[Gentle & nostalgic]
No.236 "Natsukawa-Shiahō" by Rimi Natsukawa
Hi. The song we would like to introduce to you today is, "Natsukawa-Shiahō" ('Summer' River) by "Rimi Natsukawa".
This is a nostalgic mellow ballad, then slightly different from our regular line up.
But the song is relaxing and possibly heal your mind a bit. So, hopefully it would help everyone to say good-bye to summer, in this time of the year.
This healing calm ballad "Natsukawa-Shiahō" was performed by a proficient pop singer "Rimi Natsukawa".
An extraordinary combination of her beautiful vocal and a magnificent & stately backing music, remind us a gentle flow of a grate river in Asia, as suggested in the song title. ("Shiahō")
"Shiahō" (夏河)
"Shiahō" (夏河), or "Dàxià hé" (大夏河), or the "Daxia River" is the name of a tributary of the Yellow River.
It flows in southern Gansu Province in China's west.
We imagine the title of this song was almost certainly inspired from the surname of the singer's stage name, "Natsukawa" (夏川).
In Japanese, both [夏川] & [夏河] are pronounced the same as "Natsukawa", and the meaning of the words are also almost equal, namely "Summer river". ("河" is usually considered bigger in size though.)
And thanks to this coincidence, the creators might have conceived of the river in China.
Like a magnificently flowing great river, the lyrics and the melody of this song are also gentle, graceful, and glorious.
If you like, please listen to.
Links to the music shops, offering song samples, are located on the bottom of this page.
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Cover art today
Song data
| Title | Natsukawa-Shiahō('Summer' River) |
|---|---|
| Artist | Rimi Natsukawa |
| Album Title | Kaze no michi(The path of the wind) |
| Catalog Number | VICL-61480 |
| Track No. | 4 |
| Duration | 4:57 |
| Released | 2004 |
| Publisher | Victor |
| Lyricist | Yūho Iwasato |
| Composer | Liang Jianfeng |
| Arranger | Seiichi Kyōda |
About the creators
Yūho Iwasato Lyricist
"Yūho Iwasato" is a known lyricist, essayist, and formerly a singer active since 1980.
She has written quite a few lyrics for popular songs and anime songs to date, and a lot of them have been a well-known hit songs.
Our site has once briefly introduced the lyricist in our past posts,
So, if you like, please also have a look at them.
References
For more details on "Yūho Iwasato", please have a look at the references linked below.
-
(Ref: www.yuhoiwasato.com,
profile)🇯🇵
Liang Jianfeng Composer
"Liang Jianfeng" (梁剣峰) is a Chinese guitarist, composer, and arranger active since 1987.
He is also known as a former sound director, and music producer of a Chinese instrumental group, "12 Girls Band" in some period in the past.
References
For more details on "Liang Jianfeng", please have a look at the references linked below.
Seiichi Kyōda Arranger
"Seiichi Kyōda" is a keyboardist, music programmer, composer, and arranger active since around the early '80s.
He is also known as a former member of "The dreamers", which is a backing band to a popular singer "Masamichi Sugi".
References
For more details on "Seiichi Kyōda", please have a look at the references linked below.
Song image & Lyrics
Open
Link to the lyrics
Some notes on the lyrics link
Sound impression
Nostalgic & glorious
This song seems to be a nostalgic & glorious vocal ballad in a serene slow rhythm.
Melodious & graceful
The twelve string acoustic guitar, cymbal, folk guitar, acoustic piano, electronic organ, strings, percussions, and grand harp begin a restful, glorious, and graceful introduction, and the main part starts.
And soon, "Rimi Natsukawa" begin to rein the song kingdom with her beautiful, overwhelming, and unstrained high-pitched voice when the main part starts.
In the bridge, the acoustic piano reveals a short, but melodious & impressive passage as a solo play.
Beautiful & healing voice
As you will soon experience, her singing is admirably artistic, and her voice is overwhelmingly dynamic, but silky, and beautiful.
And additionally, people often say that the voice of "Rimi Natsukawa" has an intriguing charm, and a great healing power.
We agree with that, and think those characteristic features of her voice has made her a special singer.
And we also suppose that a famed standard number "Nada Sōsō" became a national favourite song because of her marvelous singing.
Reference
About Google translate
About the artist
Rimi NatsukawaMiraculous healing voice
"Rimi Natsukawa" is a pop, folk, and "Enka" singer active since 1989.
She is regarded as one of the most popular Pop & folk singer from Okinawa, and her big hit song "Nada Sōsō" (Great Tears Are Spilling) is often praised as a soul music of Japan.
"Rimi Natsukawa" debuted in 1989 (as "Misato Hoshi" at that time) with a single, "Shiori" (Bookmark). Since then, 20 singles, and 17 original, 1 live, and 6 best albums have been released until now.
(Ref: Wikipedia-en, Rimi Natsukawa)
Early times
According to some references, "Rimi Natsukawa" was born in "Ishigaki-jima" Island in Okinawa Prefecture.
