[Happy & festive]
No.159 "Saka-saka circus" by Vanilla Beans
Hi. Today's song is "Saka-saka circus" by "Vanilla Beans". ( 'Saka-saka' has no particular meaning at all in Japanese. Might have been used just for sound&rhythm.)
This is a happy & festive Jazz Pop in a fast swing rhythm, performed by a popular female pop duo, "Vanilla Beans".
If you like, please listen
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Song data
| Title | Saka-saka circus |
|---|---|
| Artist | Vanilla Beans |
| Album Title | |
| Catalog Number | TKCA-73412 |
| Track No. | 2 |
| Duration | 3:58 |
| Released | 2009 |
| Publisher | |
| Lyricist | |
| Composer | |
| Arranger |
About the creators
Mikiko TagataLyricist
"Mikiko Tagata" is a popular lyricist active since 1996.
She has been writing lyrics from the latest J-pop to Anime songs. And one of the most important writer for today's duo "Vanilla Beans" since their debut.
Short profile
"Tagata" started her professional career as a lyricist in 1996, with "YO-YO" which was a song offered for a '90s pop group "selfish".
Since then, she has been writing a lot of charming, and inspiring lyrics for the various leading popular song artists, as well as the theme music for Anime series.
Notable songs
"Tagata" has offered quite a few of hit songs for many singers. Here are some examples.
- V6
- Sorezore-no sora
(The sky for each of us) - Tackey & Tsubasa
- Mirai Kōkai
(A voyage to the future) - Vanilla Beans
- Saka-saka circus
(Saka-saka circus) - Mayumi-nu & Dekitara-band
- Hanamaru*-rock
(Flower-circle rock, NHK) - Park Yong-ha
- Harmony
- Suminao Azumano
- Sabaku-ni hana-wo
(Flowers for desert) - Saki Fukuda
- Hanataba-wo kudasai
(Will you give me a bouquet of flowers?) - Yuki Maeda
- Nishi-Shinjuku de atta-hito
(A person struck in Nishi-Shinjuku) - Usagi Tsukino(Sailor moon)
- Here we go！ Shinjiru Chikara
(Here we go, the power of believing)
and, so on.
("Hanamaru" is a mark like this,💮.(Not exactly though.)
Teachers write, or stamp this symbol on the answer sheet, or notebook when little student aced a test, or did an excellent job, instead of saying "Well-done!")
(Ref: uta-net.com,
Interview to Mikiko Tagata)🇯🇵
(Ref: anison.info,
Anime songs by Mikiko Tagata)🇯🇵
Video clip
Finally, here is a music clip of "Okaeri itsuka" (Welcome back, someday.) performed by "Saori Matsukura".
This video clip is primarily a music clip, but it is also a short movie featuring 2 ordinary women lives in a northern city Otaru, in Hokkaido.
It is a gentle, but modern ballad accompanied by a beautiful strings ensemble.
"Mikiko Tagata" has written this lyrics for her long time friend, and the singer of this song, "Saori Matsukura".
If you like, please listen.
* "Okaeri itsuka" by "Saori Matsukura"
Yasuo NakajimaComposer & Arranger
"Yasuo Nakajima" is a composer, arranger, guitarist, and bassist active since around 1994.
He is also a core contributer for a "Vanilla Beans" music, since their debut.
Short biography
"Yasuo Nakajima" started professional career around 1994 by joining several rock & Jazz bands.
In this period, he became an apprentice of a master Jazz guitarist, "Ikuo Shiosaki", and acquired the high level skills.
In 1995, "Nakajima" stopped all of the band activities, and moved to the United States to study at Berklee College of Music.
He learned Jazz composition and guitar for 3 years, and graduated from the college in 1998. Then he moved to New York, and started new career as a composer.
Next year, he came back to Japan to take up a job as a composer for popular songs, game music, and advertising jingles, which the demand was rapidly increasing.
Since then, he has written hundreds of popular songs or game music, and also involved more than 2000 of advertising jingles.
Since 2007, "Nakajima" began to participate in the music creation of a pop duo, "Vanilla Beans", and supported them as one of the main composer, and arranger until they finalize their activity in 2018.
(Ref: Wikipedia-en, Yasuo Nakajima)
(Ref: anison.info,
Anime songs by Yasuo Nakajima)🇯🇵
(Ref: www.gigistudio.jp,
About, Yasuo Nakajima)🇯🇵
Cover art today
Song image & Lyrics
Open
Link to the lyrics
Copyright notice on the lyrics link
Sound impression
Fast swing
This is a happy and bright pop song in a fast swing rhythm.
Festive
The festive marching drums, the bass, the strings, the harp, and the glockenspiel start a thrilling introduction, and the brass synthesizer joins.
In the main melody, the wood bass, drums, the acoustic guitar, and the accordion create a Jazzy basic sound, then glockenspiel, piccolo, and percussions add jaunty accents.
In the instrumental bridge, there is a nice violin solo in country style.
The vocals are breezy, and really relaxing.
homage
You might hear the singers counting the number, "1..2..3.4.5". at just before middle 8, and it is quite impressive.
That is perhaps an homage for a 1997 hit song, "Maji-de koi suru 5 byō-mae" (5 seconds to go for falling in love), performed by "Ryōko Hirosue", and created by "Mariya Takeuchi".
There aren't any suitable sample, but you can check it from the last part of the last song (6:17), in the following video.
The performer is "Mariya Takeuchi".
Reference
About Google translate
About the artist
Vanilla BeansOn the wind from North Europe
"Vanilla Beans" was an female pop duo, and a group of idol stars active from 2007 to 2018.
