Oricon.
Chiaki's trio, with 'Rapturous Blue' scored 3 ranks higher than McKee's 'Can't Stop My Heart', and won the challenge. Right then and there, McKee disbanded. Just like a feel-good drama. And from that point, Pocket Biscuits would have their 15 minutes in the spotlight for over 3 years, would spark a 'rival'band, and even a collaboration with the Yumi Matsutoya（松任谷由美） in 2000. But for me, their most recognizable song was their 2nd single, 'Yellow Yellow Happy', released in September 1996. Written by the band and composed by Pappara Kawai（パッパラー河合）, the lead guitarist from Bakufu Slump, I think the things that stood out for me was the clunkily adorable CG of the three members in the video and Chiaki's singing. Not to say that Akina Nakamori and Hiromi Iwasaki had anything to worry about, but Chiaki sounded somewhat better than I thought she would be, especially considering her usually squeaky but occasionally tart-tongued spoken delivery.
And I gotta say that there is something adorable about a 5'0'woman doing a one-foot stomp as her choreography.It was a catchy enough song for me to get the CD single, and it looks like a lot of other folks followed as well. It did far better than their debut by peaking at No. 4, and even broke the million-seller barrier. 'Yellow Yellow Happy'not only had power but also had longevity: it became the 30th-ranked song of 1996 and it lasted on the charts long enough to become the 77th-ranked tune for 1997.A lot of my memories of music during those early years getting settled into my life in Chiba and Tokyo involved the Komuro family and Dreams Come True, but there were also these brief-but-bright moments by folks such as Pocket Biscuits.Pocket Biscuits - Yellow Yellow Happy. For years, I have always seen Akiko Wada（和田アキ子） as the big Godsister of Japanese show business and as the singer of her trademark song, （ あの鐘を鳴らすのはあなた）. With that booming Kansai dialect, she could hold the audience's attention or terrify any of her celeb kohai who crossed her.But there was also this one mellow song that she released in the late 80s.
'Datte Sho ga Nai Janai' (C'mon, Nothing I Can Do About It) was composed by Koji Makaino（馬飼野康二） and written by Masumi Kawamura（川村真澄） as her 47th single in April 1988, and it has Wada singing in a slightly woozy tone as the protagonist resignedly declares her fate as a lady going in and out of the one-night affairs, and probably in and out of the bars of Osaka. I could imagine the woman sitting slumped over the counter in some skyscraper bar way past midnight as she spills her guts to some other barfly. Being a City Pop fan, it's nice to hear Wada croon this one in that quietly velvety voice. Admittedly, I'm not a huge Wada fan, but it would be nice if I could discover some of her other past songs that had this sort of tone. Apparently, a version of this 1967 folk song by veteran songstress Ryoko Moriyama（森山良子） was used in one of the latest 'Evangelion' series.
It's always nice bringing back some of the ol' kayo kyoku back into the light. As for the above video, unfortunately, the version with the singer herself was taken down, but this version above is wonderfully sung by a couple of ladies that I don't know about.According to the liner notes of 'Good Times Diva Vol. 6', 'Kyo no Hi wa Sayonara'( Today is the Day for Goodbye) was originally written and composed by Shoichi Kaneko（金子詔一） for Moriyama as the ending theme for a student music event back in her amateur days, presumably before 1967. Even before her professional debut, the song quickly became a folk fan favourite, but its first appearance on a record was as the B-side to her 3rd single, 'Koi wa Mizuiro'（ 恋はみずいろ.Love is the Colour of Water）, released in August 1967. Still, its fame has grown and has even become a song that has been sung by the Japanese Boy and Girl Scouts, and it has had its fair share of covers performed by acts such as Saori Minami （南沙織）and DEEN over the decades.The lyrics has that eternal theme of friendship even under impending separation, and the melody would make for a nice lullaby. It has been used as a song for graduation ceremonies, including the ones I've attended in Gunma. There weren't a whole lot of dry eyes in the auditorium.
And I'm sure at a Moriyama concert nowadays, the same would hold true. Something that I've often thought is that certain old Western pop songs and their singers never die, they just head over to Japan for immortality. The Carpenters and their repertoire are arguably the biggest example, and I think somewhere in the deep forests of the Japanese Alps, Elvis may be eking out a happier existence. Another example is Eric Carmen and his 1975 hit, 'All By Myself', the heart-on-his-sleeve ballad. I used to hear this all the time on AM radio, and it's found its Valhalla in Japan by having been used in at least a couple of commercials over there.
