Hideki Saijo
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Hideki Saijō 西城 秀樹 | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Tatsuo Kimoto (木本 龍雄, Kimoto Tatsuo) |
Born | Hiroshima, Japan | April 13, 1955
Died | May 16, 2018 Yokohama, Japan | (aged 63)
Genres |
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Occupation(s) | Vocalist, musician, composer, actor |
Years active | 1972-2018 |
Hideki Saijō (西城 秀樹, Saijō Hideki, originally Tatsuo Kimoto (木本 龍雄, Kimoto Tatsuo); April 13, 1955 – May 16, 2018) was a Japanese pioneering rock, city pop, Kayoukyoku, J-Pop, R&B, Funk, Lounge vocalist, composer, and musician, as well as an actor.
He debuted at Japanese major pop music scene in March 1972 aged 16 years old, with a song called "A Season of Falling in Love" (恋する季節) from BGM Victor Japan RCA Records, which ranked in Japanese national pop music chart as the 48th at the highest.
With his fourth single, "Let's Challenge with Our Youth" (青春に賭けよう) and fifth single, "A Storm of Passion" (情熱の嵐), both released in 1972–1973, he became one of the most popular singers in Japanese pop music and a Best Ten Chart ranking artist.
In 1973, his 6th single, "Teared Love" (ちぎれた愛) became a rapid and massive mega hit, ranking in number 1 of Japanese national chart, selling half a million records within a few weeks – a record highest sales number. He quickly became one of the most popular singers in Japan from a very early stage of his career, and then a superstar vocalist as well as a popular aidoru (idol).
After his initial success, he continued to rank in the national Top Ten Charts, with singles such as "Chains of Roses" (薔薇の鎖), and "Passionate (Hard) Love" (激しい恋), "Lola" (傷だらけのローラ) in 1974.
Saijō was also known for singing the Japanese version of the Village People's hit song "Y.M.C.A.,"[1] called "Young Man." In the 1970s, he was called shin gosanke (新御三家, "New Big Three") with Goro Noguchi and Hiromi Go. Although the original version was camp, Saijō's version was intended to seriously inspire "young men."
Early Life[edit]
Hideki Saijō was born as Tatsuo Kimoto on 13 April 1955 in Atago-machi, Higashi-ku, Hiroshima City (now Higashi-ku), Hiroshima Prefecture, as the youngest of three siblings to parents Saburō and Toshiko Kimoto. In April 1959, he enrolled in Rissho Kindergarten. As a child, he often sang "Black Petals," a popular song at the time, much to the distaste of his teacher who advised that he sing more childish songs. In April 1962, he entered Onaga Elementary School in Hiroshima City. Influenced by his father, who had played jazz guitar as a hobby, he became familiar with Western music from an early age and began attending Hiroshima Central Jazz School. He initially studied electric guitar, followed by bass guitar, but eventually settled on drums.
In 1965, while in fourth class, he formed a rock and roll band called "Beggars" with his older brother. Through Beggars, he began performing as a drummer while still in primary school. In April 1968, he entered Futaba Junior High School in Hiroshima City. He performed on stage at the school's annual festival when his brother was in third year and he was in first year. He was greatly influenced by western musicians such as The Ventures, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Chicago. This deep knowledge and appreciation of Western music later became a distinctive feature that set him apart from other idol singers.
In 1969, while in second year of secondary school, Beggars underwent a member change and the band was re-named "Gypsy". In April 1971, he entered the commerce department of Sanyō Secondary School. It was then that Kimoto became the lead vocalist of Gypsy. Until then, he had aimed to succeed in the world of rock as a drummer, but after hearing Kiyohiko Ozaki's song "Until We Meet Again", his perception of pop music shifted and he decided to become a singer. With Gypsy, he participated in the first and second Yamaha Light Music Contests and won in the China catagory of the competition. Around this time, he regularly performed at an R&B cafe called "Punch", and while singing there, he was scouted by a manager who had travelled down from Tokyo.
On 3 October 1971, despite facing opposition from his strict and stubborn father against entering the entertainment industry, he ran away from home via an overnight train from Hiroshima and arrived at Tokyo Station the following morning. From there, he joined the talent agency "Geiei" and transferred to a night secondary school in Tokyo. He began living with his manager in a small triangular room only 5.4m x 2.7m in size and practiced intensely each day. In December, he was recognised by RCA director Robbie Wada, at last making his professional debut definite.
Career[edit]
1972[edit]
Kimoto, hereinafter referred to by his stage name Hideki Saijō, made his professional debut on 25 March 1972 with the single "Loving Season", released by Victor Japan's RCA label (currently JVCKenwood Victor Entertainment Corporation). While it was not a major hit, peaking at only number 42 on the Oricon chart, national interest in Saijō's career gradually increased from this work onwards. The release of his second single, "Promise of Love", on 25 July fared better, reaching number 18 and selling an estimated 140,000 copies.
