[Song Review #127] "Yuki-no Shū-matsu" by Akemi Kakihara
Hi. Today's song is "Yuki-no Shū-matsu" (A snowy weekend) by "Akemi Kakihara(AK)".
It's a nice slow ballad, and might fit with a snowy quiet afternoon.
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Song data
| Title | Yuki-no Shū-matsu |
|---|---|
| Artist | Akemi Kakihara |
| Album Title | |
| Catalog Number | PSCR-5051 |
| Track No. | 2 |
| Duration | 5:38 |
| Released | 1993 |
| Publisher | |
| Lyricist | |
| Composer | |
| Arranger |
About the creators
Yūho IwasatoLyricist
"Yūho Iwasato" is a lyricist, essayist, novelist, formerly a singer-songwriter active since 1980.
Change of Course
"Yūho Iwasato" was initially debuted as a singer-songwriter "Yūko Iwasaki" in 1980.
In 1983, for the first time in career, she offered a nice pop ballad for a rising idol star "Chiemi Hori".
This song was accepted fairly well, and ranked in the top ten.
And this virtually became her debut song as a professional writer.
Since then, she began to focus on being a song-writer more.
Success
"Iwasato" kept going as a songwriter until she came to participate in "Miki Imai" project as a lyricist in 1988.
From this point, she began to dedicate for writing lyrics.
Quickly in 1989, one of her song for "Imai" became a sleeper hit which had remained in top 100 for 50 consecutive weeks.
And in 1991, "Piece of my wish", which is also a song she wrote for "Imai" finally topped the chart.
Through these remarkable achievement, she established her name as a poplar lyricist.
Since then, she has written marvelous amount of excellent lyrics for more than 100 of artists. And quite few of them became a big hit.
She has also provided dozens of lyrics for various Anime series, and some of them are very popular and well known.
Certainly, she is one of the leading lyricist in the J-pop.
Ms. Lyricist
In 2016, it is relatively rare trial though, but she released a set of a double album and an interview book, under the title of "Ms. Lyricist".
In the double album, 33 her songs are packed, but all of them are original recording by original singers.
If you are interested, please have a look.
(Ref: Wikipedia, Yūho Iwasato)
(Ref: realsound.jp,
Yūho Iwasato interview, 24.12.2018)🇯🇵
(Ref: tower.jp, Yūho Iwasato)🇯🇵
(Ref: yuhoiwasato.com, Yūho Iwasato)🇯🇵
Video clip
Finally, here is a video clip of a "Miki Imai"s 2017 song "Aoi-sora to akai-hana" (Blue skies and red flowers), which "Yūho Iwasato" offered a lyrics for her.
It is a smooth, and relaxing nice track, rightly "Miki Imai".
If you like, please have a look.
* "Aoi-sora to akai-hana" by "Miki Imai"
Akemi KakiharaComposer
later section
Composer "Akemi Kakihara" is the artist of this song.
So, we would like to come back to her in a later section.
Jun TōyamaArranger
"Jun Tōyama" is a keyboardist, arranger, composer, programmer. producer, and a music director to "Miyazaki Gospel club choir", which is lead by '80s shining city-pop singer, "Hiroe Ueda" (now a Gospel singer "Whoopin").
Professional
"Jun Tōyama" started his music career as a studio musician from the '70s.
Since then, he devoted himself to the music as a professional keyboardist and arranger.
According to some account, he has been been involved more than a few thousands songs to date.
Arrangers
We could not find detailed information about him on the web so far.
If we pick up, we will update.
Here is one of "Mimori Yusa"s hit song, "Chizu-wo Kudasai" (Can I have a map?) released in 1989, which "Jun Tōyama" participated as an arranger.
If you like, please listen.
"Chizu-wo Kudasai"(1989)
(Can I have a map?)
by "Mimori Yusa"
(You can still listen this song by clicking the banner. Please select the track No.3, once new page opens.)
Cover art today
Song image & Lyrics
Open
Link to the lyrics
Copyright notice on the lyrics link
Sound impression
Calm and natural
This seems to be a calm, and quiet slow ballad in simple ensemble for picking up beautiful and delicate "Akemi Kakihara"s vocal.
Sense of Stability
In the introduction, the bass and the drums create slow and steady rhythm. And a crispy pick sound of the acoustic guitar is adding a good accent.
In the main melody, the acoustic guitar changes places with acoustic piano, which will accompanies with the vocal until the end of the song.
And in the bridge, string keyboard add a touch of color to the song.
The ensemble of this song keeps its simple style.
It is certainly helpful to highlight pure vocal of "Akemi Kakihara", and fit with a "carpet of snow" image.
Miki Imai version
This song "Yuki-no Shū-matsu" (A snowy weekend) was originally written for "Miki Imai"s 7th album, "flow into space" (1992).
On this version, an arranger "Joe Hisaishi" made an ensemble slight more colorful compared with "Kakihara"s version.
If you like please listen.
"Yuki-no Shū-matsu"(1992)
(A snowy weekend)
by "Miki Imai"
(You can still listen this song by clicking the banner. Please select the track No.7, once new page opens.)
