Credits

I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Hibari Misora -- Omae ni Horeta (おまえに惚れた)


Caught NHK's "Nodo Jiman"(のど自慢)earlier this afternoon and it looks like that bell ringer was in a pretty snotty mood. I don't think he gave the full ring of approval until almost halfway through the show, and it turned out to be for an elderly lady singing an old Hibari Misora(美空ひばり)chestnut.


It was indeed a fine rendition so I decided to look up this song "Omae ni Horeta" (I've Fallen For You) and was surprised to find out that it was created for the Grande Dame of Kayo Kyoku in 1980. Although I know that Misora sang right to the end of her days at the end of the 1980s, my impression was that most of her classic enka songs were from the 1960s. But this particular song has that certain grandness of some of those old hits such as "Yawara"(柔)and the male point of view but with the topic this time being the simple reaction of falling in love.


However, along with the grandeur, I also noticed an underlayer of gentleness in "Omae ni Horeta" as if the protagonist here wasn't exactly the youngest buck in the forest but an older and more courteous sort who's fallen in love with a lady who may be the proprietress of the local nomiya. There's not so much hormonally-fueled lust in the guy's eyes than there is a wistful interest in the lass.

Released in February 1980, the ballad was written by Takashi Taka(たかたかし)and composed by Koji Tokuhisa(徳久広司)who had tried his hand at singing for about a year in the mid-1970s before deciding making songs was more his forte. "Omae ni Horeta" ranked up there at No. 43 on Oricon.


I guess it has been that mixture of gusto and gentility that has made the song a favourite for enka singers since Misora's original version. Aya Shimazu(島津亜矢)has given it a fine go.


And so has Natsuko Godai(伍代夏子). I've also enjoyed the various versions for the fact that the singers have been given the chance to plumb the lower registers of their voices.

3 comments:

  1. Welcome back - and you hit a home run with this post. What a great song, and giving the multiple versions is something I really appreciate. I click through them (at work ;) to figure if it's performance - material - arrangement that gets to me. 2 out of 3 gets downloaded, 3 out of 3 the CD. And lots of "enka purple" ! I find I like Natsuko Godai's the best, but I love that deep female voice for enka anyway. And thanks for posting the "long" video - now I also need 河内おとこ節 . Onto the short list at Amazon japan ........

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    Replies
    1. Hi, T-cat.

      I appreciate the fact that you look at them even at work; and they aren't NSFW. :)

      I guess the popularity of the song among fellow singers lies with the richness of the arrangement and also the demand for a rich delivery.

      BTW, how is Amazon Japan in terms of processing? I've dealt with them in the past and I always have to end up aborting the purchases because of some security issues between Japan and my credit card.

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    2. Hi J-C: every morning I open the office, turn on the iPad, put on the phones and check what you uploaded while I boot up, log in, answer mail and IMs at work. Since it's a solo office feel free to post NSFW vids ;)
      I've had no complaints re: Amazon.jp. The first time I used them there was a rejection; I contacted my credit card company (I only use one card for international orders) and they cleared the flag. They said a lot of times a vendor will submit a small (like a cent) charge for a new customer, to check if a card works. However a small charge like that can flag on the card end and they'll reject it (since it might be some scammer testing the waters). My advice is talk to your card company prior to an order and clear the card you're going to register with. As for Amazon.jp nothing but good; except a number of items will not ship to US. However, I have to say I once used them for a purchase thru a reseller: the Onyanko single-record reprint box ( 126 CDs ). It came in 3 days for $11 shipping ?! It had to have been some special offer, but they use DHL to the US and they've been quite good.

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