On 8 August, Saijō held his first concert "The Wild 17 Year-Old" at Tokyo Postal Savings Hall. His debut album of the same name was released on 5 November. On 26 November, he was selected as one of the five nominees for the Best New Artist Award at the 14th Japan Record Awards. He received 19 votes, but with that being just one vote short of the 20 votes necessary to win, he narrowly missed out on the award. On 4 December, he appeared on popular music programme "Night Hit Studio" for the first time, singing his third single "Chance Comes Only Once". The intense and dramatic television performances typically associated with Saijō originated from this broadcast.
1973[edit]
Saijō started 1973 with the release of his fourth single "Let's Bet On Youth" on 25 February, reaching number 16 on the Oricon chart. His second album, bearing the same name, was released on 25 March. The following day, Saijō held a concert titled "Hideki on Stage" at Osaka Mainichi Hall to commemorate the first anniversary of his debut. The release of his fifth single, "Storm of Passion", on 25 May sent his career to new heights as it propelled him to the top ten of the Oricon chart for the first time, peaking at number six and selling an estimated 246,000 copies. His early career's most significant milestone wouldn't be until 24 September, however, when his sixth single, "Broken Love", topped the Oricon chart, with Saijō becoming the first male idol who debuted in the 1970s to achieve this feat. Broken Love stayed at number 1 for four consecutive weeks and sold an estimated 475,000 copies. It was also the first instance of a Hideki Saijō single incorparating dialogue into a song, a trait that went on to appear in several of his future hits.
Saijō's advertisements for "House Vermont Curry" began airing in November, leading his catchphrase in the advertisements, "Hideki, kangeki!" (meaning, "Hideki, impressive!"), to become a familiar phrase to the general public. Although it was presumed that he would perform at annual music special "Kouhaku Utaka Gassen" for the first time that year, he had not been selected to appear. Nonetheless, Saijō ended the year on a high note, winning the Vocal Award at the 15th Japan Record Awards for Broken Love on 31 December.
Illness and Death[edit]
In June 2003, while promoting his new released song in South Korea, Saijō suffered a stroke which resulted in his speech being partially impaired. After several years of rehabilitation, Saijō was on his way toward full recovery until his cerebral infarction relapsed in 2011, resulting in his right side being paralysed. In spite of his failing health, Saijō courageously continued to perform to please his fans.[2]
Saijō died from acute heart failure in a hospital in Yokohama city on May 16, 2018.[3]
Family[edit]
Saijō married Miki Makihara in 2001, and they had one daughter and two sons.
Discography[edit]
# | Date | Title | Lyrics | Composition | Arrangement | Oricon ranking | Weeks on Oricon chart | Estimated sales |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 25 Mar 1972 | Loving Season | Takashi Taka | Kyōhei Tsutsumi | Hiroshi Takada | 42 | 16 | 58,000 |
2 | 25 Jul 1972 | Promise of Love | Kunihiko Suzuki | Masahiko Aoi | 18 | 20 | 140,000 | |
3 | 25 Nov 1972 | Chance Comes Only Once | Kōji Makaino | 20 | 16 | 99,000 | ||
4 | 25 Feb 1973 | Let's Bet on Youth | 16 | 15 | 121,000 | |||
5 | 9 May 1973 | Storm of Passion | 6 | 19 | 246,000 | |||
6 | 5 Sep 1973 | Broken Love | Kazumi Yasui | Kōji Makaino | 1 (4 weeks) | 22 | 475,000 | |
7 | 5 Dec 1973 | Cross of Love | Takashi Taka | Kunihiko Suzuki | Kōji Makaino | 1 | 14 | 352,000 |
