Favorite J-Pop Singles: Okada Yukiko / Kuchibiru Network

Okada Yukiko Kuchibiru Network

Back in the early 90’s Pony Canyon released these wonderful collections of 80’s hits, and through them I was introduced to a whole bunch of terrific J-pop Idols like Chiemi Hori, Yuki Saito, and a particular favorite of mine, a sweet and innocent-looking idol named Yukiko Okada.

The single of hers on that compilation was a genki tune called “Kuchibiru NETWORK”, and as I was at the time really getting into Seiko Matsuda, the similar sound of Seiko’s style and this girl’s really grabbed me, and I loved the song so much I ended up using it to close one of my J-pop mixes so I could listen to it every day! I would later find out that the Seiko overtones were more than just coincidence, as Yukiko was not only from the same company as her, but Seiko had actually written the tune! But at the time, all I knew was that it was a feel-good song that always put me in a good mood whenever I heard it!

This past week I’ve been getting into a nostalgic mood about the older j-pop hits in my collection (thanks in part to the Chisato Moritaka CD set!), and at some point, I really felt like listening to Yukiko Okada again! Earlier in the past year, I’d acquired a nice Yuuko Collection called ALL SONGS REQUEST from the awesome OLDIES BUT GOODIES site, and decided to bring it up and listen to it as I worked on my computer one night.

So I’m listening to her wonderful Greatest Hits collection, and basking in her sweet J-pop idol goodness and how awesome she is, when it hit me that I actually didn’t know too much about her, so I decided to go online and see what she was all about, and what she was up to nowadays; If I was lucky, I might even find a few good live performances of my favorite songs from her!

Well, I was to come upon some very, very sad news. I was to find that not only was Yukiko Okada no longer with us, she’d tragically committed suicide, just months after hitting Number One on the Oricon charts with my favorite song of hers, Kuchibiru Network. She'd been in the business for only a few years and her career was just starting to peak when she abruptly left us.

I cannot begin to tell you how upsetting this was for me!  One moment I was listening to her music and in such a happy and nostalgic mood, and  the next I was so SAD and heartbroken! I’m telling you, it was hard listening to the rest of the CD!  To think of how long I’ve loved her music and never knew. Was this a well-known thing? Going  to the web, I found this to be the case. Page after page of news documenting her fate. By the end, I was such a wreck, and feeling so sad and lonely! 

Thankfully, my wish of seeing videos and live performances of hers DID exist on youtube, and so I took solace in that, immersing myself in watching Yukiko in the good times of her life. Videos of her in PVs and fun Live Performances on Music Shows, though it was admittedly bittersweet watching these clips, by the end of the night, I was able to shake the sadness and enjoy those beloved songs once again. As they say, her music will always be with us, and within those songs is the bright and happy girl I want to remember her as!

Posted by zdorama @ zdoramaagain.blogspot.com