The song was based on a Rachmaninoff concerto; a number of artists have based their hits on classical music, something that has also been cherished in Japan when it comes to their favourite hits, kayo kyoku or Western pop.Another Carmen creation that perhaps wasn't as big a hit as 'All By Myself' was his 1980 ' Foolin' Myself', another power ballad which also seems to have a classical base of sorts in its melody. Pretty soon after its release, a Japanese cover by husky-voiced Mai Yamane（山根麻衣）came out in March of that year.
I first came across the song in Volume 2 of the series for which I bought a number of discs; as I probably mentioned in the article for that series, I've appreciated the CDs since they've introduced a number of artists that I had never heard of before. Mai Yamane, a native of Shimane Prefecture, is one of those singers. She also pops up in 'Japanese City Pop'. If it weren't for those two sources, I would never have discovered her, although for anime fans, she's probably known for her work in shows such as 'Cowboy Be-Bop' and 'Macross Plus'.That resonant voice of hers sold me on the Japanese cover of 'Foolin' Myself'. With Japanese lyrics by Kazuko Kobayashi（小林和子）, Yamane released this as her 3rd single.
She has that nice balance of tough and tender in her vocals when she sings it, and of course, that epic melody makes the song stand out. Originally, the song also was a track on Yamane's debut album, 'Tasogare'（ たそがれ.Twilight）which came out the same year.I've heard a few more of her tunes via YouTube, and I'm starting to like her material. If the album hasn't gone out of print, I would love to get my own copy. Mind you, I actually looked for any album by her a couple of years ago when I did my periodic visit to that old CD shop, in Jimbocho. There was one which was a BEST compilation.cost 7800 yen!
A little rich for my blood.
Making Movies BlackThis page intentionally left blankMAKINGMOVIES BLACKThe Hollywood Message Movie from World War II to the Civil Rights Era THOMAS CRIPP SNew Yor k Oxfor d OXFORD UNIVERSIT Y PRES S 1993Oxford Universit y Press Oxford Ne w Yor k Toront o Delhi Bomba y Calcutt a Madra s Karach i Kuala Lumpu r Singapor e Hon g Kon g Toky o Nairobi Da r e s Salaa m Cap e Tow n Melbourne Aucklan d Madri d and associate d companies i n Berlin Ibada nCopyright © 199 3 b y Oxfor d Universit y Press, Inc. Published b y Oxfor d Universit y Press, Inc. 200 Madiso n Avenue, Ne w York, Ne w Yor k 10016 Oxford i s a registere d trademar k o f Oxfor d Universit y Press All right s reserved. N o par t o f this publication may b e reproduced, stored i n a retrieva l system, o r transmitted, in an y for m o r b y an y means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, o r otherwise, without th e prio r permissio n o f Oxfor d Universit y Press. Library o f Congres s Cataloging-in-Publication Dat a Cripps, Thomas.
Making movie s blac k: the Hollywoo d message movi e fro m Worl d Wa r I I to th e civi l right s era / Thomas Cripps. Include s bibliographical references an d index. ISBN 0-19-503773-1 (cloth). ISB N 0-19-507669-9 (pbk. Afro-Americans in th e motio n pictur e industry. PN1995.9.N4C687 199 3 76073—dc2 0 93-9531 Printed i n th e Unite d State s of America on acid-fre e paperTo absent friendsWalter Fishe r Margaret Hollan d Elliott Rudwic k and William F.
Walke rThis page intentionally left blankPrefaceWhen you make movies you don' t chang e history; you participat e in it. —Abraham Polonsky, i n conversationObservers of American lif e hav e ofte n asserte d tha t popula r culture reflects its values. This book is an attemp t to examine thi s idea as it operated durin g th e er a o f World War II, when many deepl y rooted racia l customs wer e shake n an d reforme d i n way s tha t wer e anticipate d i n popular movies.
Th e reader should kno w tha t this work appear s at the end o f an era when movie history written mainly for fans gave way to a rage fo r history rigorousl y grounded i n theorie s borrowe d fro m disci plines that included psychoanalysis, feminism, linguistics, anthropology, and Marxist economics. This academic vein of history was also rooted in heretofore inaccessibl e studio record s and therefor e less dependent o n the flawe d memorie s o f octogenarian eyewitnesses. Elsewhere I hav e trie d t o se t fort h a t lengt h a tentativ e mean s o f applying som e o f thes e theorie s t o a n Africa n America n historica l model.1 Here, rather than risk offering thi s book as a sort of test of ho w black history fits this or that theory, I wish to say only that I hope i t is a history informe d an d eve n discipline d b y theoretica l borrowing s an d fresh sources.
