[Songs About Becoming an Adult] Kenji Sawada ● Love for an Older Woman, "Kiken na Futari"

<As of late November, or rather, since around the time this entry was posted, there has been a situation where text and link destinations are not reflecting as usual. I don't know the cause. I apologize for the parts that are difficult to read (especially since this is already a long installment). I will make corrections little by little as I monitor the situation, so thank you for your patience.
If I can update and correct as smoothly as usual, I will delete this notice at the beginning.>

It has been a restless few days with continuous interview work. Just a little bit, though.

Well, as for live shows... last week, I went to an event. One featuring the new singer Rol3ert, as well as VivaOla and DARDN. Each of them is an excellent artist.

Thanks to that, I thought about what sophistication is. I feel that the artist's background and the environment in which they were raised also have something to do with it.
I thought about that even when listening to Kunihiko Murai's work later.

During this long weekend, I went out with my family from Kiyosumi-Shirakawa to the Fukagawa area. I also watched table tennis at the Deaflympics. I am grateful for a peaceful daily life.

The 'deaf' in Deaflympics means hearing impaired. That is what the name of the British band Deaf School means. It is a band famous for having a strong influence on BOΦWY, especially Hotei-san.

Also, it's been nearly two weeks now, but I'm posting a summary of when I appeared as a guest at Kenzo Saeki's lecture "Media Society and Rock" at Dokkyo University (the 15th time this year). Saeki-san, thank you again this time.

In the magazine "Showa 40-nen Otoko" currently on sale, I am writing for the 70s drama feature. I was in charge of "Tantei Monogatari" and "Kishibe no Album," and in the personal column, "Akai Unmei" (and "Akai Giwaku"). Please be sure to read it.

And then, Mani passed away. It's sad. He gave us so much enjoyment, both in the Roses and in Primal. Thank you so much. Rest in peace.

https://rollingstonejapan.com/articles/43917

Now, on Tuesday the 18th, I went to the Nippon Budokan to see Kenji Sawada.
I will write about this live show this time.

The climax song of the live show! The mature girl, "Polaroid GIRL"

Kenji Sawada's performance at the Nippon Budokan is his first since January 2019. While watching this concert last week, I decided to write about this live show for the next [#SongsAboutBecomingAnAdult]. However, since I decided on the spot, I don't think I can write much of a report-style text. Please take this as something close to my personal impressions.
Also, there are many things I remember about each song, so there are parts that are written a bit like an unnecessary addition. Please forgive me for that (I hope you can just skip over those parts).

I wrote about Kenji Sawada the year before last in this note's [#SongsAboutAge] based on his Saitama Super Arena performance. This is the first time I've covered him since then.

This live show was the final performance of the nationwide tour "Shimobashira to Roubai no Mori" that had been continuing since January. The setlist was the same throughout the tour, and this was also the case at the Budokan on the final day.

1. a.b.c...i love you
2. Darling

3. Nikumikirenai Rokudenashi
4. Reijin
5. Samurai
6. PEARL HARBOR LOVE STORY
7. ISONOMIA
8. Subete wa Kono Yoru ni
9. Jealousy ga Nurete Yuku
10. Kanojo wa Delicate
11. Polaroid GIRL
12. Kimi no Kirei no Tame ni
13. LUCKY/Isshoukenmei

Encore:

1. Suiren
2. Amai Tawamure
3. Kodou
4. Mangiare! Cantare! Amore!
5. Nagisa no Love Letter
6. Ikutsuka no Bamen

Ending BGM: Ore-tachi Saikou

The revamped band members were Takashi Furuta on drums, Yasuo Tomikura on bass, Susumu Osada and Yohei Makabe on guitar, and Yuta Saito on keyboards. During some performances of the tour, Kenji Fujii of The Birthday served as a substitute for Makabe.
All of them are talented, and there are no musicians familiar to fans like Kazuhiko Shibayama from before. However, having continued the tour, they gave us a performance that was very familiar with Sawada. Among them, I felt the consideration for the vocals in Furuta's delicate drumming.

My impression was that Julie's own voice improved as the number of songs increased, and I thought his singing was truly impressive! However, at 77 years old, he probably can't vocalize like he did when he was young, and since there was an accident where he fell from the stage during this tour, I suspect he is struggling with physical condition management. Still, I would like to send my heartfelt applause to Sawada-san and the members who successfully completed the long journey.

Although the Budokan was chosen for the final performance of the tour, the setlist felt balanced just like any other performance. Surely many music fans would want to hear many hit songs like "Darling" and "Nikumikirenai Rokudenashi" among these, but this is not that kind of live show. I think there were no particularly flashy gimmicks in terms of production, and it was a concert that was strictly part of the tour.

As for the selection of songs, the latest song is the 2023 single "LUCKY/Isshoukenmei." Personally, I am the type who wants any veteran to keep releasing new songs as much as possible and to perform them on stage, but that doesn't mean I want to force it. I believe that it is most important for the artist themselves to be able to give their all at any given time.