As a successor of the tradition of female pop duo in the main stream j-pop, such as "The peanuts", "Pink Lady","Puffy", "Wink", "Kiroro", and so on, "Vanilla Beans" maintained a high level of popularity in the idol pop scene, as well as in the urban pop category.
(Some called them Aki-Shibu style. Aki-Shibu = Akihabara & Shibuya, means a mixture of the idol pop culture & a stylish retro pop music).
"Vanilla Beans" debuted in 2007 with single "U ♡ Me"(You love me). Since then, 23 singles, and 5 original, 1 mini, and 2 best albums have been released until now.
(Ref: Wikipedia-en, Vanilla Beans)
Early times
A pop-duo "Vanilla Beans" was formed in 2007 as a music section of "Flower label", which was a marketing mixture aiming at promoting Northern European cultures, and sell imported goods.
In the marketing communication, the members of "Vanilla Beans" were set not as human beings, but dolls from Northern Europe.
So, their hairstyles & colors were fixed. (actually they were using wigs). And always wearing A-line one-piece dresses, whenever they appear in public.
And they were not even smiling or talking in the earlier period, since they were dolls.
Members
The duo was initially started with 2 member, namely Rena & Rika.
But, Rika left the group only after 3 months from the release of the first single. Then, new member Lisa was joined.
Eventually, Rena & Lisa became the faces of the group.
Rena was a original member of "Vanilla Beans" participated in the group in July 2007. Since then, she had been a member until 2018.
She was in charge of "Bob" hair style, and were usually standing on left the side.
She is an expert on the recent idol culture, then she was frequently talking about idols on the concert, or some music programs on the web.
Then, Lisa. She joined "Vanilla Beans" in March 2008, after the former member Rika was left.
She was in charge of "Splash curl" hair style, and were usually standing on the right the side.
She was born in a rich family. But she was using her such home environment as an appeal point in a bit sarcastic way.
Members are only responsible in their hair styles on the group activity.
Otherwise, they hadn't made any difference between each other on their roles, such as singing, dancing, and talking.
Debut
"Vanilla Beans" debuted in October 2007 with heir first single "U ♡ Me" (U love Me).
Then in May 2008, after switching the member from Rika to Lisa, they released the 2nd single "Nicora".
Thanks to the good quality of music, and a little eccentric promotion, "Nicora" became the first hit song for them.
We also became aware of "Vanilla Beans" from this song.
Saka-saka circus
And in January 2009, they released a very nice pop track, "Saka-saka circus".
Luckily, this song was selected for an opening theme of a national broadcaster NHK's special program "Minimini Eizō Taishō" (Tiny video clip contest).
Naturally, it became a hit song, and has been a signature song of "Vanilla Beans".
By this song, we think they established their position as a unique female pop duo.
As elder sisters
"Vanilla Beans" constantly released singles and albums for 11 years, and it can be said as a rare success in the very competitive female idol pop scene.
So, without realizing it, 2 members of "Vanilla Beans" had become the eldest sisters among the idol pop groups. Then, they were acting as the MCs in the events which multiple pop groups were jointly performing.
Unique album art
"Vanilla Beans" was a unique group in terms of the type of music they were performing. It was different from the one that the female idol pop groups usually prefer, but a little more sophisticated.
So, they could have appealed more to the adults, compared with other younger groups.
One more unique thing was their cover arts of the albums.
Except the first album, the faces of "Rena" and "Lisa" did not appear on the cover arts of their albums, from the 2nd album, "Vanilla Beans II" to the last album "Vanilla Beans V".
And, instead of the members faces, an illustration of very eccentric impression was drawn as an album art.
We are not sure if those cover arts really appealed to the general fans, but certainly attracted the music fans who are always curious, and looking for something interesting.
Thanks to the fashionable tunes, and these very unique cover arts, the albums of "Vanilla Beans" will remain popular for a long time, even the group was ended. Since there is a basic & orthodox value in each album.
End of the project
If we remember, 2007 was a year that the North European companies like "IKEA", or "H&M" began to operate in Japan. So, Northern Europe was a kind of trend at that time.
But the boom was ended, and the business situation was not like before. So, the mother project "Flower label" was decided to be closed in 2018.
Accordingly, the activity of "Vanilla Beans" also came to an end at the same time.
Recent
Now, Rena joined a new office, and has started a new life possibly as MC.
Lisa was saying that she was wishing to travel abroad, and take longer holidays in there.
(Ref: Wikipedia-en, Vanilla Beans)
(Ref: Wikipedia-en, Vanilla Beans)🇯🇵
(Ref: rooftop.cc, Vanilla Beans interview)🇯🇵
(Ref: popnroll.tv, Vanilla Beans)🇯🇵
Video clip
Finally, this is a promotion video of their 8th single, "Muscat slope love", released in 2013.
It is a nice retro pop music in a fast "Ska" beat.
If you like, please listen.
By the way, this video clip is also a kind of "Spot the difference" puzzle.
There will be 12 different points between the initial picture and the last picture. If you like, please find all of them.
While we are watching the dance of the singers, the changes occur at almost unrecognizable slow speed on the picture. So, spotting them are not very easy.
If you like, please.
* "Muscat slope love" by "Vanilla Beans"
Music Samples
2
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Amazon JP(en)
recochoku.jp
Apple Music(jp)
2
Japanese Letters
| Song Title | サカサカサーカス(Saka-saka circus) |
|---|---|
| Artist | バニラビーンズ (Vanilla Beans) |
| Album Title | バニラビーンズ (Vanilla Beans) |
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