Terry Ito Column Vol. 89: This is the setting for that hit song

Back when I was hosting a show on Nippon Broadcasting System, we had a lot of fun with this project. A book titled "Kayō G-Men: This is the Stage for Those Hit Songs!" (written by Terry Ito) was published by Takarajimasha and became quite a topic of conversation. I reread it recently and found it incredibly entertaining, so I'd like to share some of it.

First, in Hiromi Ota's "Cotton Handkerchief," where does the train heading east go from and to? The answer is from Hakata to Tokyo. When we asked lyricist Takashi Matsumoto, he said that he imagined it because his director was from Hakata. Who is Mary Jane in Hiro Tsunoda's "Mary Jane"? At the time, Hiro Tsunoda had a crush on a girl. She was a foreign student visiting Japan and her name was Margaret. He worked hard to write the song hoping to convey his feelings to her, but by the time the song was finished, she was dating another man. In the end, he never got to hear it. Next is Norihiko Hashida and Climax's "The Bride." Where did the bride go on the night train? Her destination was Kyoto. We asked Norihiko Hashida. He said that he was so busy at the time that he couldn't see his girlfriend often, so she came to see him at his performances in Nagoya, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka. The song is said to be based on a bittersweet memory of Osamu Kitayama, who knew that his girlfriend would stay with him until late at night and then take a train back to Kyoto around 3 AM, and was heartbroken by this. Where was Billy Banban's "Shiroi Buranko" (White Swing) located? It was in the garden of lyricist Kuninosuke Hamaguchi's home in Daikanyama. Billy Banban (the Sugawara brothers) were disciples of Kuninosuke Hamaguchi, and before their debut, the brothers would both go to his home in Sarugakucho, Daikanyama. There was a stylish white swing there. One autumn evening, the younger brother, Susumu, sat on the swing and played his newly purchased guitar, creating this song for the first time. At the time, he only knew chords like C, A minor, D minor, and G7. Thanks to that, he was able to create a simple and beautiful song. Where was the inn in Takuro Yoshida's "Tabi no Yado" (Traveler's Inn)? It was the Tsuta Onsen Ryokan in Towada-ko Town, Kamikita District, Aomori Prefecture. According to lyricist Osamu Okamoto, the song became a hit in 1972, the year of the Sapporo Olympics, but he had gotten married a little before that and was on his honeymoon at Tsuta Onsen in Aomori. In other words, "the girl in the yukata" was Okamoto's new wife. The line "first quarter moon" is apparently because his wife, who loved to look at the stars, taught him about it while gazing at the night sky. Isn't that a lovely story?

That's right, great songs are born from unexpected circumstances. What a wonderful era we live in. Nowadays, whether you're on a train or checking into a hotel, the first thing you tend to do is fiddle with your smartphone. Even when you see the stars and moon shining in the night sky, your mind immediately goes to taking pictures. What do you think of this? It's worrying, isn't it?

Terry Ito (director)

Born in Tsukiji, Tokyo in 1949. After attending Waseda Jitsugyo Junior and Senior High School, he graduated from Nihon University's School of Economics.
In March 2023, he completed the Master's program at the Graduate School of Media and Governance at Keio University.
He joined the television production company IVS Television, where he worked on variety shows such as "Tensai Takeshi's Genki ga Deru TV" and "Neruton Benikujidan."
He then went independent and worked on planning and directing a number of television programs, including TV Tokyo's "Asakusabashi Young Clothing Store."
His book "Comedy North Korea" became a bestseller, and he subsequently made numerous media appearances under the name Terry Ito.
In addition to his work as a director, he is also active in a variety of fields as a producer, entertainer, and commentator.
YouTube channelTerry Ito's Comedy Backdrop'
Currently writing a column in LALALA USA
https://lalalausa.com/archives/category/column/terry