365 Nights: Songs to Light the Lights of the Common People, 1930s-1940s

365 Nights: Songs to Light the Lights of the Common People, 1930s-1940s

Misao Matsubara's masterpiece, "365 Nights," is a lyric song that quietly describes the heart of a woman waiting for her lover while counting the nights of the year. The clear voice clearly outlines the scene. In the early Showa period (1926-1989), when urbanization progressed and radios and vinyl records rapidly spread, music played in the living rooms of ordinary people became a source of solace, and female singers began to accompany the family at home. In this trend, this song avoids showiness, and instead, entrusts the texture of life and modest wishes to the words of the song.

At the time, the lingering effects of the recession and international tensions combined to create a sense of unease in society. As the wartime regime strengthened, entertainment was subject to a net of restrictions, but still, if one listened carefully each night, the unchanging melody would sustain one's spirit. 365 Nights is a song that crystallized the small prayers of people living day by day with their families in mind.

While her contemporary Noriko Awatani brought out urban shadows and sophistication in Farewell Blues and Hamako Watanabe brought exoticism and brightness to the fore in Chinese Night, Misao Matsubara maintained the core of Japanese lyricism by utilizing her straight and pure voice. Rather than cutting through the times with his sharp individuality, he chose to blend into the breath of everyday life, thereby ensuring that his songs would be loved for a long time to come. Even after the war, his dignity remained unchanged, and Three Hundred Sixty-Five Nights continued to show what songs that resonate with the rhythm of daily life are.