This setlist was selected from songs from the late 70s onwards, and other than familiar songs that look good live, the choices were from the late 80s, that is, from "Kare wa Nemurenai" (1989) onwards, the entire EMI period, plus the era of his independent label. In other words, the emphasis was on these last 30-plus years.

What caught my attention the most was the sequence of "PEARL HARBOR LOVE STORY" and "ISONOMIA." The lyrics for both were written by Julie himself; the former creates and uses as its subject a sincere love story during the World War, that is, Pearl Harbor. The other song, "ISONOMIA," is a song that mentions NO to nuclear power, human foolishness, and the splendor of rich nature. In both, you can catch a glimpse of his way of life as a human being. Incidentally, "PEARL HARBOR~" was composed by the late Hirofumi Asamoto. The original arrangement of that and the composition and arrangement of "ISONOMIA" were by Ryoichi Shirai of Moonriders. I saw him in the audience that night, who is also in charge of music for the musical starring Sawada next year. I hope Ryoichi-san stays healthy too.

Also, come to think of it, in "PEARL HARBOR LOVE STORY," even the ages of the two characters are sung. In that sense, it is a [#SongsAboutAge], and I thought, belatedly, that it was a song I could have covered when I wrote about Julie last time. Although the emphasis is more on the story than his own reality, it is a song filled with earnest emotions.
This "PEARL HARBOR~" is a song included in the album "Thermostat na Natsu," and "Mangiare! Cantare! Amore!," which was performed as an encore, was also selected from this album. Since the first time I interviewed Sawada-san was during the promotional coverage for this album, I remembered that time for a moment.
Speaking of interviews, when I was doing my second interview at a rehearsal studio, while waiting with the promotion person from the record company (Toshiba EMI), this "Mangiare!~" was being played as the last practice song of the day, and it could be heard in the lobby where we were. That's when I spontaneously said to the staff, "This song is good, isn't it?" I think this is also a song that expresses the life philosophy of the person named Sawada.

And then, as for the Polydor era, "Amai Tawamure" and "Ikutsuka no Bamen" really struck a chord with me.
"Amai Tawamure," which is like idol pop, is a fun number. That reminds me, this "Kenji Sawada for Connoisseurs" playlist on Apple Music is truly excellent. And then there is "Ikutsuka no Bamen." I really think Sawada-san loves this song. It is a song that has been sung at many important live shows.
"Ikutsuka no Bamen" is a song I love too, and I touched on it a little when I covered Eigo Kawashima in [#SongsAboutAge] before.

Now, among the setlist this time, as [#SongsAboutBecomingAnAdult], I want to write about "Polaroid GIRL."

"Polaroid GIRL" is a song released in 1989 as the lead single for the album "Kare wa Nemurenai," and it was a song that once again pushed the glamorous Kenji Sawada to the forefront. The lyrics were by Kenzo Saeki of Pearl Brothers. Yes, the person I mentioned at the beginning of today's entry. The composition is by Kaori Okui (currently Kaori Kishitani) at a time when Princess Princess was very popular. "Kare wa Nemurenai" had a background of Julie's comeback with a new lineup, including collaborations with Kiyoshiro Imawano and songs provided by artists such as Hideaki Tokunaga and Misato Watanabe.

The concert from that time, which was broadcast on NHK-BS earlier, was the first live show at that time (it was also broadcast live). It was the first live show with JAZZ MASTER after putting an end to Co-colo, which had played heavy new rock until the previous year, and after an irregular period with the singles "Stranger" and "muda" in between. The venue was the now-defunct Tokyo Bay NK Hall, and I watched it from the arena seats on site.

"Polaroid GIRL" was also the number that kicked off that album, and it has been sung many times in live shows since then.

Kenzo Saeki's lyrics here, with "deeply involved while still a child" and "just a mature pose," depict a child who is still a child pretending to be an adult. Also, there was the stimulation of Julie, who had become a full-fledged adult, singing about a partner who was a child's age. These lyrics are also a bit like a commercial copy.
Anyway, it's an incredibly pop love song, and what's more, it's rock. However, in terms of the charts, it was a smash hit, and to be honest as a fan, I wanted it to sell more.
Incidentally, Polaroid was the product name of an instant camera that was popular at the time, and it was also the company name. Perhaps because of this, when he appeared on NHK's "Kohaku" that same year, this song was not performed, but "DOWN," which was later cut as a single from the album, was performed. Furthermore, Kazuhiko Shibayama did not play guitar at this "Kohaku." This is because at the same time, Yoshiyuki Osawa, whom Shibayama supports, was appearing at a New Year's Eve event.

Come to think of it, as a further aside... "Polaroid GIRL" had the notation "Polaroid・GIRL" (with a nakaguro) on the single jacket, and for a long time, I thought this was the official notation.

