I like to pride myself in being one of the few H!P fans, or at least, H!P dubbers, who can say that she has listened to every song from the first three Morning Musume albums, know what T&C Bomber was called before it became T&C Bomber, and haven't just listened to This is Unmei, but ALL of the Melon Kinenbi singles.
I enjoy things that are "old", from the "good-old-days", back when things weren't so commercialized and popular... I mean, for Tsunku's sake, I still make it a point to let people know that I'm a Gaiaonline "oldbie", despite the fact that I don't hang around Gaia that often, only to check in with a roleplay or two and chat in the H!P guild...
Anywho, in my travels, I have encountered many people, some of whom can smile and say "Yes, I love the song Senkou Hanabi, too!", but, sadly, most of them don't even know there were three albums before Yossie or Kago or Tsuji came along.
So, in my quest for the spread of all-H!P-admiration, I present you with ten underrated, overlooked, or downright forgotten songs from the years of H!P. In my humble opinion. ;D
Note: The order of these songs in no way reflective of my personal preference. I just stuck them in whichever order they occured to me.
#1: Tropica~l Koishite~ru
Watch Aya Matsuura - TROPICAL koishiteru in Aya Matsuura | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
Few people remember that Ayaya had a second single, that she didn't just skip from Dokkidoki! Love Mail to LOVE Namida Iro. In fact, I've witnessed several dubbers decide to sing all of the Matsuura Aya songs in order, only to completely ignore Tropical Koishiteru. It's a cute song, cheerful and oh-so-reminiscent of the little-Ayaya days (I mean, come on. Try watching the PV and NOT feel a strong urge to pinch those adorable baby-cheeks of hers... She totally won over anything H!P Kids had to offer). The sad part? Most people didn't even know the song existed until Junjun performed it at the H!P Summer 2008 concert.
(Though, personally, I thought Mai did a better job on the monologue than Ayaya. ;D)
#2: Chokkan ~Toki to Shite Ai wa~
Watch Chokkan ~Toki to Shite Koi wa~ in Morning Musume | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
Hey, you all know the Morning Musume single Chokkan 2, right? Did you know that it was just a different version of a song featured on the Ai no Dai 6Kan album? That's right, there once was a version that featured Iida, Yaguchi, and Ishikawa, and the lyrics actually made sense...!
(Seriously. If you have time, go onto projecthello.com and compare the lyrics. Chokkan 2 is pure nonsense while Chokkan 1 makes some sense... Sorta. xD)
Most people just look at Chokkan 2 like they do Edo no Temari Uta II. Where's Edo no Temari Uta I? I don't remember seeing any Edo no Temaru Uta I... Oh well. Tsunku must be getting old. *shrugs and walks away*
I'd try giving it a listen. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a video that featured the original singers, but oh well. ;D
#3: Let's Go Rakuten Eagles
Watch DEF. DIVA - Let's Go Rakuten Eagles in Hello! Project | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
Def.Diva is most commonly known for Suki Sugite Baka Mitai. I mean, it was glittery and para para-like, and had BALLOONS! What can be better? So what's the point in listening to any more of their music if Suki Sugite Baka Mitai is all you'll ever want or need?
H!P is notorious for providing cute, upbeat theme songs for the baseball team Rakuten Eagles. (Wait... it is baseball, right? Lemmee check the PV.... Looks like baseball to me. Or maybe gymnastics.... Did you see those guys roll and flip...?!)
Much like Suki Sugite Baka Mitai, Let's Go Rakuten Eagles is infectious and gets in your head, refusing to let go... And to tell you the truth, I love their hair in the PV... xD Rika's weird wig-looking-hairstyle really works for some strange reason.
#4: Uchuu de La Ta Ta
Watch Uchuu de La Ta Ta in T&C Bomber/Taiyou to Ciscomoon | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
I didn't know that this song existed until I watched the Nochiura Natsumi concert. xD I fell in love with the song right away, and found out that Ayaya covered it with Inaba Atsuko as the B-side to her Kiseki no Kaori Dance single. And it took me a while to trace it back to its T&C Bomber roots...
Personally, I don't care for Inaba's voice much in this song, maybe because I heard the soft, melodic Ayaya version first (and the Goto/Ayaya version before that) but that doesn't change the fact that it's a great song. And the Chinese at the beginning is incredibly spiffeh.
