A collection of Showa-era classic song covers selected, performed, and entirely produced by Jun Togawa, a devoted lover of Showa music.
M-01 "Hoshi no Nagare ni" (original artist: Akiko Kikuchi, 1947). The album opens with the line “Hoshi no nagare ni mi wo uranatte,” followed by the striking phrase “Konna onna ni dare ga shita,”instantly setting the tone. The intentionally added scratch noise at the very beginning of M-01 and M-02 is also excellent. This work begins in a Japan immediately after the war, when traces of the devastation still remained.
M-02 "Tokyo no Hanauri Musume" (original artist: Haruo Oka, 1946). From Haruo Oka, known for "Akogare no Hawaii Koro," this song was chosen for the collection. There are multiple songs themed around different places under the “Hanauri Musume” motif: beginning with Shanghai, then Guangdong, Tokyo, Nagasaki, Dotonbori, and more, making this the third entry in the “Hanauri Musume” series. Like Namiki Michiko’s "Ringo no Uta," it is a beloved classic that brightened a desolate Japan shortly after the war. The lyrics vividly capture the atmosphere of the time, and that immediacy is irresistible.
M-03 "Akashia no Ame ga Yamu Toki" (original artist: Sachiko Nishida, 1960). The opening line “Akashia no ame ni utarete / kono mama shinde shimaitai” resonated strongly in its era, against the backdrop of the "Nichi-Bei Anpo Toso". It is also said that young people worn down by protest movements that failed to achieve results sympathized with Nishida’s cool voice and the song’s decadent lyrics. It became a million-seller in 1968, and is also known as a song loved by Shuji Terayama.
M-04 "Virgin Blues" (original artist: Akiyuki Nosaka; live recording: 1971 / album recording: 1972). A signature song by Nosaka, the writer and singer known for "Marilyn Monroe No Return" and "Kuro no Funauta." Director Toshio Fujita later adapted it into a film of the same title, in which Nosaka himself appears and performs the song. It is believed that Jun Togawa’s cover helped broaden the song’s recognition across generations and contributed to its reappraisal.
M-05 "Ribbon no Kishi" (original artist: Yoko Maekawa, 1971). From the opening theme of Osamu Tezuka’s TV anime "Ribbon no Kishi." The opening theme was instrumental from episodes 01 to 04, then became a vocal version with lyrics starting from episode 05; this release features a cover of that first lyrical version. Influenced by the Takarazuka Revue that Tezuka loved, the story depicts Princess Sapphire as someone who holds both a girl’s and a boy’s heart. Jun Togawa’s fragile voice, singing dreamy yet deeply meaningful lyrics, resonates in the listener’s heart.
M-06 "Yoru ga Akete" (original artist: Sumiko Sakamoto, 1971). A hit released as Sakamoto’s first work after moving to Sony, created by an all-star team: music by Kyohei Tsutsumi, lyrics by Rei Nakanishi, and produced by Masatoshi Sakai. The song incorporates elements of South American Andean folklore. The lyrics intentionally use hiragana for words such as “nukegara,” “tabako no kemuri,” “suigara,” “kuchibiru,” “onna,” and “hitori,” and the song is said to depict the melancholy of parting. In its folklore focus, it also calls to mind "Mumei," included in Jun Togawa’s unit Kyokuto Ian Shoka. Jun Togawa has said that she first awakened to folklore through Simon & Garfunkel’s "El Condor Pasa (If I Could)" and "Yoru ga Akete."
M-07 The single version of "Virgin Blues."
M-08 "Fukeba Tobu Yona Otoko Daga" (1968). The theme song of the film of the same name, composed by Naosumi Yamamoto. Jun Togawa wrote lyrics for the film’s instrumental theme and recorded it as a single. The film was directed by Yoji Yamada, with a script co-written by Azuma Morisaki (known for "Horeta Tsuyomi") and Yoji Yamada. During the scripting of this work, the plan for "Otoko wa Tsurai yo" was launched; a few months after the film’s June release, in autumn, Torajiro Kuruma was born. The protagonist, Saburo (Sabu) (Osami Nabe), is also said to represent the wandering period of a young Tora-san. While the title expresses human transience, the lyrics—set perfectly against the film’s world—serve as a moving ode to people living at the bottom, and they land with real force.
M-09 Vocal-less version of M-07.
M-10 Vocal-less version of M-08.
