Welcome back, folks, to part two of my exploration through the neglected realm of old Japanese pop! After having been distracted by a brief venture into 1980’s freestyle music, I’m back this month with yet another discovery on 7″.

Sakakibara Ikue had just turned 21 when she released her 18th single, “Yume Miru My Boy” (which roughly translates into “My Dream Boy”). However, by the way she was smiling on the cover, I thought that she looked like a 13 year old whose braces had just been removed. Plus, her tomboy haircut and the little string of pearls draped around the collar of her prim and proper blouse only added to that impression. Upon first listen, the song certainly seemed to live up to such an image, with lyrics like “My boy my special boy, I want you, hold me, hold me” (roughly translated, again). Upon further listens though, there’s a definitely more mature thread of lyrics, as Sakakibara sings out, “Your love hurts, like I’m being ridiculed” and “I wake up and immediately it’s lonely, by myself here in bed.”

Even though the lyrics aren’t necessarily the most innocent, the ridiculous 50’s rock & roll cum 80’s theme-song vibe of the music is about as bubblegum as you can get! The song starts out with some little rubber zoomy sounds and a tom-heavy drumbeat, then launches into the main hook of the song which combines a triumphant guitar lead with a cheesy, synthy sax. Little oohs and ahs back up Sakakibara’s surprisingly nice, if non-descript, voice. The B-side, “Koi no Chance Maker,” could be described very similarly, sans the awesomeness of the soaring guitar hook. I seriously listened to “Yume Miru My Boy” a dozen times in a row just to hear that wailing a few more times.

All in all, not a bad discovery for a mere 52 yen! Thanks again to my favorite record store in Nagoya for old J-pop, Greatest Hits!