Judy and Mary -- Classic (クラシック)

Y'know...I used to see the excerpt of the music video for this song all the time on shows like "Music Station" and "Countdown TV". And it was always the camera shot overlooking Judy & Mary's YUKI singing in that red gown.

The song is "Classic", Judy & Mary's 10th single from October 1996. Written by Tack & Yukky and composed by the band's guitarist, Takuya, it's got that nostalgic 90s melodic and twangy sound with YUKI's flowing high-pitched vocals. I guess in that way, Judy & Mary struck me as one of my musical memories of my early years in Japan during my Tokyo stint. And YUKI always reminded me of a poppier version of Bjork.

I'm glad to finally see the music video of "Classic" in its entirety. It turned out to be a "Star Wars"-like cantina scene with Judy & Mary making its farthest concert appearance, although I guess the round of indifference on that planet is what goes for applause.

Anyways, "Classic" peaked at No. 3 on Oricon. It was also a track on Judy and Mary's 4th album "The Power Source", released in March 1997. That album hit No. 1 on the charts and in fact became the 4th-ranked album of the year, selling over 2 million copies. And according to the J-Wiki article on the song, guitarist Takuya had originally created "Classic" as part of his own solo project, but YUKI really wanted to be the one to sing it so it became a Judy & Mary single. However, after the breakup of the band, Takuya has been able to perform at his own concerts now.