Just for your information,"Ishigaki-jima Island" is located only less than 300Km South-East of Taipei, and certainly, it is almost the southern end island of the Japanese Archipelago.
"Natsukawa" loved singing since she was small.
And she was already dreaming to be a singer when she would have been grown up.
Surprisingly, "Natsukawa" won first place at a local singing contest when she was seven years old.
The father of "Rimi Natsukawa" was amazed too by this excellent result that his daughter achieved, and decided to teach singing to her as much as he can.
Because, he was also an expert of "Min'yō" singing, and was about to start a professional career when he was young.
Since this time to the day that "Rimi" became fourteen, her father gave lessons, mostly "Enka" singing though, to her almost everyday.
And in parallel, "Rimi Natsukawa" entered many amateur singing contests in all over Japan, and achieved sweeping victory in most of the competitions, including a famous, nation wide amateur singing contest "Shirouto Meijin-kai" (Master of Amateurs Championship) TV variety show.
In 1986, when "Natsukawa" was fourteen, she finally entered a prestigious amateur singing contest "Nagasaki Ongaku-sai" (Nagasaki Music festival), of which the most of winners were offered to debut as professional singers.
And as hard as it is to believe, she became a champion at the youngest age in its history.
"Natsukawa" was soon scouted by a reputed first class talent agency. She then moved to Tokyo, and started a vocal training and new life in capital city.
And in 1989, "Natsukawa" eventually debuted as an "Enka" singer "Misato Hoshi" with her debut single "Shiori", when she was 16 years old.
Tough time
"Natsukawa" or "Misato Hoshi" soon attracted attention mainly from professionals in music industry, because of her incredibly skilful singing and unparalleled beautiful voice.
In fact a master singer like "Ichirō Fujiyama", who was one of the most revered & much-loved popular song vocalists, praised her saying, "She is really a special singer. We might able to see, or find such an exceptional singer only once in every 40 years...".
In this way, "Natsukawa"'s talent as a singer had been highly appreciated from professionals.
But contrary to our expectations, "Natsukawa" or "Misato Hoshi" did not get off to a splendid start as an "Enka" singer.
The debut single "Misato Hoshi" released in 1989 could not achieve the sales they expected.
So, she released a second single soon in 1990.
However, the new single could not become a hit song either.
"Misato Hoshi" & team continued an effort for years, but could not achieved a break through.
And after struggling seven years in Tokyo, "Natsukawa" or "Misato Hoshi" gave up singing for now in 1996.
Unseasonable
Honestly, we reckon the timing of her debut was not really right.
Because in 1989, Japan was in the midst of so called "Bubble" economy, and the country was in a festive atmosphere.
So, we imagine the "Enka" songs like she sang could not enjoy popularity.
In addition to that, the "Enka" category was in a prolonged down trend since the '80s, because the main listeners of "Enka" were middle to senior citizens of that time.
So, we imagine those social backgrounds of that period might gave her a testing time.
Reboot
After exiting Tokyo, "Natsukawa" came back to "Okinawa".
Understandably, she did not head to her home island "Ishigaki" because it was so embarrassing. But she settled in main island of Okinawa where her elder sister was running a restaurant.
And began to help her sister's saloon.
At the restaurant, "Natsukawa" often had opportunities to sing in front of the customers, and she gradually, and steadily gained popularity.
And in 1998, she became an assistant radio personality at a local radio station, "Ryukyu Broadcasting".
Around the same time, a former manager of "Natsukawa", who supported her when she was in Tokyo, became independent, and set up a new talent agency, and began to run by himself.
Soon, he called "Natsukawa" and suggested her to begin as a singer again.
"Natsukawa" agreed to him. And in 1999, she resumed her g career as a singer, with her second debut single "Yūbae-ni yurete" (Wavering in the setting sun) under new stage name "Rimi Natsukawa".
The songs like she sings do not usually get en explosive popularity. So, the quiet is just normal.
But "Natsukawa" was gaining popularity little by little in Okinawa.
And in 2000, "Natsukawa" released her second single, "Hana-ni naru" (To be a flower).
Luckily, this song was selected as a quarterly song for a music program of NHK radio. And "Natsukawa" received a certain response through this song.
"Nada Sōsō" & success
Then, one day in the year 2000, "Natsukawa" came across to a really impressive nice song when she was watching a TV.
That was "Nada Sōsō" which later became a super hit song, and began to be called as a soul music of Japan.
Although it was the first time for her to listen to this song, "Natsukawa" soon understood that the song was written by an Okinawan acoustic pop group "BEGIN" & a big name singer-songwriter "Ryōko Moriyama" as a result of their collaboration.
"Natsukawa" had been really impressed & inspired by this song. And she was hoping to cover this song at any means.
"Natsukawa" began to contact with them to get permission to cover from them.
At first, the both artists said "No" very politely, since they also had released it as their song short time ago.
And in reality, "Natsukawa" was a little too unknown as a singer at this point, to ask such a bold request to them.
