Masashi Sada Series Chapter 15: Why Do People Not Feel Depressed When Singing About Poverty?

Prologue

To be honest.

Poverty appears in Masashi Sada's songs.

Having no money. Struggling to make a living. Daily life being worn down between dreams and reality. Such situations appear in many of his songs.

However, that "poverty" is not dark.

I found this mysterious. Songs that take poverty as their subject matter often become heavy. They become painful to listen to. But when Masashi Sada sings about poverty, there is a strange warmth to it. It is not miserable; while it can be poignant, it is somehow humorous, and ultimately, a sense of affirmation for humanity remains.

Why is that?

Masashi Sada does not "accuse" poverty. He does not "lament" poverty either. He depicts poverty as "a certain state of a person living." The technique of that depiction creates that warmth.

Chapter 15 deciphers the technique of how Masashi Sada sings about "poverty" and the design theory of his concert programs.

Chapter 1: There Are Multiple Approaches to Depicting "Poverty"

There are several ways to handle "poverty" in music.

The first approach is accusation. It depicts poverty as anger toward social structures. It carries the message that "such a society is wrong." The genre known as protest songs is close to this. It evokes anger or a sense of social awareness in the listener.

The second approach is pathos. It depicts the sadness of people living in poverty. It draws out the listener's sympathy or empathy. The "aesthetics of sadness" found in Enka is close to this.

The third approach is humor. It treats poverty as material for laughter. By converting seriousness into laughter, it depicts the strength of humans who are not swallowed by poverty.

The fourth approach is the recording of daily life. It does not treat poverty as a special state, but calmly depicts it as one aspect of a person's daily life. It describes it as a state that simply exists, without adding emotional evaluation.

What Masashi Sada uses is mainly a combination of the third and fourth. Humor and the recording of daily life coexist. He does not accuse, nor does he drown in pathos. He depicts the person in poverty as a being with dignity.

This choice of depiction leaves a unique aftertaste for the listener.

Chapter 2: The Technique Seen in "Amayadori" (Taking Shelter from the Rain) — The Coexistence of Poverty and Humor

Among Masashi Sada's songs, one where poverty and humor coexist most skillfully is "Amayadori".

It depicts the mismatched interaction between a man and a woman taking shelter from the rain. Even if the situation is miserable, the conversation is lighthearted. Within that lightheartedness, the humor and lovability of humans coexist.

The technique used here is the "distance of perspective."

The characters are unaware of the absurdity of their situation. However, the listener is viewing it from a slightly detached perspective. This difference in perspective creates humor.

Much of laughter arises from the asymmetry of perspective. Things that are invisible to those involved become visible when viewed from the outside. The experience of "seeing what was invisible" becomes laughter.

Masashi Sada consciously designs this perspective within his lyrics. While depicting characters "from the inside," he provides the listener with a perspective to "view from the outside." This dual structure allows poverty to function as humor.

Chapter 3: "Tobiume" and "Kaze ni Tatsu Lion"—The Two Faces of Poverty

The "poverty" in Masashi Sada's songs is not just material poverty.

The contrast between spiritual richness and material poverty. Or, the spiritual void within abundance. These two axes frequently appear in Masashi Sada's songs.

"Kaze ni Tatsu Lion" is a song in the form of a letter sent by a Japanese doctor continuing medical activities in Africa to his former lover. He possesses nothing materially. However, the richness and fulfillment of his spirit overflow from the entire lyric.

The "poverty" in this song is not a lack. It is a choice. The choice to abandon a wealthy life and stand in a more meaningful place. The "material poverty" that results from that choice is instead depicted as proof of fulfillment.

In PM terms, this is a redefinition of scope. By changing the definition of "wealth," the same situation takes on a completely different meaning. When Masashi Sada depicts poverty, he is often simultaneously posing the question, "What is wealth?"

Chapter 4: Design Theory of Concert Programs—The Placement of "Poverty Songs"

From here, we enter the theory of programming.

Observing the setlist of a Masashi Sada concert, one can see the design intent in the placement of the songs.

Where are songs depicting "poverty" placed within a concert?

The answer is that they are scattered.

