When I first got into J-pop in late 1995, Zard’s 6th album “Forever You” was their latest record, and the single from it “Anata Wo Kanjiteitai” was the first song I ever heard from them. But it was their albums “Oh My Love” and “Yureru Omoi” that became the first albums I got into from them and subsequently bought because a co-worker made cassette copies of his CDs for me. Indeed, even today when I listen to Oh My Love I remember the feelings of wonder and excitement of getting into this mysterious new genre of JAPANESE music!
Eventually I would really get into ZARD and become an obsessive super-fan who had to have all their Albums and Singles. I liked all of their albums immensely, but this weekend when I was out doing my errands, I popped “Today Is Another Day” into my car deck, and was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by how much MEMORIES and SENTIMENTALITY was PACKED into each precious song!
From its opening track of the California Girls” tinged “My Friend” to “Sayonara wa Ima mo Kono Mune ni Imasu” and her FIELD OF VIEW penned hits “Kimi Ga Itakara” and “Totsuzen”, I was instantly taken back to the days of excitedly perusing the J-pop CD racks at Tower Records and skimming through the latest CD Data and JUNON Magazines!
I had no idea how much that album was the background soundtrack to my J-pop obsesssed life at the time, and by the time it got to the sweet, sweet “Kokoro wo Hiraite”and the perfect “Today is Another Day”, I was a bundle of sentimental mush…
As the album closed with its “Strawberry Fields Forever” mellotron flavored “Mitsumete Itai ne”, I realized why the album was so significant to me: It was the first ZARD album that was released when I was already J-pop and Zard fan. It was the first one I waited for impatiently for its release date, it was the one I grabbed upon release, and it was the one I played over and over and OVER again learning all the songs!
Funny, when I became a fan of ZARD, ALL their albums were faves, but taking a listen to it with fresh ears, I can hear how this one really stands out! I still cite “Oh My Love” as a huge fave and their masterpiece “Hold Me” is still probably my number one fave album from them, but damn, when it comes to sentimental feelings, “Today Is Another Day” can’t be touched!
As I’m embedding the videos here I’m listening to the songs and Kokoro wo Hiraite is once again making me misty-eyed and transporting me back to those happy early days of J-pop love!
Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com
