Ginza Kankan Musume - Hideko Takamine & Live Houses

[m_nakamura]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azfZI9Kxj4s

This is a Ryukoka standard, Ryukoka being the term for big band pop music from before 1960 in Japan. It was used in the 1949 film, Ginza Kankan Musume, which is about a girl navigating through post-war Japan and new society.

It became extremely popular and was one of the first non traditional type of songs to become so.

It's still covered today a lot, mostly at live houses, which are big city underground music venues. I played Ginza Kankan Musume on acoustic guitar with my friend for our end-of-elementary school festival.

Ginza Kankan Musume was Takamine's only song, as she was an actress, with Ginza Kankan Musume being produced only to promote the movie, it ironically became more famous than the movie itself.

[JerryVan]

I can't understand a word of it, but I like it. Thanks!

[OrthoFan]

Oh my god! I used to have that record!

It came with a bunch of 78s that were part of my great aunt's estate--her son was stationed in Japan right after world war II and he probably acquired them there. The record broke shortly after I got it--my carelessness. (I was 8 years old at the time.) This is the first time I've heard that record in 60 years!!!

Thank you for posting this!

OrthoFan

[m_nakamura]

Of course!!