Small Happiness / The Isley Brothers "There’ll Never Be"
I learned the term "shokakkou" (small happiness) from a tweet by manga artist Santa Inoue. It is apparently a coined term that originally appeared in an essay by Haruki Murakami, and it literally means "small but certain happiness." Haruki fans might say, "You're only learning this now?!"
I think "shokakkou" is such a wonderful word. By feeling these trivial joys, you can keep moving forward even when bad things happen. Even if it's been a desperate day, it makes you feel a little better to think, "Well, at least there were some good things too."
Since I happened to learn this word on September 30th, I decided to start writing down my own "shokakkou" starting October 1st.
The results...
● October 1: My son hit a triple in his game / The cider I bought was delicious.
● October 2: The dry tantanmen I had for lunch was delicious / I was so excited by Orix's big comeback victory.
● October 3: I saw the light at the end of the tunnel for the manuscript I'd been struggling with since last week / Murakami's 56th home run! / Sano, most hits!
● October 4: Felt refreshed after yoga / Submitted the manuscript -> Approved on the first try!
● October 5: Managed to go for a walk before it rained / Had a long talk with a senior colleague I respect / It was quite interesting to be asked for directions to the station by a foreigner (Muslim?) and walk part of the way with them (in Japanese).
...It's so plain (except for my son's triple), and doesn't it just scream "baseball-loving middle-aged woman"? *Crying*
Well, that's fine. Because it's "shokakkou." I truly feel that our daily lives are built upon the accumulation of these small joys. I think I'll keep writing them down every day.
But my biggest "shokakkou" lately is that the new R&B releases, starting with the new Isley Brothers album, have all been consistently good. Maybe that's a "large" happiness rather than a "small" one. Mitsu The Beats' "Kotae wa Hitotsu no Hazu ga Nai feat. KOHEI JAPAN" was good, Thundercat's cover of Ryuichi Sakamoto was good, and although it's not a new release at all (it's actually a 30-year-old song), listening to Gerald Alston made me swoon. Music is truly wonderful, isn't it? Sorry for such a boring conclusion, haha.
<Song of the Day>
The Isley Brothers / There’ll Never Be feat. Earth, Wind & Fire, El DeBarge
The Isleys drove us wild with their duet with Beyoncé, "Make Me Say It Again, Girl," but their new album of the same title contains a powerful bomb that rivals it. This is it. It's a cover of the great song by Switch, a group featuring twin vocals by Bobby DeBarge (one of the DeBarge brothers, of course) and Philip Ingram (James Ingram's younger brother), featuring the original Bobby's younger brother and Earth, Wind & Fire. Ronald is great, but El DeBarge's sweet singing voice is irresistible. Wait, I'm supposed to be talking about Ronald (sweat). Ronald also shows off a falsetto that sounds like it might break his throat (?). I'm so happy. It's the best (my vocabulary is failing me. Sweat). The other songs on the album are all wonderful too!
Switch / There’ll Never Be
The original. Listening to it like this, the Isley version is flashier because the horns are featured more.
Switch / I Call Your Name
Bonus. Speaking of Switch, for me, it's this one. A mellow modern soul track that I absolutely, absolutely love! It samples Rich Boy's "Throw Some D's." I'm confident I listen to this more than anyone else in Japan, haha. The best!!!