But in the end I wish also, old-fashioned as it seems, to get the story straight. 'The supreme duty of the historian is to write history, ' said Steve n Runciman, th e studen t o f Byzantium, and no t t o 'reduc e history t o a series of economic o r sociologica l laws.' 2 And yet, racia l history an d movi e histor y ar e social. Movies hav e both maker s an d audience s wh o effectivel y bargai n withi n a massive sociology o f culture—fa n magazines, word-of-mout h appraisals, re -viiiPrefaceviews, and such that constitute an art world—much as Giotto or Rothko painted withi n a n art world of bishops o r patrons. In this setting movies are lik e tribal art: 'no t mer e entertainment ' but, a s Peggy Harper has written, ' a significan t par t o f the cohesio n o f th e tribe.' 3 This is not to argue in tandem wit h the Marxist critics of the Frankfurt schoo l such as T. Adorno, who wrot e that the notions in popular culture 'ar e alway s those o f the statu s quo.'
Rathe r I wish t o argu e a plural, even liberal, politics in which ther e has been a play that allowed for th e 'countervailin g powers ' tha t Galbraith reported in his American Capitalism.4 Popula r cultur e i n thi s sens e ha s bee n wor n a s a loos e garment rathe r tha n a s th e trace s guidin g a mul e team. Th e resulting play i n th e wheel s o f Hollywoo d commerc e ha s allowe d bargainin g between bosse s and workers, ideologue s and audiences, lef t an d right, maker and audience, which i n turn draws attention to theories such as, say, those o f Antonio Gramsci, the Italian Marxist for whom bargaining between class-antagonist s remained a s much a possibilit y as the mor e doctrinaire predictio n o f class conflict. Moreover, movies should be seen as a pliant medium emerging from a corporate settin g that was itself rent by fissures through which, particularly in times of war an d crisis, minorities—'Others,' a s James Snea d called them—have bee n abl e to exploi t cultural politics at those point s where momentarily share d goals invite cooperation rathe r than conflict. For example, Africa n Americans, if well le d by, a s Gramsc i says, 'or ganic intellectuals,' shoul d hav e enhance d thei r statu s during a war i n which Unity, Tolerance, an d Brotherhoo d becom e propagand a catch words. Le t it b e grante d tha t movie s unree l i n a dreamlik e stat e i n a darkened roo m that may enhance receptivity, that the closur e of Hollywood movie s o n happ y ending s confirm s things a s they are, an d tha t therefore the y contribut e t o a cultura l superstructure that ha s favore d dominant mentalities. Bu t i t mus t als o b e see n tha t Hollywoo d ha s known well which side its political bread is buttered on and has aimed at a 'pluricentered ' taste-culture.
Even then, it s abilit y t o 'engineer ' a mentality ha s remaine d s o feckless a s to only 'hal f creat e the environ ment i t is half created by' (a s Jeffrey Morto n Paine put it). Black forces in this looser context may affect movies at their source so effectively a s to promote a liberal 'theatre of consent,' according to the Jamaican Marxist Stuart Hall.5 Indeed, w e already know thi s from th e er a when critics wrote slyl y of directors as 'auteurs' whose talent s included little tricks of signature by means o f which the y inserted persona l touche s i n thei r movies, ofte n unde r th e nose s o f hostile studi o bosses. 6 I n muc h th e same way, Africa n American s have resiste d remaining mer e Other s o r even, a s Snea d ha s written, 'th e structure d absence' fro m America n movies.7 Decades ago James K. Feibleman in his Theory of Culture identified the socia l conditions that rendere d suc h change s likely.
Wars, h e wrote, 'despit e al l the evi l they entail, have th e goo d effec t o f drawingPrefaceixpeople together,' an d particularly World War II had thi s sanguine effec t because 'the ris e of the Nazis in modern German y had placed renewe d emphasis upo n th e racia l problem.' 8 World War I I thus became th e occasio n for a freshened liberal culture tha t restore d racia l issues to a nationa l prominenc e the y ha d no t held sinc e Reconstruction days.
And a liberal-Hollywood-black alliance that aros e fro m thes e wartim e circumstance s no t onl y define d a ne w black presenc e i n th e nation' s propagand a (i f not alway s it s behavior) but extended its ideology into postwar America in ways that anticipated the moder n civi l rights movement. Thi s is not t o argue a programmatic liberalism bu t rathe r a 'conscience-liberalism, ' deepl y fel t an d fough t for bu t not coherently organize d into a movement.9 And yet it fed on its own expectations and soared, said one activist, as upon 'a rising wind.' Obviously, muc h o f this libera l energy wa s n o mor e than, a s Richard Dalfiume labeled it, 'necessitarian.' Yet it not only survived the war bu t also became a normative element i n postwar politics, because of the way the wa r reintroduce d black s into nationa l corridors of power.10 Baltimore, Maryland T. C.January 1993This page intentionally left blankAcknowledgmentsEvery reader know s that book s ar e the product s o f collaborations, an d this one is no exception.