＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
Lately, whenever I watched the news or information programs, all I could think about was “COVID-19” and “heavy rain,” which was making me feel suffocated. Then, I happened upon a three-hour special produced by BS TV Tokyo, “The Brilliance of Showa-Era Pop! Seven Legendary Writers Who Weaved Memories” (July 7, 2020, 7:00 PM – 9:49 PM), and I couldn’t help but watch it all the way through.
This program featured seven “legendary writers” from among the leading composers and lyricists of the Showa-Era pop music scene, and introduced the surprising anecdotes behind the creation of their masterpieces along with nostalgic hits. The seven writers were Masao Koga, Minoru Endo, Shosuke Ichikawa, Toru Funamura, and Takashi Miki (all composers), and Tetsuro Hoshino and Yu Aku (all lyricists).
This led me to once again question: “When listening to music, which is more important: lyrics (lyricist) or melody (composer)?” and “How important is the singer?”
Are you the type who starts with the melody? Or are you the type who starts with the lyrics? And how much influence do you think the singer’s skill has?
1. The power of the lyrics (lyricist)
Tetsuro Hoshino (1925-2010) wrote the lyrics for songs such as “Midaregami” (Hibari Misora ), “Otoko wa Tsurai yo” (It’s Tough Being a Man) (Kiyoshi Atsumi ), “Kyodai Bune” (Ichiro Toba ), and “Ippon Dokko no Uta” ( Kiyoko Suizenji), as well as many other songs by Saburo Kitajima , including “Namida Bune” (Tearful Boat), “Kyodai Jingi” (Brotherhood), “Hakodate no Onna” (Woman of Hakodate), and “Husetsu Nagare Tabi” (Wind and Snow Flowing Journey).
He had always dreamed of becoming a crew member on a deep-sea fishing vessel, but had to give up due to kidney tuberculosis. During his battle with the disease, he began submitting his songs to pop fanzines, and eventually became a professional lyricist.
Yu Aku (1937-2007) wrote a wide variety of lyrics tailored to each singer, including “Until We Meet Again” (Kiyohiko Ozaki), “From a Northern Inn” (Harumi Miyako), “A Love in the Rain” (Aki Yashiro), “A Message for Johnny” (Pedro & Capricious), “Adolescence” (Hiromi Iwasaki), “Passionate Heart” (Akira Kobayashi), “If I Could Play the Piano” (Toshiyuki Nishida), and “Behind the Times” (Eigo Kawashima).
In collaboration with composer Kyohei Tsutsumi, he wrote lyrics for many of Hiromi Iwasaki’s songs, and in collaboration with composer Shunichi Tokura, he also wrote lyrics for many of Pink Lady’s songs, which rank highly in terms of single sales.
According to Oricon, he is second only to Yasushi Akimoto in terms of total single sales of all time by lyricists.
After graduating from university, he joined an advertising agency, where he worked as a copywriter and commercial producer, while also working as a television writer. He then became a lyricist, and apparently he writes lyrics after deciding on the title.
2. The power of melody (composer)
Masao Koga (1904-1978) created the “Koga Melodies” from the memories of his impoverished childhood. In collaboration with singer Ichiro Fujiyama, he composed such classics as “Yearning for the Shadow,” “Tokyo Rhapsody,” “Going Beyond the Hill,” and “Sake wa Namida ka Tameiki ka (Is Sake Tears or Sighs?).” The only song he wrote the lyrics for was “Yearning for the Shadow,” which was based on his own experience of heartbreak.
Minoru Endo (1932-2008) nurtured many singers, including Kazuo Funaki, Masao Sen, and Masako Mori. He grew up poor and relied solely on music to support himself. He moved to Tokyo at the age of 17 and worked as a traveling enka singer. He taught himself how to compose, and achieved fame with youthful songs such as “Koukou Sannensei,” “School Trip,” and “Gakuen Hiroba,” which he wrote for Kazuo Funaki. It seems he had no experience of school life.
