About Those Slightly Unfair CM Songs (April 2022) - Reminiscing about Godiego

Don't you feel like recent commercials often use songs that are nostalgic for those of us in our 50s?
I know they're targeting us, but I still end up reacting to them anyway 😆

And the commercial that recently stimulated my memory intensely was this one.

Using "Gandhara" is a bit like cheating, lol.
It gets stuck in my ears so much that I find myself humming it.

And then, naturally, I end up wanting to listen to "Godiego" too 💦

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"Gandhara" October 1978

Lyrics: Yoko Narahashi (Japanese lyrics: Michio Yamagami) / Composition: Yukihide Takekawa / Arrangement: Mickie Yoshino

Hmm, it really is a masterpiece.
I was in elementary school, but I always looked forward to the drama "Saiyuki" (Monkey) that aired on Sunday nights at 8:00, so "Gandhara," which was used as the ending theme, is a song I can't forget even as a child.

However, a characteristic of "Godiego" is that the English lyric parts were difficult, so there were parts I couldn't sing well.

♪ Zei-se-i-i-wa-jin-in-di-a ♪
I ended up singing it in katakana like that.
Huh? Why Indian? I wondered while singing...

But what was even harder was the opening theme for "Saiyuki," "Monkey Magic", which was entirely in English.
That might be why "Gandhara", with its many Japanese lyrics, left a stronger impression.

"Monkey Magic" December 1978

Lyrics: Yoko Narahashi / Music: Yukihide Takekawa / Arrangement: Mickie Yoshino

I could only sing the chorus, but during the instrumental break, Yukihide Takekawa would throw something that looked like a spider web.
That part was so cool; it was a scene you couldn't miss when they performed on TV shows.

Looking back at it now, Steve's bass vocals created that "Godiego" sound, and surprisingly, the late Takami Asano was strumming the guitar.

With the hits of these two songs, "Godiego" became incredibly popular not just with adults, but among us elementary school students as well.
I believe the fact that it was chosen as the theme song for the 1979 'International Year of the Child' by UNICEF was based on that popularity.

"Beautiful Name" April 1979

English Lyrics: Yoko Narahashi, Japanese Lyrics: Akira Ito / Music: Yukihide Takekawa / Arrangement: Mickie Yoshino

I feel like we often sang this at school.
It's such a wonderful lyric; I still remember it even now.

And then, with another masterpiece, the popularity of "Godiego" reached its peak.

"Galaxy Express 999" July 1979

Lyrics: Yoko Narahashi (Japanese Lyrics: Michio Yamagami) / Music: Yukihide Takekawa / Arrangement: Mickie Yoshino

Now, the steam whistle blows with a heart full of emotion..
Now, the train departs with a heart full of emotion..
One journey ends, and a new departure begins...
Farewell Maetel, farewell Galaxy Express 999
Farewell to the days of youth.... (Steam whistle)

If you saw "Galaxy Express 999" in the theater, the memory of that farewell between Maetel and Tetsuro, followed by the narration by the late Tatsuya Jo mentioned above... and then the ending where the intro to this song begins, should surely bring back memories that stir your heart.

It really is great, isn't it?
Countless boys were encouraged by these lyrics as they grew into adults.

And, the ending theme for the sequel, the drama "Saiyuki II," which was produced half a year after "Saiyuki," was also, as expected, by "Godiego".

"Holy & Bright" 1979.10

Lyrics: Yoko Narahashi (Japanese lyrics: Michio Yamagami) / Composition: Yukihide Takekawa / Arrangement: Mickie Yoshino

Because "Gandhara" was such a masterpiece, "Holy & Bright" left a somewhat understated impression, but it's not in a minor key; this kind of major key is very "Godiego"-esque, and it's a great song.

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So, from the "Haconese" commercial, I ended up remembering the masterpieces of "Godiego" one after another, and when you line them up, it's only a one-year span from "Gandhara" to "Holy & Bright" isn't it?
To have left behind so many memorable songs in such a short period, "Godiego" really was an amazing band.
Also, while looking up the release years of their singles, I found articles describing "Godiego" as a "progressive band," so I've become curious about their original albums that I haven't listened to yet.

I called them "rather unfair CM songs" in the title, but I am grateful to "Haconese" for reminding me of them.

(Related note)

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