Yukari Ito - Pinky Love and the Brilliance of Showa Pop Music, 1960s-1970s

Yukari Ito - Pinky Love and the Brilliance of Showa Pop Music, 1960s-1970s

Born in Tokyo in 1947, Yukari Ito made her record debut in 1958 at the age of 11 with "Kwai River March," and emerged as a leader of Japanese pop music. At a time when television was becoming popular and urban culture was maturing, Yuto's clean, clear voice and repertoire that incorporated Western sensibilities won over a wide range of listeners. Her childhood experience singing in U.S. military clubs provided the foundation for her urban, international flavor.

In 1962, she formed the group "Spark Three Daughters" with Mie Nakao and Mari Sono. They were active in popular TV programs such as "Soap Bubble Holiday" and symbolized the "age of TV" with their clear stage presence and reliable singing. Of the three, Ito was the most dainty and lyrical of the pop balladeers, and established a unique position as the face of urban youth songs.

His masterpiece "Pinki no omoide" (1967), written by Saneko Arima, composed by Jun Suzuki, and arranged by Kenichiro Morioka, is one of his most popular songs. The song delicately captures the emotions of an individual, entrusting a vow and farewell to the subtle sensation of pain in the little finger. The song became a national hit, and was nominated for the Japan Record Award in 1967 and sung in the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Singing Contest) the same year. It was a milestone in the sublimation of a personal emotional turmoil into a popular song in the midst of the feverish pace of rapid economic growth.

The following song, "Koi no Shizuku" (1968), a ballad with a more refined urban sentiment, reached No. 1 on the Oricon weekly chart and No. 5 in the same year, presenting a model for a "new type of song" that combined Western taste with Japanese lyrical sentiment amid the diversification of youth culture at the end of the 1960s. In the late 1960s, amidst a diverse youth culture, he presented a model of "new songs" that combined Western taste with Japanese lyricism.

In comparison to her contemporaries, Mie Nakao had a poignant and upbeat pop attitude, and Mari Sono charmed with the luster and lingering melancholy of her mood songs, while Ito bridged the gap between daintiness and urban mellowness, based on a sense of purity. From postwar reconstruction to a mature society - the thrill and anxiety of love, longing and hesitation. With her exquisite melodies and nuances of language, she has turned these wavering emotions into enduring "songs of memory.