8 | 25 Feb 1974 | Chain of Roses | 3 | 18 | 334,000 | |||
9 | 25 May 1974 | Intense Love | Kazumi Yasui | Kōji Makaino | 2 (4 weeks) | 19 | 584,000 | |
10 | 25 Aug 1974 | Lola, Covered with Scars | Daizō Saitō | 2 | 24 | 340,000 | ||
11 | 25 Nov 1974 | Tears and Friendship | Takashi Taka | Kunihiko Suzuki | Tachio Akano | 4 | ||
12 | 25 Feb 1975 | This Love’s Thrill | Kazumi Yasui | Tachio Akano | 3 | |||
13 | 25 May 1975 | Reckless Runaway of Love | Kōji Makaino | 3 | ||||
14 | 25 Aug 1975 | Unparalleled Love | 6 | |||||
15 | 25 Oct 1975 | White Chapel | Takashi Taka | Kunihiko Suzuki | Tachio Akano | 4 | ||
16 | 25 Feb 1976 | Embrace Me, Let’s Become Passionate | Yū Aku | Takashi Miki | 3 | |||
17 | 5 Jun 1976 | Jaguar | 3 | |||||
18 | 5 Sep 1976 | Young Lions | 4 | |||||
19 | 20 Dec 1976 | Last Scene | 8 | |||||
20 | 15 Mar 1977 | Boomerang Street | Takashi Miki | Mitsuo Hagita | 6 | |||
21 | 5 Jun 1977 | Sexy Rock 'n' Roller | 7 | |||||
22 | 5 Sep 1977 | Unbutton It | Takashi Miki | 12 | ||||
23 | 1 Jan 1978 | Take off Your Boots and Have Breakfast | Katsuo Ohno | Mitsuo Hagita | 7 | |||
24 | 5 Mar 1978 | For You and Love | Ryō Shōji | 6 | ||||
25 | 25 May 1978 | Flame | Yū Aku | Kōji Makaino | 5 | |||
26 | 25 Aug 1978 | Blue Sky Blue | 3 | |||||
27 | 25 Nov 1978 | To A Distant Lover | Machiko Ryū | 8 | ||||
28 | 21 Feb 1979 | YOUNG MAN (Y.M.C.A.) | Victor Willis
Henri Belolo Ryūji Amagai |
1 (5 weeks) | ||||
29 | 21 May 1979 | Hop Step Jump | Hikaru Yamazaki | 2 | ||||
30 | 5 Sep 1979 | If You Have Courage | Keisuke Yamakawa | Mitsuo Hagita | 3 | |||
31 | 5 Jan 1980 | Tragic Friendship | 6 | |||||
32 | 21 Mar 1980 | Garden of Love (AI NO SONO) | Stevie Wonder
Keisuke Yamakawa |
7 | ||||
33 | 5 Jun 1980 | Our Era | Takashi Taka | 6 | ||||
34 | 21 Jul 1980 | Endless Summer | Fumiko Okada | 12 | ||||
35 | 5 Oct 1980 | Santa Maria's Prayer | Rei Nakanishi | 13 | ||||
36 | 16 Dec 1980 | Sleepless Night | Kazumasa Oda | 10 | ||||
37 | 21 Mar 1981 | Little Girl | 9 | |||||
38 | 21 Jun 1981 | Sexy Girl | 10 | |||||
39 | 5 Sep 1981 | Sentimental Girl | 17 | |||||
40 | 20 Dec 1981 | Gypsy | 15 | |||||
41 | 25 Mar 1982 | Southern Cross | 6 | |||||
42 | 21 Jun 1982 | Saint/Girl | 9 | |||||
43 | 20 Sep 1982 | Castaways | 15 | |||||
44 | 1 Feb 1983 | Gyarandu | 14 | |||||
45 | 30 Jun 1983 | Night Games | 19 | |||||
46 | 15 Sep 1983 | The "Still" of Sadness | 29 | |||||
47 | 25 Jan 1984 | Do You Know | 30 | |||||
48 | 5 Jul 1984 | From the Back, I Love You | 30 | |||||
49 | 15 Oct 1984 | The Jitterbug's Embrace -Careless Whisper- | 18 | |||||
50 | 5 Feb 1985 | Ten Thousand Light Years of Love | 12 | |||||
51 | 9 May 1985 | Misty Blue | 27 | |||||
52 | 5 Sep 1985 | BEAT STREET | Minako Yoshida | 51 | ||||
53 | 21 Nov 1985 | Into Your Arms -In Search of Love- | Barry Manilow
Minako Yoshida |
10 | ||||
21 Feb 1986 | Into Your Arms -In Search of Love-
(12 inch single disc) |
- | ||||||
54 | 10 Apr 1986 | Eyes of Reminiscence 〜LOLA〜 | 26 | |||||
55 | 5 Sep 1986 | Rain of Dream (Sins of Dreams) | 44 | |||||
56 | 5 Dec 1986 | The Promised Journey 〜Returning to Port〜 | 41 | |||||
57 | 21 May 1987 | New York Girl | 50 | |||||
58 | 21 Nov 1987 | A Ballad Heard by the Heart | 73 | |||||
59 | 1 Apr 1988 | Blue Sky | Rei Nakanishi | 60 | ||||
60 | 6 Jul 1988 | Summer Temptation | 94 | |||||
61 | 31 Aug 1988 | One 〜For Those You Love〜 | - | |||||
62 | 1 Nov 1988 | 33 Years-Old | Rei Nakanishi | 49 | ||||
63 | 21 Jul 1989 | Let's Meet by the Riverside | - | |||||
64 | 21 Jul 1990 | SHAKE MY DAY | - | |||||
65 | 25 Mar 1991 | Rock Your Fire | 91 | |||||
