Episode 41 (Tonight's Song) WAVE - The soothing rhythm of waves to accompany a sleepless night
On a quiet night
A night when for some reason I cannot sleep.
Time just flows by quietly.
On such a night, there is an album I suddenly reach for.
It is "Bossa Nova Romance: One Hour Of Bossa Nova Style, Romantic Music." I found this album at Tower Records near the east exit of Shinjuku Station.
I loved the song "The Girl from Ipanema" by Astrud Gilberto.
This was my first encounter with Bossa Nova.
I learned later that Ipanema is the name of a beautiful beach.
After this encounter, I learned that there is a genre of Bossa Nova called "French Bossa," and I came to like Clémentine.
It seems that Japanese men have long been attracted to French women.
There is something about that.
To return to the subject, "Wave" is the first track on this album.
Many singers have resonated with this song and released covers.
That is "Wave," which is also called a masterpiece of Bossa Nova.
A melody that washes in and out like the waves.
As if responding to the silence of the late night, it gently strokes the restlessness deep within my heart.
Tonight, I decided to trace three memories of the night depicted by the music titled "Wave."
1. The music called Bossa Nova - A quiet revolution born from the sea breeze of Rio
Bossa Nova was born in Rio in the 1950s and 60s.
While based on the rhythm of Samba,
whispering vocals,
dry guitar arpeggios,
and I think it is music that makes "silence" an aesthetic.
The depth of the night,
the softness of the sea breeze,
a sound that seems to embrace the loneliness of the city.
The symbol of that quiet revolution is "Wave," composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim.
The waves are never large.
They just wash in and out.
I feel that their fluctuation is very similar to the speed of my heart on a sleepless night.
2. The scenery of the album "Bossa Nova Romance"
Spread across the jacket of this album is the coastline of Rio at dusk.
The city lights sinking into a gradient of blue.
A world where the word "romantic" fits perfectly.
The "Wave" I listen to on this album is as soft as the night sea breeze, gently accompanying me in the quiet late night.
When I suddenly press the play button on a sleepless night, I feel the air in the room get just a little closer to the sea.
3. Olivia Ong's "Wave" encountered at the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore
Singapore, where I stayed on a business trip before.
That night, the lounge on the first floor of the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia was a city created by polished glass and quiet lighting.
Yes, it was a space like an oasis in Singapore.
The soft air unique to Singapore, which feels like a thin veil over the skin, slowly clung to my body.
In my hand was a Singapore Sling with an impressive vivid red color.
The scent of cherry brandy wafted up, and the sound of ice rolling quietly inside the glass echoed faintly in the distance.
In the midst of such a night, Olivia Ong's "Wave" suddenly began to play.
The guest I was with told me, "The one singing is Olivia Ong from Singapore."With those words, it was the moment that a mere "pleasant song" turned into "music of memory" with a name.
Her voice is completely different from the Bossa Nova song "Wave." It was clear, slightly humid, and shaped like the waves that perfectly nestled against the Singapore night view.
It has become a memory of "Wave" that I still cannot forget. It is strange how, when I listen to it on a sleepless night, the atmosphere of that lounge gently returns.
4. Toshiki Kadomatsu's "Wave" - A coincidence of song titles depicting a completely different sea
While sharing the same name "Wave," Toshiki Kadomatsu's "Wave" depicts a completely different sea.
This was the song my ex-girlfriend used to like.
I feel like whenever we drove along the coastline, we would always play this song.
It has that urban sense of speed typical of Kadomatsu.
If the Bossa Nova wave is a quiet fluctuation that "comes and goes," Kadomatsu's wave has the power to "move forward."
I realized that the word wave—Wave—can have such diverse expressions.
5. A night where three "Waves" overlap
The sea of Rio. The night in Singapore. A quiet late night in Tokyo.
Three "Waves" slowly overlap in my memory. Even though they each have different wave shapes, they all accompany me on sleepless nights.
Waves are not always the same shape; their appearance changes depending on the state of one's heart that night. Perhaps that is why songs named "Wave" are so fitting for the night.
6. To conclude tonight
On a quiet night,
music comes in like waves. And then, it gently strokes the heart.
When you listen to a song called "Wave" on a sleepless night, the nights of the past suddenly revive, and the current night becomes a little softer.
Tonight, too, the waves are quietly rolling in. While surrendering myself to those waves, I slowly drift through the night.
I thought that spending a night with Bossa Nova once in a while is also nice.
As a small clue to enjoying a quiet night time tonight
A cocktail representing Singapore
The Singapore Sling was born at the Long Bar of this Raffles Singapore Hotel.