Kazuko Matsumura was somewhat of a flash-in-the-pan when she came into the music world plucking merrily on her shamisen in her debut song "Kaette Koi yo" (Come Back, My Love); a veritable youngster at the age of eighteen for a singer of an Enka tune. The song slowly grew on the Japanese populace through the end of 1980 and well into 1981. Although one may consider this to be a more pop-friendly kind of Enka song, the slightly melancholy aspect of the lyrics washed over in its rollicking melody, and the shamisen twanging away not in yearning, but just as accents. Regardless, the song proved popular enough to grant her a coveted spot in the New Year's Eve Red-White Song Competition in 1981, and that was the capstone for her musical career. Although she would continue recording into the decade, she is best known for this song, one of Japan's most treasured one-hit wonders. 帰ってこいよ (Kaette Koi yo) Music: Noboru Ichidai / 一代のぼる Lyrics: Tadao Hirayama / 平山忠夫
Hiromi Go possesses one of the most enduring careers in Japanese music, and has so far today not shown signs of slowing down just yet. Even so, it is still worth looking at how he once started, during the formative years of Japanese idols. He was the most junior (in terms of career) of the "The New Big Three" [新御三家], a trio of male singers in the 1970s, that comprised of him, Goro Noguchi, and Hideki Saijo, though none of them were ever truly alike in singing styles, Goro was primarily a ballad singer, Hideki was the slightly edgier rock-ish one, while Hiromi captured the pop world's attention. Yet, he was the first of the three to score the major hit. His debut single "Otokonoko Onnanoko" (Boy and Girl) certainly evokes that teen pop attitude, with its catchy refrain and light arrangement. Here, his voice had that quality common in young male Japanese singers: high, slightly nasal, and without significant depth. It would take some time for his voice to mature to that of a high, slightly nasal man. However, the song's appeal was strong enough in itself to garner Hiromi Go a Newcomer's Prize in the 14th Japan Record Awards, as well granting him his first of many appearances in the Red-White Song Competition.
The Nippon Television Network talent show Star Tanjou! [スター誕生!] (A Star is Born!) has produced a significant number of highly successful singers that graced the Japanese charts during the 70s and 80s, two of them have been featured here in this blog: Hiromi Iwasaki , Akina Nakamori and Momoe Yamaguchi. We'll be looking at another one of the show's successful alumni: Mako Ishino.
Despite her homely appearance and slightly crooked teeth (Asian dentistry wasn't so great at the time), her cute image and decent singing (of a Japanese cover of a Danièle Vidal tune) won the judges over, among them the lyricist Yuu Aku, who would later pen the words to several of Mako's earlier songs. She signed onto the Victor Entertainment label and released her debut single "Ookami Nanka Kowakunai" ("I Ain't Afraid of Wolves"). The song is a breezy number playing up the metaphor of men as wolves in the game of love. As per habit for Japanese singing, the song had its own trademark moves, in this case Mako pursing her right hand to imitate a wolf's head when singing the chorus. Her singing character straddles between the voice of the typical pop teen voice and that of a feminine and mature woman, giving her the potential for versatility in song material that is not very common for most singers. Needless to say, her producers took advantage of that, the results we'll see when we get back around to her again later on.
(Hit Studio Night [夜のヒットスタジオ])
狼なんか怖くない (Ookami Nanka Kowakunai)
Music: Takuro Yoshida / 吉田拓郎 Lyrics: Yuu Aku / 阿久悠
Saori Minami was at the forefront of a shift in the early 1970s towards giving attention and exposure to artists at younger ages, usually around 14 to 16 years old. Prior to that, in the 1960s and before, it is expected for singers to start around that age, but only reach their stride by the time they were in their late teens or early twenties through a few years of climbing up the ranks. However, with the growing trends of youth culture getting a stronger influence in Japan, their new stars now had to hit the ground running, thus giving rise to the first generation of "idols".
Saori's debut single "Jyunana Sai" (Seventeen Years Old) is appropriately titled, as she was to turn 17 the month after the single's release date. On first listen, it is clear that composer Kyohei Tsutsumi was heavily influenced by "Rose Garden" by country singer Lynn Anderson from the year before. The story goes that with Tsutsumi in charge of writing the music to Saori's songs (as was also soon becoming a trend for songwriters and lyricists to be tasked to write songs almost exclusively for a suite of artists), he asked her what she liked to sing, and "Rose Garden" was her answer, thus he gave her his own way of writing a "Rose Garden"-esque song. Paired with Mieko Arima's coastal-themed lyrics, the song rose to 2nd on the Oricon charts winning a couple prizes from the Japan Record Awards and Kayo Grand Prix for that year. The song soon became one of her standards, as well as a standard in the Japanese songbook, inspiring many other songwriters in the coming years to use 17 as a special age in their songs, reinforcing the prevalence of teenagerhood that was sweeping the nation. Saori Minami's strong start in her singing career set a high bar for future singers who wish to make their mark in music.
