[Songs for Wednesday] A collection of Japanese tracks themed around the week’s halfway point

Wednesday’s appointmentŌta Hiromi

Wednesday’s Promise — Hiromi Ohta ⟪ Subtitles C ⟫

This is the B-side track of the single “Yūyake” released before “Cotton Handkerchief” became a big hit in 1975.

It’s a heartbreak song about someone who promised to go see a movie with their lover on Wednesday, knows they’ll be stood up, and still keeps waiting.

Back then, women like this were seen as devoted and endearing.

In today’s era… it might just come off as creepy.

Rainy WednesdayOhtaki Eiichi

Eiichi Ohtaki - A Rainy Wednesday

It’s a cover song, but the fact that it’s covered by Keisuke Kuwata and Koji Tamaki gives it a different and appealing vibe.

This track was cut from the album “A LONG VACATION” and released as a single in 1982.

I’ve always been a hardcore music lover, and there was a time in high school when I lived in a boarding house; I spent all my tuition money on records and ended up dropping out after a year.

My influences back then included Western music like Elvis Presley and The Beach Boys, of course, but for some reason I’ve also said that Hitoshi Ueki’s “Sudara-bushi” had a big impact on me.

“Ame no Wednesday” conveys a man’s lingering affection, and it’s a song I want to listen to quietly.

Small SundayIshikawa Seri

Little Sunday Seri Ishikawa

In her 1972 debut song, with Seri Ishikawa’s crisp voice and lively rhythm, when the two young people first appeared I felt it might be a cute love song, but it turned out to have a rather shocking ending.

Perhaps it’s a song that could only have been made precisely because she wasn’t aiming for an idol-like image.

Happy WednesdayNakatani Miki

Happy Wednesday – Memories of Matsuko

Miki Nakatani, who is currently active as a kimono-clad beauty, sang this kind of song too, didn’t she? In fact, this song is played in a scene from the film “Memories of Matsuko,” in which Nakatani stars.

It has a bit of a Christmas-song feel and conveys a buoyant, excited mood.

Nakatani originally belonged to the idol group “Sakurakko Club Sakura-gumi.”

No Girls No FunGEM

Bullet Train Drive On Week Men's Festival

Currently active with 10 members, GEM is not aiming for songs with high-difficulty choreography or ones that encourage audience calls, according to the general producer.

Indeed, their songs require quite hard dancing and a complex groove—deceptively simple but actually very difficult.

Wednesday movies are Ladies’ Day, so dress up in your own style; it’s a perfect, hype track for a teen girls’ night out.

You and DreamsTHE COLLECTORS

Dreaming You and I — The Collectors

From the title and just the intro, you might even think it would make a great wedding song—it’s that upbeat.

But in reality, it’s a full-on heartbreak song, with memories of a girl who said goodbye flooding back on a rainy Wednesday.

This is unrelated to the song itself, but during performances of “CHEWING GUM,” sheet-like gum gets thrown onstage from the audience one after another.

Even as part of a live act, it looks really hard to sing—seems dangerous, too.

A Wednesday the color of persimmonsfuki no tō

Butterbur sprouts / A Wednesday the color of persimmon fruit (1979) 2024 No.16

They were one of the leading groups of the folk-song era, noted for their beautiful harmonies.

They’re often described as a group whose hits live on more in memory than on the record books, and indeed, for those from the folk-song era, many of their songs vividly bring back their youth.

“Kaki-no-mi Iro” (Persimmon Color) is themed around autumn and is a song in which the singer expresses the feelings he couldn’t put into words to the girlfriend he parted with.