Voices of Nostalgia - Noboru Kirishima and "Somebody Must Think of Home" 1930s-1960s

Voices of Nostalgia - Noboru Kirishima and "Somebody Must Think of Home" 1930s-1960s

Noboru Kirishima was born in 1913 and sang many works by Yuji Koseki before and during World War II, and was a widely loved singer with a voice that was close to the Japanese heart. His masterpiece "Daremo Hometown wo Mochi wo Souzou Zaru," released in 1940, sang about the feelings of soldiers and their families who went to the Chinese front, and became a unique presence with its lyricism that differed from the warlike military songs that were all about raising the spirits of war. He also sang military songs such as "Dawn Prayer" and "Song of the Young Eagle." His warm and soft voice represented the nostalgia of soldiers and ordinary people, providing comfort and support. In postwar Japan, as reconstruction progressed, new popular songs emerged and Kirishima's singing style was considered old-fashioned, and singers such as Ichiro Fujiyama and Haruo Oka took the forefront, but his voice was an unforgettable sound for the generation during the war, and he is remembered as a per
son who engraved his feelings for his hometown and family. While his contemporaries Ichiro Fujiyama and Haruo Oka symbolized the bright youth in "Blue Mountains" and the reconstruction of Japan with their folksy cheerfulness, Kirishima's voice was marked by the shadows and nostalgia of the war years. Kirishima's voice has the power to transcend time and evoke universal emotions.