(22nd NHK Red White Song Competition [第22回NHK紅白歌合戦])
The most famous and successful Japanese idol of the 1970s started out with humble origins. One of three girls who gotten top marks at the famous Star Tanjou! television talent show, she grew in the hearts of the Japanese with her sullen image yet mature and powerful singing. "Hito Natsu no Keiken" (A Summer Experience) was her first smash hit, even though it was her 5th single to be released. As was typical at the time, many lyricists would often push their lyrics, very sensual and sometimes lurid to the point of scandal, onto these singers, who are only in their mid teens. For example, the beginning lyrics of the song "あなたに女の子の一番 / 大切なものをあげるわ" translates roughly to "I'll give you the most precious thing a girl has" and the end of the chorus "誰でも一度だけ 経験するのよ / 誘惑の甘い罠" means "Everyone experiences it at least once, The sweet trap of temptation". Even though the lyrics for this song were suggestive, she chose this as the song to sing in the New Year's Eve gala Red-White Song Competition since it was one of the least suggestive songs in her repertoire! Regardless, this song, with its soaring melody and ardent momentum, won her prizes in the Japan Record Awards and Kayo Grand Prix, and firmly planted her in the world of Japanese music, her career just getting ready to run into full blossom.
(25th NHK Red White Song Competition [第25回NHK紅白歌合戦])
Nana Okada was one of the minor idol singers of the 1970s, a product of the TV talent show circuit, she gained recognition as an actress, photo model, and a singer, all simultaneously (nowadays wrapped together in the term "tarento"). Her 2nd single (and we seem to be talking quite a bit about those aren't we?) "Jogakusei" (Schoolgirl) typifies the cute girl image her production company cultivated around her. Frankly I don't know much about the content of the lyrics to justify it, but just listening to the song along, the swinging momentum, the matter-of-fact singing, and the general "innocentness" of the music in the song brings out in the mind a girl in a sailor suit singing about some sort of secret love. Nevertheless, the unadorned and honest sound to the song speaks out to those who finds contentment in simple things.
Much like in the rest of the world during the early and mid 1980s, there was a wave of nostalgia for the 1950s. This was just as so in Japan at the time, although unlike the more genuine "5-10 years lag" that created actual songs of that vein, it became a form of pastiche in the 1980s. In comes the The Checkers. After Rats & Star (formerly Chanels), The Checkers were the most visible of retro groups in 1980s Japan, and was wildly popular with the young girls at the time. As can be seen in the EP cover here, they commonly sported checkered blazers to help reinforce their image associated with the name. Their breakthrough came with their 2nd single "Namida no Request" (Tears of Request) which exemplified the the 50s pastiche a great deal, replete with simple chord structure, wailing saxophones, and rebellious-then-but-tame-today tones, an earnest love song in the backdrop of a sock hop. By the end of 1984, this single became the 4th most popular song, giving them the base to further stardom (much like how Akina Nakamori had with her 2nd single in the post previous).
The other prominent figure in Japanese music during the 1980s aside from Seiko Matsuda was Akina Nakamori. In the popular imagination, the two of them were often pitted against one another in a light/dark dichotomy, with Seiko being the innocent "girl-next door" idol, while Akina was the mature and expressive adult singer. Even if neither of them took those labels seriously, the songs they've sung tend to reflect that attitude. This was the case with Akina's second single "Shoujo A", the one that started her path to stardom.
Her first single "Slow Motion" was cut from the usual idol mould, a typical love song done in an agreeable and pleasing pop style. What inspired the shift in mood for her second single is unknown to me, but somehow her producers thought a new style would be a better fit. The songwriting team of Hiroaki Serizawa and Misao Urino, mostly known for their rock-inspired pop songs, had originally planned a song for flashy rock-pop singer Kenji Sawada titled "Lolita", but when he didn't pick that up, they switched the lyrics gender roles and retitled it "Shoujo A" and offered it to Akina. The song's rousing tempo and rock affectations were a stark contrast to her previous single. Most notably different between the two songs was her use of her deeper singing voice (what she would later be identified with the most), granting the song a mature overtone that would've been lost had used a more girl-like voice. The lyrics, detailing the hungry lust of a seventeen year old teen for a biker, were risque at their time, enough to nearly have the song banned from the Japanese airwaves. Nevertheless, the song was a major success, and set Akina towards her own path to music stardom.
The origin of Seiko Mastuda's debut single was one of serendipity. During a cover shoot and filming of a commercial for the Shiseido cosmetic line, Seiko was supposed to be one of the models, but was later rejected due to her dimples. However, they instead had her sing the theme song for the commercial (good talent doesn't go to waste). Despite her nerveousness during the recording, the song proved to be a good debut hit. Even though it never cracked the top 10 in the Oricon charts, she received much positive publicity in the weeks and months ahead. This song was the beginning for her long and highly successful career as an idol and paved new paths for a new generation of singers that would later shape and define the music scene of 1980s Japan.
(Hit Studio Night [夜のヒットスタジオ])
裸足の季節 (Hadashi no Kisetsu)
Music: Yuichiro Oda / 小田裕一郎 Lyrics: Yoshiko Miura / 三浦徳子
Chiharu Matsuyama is one of the major singer-songwriters in Japanese popular music. His style is in line with the New Music movement that arose in the 1970s, although he has written and sung in various other styles as well. His most famous song "Kisetsu no Naka de" (In the Middle of the Seasons) was a distinct departure from his usual style, incorporating the then-current and popular disco sounds in its chorus. Whether or not this nod to common tastes led to its immense popularity in both 1978 (26th overall) and 1979 (24th overall). By then the song heralded Matsuyama's peak period where he wrote many more hits before trends went against him in the mid-1980s. Regardless, this song remains a timeless classic, now amongst the annals of popular Japanese song.
Artist: Kazuko Matsumura / 松村和子
