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Japan’s kids songs sometimes has a tendency to become huge pop culture hits. Last year’s Tarako advertisement song is kind of one of them (it features kids, after all), and today’s Song of the Day is another one. In 1999, I heard this on Hong Kong radio after it exploded in Japan, and I’ve loved it ever since. It’s “Dango San Kyoudai” (3 Dango Brothers)
A Dango is a popular type of Japanese sweets usually served on a stick.
Today’s Song of the Day is a delayed choice, since I already wrote about Kekkon Dekinai Otoko last week. You guessed it, from Every Little Thing’s album Crispy Park, it’s “Suimi”
The Golden Rock is taking a extended weekend break as he goes out of town to see a few of his friends graduate. We might be back with a post on late Sunday (and I suspect my RSS reader will provide quite a bit to read), but we’ll be back on Monday for sure. Try and miss us a lot, now.
I heard today’s song of the day while listening to a Hong Kong radio program at the gym. I honestly have no idea why I chose it, I just thought it’s kind of cute, despite it’s some guy trying to seduce a younger girl. From the soundtrack and the film The Sound of Music, it’s “Sixteen Going on Seventeen.”
Since it’s kind of a joke song, I might as well present the creepiest version that exists.
Today’s song was featured on the final episode of The Sopranos, which I did not watch (I only watch them on DVD). Instead, the most memorable use of this song for me was in the ending of the film Monster. Yes, I know people called Journey “the most generic band ever,” but it’s that lack of cultural context that makes this song work for me. From the 1981 album Escape, it’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
It’s the only video with the CD recording, so just try and ignore it and just listen to the music.
Today’s choice is back to the old school, as I dig up a single from my mother’s favorite pop group Anzen Chitai (Safety Zone). From 1986, and available on probably every Anzen Chitai compilation, including this one, it’s “Sukisa” (I love you!…the sa is the exclamation mark).
There’s no MTV of it anywhere, so here’s this kick-ass live version instead.
Today’s song needs a whole lot of explaining. In Chinese, the song’s name is 潛龍勿用, which literally translates to “Don’t Use the Hidden Dragon.” The phrase itself refers to a person’s hidden talent or power. Like a dragon hiding underground, a person shouldn’t show his/her hidden power when the time isn’t right just because of ambitions. Basically, it probably means, in more casual terms, not to be so eager to show your strength when the time isn’t right. The best explanation I’ve found (in Chinese) is here, so let me know if I got anything wrong.
In this song’s context (thanks to this explanation in Chinese), it can be said the song is written from the perspective of a very jealous man to his beautiful and unfaithful lover. The man is telling her that just because she’s beautiful doesn’t mean she has to share that beauty with the world (hidden strengths at the wrong time). It took me several years to understand it.
From Nicholas Tse’s album Jade Butterfly (which I still believe to be the peak of his musical career), it’s “Don’t Use the Hidden Dragon.”
Today’s song of the day goes back to hip-hop, which I hadn’t chosen much throughout this blog (I guess Paul Wong and LMF are kind of hip-hop). If you can ignore the Kanye West “Go go go go go” rap in the chorus, its music is even smoother than the lyrics. From the album “Be,” it’s Common’s “Go.”
Sorry, I can only find the censored version on Youtube.
In the previous entry, I posted a link to Japanese artist Ayaka’s first official singles release. Today’s song of the day is an unofficial release because it was originally done for a television show a year before it was officially released. I chose this over I Believe because I can kind of connect with the lyrics for this song (and that’s more than what I’m usually willing to tell). From her first album “First Message,” it’s Ayaka’s “Mikazuki“
Today’s song is a bit angry, and it’s also filled with Cantonese cuss words. That means if you work in a Cantonese-speaking environment, this song isn’t work-safe. From Paul Wong’s first solo album Yellow Paul Wong, it’s “Hong Kong For Sure,” featuring rap group LMF. With a title like that, you’d expect them to be less angry. They’re not.
Today’s song of the day is an obvious choice - I already linked it in today’s post. From the 1975 album “A Night at the Opera,” it’s one of the greatest rock epics ever. It’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
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