MELODIES FOR A BUS RIDE

What would you rather do? Do you want to hurry off to Marin County and deal with entitled self-absorbed pricks all day? Or should you prefer to stay at home slurping tea, smoking Virginia flake in a trusty brier, and let the week glide gracefully to an end? The answer, naturally, is the latter.
But you are obliged to do the first.
Marinite dingoes it is.

It is sad.

A plaintive Enka song to mark the tragedy! Midori no Chiheisen. About which I know absolutely nothing at all, because I do not understand Japanese. But it sounds suitably regretful.


Over eighty years ago a movie was produced in Japan named 'Green Horizon', from a novel by Yokoyama Michiko (横山美智子). The theme song, of the same name as the film and the book, has been beloved by listeners ever since.

GREEN HORIZON SUNG BY KUSUNOKI SHIGEO

緑の地平線，楠木繁夫

[SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNpVyHWjv5w.]

[Other links, same singer (楠木繁夫): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO-QCw2l4GU">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO-QCw2l4GU, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNpVyHWjv5w.]

Kusunoki Shigeo (楠木繁夫), real name Kuroda Susuma (黒田進), was born in 1904, and passed away in 1956.

His rendition, over sixty years after his death, is still the most famous version. But it has been creditably covered by numerous other artists.


GREEN HORIZON SUNG BY ISHIKAWA SAYURI

緑の地平線，石川さゆり

[SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thjqQ6PTmIg.]

Ishikawa Sayuri (石川 さゆり), born in 1958, is originally named Ishikawa Masayo (石川 絹代). She's a popular singer of Enka ballads.



AFTERWORD

The peculiar (yet astute) reader might recall the Lake Biwa Elegy (琵琶湖哀歌 Biwako Aika) at this point. No, there is no thematic connection, and to the best of my knowledge neither of the two singers shown above have done a version of the song. It links to this for one reason only, and I have no intention of saying why that is, lest you think me a queer sort.

Consider it something to excite your curiosity.




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