Reference
About Google translate
About the artist
Akemi Kakihara(AK)AK Trilogy
Akemi Kakihara, now perhaps more well known as an American house electro pop singer "AK", is a singer, lyricist, violist, and music producer active since 1986.
She debuted in 1986 with single "Sayonara nante iwanaide" (Wish you're not saying good bye). Since then, 19 singles, and 15 original plus 1 best albums have been released until now.
(Ref: Wikipedia-en, Akemi Kakihara(AK))
School days
It seems Akemi Kakihara(AK) was a musically advanced, and independent-minded child.
Thanks to her father who is a big fan of Jazz, Bossa, and movie themes, she was raised on music.
In the mid '70s, even she was just a school kid, she became a fan of foreign music, and longed to listen more of them.
She began to save pocket money to buy a LP record. (Approx 2200-2500yen. It was roughly equal to 3 months allowance for average kids at that time.)
After she saved up fair amount of money, went to a music shop in town, and hip enough, she bought a Latin-rock band "Santana" (Carlos)'s album "Amigos".
It is an interesting episode, showing her characters well.
Elementary school girls in its day usually spent their allowance for fancy stationaries, comic books, accessories, or cheap candies (Da-gashi).
So, the kids resisted temptations for such, and saved money for buying a record must have been rare.
Even buying some, their choices were mostly kids anime songs, or Japanese (or just a few foreign) young idol star songs, and not others.
Additionally, there was a bias that "rock" was a music for bad boys, not for kids, nor for girls.
So, it must be a challenge for a school girl buying a Santana's album at a record shop, in the curious eyes of people, and under the social pressure of, "Kids like kids, Girls like girls".
Therefore, we imagine the elementally school girls at the time, bought "Santana"s "Amigos" like she did, must be less than 5 in this country.
As far as we have read some interviews to her, her life is actually a sequence of challenges. And whenever she tries something, she opens a new horizon.
In that context, this anecdote is a symbolic episode of her independent mind.
That is why we introduced this piece, though the sentence became a bit longer.
"Tadanori Yokoo"
By the way, according to an interview, she also said, that she bought this album not directly because of Santana's music, but its colorful, very artistic album art.
The creator of this cover art is a renowned Japanese graphic artist, "Tadanori Yokoo".
You can see a larger image of this picture at the site of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where the original art is stored, in New York City.
The details of this artwork is inspiring. If you like, please have a look.
Debut to reborn
In the early '80s, she enrolled in the College of Music to study the Viola.
And in 1986, during studying in the college, she debuted as a singer-songwriter "Akemi Kakihara" with 1st album "Moi".
Since then, she released 10 fine albums,(include 1 remix), until she reborn as "AK" in 1998.
Meeting with "Miki Imai"
In parallel, she began to offer her songs to other artists in this period.
In 1988, she received a request to write a song for "Miki Imai", a singer on the rise at that time, for her 3rd album "Bewith".
According to someone, "Miki Imai" had been a fan of "Kakihara"s music, and "Imai" wanted to sing a song created by "Kakihara".
"Akemi Kakihara" then composed a beautiful melody for "Imai", and the song titled "Natsu-wo Kasanete" (Go through a few summers in two of us) became 1st track of the album.
This album topped the chart in 1988, and received an "Excellence Album Award, of The Japan Record Awards".
From this point, "Kakihara" has written many song for "Imai".
And not only for "Imai", but also for the many artists, "Kakihara" is providing good songs as a song-writer.
reborn as "AK"
In 1998, she moved the record company from "Polystar" to "EMI Music Japan".
This move was happened because she was wishing to release her songs in overseas. For this purpose, EMI's network is useful, and someone in EMI offered a business opportunity for her.
"Akemi Kakihara" then switched her stage name to "AK", and also changed her music style from refined, and delicate ballad pop to House, and electro pop style.
Then, for the 2nd time in life, but far more independently this time, she began to do recording at the studios in oversea. And collaborated with foreign musicians to create brand-new sound.
Through those creative activity, she was recommended from some people to launch songs in the United States.
And in 2001, she finally decided to move to New York, for starting as a singer in the United States.
She then released 1st single "Say That You Love Me" from a record company in New York.
And lucky enough, her international debut song "Say That You Love Me" topped the chart in the United States, UK, France and Italy.
Since then, her home ground seems completely moved to the US, a bit sad though.
We wish if she could return to Japan sometimes.
(Ref: Wikipedia-jp, Akemi Kakihara(AK))
(Ref: cafeglobe.com, Interview with AK
(Akemi Kakihara), Career #10, 24.12.2016)🇯🇵
(Ref: highflyers.nu, Interview with AK,
HF #1 Vol.3 Jul 9, 2013)🇯🇵
Video clip
Finally, here is a video clip of a House Music "If you love me" (2010) performed by "AK"(Akemi Kakihara).
It is a modern house music, but smooth, lyrical, and very much "Kakihara".
If you like, please have a look.
* "If you love me" by AK(Akemi Kakihara)
Music Samples
2
(試聴する)
AD: Listening samples (Free)
Amazon JP (No sample)
neowing.co.jp
hmv.co.jp
Japanese Letters
| Song Title | 雪の週末(Yuki-no Shū-matsu) |
|---|---|
| Artist | 柿原朱美(Akemi Kakihara) |
| Album Title | Refile |
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