"Sukiyaki" by A Taste of Honey

     Hello friends! Thanks for tuning into Kyle’s Radio Dial, the blog that reawakens your musical memories! Today, we turn our spotlight to an early ‘80s smooth R&B classic, itself a cover of an early ‘60s pop hit, which has inspired various future recordings beyond what the original authors intended. Get a glass of sake, settle into something comfy, and listen to A Taste of Honey and “Sukiyaki”. (hey... that rhymes rather nicely!)

 

“It’s all because of you… I’m feeling sad and blue…

You went away… now my life is just a rainy day…”

 

“Sukiyaki”, known in Japan as “Ue Wo Muite Aruko” (translating to “I Look Up As I Walk”), has enjoyed several U.S. top 10 versions. There’s the iconic original by Kyu Sakamoto, which topped the U.S. Hot 100 in 1963, and remains the only Japanese language song to have achieved such a feat on the U.S. charts. In 1994, R&B group 4 P.M. released a soulful rendition of the track, peaking at #8 on the Hot 100 in that year. But the version the Dial is spotlighting today is the early ‘80s hit cover by California based disco act A Taste of Honey.

 

Interestingly, A Taste of Honey’s cover bears a strong influence from traditional Japanese music due to band-member Hazel Payne’s playing of the koto, a traditional Japanese stringed instrument. By contrast, Sakamoto’s original drew its influences from American pop of the pre-British invasion era, and featured no instrumentation associated with The Far East.

 

“Untouchable memories… seem to keep haunting me…

Of love so true… that once turned all my gray skies blue...”

 

Released as a single in 1981, and reaching US #3 pop, US #1 R&B, and US #1 A/C, A Taste of Honey’s soulful reading of the track features  new lyrics which were not a translation of the Japanese originals. Instead the group’s vocalist Janice-Marie Johnson wrote new English words to fit the music, relating the story of a heartbroken woman pining for her former lover. The only Japanese word on the track is Janice’s whispered “Sayonara” which closes the song. It gets me every time… all the feels.

 

In order to clear the rewritten cover for inclusion on A Taste of Honey’s 1980 LP “Twice As Sweet”, the copyright holders of the original song stipulated that Johnson was not to receive songwriting credit or payment for her efforts.

 

No doubt the album sales of “Twice As Sweet” were largely driven by the success of the “Sukiyaki” single, (by far the biggest hit from the LP), so even if Janice wasn’t directly paid for her new English lyrics, you could argue that she indirectly was, since the LP probably wouldn’t have sold as well without the rewritten cover tune, resulting in a smaller paycheck for Janice overall.

 

“If only you were here… you’d wash away my tears…

The sun would shine… and once again, you’d be mine all mine…”

 

Then there’s the question as to if Johnson was able to get payment from groups that interpolated or sampled her lyrics in later recordings. Slick Rick’s 1985 hip hop classic “La Di Da Di” famously uses a verse of Janice’s lyrics, as does Snoop Dogg’s 1993 cover of the same tune. Other soul and hip hop artists including Salt N Pepa, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Mary J Blige, and Raphael Saadiq have interpolated portions of “Sukiyaki” in their own output as well, with Saadiq’s tune “Ask of You” having the greatest chart impact of this group, reaching US #19 pop and US #2 R&B in 1995. Unless I’m able to make contact with Janice directly, I doubt I’ll ever know for sure if she received any credit or royalties from these later recordings.

 

Typically, to accompany my reviews, I provide a link to the spotlighted song’s music video when available, but in this case, I’ve decided to provide footage of A Taste of Honey’s 1981 appearance on Soul Train. This lovely Japanese inspired performance of their classic hit is beautiful in any language, and let’s be honest here… Don Cornelius is just THAT SMOOTH. Enjoy… and, you’re welcome.

 

KYLE’S RADIO DIAL – The more you listen… the MORE you remember!

 

“But in reality… you and I will never be…

Cause you took your love away from me…

You took your love away from me…

Sayonara.”

 

"Love or Let Me Be Lonely" by Paul Davis

    Good morning, friends! Today, we point the Dial's receivers toward one of our favorite years to revisit, 1982, as we bring you Paul Davis' mellow hit "Love or Let Me Be Lonely".

“Oh, love… or let me be lonely… part time love I could find any day…”

Stalling at US pop #40, “Love…” was to be Davis’ final hot 100 entry, though it did reach as high as US #11 on the adult contemporary charts. It was the third and final single released from Paul’s 1981 Cool Night LP, as the smooth and romantic title track (US #11, AC #2), and the nostalgic “’65 Love Affair” (US #6, AC #5) preceded the release of “Love…”

 

A remake of a top 10 hit by The Friends of Distinction, the original was released in 1970, and featured a pop-soul arrangement very much in the style of The Fifth Dimension.

 

Davis’s 1982 cover accentuates the doo-wop style backing harmonies from the original, which might trick the unfamiliar listener into assuming that Paul is actually remaking a 1950’s pop song. He also slows the tempo a bit and changes the instrumentation toward a country informed soft rock sound, reducing the original’s sunny and poppy vibe, and revealing the lovelorn desperation behind the lyrics.

 

Despite its successes, Davis didn't appreciate the pure pop direction that his label Arista pushed him in with the Cool Night LP, so he declined to release any more albums of new material. Personally, I consider it a great album for fans of 80s pop and soft rock, and its hit tracks sound great alongside similar material of the era by the likes of Dan Fogelberg, Hall & Oates, Kenny Rogers, Alabama, Toto, and Ambrosia.

 

“So don’t defy… Mother Nature’s ways… make it a love… a love that’s here to stay.”

 

As the 80s rolled on, Paul made his mark in the country music field as a duet partner and songwriter with 1986’s “You’re Still New to Me” (with Marie Osmond) and 1988’s “I Won’t Take Less Than Your Love” (with Tanya Tucker and Paul Overstreet), both of which reached us #1 on the country singles chart. He also worked with Dan Seals, writing Dan’s country chart toppers “Meet Me In Montana” (’85), and “Bop” (’86), the latter of which just missed the top 40 at #41, and was spotlighted by our very own Radio Dial blog on October 7, 2013!

 

Years after the Cool Night LP had been deleted by Arista, I miraculously found a cassette copy of the album in a discount bin around 2002 at my local Meijer store. Yes, that late! It’s clear that the store was clearing out all of their remaining cassette tapes, and I normally wouldn’t have bothered to look, but I’m glad I did, as I snagged my own copy of this forgotten gem of 80s pop rock. I practically wore the tape out that summer too.

 

Sadly, Mr. Davis passed away one day after his 60th birthday, on April 22, 2008. We salute you, Paul, for the many classic tunes you gave us over the years, from your first hit “A Little Bit of Soap”, through “I Go Crazy” and “Sweet Life”, all the way up to your Cool Night singles, and your country contributions beyond. A hearty tip of the hat to you, sir, and much peace in the afterlife.

 

“I could live without love if I wanted to, in this lonely room…

But I don't want to so I leave it up to you to wash away my gloom."