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

Yukari Ito (born 1947 in Tokyo) was a singer who emerged during the postwar period of rapid economic growth, captivating people with the sweet and sour feelings of youth and pure love in her voice. With her clean and clear voice, she emerged as a leader of Japanese pop music with an urban and cosmopolitan flavor.

His 1967 masterpiece, "Pinki no omoide" (Memory of a Pinky Finger), a work that entrusted the pledge of love and sorrow to a small gesture, represented the delicate emotions of the youth of the time. It was an explosive hit upon its release, selling a million copies within the year and reportedly exceeding 1.5 million copies the following year, leading to the Japan Record Award for Best Song and an appearance on the "Kohaku Uta Gassen" (Red and White Singing Contest). This song, which expresses the inner life of an individual in a society in the heat of rapid economic growth, is still sung to this day as a classic of Showa-era songs.

The following year, "Koi no Shizuku" also became an Oricon No. 1 hit as a masterpiece filled with urban lyricism, demonstrating the fusion of pop music and Japanese lyricism. The activities of "Spark Three Musume," formed with Mie Nakao and Mari Sono, were also symbolic of the times, bringing their gorgeous voices to the living room through television. While Nakao brought to the fore the cheerful and vivacious nature of pop music and Sono the glamour of mood songs, Ito combined a daintiness and urban mellowness that played a central role in the youth songs.

Yukari Ito's songs captured the emotions of young people as they moved from postwar Japan to a more mature society, and breathed new life into Showa pop music. Her voice continues to be loved by people of all ages.