But the members of "BEGIN" were kind enough. They offered to write a new song for her if she was happy to. And indeed did it.
She appreciated a kindness shown from the band. However, "Natsukawa"'s passion for singing "Nada Sōsō" was unwavering, and continued to send appeals for a permission.
The creators finally accepted her wish, and allowed her to cover their song.
And in 2001, she finally released this song as the 3rd single of "Rimi Natsukawa".
Sleeper hit
It was a slight different feeling compared with the former releases.
"Natsukawa" was getting a clear, and enthusiastic response in this time.
At one of the biggest record shop in Okinawa, this song of "Natsukawa" was ranked the second after only a week from launch.
A local radio station began to receive request for this song more and more, and "Natsukawa"'s "Nada Sōsō" topped the charts of all three radio stations in Okinawa in 2001.
The song was gradually getting popular among the fans in other places of Japan as well.
As usual for the nostalgic, idyllic, and folky slow ballads like this, they would not experience an explosive popularity.
But since around 2002, "Natsukawa"'s "Nada Sōsō" began to be ranked in top hundred in "Original confidence" national & weekly hit chart.
Eventually, "Nada Sōsō" appeared 157 times on the top hundred of this weekly chart from 2001 to 2004. This record ranked third in the history of Japan's oldest hit chart.
This is telling that "Nada Sōsō" was a rare & genuine sleeper hit.
And without realizing it, "Nada Sōsō" had become one of the national song everyone knows. (And it is still so.)
In 2002, a prestigious annual New Year's Eve television special "NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen" (NHK Red and White Song Battle) produced & aired by NHK, selected and invited "Rimi Natsukawa" as one of the performer of the show.
For singers, performing on this special program is almost a proof of being a national class singer.
"Natsukawa" threw down an excellent performance, and she finally, and firmly established her name.
"Natsukawa" continued to be selected as a performer for this special program for five straight years until 2006.
And four times out of six (appeared also in 2011), she was asked to perform "Nada Sōsō".
This is explaining the impact of "Nada Sōsō" on the audience in Japan.
Since then, more than 30 singers have covered this song, but the most of them were released in Asia-Pacific region though.
Perhaps because, the song has a typical nostalgic melody preferred mainly in this area of the world.
As a singer from Okinawa
In March 2002, "Natsukawa" released her first mini album, "Nada SōsōMinamikaze" (South Wind) which contained her signature hit song, "Nada Sōsō".
And in September 2002, long-waited her first full-album, or debut album. "Tiida - Tiida, Kaji-nu umui" (The sun, The spirit of the wind) was auspiciously launched.
The songs in these two albums were mainly go into these categories, namely,
- Modishly arranged Okinawan traditional Min'yo folk songs
- Covers of modern Pop ballads with typical Okinawan melody
- Newly written & slightly polished original Pop songs, and ballads
And good or bad, this combination became a basic formula of her albums, and has been understood as her music style.
In fact, it is not necessary for Pop singers from Okinawa to sing songs in Okinawa melody, though quite a few of us often unconsciously, and thoughtlessly expect them to do so.
But in case of "Natsukawa", she has excellent skill for Okinawa songs, because she was trained by her father, a tutor of Okinawan Min'yo folk song.
And more importantly, she is happy, and wishing to sing songs in unique Okinawa melody.
That maybe why we can listen to her songs of Okinawa really comfortably.
Recent
From then on, "Rimi Natsukawa" has released 26 singles (incl. online only single), eight original albums, and various compilation albums until now.
And during this period, "Natsukawa" further gained popularity not only in Japan but also from overseas.
As long as we know, "Natsukawa" is actively travelling all over Japan to deliver her songs to the audience live in there.
And seemingly, she has also occasionary been visiting overseas like, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore, or Brazil to hold concerts.
In 2022, "Natsukawa" launched her latest & the 10th original album, "Aitai - Kanasandou" (Wanna meet. I love you) from JVC.
References
For more details about "Rimi Natsukawa", please have a look at the references linked below.
-
(Ref: https://www.rimirimi.jp,
profile)🇯🇵
Video clip
Lastly, we would like to introduce a music clip of today's song "Natsukawa-Shiahō".
Fortunately, the music video has been uploaded by the copyright holder on behalf of "Rimi Natsukawa".
So, please enjoy listening.
And after all, we cannot skip her signature hit song "Nada Sōsō" if we introduce "Rimi Natsukawa".
This song is not a modern & stylish light & mellow like we are bringing up often.
But the melody of this song conveys a feeling of relaxing fairly common in Asia, and we have imagined the listeners might pick up some inspiration from the song.
Anyway, if you like, please listen to.
Music Samples
4
(試聴する)
AD: Listening samples (Free)
Amazon JP(en)
recochoku.jp
music.apple.com (Track No.4)
Japanese Letters
| Song Title | 夏河 ～ シアホー(Natsukawa-Shiahō) |
|---|---|
| Artist | 夏川りみ(Rimi Natsukawa) |
| Album Title | 風の道(Kaze no michi) |
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