Are you tired of hearing "Ashita ga Arusa"? This venerable kayokyoku pop classic (originally recorded by the late Kyu Sakamoto in 1963) has been revived not once, but twice so far this year. In mid-March, those wild and crazy guys from Osaka, the Ulfuls, released an upbeat, lighthearted cover. And, of course, as is their wont, they hammed it up for all they were worth in the accompanying video.
Less than two weeks later, re:japan -- a group comprising 11 "talents" from the Yoshimoto Kogyo production agency -- came out with its own version. A plodding, seemingly never-ending rendition, it was a hit regardless, proving once again that a lack of musical skills is not an impediment to success on the Japanese charts. How refreshingly democratic.
There seems to be a growing trend by Japanese recording artists to delve into the rich hogaku (domestic music) catalog for songs to cover. This is both good and bad. On the positive side, covers help educate younger music fans about J-pop's rich back catalog. On the negative side, there's a tendency to choose tried-and-true standards such as "Ashita ga Arusa" as cover material. Which is a pity, since there are so many great domestic songs that are crying out to be re-recorded.