My Showa Kayou 6 　Fugue of Love　　

Japanese Title "Koi no Fugue"

Listening again now in the Reiwa era,
I'm amazed by the eccentric
and innovative talent in the intro.

Once again, The Peanuts. The intro of 'Fugue of Love.'

Lyrics by Rei Nakanishi, music by Koichi Sugiyama, arrangement by Hiroshi Miyagawa. This arrangement was innovative at the time, but listening to it now, it’s even more surprising.

It's timpani! Timpani in a pop song from 1967.

When I was an elementary school student, I couldn't help but ask my family, 'What’s this bumpy sound?' But no one knew, lol.

A while later, when I entered junior high school and heard Beethoven’s 'Fate,' I learned that timpani was an orchestra instrument and thought it was quite a resonant drum.

When I went to music college, I was surprised to learn that timpani has pitch because I couldn’t hear it with my ears.

I became a junior high school music teacher and taught until retirement. For the last ten years, I was the advisor of the wind ensemble. This awakened my ears.

Now I can hear the intro of 'Fugue of Love' correctly!

Well, I’ve listened to several covers of this song. All by people with great singing abilities. But my heart didn't flutter. Why is that?

Then, I found it. A duo called W. I wasn’t a fan of idol songs. I wasn't really into groups like Morning Musume (although I conducted their songs many times in the wind ensemble).

But the singing of W = Double U perfectly fit my ears.

That’s when I realized, The Peanuts’ singing is idol singing!

The resonance of an idol’s voice is special. It mixes brightness, cheerfulness, and cuteness throughout the singing. Without this vocal quality, I can't be satisfied with a cover of The Peanuts.

If The Peanuts were the idol voices of the Showa era, W had the idol voices of the Heisei era. They’re not the same, but they both have that special quality.

I also listened to Yuki Koyanagi’s version. But it was too cool, too different. It turned into a different song.

Cover songs can surprise us by changing the atmosphere so much, but my love for Showa-era songs is so strong that this element is very important to me.

Mr. Miyagawa, at the age of 60, I finally can hear your intro correctly. It moved me as an elementary school student and now moves me even more.

Here’s to the talent, creativity, and ingenuity that supported Showa-era pop songs!


I cannot read or write in English.
This text has been translated by ChatGPT.
I haven't edited it, so there may be some strange parts.

【Reference Video】

【Japanese Version of the Article】