Shosuke Ichikawa (1933-2006) lost both his parents at an early age, and after graduating from high school, he moved to Tokyo with the aim of becoming a singer. While working as an assistant to a popular singer, he mastered composition and piano. He wrote songs such as “Anko Tsubaki wa Koi no Hana,” “Namida no Renrakusen,” “Osaka Shigure,” and “Suki ni Natta Hito” for Harumi Miyako, and perfected the “Harumi Style.”
Toru Funamura (1932-2017) composed melodies of large-scale human dramas, inspired by the natural beauty of his hometown, Nikko. His motto was “Songs should be sung from the heart,” and he wrote many songs for Hibari Misora, including “Midaregami,” “Hibari’s Sado Love Story,” “Aishuu Hatoba,” and “Shamisen Sailor.”
Takashi Miki (1945-2009) aspired to be a singer in his mid-teens, but later transitioned to being a composer. He produced a plethora of hits across a variety of genres, including pop, enka, musicals, and anime songs. He composed Teresa Teng’s trilogy “Atonement,” “Lover,” and “Leave it to the Flow,” which symbolized her comeback in Japan, and also composed “Premonition of Separation.”
3. Comparing the Importance of Lyrics and Melody
When asked, “Which is more important, lyrics or melody?” I believe melody is more important. Of course, some people naturally feel that lyrics are more important.
Doi Bansui’s “Kojo no Tsuki” became known as a beloved classic thanks to Taki Rentaro’s composition, and elementary school songs such as “Furusato” (Hometown), “Haru no Ogawa” (Stream in Spring), “Hazy Moonlit Night,” “Momiji” (Autumn Leaves), and “Spring Has Come” (Spring Has Come), with lyrics by Takano Tatsuyuki, only became beloved songs that could be called “songs of the Japanese heart” and are hummed by many Japanese people thanks to the compositions of Okano Teiichi.
Songs by the Beatles and the Carpenters are also pop songs that many Japanese people hum, even though many people probably don’t know the exact meaning of the lyrics.
British folk songs such as “Hanyu no Yado” (English folk song: Home! Sweet Home!), “Niwa no Chigusa” (Irish folk song: The Last Rose of Summer), “Hotaru no Hikari” (Scottish folk song: Auld Lang Syne), and “Kokyo no Sora” (Scottish folk song: Comin’ Thro’ the Rye) were also taught in music classes at school with Japanese lyrics, making them beloved songs shared by both Japanese and British people.
As an aside, the lyrics of the original version of “Kokyo no Sora,” “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye,” are a playful song: “When two people meet in a field of rye, they will surely kiss. There is nothing to lament. Everyone falls in love…” The parody version, “Someone and Someone,” written by Nakanishi Rei and sung by The Drifters, is closer to the original lyrics.
With the rise of singer-songwriters these days, it may be a “dry period” for professional lyricists and composers.
Songs like Shinji Tanimura’s “Subaru” and Yosui Inoue’s “Shounen Jidai” are difficult to interpret in parts, but they certainly have a storyline and enjoyable melodies. However, it seems to me that the lyrics of many singer-songwriters these days are often thin and incomprehensible.
Considering these things, it seems that the power of the melody (composer) is greater.
Of course, in addition to the power of the composer and lyricist, I also believe that the power of the singer is great. No matter how “good a singer” someone is, there are some singers who “can only sing songs that don’t touch the heart.” In that respect, the songs of Hibari Misora and Teresa Teng really do resonate.
No matter how good the lyrics and melody are, without the singer’s talent, the song won’t be a hit and won’t stay in people’s hearts.
“Machibuse” was written and composed by Yumi Matsutoya and initially sung by Seiko Miki, but it was a flop. However, when Hitomi Ishikawa covered the song, it became her biggest hit.
“Nagori Yuki” was originally a song by ” Kaguya hime,” with lyrics and music by Shozo Ise , but when Iruka covered it, it became her biggest hit.
There were also many great duos between lyricists/composers and singers, such as lyricists Tetsuro Hoshino and Saburo Kitajima, Yu Aku and Hiromi Iwasaki , composers Masao Koga and Ichiro Fujiyama , Minoru Endo and Kazuo Funaki , Shosuke Ichikawa and Harumi Miyako , Toru Funamura and Hibari Misora , and Takashi Miki and Teresa Teng.