Hikaru Genji -- Glass no Juu-dai （ガラスの十代）

Hey, calling all you Arashi and SMAP fans out there! Come and meet the grandparents. I can bet you some of my old clubmates from U of T will start screaming like little girls again if they catch this video of Moroboshi-kun skating around in his headband. As I probably have mentioned on my first profile of Hikaru Genji（光GENJI), these guys were a fixture on shows like "The Best Ten". A dozen skinny boys gliding around on roller skates and wearing roller disco clothes....yes, indeed, it was the late 80s!

I did say that I thought that "Paradise Ginga"（パラダイス銀河....Paradise Galaxy） was the song that I would always link with the group, but this one, "Glass no Juu-dai"(Glass Teens), was another tune by the boys that will always remain eternally part of the Hikaru Genji oeuvre. I hadn't listened to this one for a long, long time but when I did, I started remembering that this song was just as highlighted on those music shows as "Paradise Ginga" was. Like that song, "Glass no Juu-dai" was also created by Ryo Aska（飛鳥涼） of Chage & Aska fame. I can never imagine Aska ever singing a cover of this song, since it's so connected to this Johnny's Entertainment unit.

As much as I enjoy listening to "Paradise Ginga", listening to "Glass no Juu-dai", I think it has also got a pretty neat hook. I don't think Aska meant to do it, but it almost sounds a bit Russian in the melody for some reason.

Released in November 1987, Hikaru Genji's 2nd single soared up the charts to hit the top spot where it stayed for 6 straight weeks. It would become the 2nd-ranked single for 1988, just behind "Paradise Ginga". 1988 was definitely a good year for roller-skating kids.