Distant High Growth, Approaching Travel Shadow--"Ii Hi Tabidachi" and Momoe's Era (1978)

Distant High Growth, Approaching Travel Shadow--"Ii Hi Tabidachi" and Momoe's Era (1978)

In 1978, when Momoe Yamaguchi's "Itsuka Tabidachi" was released, Japanese society was at an invisible turning point. The former period of rapid economic growth had come to an end, and the question of "What should we seek in life from now on? Folk songs and new music were playing in the streets, the political heat had cooled, and consumption and travel were the new indicators of value. It was precisely at this time that "travel" began to be treated as a symbol not only of "healing" and "discovery" but also of "reconstruction" and "introspection.

The Japan National Railways' "DISCOVER JAPAN" campaign accurately captured this social mood. Under the theme, "Let's find the forgotten Japan again," traveling to former hometowns and original landscapes was affirmed as a kind of cultural act. The song that emerged as the image song for this campaign was "Ii Hi Tabidachi" by Momoe Yamaguchi. The lyrics and music were written by Shinji Tanimura. The lyrics, "There is someone waiting for me," resonated with young people who believed in the future despite a vague sense of loss.

Momoe Yamaguchi, the singer of this song, was also at a "turning point" in her life. 1973, at the tender age of 14, Momoe made her debut in the entertainment world, and in just five years she became a national figure. But the core of her popularity lay in her mature sensibility and her singing, which was deeply shadowed by her age. She has always carried something more than just the word "idol" in her image.

In 1978, Momoe turned 20 years old, and her achievements as an actor and her relationship with her boyfriend Tomokazu Miura had become an open fact. The song "Ii Hi Tabidachi" also coincided with her own "inner journey. The song's quiet determination and lingering sadness may have been a reflection of her own inner self.

In 1979, only one year after the release of this song, Momoe announced her retirement, and in 1980, she left the microphone on stage at the Budokan and departed the entertainment world. In this light, "Itsuka Tabidachi" was not just a travel song, but a prelude to her life and a trailer for the end of a chapter. This song certainly marks the "quiet revolution" of a woman who walked with the changing times of society.