#5: Amai Anata no Aji
Watch Melon Kinenbi - Amai Anata no Aji in Melon Kinenbi's promotional videos | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
I LOVE old-school Melon Kinenbi with a passion, and this song is one of my all-time favorites. This was their debut single, so they had something to prove, and they did amazingly through strong vocals, charmingly shy-sounding monologues by Ootani, and freaky hats...
This is one of those songs that I'm a little afraid to dub, because maybe it would totally ruin it for me. xD
Most people I meet who actually know who Melon Kinenbi is have only listened to This is Unmei or some of the later singles. Few fans actually pay much attention to the early-on singles, and that makes me sad... ;______; But most of all, it makes me want to hit them in the face repeatedly with my Melon Kinenbi First Anniversary album until they give old-school MK a chance.
#8: Koi no Dance Site
Watch Morning Musume - Koi no Dance Site (subtitled) | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
Okay, so maybe I'm just feeling a little bad that I never gave this song a chance until just recently. I mean, it's a Morning Musume single, so of course it has its group of fans, right? It's just, I meet very little people in the dubbing community who are willing to give it a shot, most of whom claim it's because their favorite members aren't in it. As far as I know, it's one of the most obscure MM singles, right up there next to Ai no Tane and Manatsu no Kousen.
I don't have a lot to say, maybe because I put this up here for my own selfish reasons. ;D
#7: Harajuku 6:00 Shuugou
Okay, I admit, I didn't pay much attention to the 3rd Paradise album very much in the beginning. It wasn't one of the more well-known Morning Musume albums, and none of the songs really jumped out at me (not counting singles, of course). However, a few months ago I decided, in order to become a more well-rounded MM fan, listened to all of the albums in one go. xD
Long story short, I completely fell in love with this song. Hard.
Who doesn't love a song that starts off as a sort of Jurassic Park scene with roaring dinosaurs? And really, it isn't about dinosaurs at all? (Although, really, for those of you who have been to Harajuku, you will know what I'm talking about when I say that it really is like a jungle. ;D)
When you listen to this, make sure to read the translated lyrics as well. (You can find them here). The opening monologue is so wonderfully funny.
#8: Dokusenyoku
(I really wish I could find the original. ;D)
I first heard this song a few months ago when I was assigned to dub it, and was completely horrified when it got to Yossie's first rap part (which was my part to sing. xD) However, angry rap kinda works for them, and it has quickly won its way into my heart. Now that I think about it, I think it is one of the more well-known and acknowledged songs on this list, but it very rarely appears on anyone's favorites list. And come on. Who can resist its awesome badassness? xD
(I love it live, too. Especially this version. The people who get solos and do the rap suit it so much better than the original, I think. I don't think that Iida and Sayu are the strongest rappers in the world. ;D)
#9: Renai Sentai Shitsu Ranger
Watch Nochiura Natsumi - Renai Sentai Shitsu Ranger in Hello Project | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
Nochiura Natsumi is just Def.Diva without Charmy, right? Actually, I think that Ishikawa wouldn't have been able to pull this song off. ;D Anywho.
This song rocks my Power Rangers-loving socks. Bright colors, upbeat music, and uber-glamorous alter-egos? It's one of the most interesting PVs, with an equally fun dance. I love it, I love it, I love it. The problem? Not many people pay attention to the mini-subgroups like Nochiura Natsumi (actually, for the longest time, I thought it was a person, not a group). So a lot of people are deprived of infectious music like this. ;_______;
(What is up with the Ayaya-Goto-Nacchi combination? It's the strongest trio H!P has ever seen, I think. Even more so than Fujimoto dancing-French-brothel-style with little Miyabi and Megumi back in the Sexy Otona Jan shuffle. xD)
#10: Hello! no Theme
Okay, I kinda lied. Almost everyone know about Hello! no Theme. It was H!P's theme in the early years, as well as the opening to Morning Musume's show, Hello! Morning. But to those of us who remember the Golden Age and what it meant, this song is full of a lot of memories and brings us back. In fact, I always get a little teary-eyed when I listen to it. xD (Which means I'll be a wreck when I watch the Elder Club graduation concert. xDD) I love this version the best; it features solos by Yoshizawa, the most recent leader (at the time) and Nakazawa, the very first leader of Morning Musume. There's just something about the song that touches me, and I think it's that feeling that is most overlooked by newer fans. It's the, as my AP English teacher would say, the connotation of the song, the emotions it brings up that makes this song THE H!P song.
But now I'm rambling. ;D
Anywho, now that you've read this, I hope you've gained some insight (I doubt it), appreciated some good old H!P music (probably not), and found some new songs to obsess over. ;D
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