Song of the Week #4

Artist: Maki Asakawa (浅川マキ)
Title: Watashi ga shofu ni natta nara (私が娼婦になったなら)
Genre: Jazz





Maki Asakawa might be the Japanese equivalent of Janis Joplin, but with a more pleasant voice. I found out about this awesome artist over at /r/JapaneseMusic, which is a great place to browse if you're new to Japanese music (like I still am) and want to discover new artists and genres.

The song is just cool. I don't know any other way to describe it. The slightly dark, jazzy style is carried over into her other work (see the links below). According to Wikipedia, Maki Asakawa had her start singing on American military bases in the late sixties, which explains a lot about her style.

I love listening music from other generations because it can tell you a lot about the culture and social atmosphere at the time.

The title of this song in English is "If I become a prostitute..." which makes sense, having been written around 1970. The Japanese post-war economy hadn't quite entered into the "bubble" phase yet, and being an artist in an experimental genre like Asakawa wasn't exactly a solid career choice.

Thankfully her music took hold and she continued to produce and perform for almost 40 years, leaving behind a veritable discography with some awesome and unique music!


More Maki Asakawa!!

Maki Asakawa - 花一匁　(Hana Ichi Monme)*
Maki Asakawa - 朝日のあたる家 (House of the Rising Sun)
Maki Asakawa - かもめ (Seagull)

*Hana Ichi Monme has no literal translation into English, as it is a children's game played in Japan.