So, several years ago, during a talk at a cafe after a lecture at Dokkyo University, as I first wrote about, I asked Saeki-san, "Is the title 'Polaroid GIRL' supposed to have a middle dot?" He replied, "No, no, we don't need a middle dot. That's why I connected the katakana (Polaroid) and the English (GIRL)." Indeed, there is no middle dot on the disc label. If that's the case, then the spelling on the single's jacket must have been the designer Takeji Hayakawa's own decision.

Furthermore, I suspect that the spellings on the jackets for the album 'Stripper' (released in June '81) and the single 'Stripper' (re-cut in September of the same year)—'S/T/R/I/P/P/E/R' and 'S-t-r-i-p-p-e-r' respectively—were also decided by Hayakawa's sense of style. It seems that Oricon and similar charts at the time were supposed to list the jacket's spelling exactly as it appeared, which I believe is why the single in particular was often written as 'S-t-r-i-p-p-e-r' (the label itself has no middle dot).
Anyway, end of digression. My apologies.

Be that as it may, this setlist included many songs from the JAZZ MASTER era, and in particular, three songs with lyrics by Kenzo Saeki were chosen: "Polaroid GIRL," "a.b.c...i love you" (reminds me of the "Simple Eternity" tour when this is the first song), and "Jealousy ga Nureteiku."

The Kenji Sawada concert, filled with passionate performances, ended safely. Even after the main stars left the stage, the final background music, "Oretachi Saiko" (We Are the Best), felt as if it were celebrating the lives of everyone gathered there, including the audience, which was also wonderful.

The presence of an <older woman> visible through "Kiken na Futari" (Dangerous Two)

Now, among Kenji Sawada's vast body of work, there are several songs about being an adult and becoming an adult. Like the previous [#Songs of Age], I cannot cover them all, but I would like to write about them as far as I am aware.

The most famous of Julie's songs that mentions adults is likely "Kiken na Futari."
It was the song that captured the top spot on the sales charts for the first time for a Sawada solo work in 1973.

https://music.apple.com/jp/album/%E5%8D%B1%E9%99%BA%E3%81%AA%E3%81%B5%E3%81%9F%E3%82%8A-single/1561724348

The middle section: "Even if you pretend to be an adult, you intend to break up." This is the part.

To the woman who is trying to end their deep relationship here, the protagonist pleads for his love. I heard this on the radio and TV at the time, but since I was in the lower grades of elementary school, it didn't really click. I suppose that's to be expected. There's no way I could have understood the subtleties of romance at that age.

However, a few years later, when I bought the record and immersed myself in the song again, I realized it was written by Kazumi Yasui. It has been revealed that she had a close relationship with Sawada at the time, and from today's perspective, one can speculate about various things.
Even as a junior high student who didn't know such detailed circumstances, I could intuitively understand that Yasui had written lyrics that hinted at her relationship with Julie. Years later, I learned that Yasui was the partner of the late Kazuhiko Kato, and that, too, made everything seem to fall into place.

After Yasui passed away, Kenji Sawada held a concert at Shibuya Public Hall called <ZUZU Songs> to sing her works. Kazuhiko Kato was also invited to the audience, and he was sitting a few rows in front of me. After the performance, the audience applauded Kato, and Sawada introduced him from the stage. Kato responded by waving to the venue with a smile.

Even so, the earnestness and straightforwardness of the plea in "Kiken na Futari" when he says, "Even if you pretend to be an adult," regarding the woman's actions. The protagonist, who is in love with her, seems to be shouting, "I can't possibly become an adult!" And Yasui's world, which writes this into the expression of lyrics.
There is no doubt that this pop-rock song strengthened Sawada's slightly sweet image of falling in love with an older woman.

Now, following this song, I looked for Kenji Sawada's [#Songs of Becoming an Adult]. That said, given his vast catalog of works, this is about as much as I could find at the moment.
All of these are written by Sawada himself.

"Tsuzuku Shiawase" (2002, "Bokyaku no Tensai")

"MENOPAUSE", "greenboy" (2005, "greenboy")

"Kuroi Pierrot to Kuroi Maria" (2007)

Also, in TEE FOR THREE's "Boku no Sora" (2000), adults and children coexist in the lyrics. This is the only song with lyrics by Ittoku Kishibe (composed by Taro Morimoto).

It was a bit surprising, but Kenji Sawada sings much more about adults after he became an adult himself. It might be worth considering that, but I'll leave it at that for now.

For me, Sawada-san, who is nearly two generations older than me, has been an adult for a very long time. However, when I trace his various experiences in his youth and his journey as a singer and as a person, he is not someone who became an adult in a settled way. I think he is someone who has been fighting all along, searching for his own way of life, his own methods, and his own place, and he continues to do so even now.

On the Budokan stage, he said he would sing until he was 80. Two years and seven months left.
I, for one, think he will keep on singing even longer than that.