Heavy songs and light songs alternate. After a song that draws laughter, a song that quietly sinks in follows. By placing a song themed on poverty after a song with humor, the contrast reinforces the impression of both.

This is emotional management.

When designing a long-duration experience like a concert, it is necessary to manage the emotional state of the listener. If heavy songs continue, the listener will become exhausted. If light songs continue, there will be no depth. The balance and placement of weight and lightness determine the quality of the entire concert experience.

Masashi Sada's program has this emotional range as a design. The intention of "taking the listener to this emotion next" is reflected in the order of the songs.

Chapter 5: The Architecture of the "First Half" and "Second Half"

I have noticed something after experiencing Masashi Sada's concerts many times.

The design philosophy of the program changes between the first and second halves.

The first half features many relatively light songs. By getting laughs through his MC, he acclimates the audience to the atmosphere of the concert. It is a preparatory stage to bring both first-timers and regulars to the same temperature.

In the second half, the center of gravity shifts. There are more profound songs and songs that require time to listen to. On top of the trust built in the first half, he layers more in-depth emotional experiences.

This structure is similar to the startup and execution phases of a project.

In the startup phase, relationship building and consensus building are central. You align the team's temperature and share the direction. In the execution phase, you layer essential work on top of that foundation. There is no second half without the first half.

Masashi Sada's program is designed with this 'gradual deepening' in mind. That is why, even after three or four hours, the second half is more deeply moving. The first half is an investment in the second half.

Chapter 6: The Design of the Encore—The Technique of 'How to End'

The encore at a Masashi Sada concert is special.

In many concerts, the encore is a performance where the artist comes back on stage because the audience asks for it. However, Masashi Sada's encores have a different quality.

The encore song has the function of wrapping up the entire concert of the day.

The flow of emotions built up from the first half to the second half lands with the encore song. A summary that says 'this is what today's concert was about' is condensed into the final song.

This architecture is similar to the ending of a well-crafted story.

The ending of a good story gives not only a sense of 'it's over' but also a sense that 'everything has fallen into place.' The foreshadowing from the first half is resolved in the second half, and the big picture is visible in the final scene. The encore of a Masashi Sada concert is designed to create this experience of 'everything falling into place.'

On the way home, for some reason, a feeling of 'that was good' remains. I cannot put into words what was good, but it was certainly good. This feeling only remains after an experience with high-quality design.

Chapter 7: The Meaning of Continuing to Sing About 'Poverty'

I think there is some meaning in the fact that Masashi Sada has been singing about various human conditions, including poverty, for nearly half a century.

Even as the standards of wealth change, the shape of society changes, and people's values change, the 'human in poverty' that Masashi Sada depicts strikes a chord across generations. Why is that?

I think it is because Masashi Sada does not depict poverty as a 'problem.'

Poverty is not depicted as a problem to be solved, but as the 'context' of the human living within that state. How does a human think, move, laugh, and love within the context of poverty? Depicting those human movements is at the center of Masashi Sada's interest.

That is why poverty does not become dark. Poverty is the stage, and the protagonist is the human being.

As a PM for 20 years, I have seen various 'difficult situations.' Projects go up in flames. Budgets are cut. Teams are exhausted. Even in such situations, people laugh, come up with wisdom, and move forward. In that figure lies the essence of a project.

The 'human in poverty' depicted by Masashi Sada and the 'human in difficulty' I have seen in the field overlap somewhere. That may be why they have been listened to for decades.

Epilogue

I will be honest.

While analyzing the 'technique of singing about poverty,' I have come to see a little bit of what I am seeking by continuing to listen to Masashi Sada's songs.

It is not a solution, but an affirmation.

He depicts people in difficult situations not with accusation, sorrow, or sympathy, but simply as 'people who are there,' and affirms those people. This sense of affirmation is one of the reasons I continue to listen to Masashi Sada's songs.

On the night I return from a concert, alone on the train, I repeat the songs I heard today in my head. Whether it is a song about poverty, a song about love, or a song about parting, they all eventually land in the same place.

People will still go on living. And that is not bad.

I will write the next chapter while listening to Masashi Sada as well.

I am continuing to write this series of articles, including this one, with an eye toward turning them into a book.

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