66 | 21 Apr 1991 | Run, Honest Person | 17 | |||||
67 | 21 Nov 1991 | Once Again | - | |||||
68 | 21 Nov 1992 | Boomerang Straight | Yū Aku
Kaori Nakahara |
Takashi Miki
Yoshio Tatano |
- | |||
69 | 21 Nov 1993 | So Many Stars Are Falling | - | |||||
70 | 23 Feb 1994 | SAYYEA',JAN-GO | - | |||||
71 | 21 Jan 1995 | Twilight, Stay by My Side | Toyohisa Araki | 69 | ||||
72 | 7 Jun 1995 | There’s No Stopping Love 〜Turn It into Love〜 | 83 | |||||
73 | 22 Nov 1995 | Door of the Heart | Toyohisa Araki | - | ||||
74 | 5 Jun 1996 | round'n'round | Satori Shiraishi | 70 | ||||
75 | 18 Dec 1996 | Parasite Love | 77 | |||||
76 | 6 Aug 1997 | moment | Gorō Matsui | Yoshiki Hayashi | 29 | |||
77 | 21 May 1998 | Let’s Start with Two Rounds | Yumi Matsutoya | - | ||||
78 | 13 Apr 1999 | Last Lave | 80 | |||||
79 | 26 May 1999 | Turn A Turn | 27 | |||||
80 | 17 Nov 1999 | Bailamos 〜Tonight we dance〜 | 30 | |||||
81 | 26 Apr 2000 | Love Torture | m.c.A.T | 79 | ||||
82 | 17 Oct 2000 | The Edge of Time | Ryūichi Kawamura | 46 | ||||
83 | 23 May 2001 | Jasmine | Minako Yoshida | Ryūichi Kawamura | 77 | |||
84 | 26 Jun 2002 | Everybody Dance | Satomi Arimori | 72 | ||||
85 | 23 Jul 2003 | It Isn’t a Large Pile of Rubbish | Tsunku | 33 | ||||
86 | 27 Sep 2006 | A Chance Encounter | Satomi Arimori | 36 | ||||
87 | 19 Aug 2009 | Vegetable, Wonderful | - |
Filmography[edit]
Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1973 | Toshigoro
(としごろ, "Age of Maturity") |
"Singer"
(歌手) |
Hirokazu Ichimura
(市村泰一) |
Saijō's film debut, albeit being a minor role. In the film, he performs "Let's Bet on Youth" (青春に賭けよう), his fourth single |
1973 | Love Is After School
(恋は放課後) |
"Singer"
(歌手) |
Jō Hirose
(広瀬襄) |
|
1973 | A Single Teardrop
(ひとつぶの涙) |
"Singer"
(歌手) |
Hirokazu Ichimura
(市村泰一) |
|
1974 | The First Star of Happiness
(しあわせの一番星) |
(東条英雄)
(西城秀樹) |
Shigeyuki Yamane
(山根成之) |
In this film, Saijō alternates between two roles: cleaning shop clerk Hideo and vocalist Hideki |
1974 | The Legend of Love & Sincerity
(愛と誠, "Love & Sincerity") |
Makoto Taiga
(大賀誠) |
Shigeyuki Yamane
(山根成之) |
An adaptation of a manga series of the same name and Saijō's first starring role. As it was met with great popularity, plans were made for it to be the start of a lengthy film franchise featuring Saijō as the Makoto character, in a similar vein to the Otoko wa Tsurai yo series. In the end, this did not come to fruition and the rest of the trilogy ended up featuring different actors as Makoto. In 2012, another film based on the franchise, titled "For Love's Sake", was directed by Takashi Miike and features references to Saijō. |
1975 | Let's Go, Grandma!
(おれの行く道, "The Path I Walk") |
Tsuchiya Kōzō
(土屋耕三) |
Shigeyuki Yamane
(山根成之) |
|
Awards[edit]
- 1973, 15th Japan Record Awards, Vocal Award
- 1974, 16th Japan Record Awards, Vocal Award
- 1976, 18th Japan Record Awards, Vocal Award
- 1978, 20th Japan Record Awards, Gold Award
- 1979, 21st Japan Record Awards, Gold Award
- 1980, 22nd Japan Record Awards, Gold Award
- 1981, 23rd Japan Record Awards, Gold Award
- 1982, 24th Japan Record Awards, Gold Award
- 1983, 25th Japan Record Awards, Gold Award
- 2018, 60th Japan Record Awards, Special Achievement Award
References[edit]
- ^ Pearlman, Jeff (June 2008). America's favorite ballpark sing-along is (gasp!) a disco anthem about gay sex. pp. 75–78. Retrieved 16 May 2010.
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ignored (help) - ^ 西城秀樹が脳梗塞再発 年内の仕事はキャンセル(in Japanese)
- ^ 西城秀樹さんが死去 歌手で俳優 (in Japanese)
External links[edit]
- Official website (in Japanese)
- Hideko Saijō at Oricon (in Japanese)