Kuko / Yukigesho
| Kuko / Yukigesho | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kuko / Yukigesho cover | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 21, 1974 (Japanese) September 10, 1975 (Mandarin) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:17 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Producer |
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| Teresa Teng chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Kuko / Yukigesho | ||||
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| Goodbye My Love cover | ||||
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| Singles from Goodbye My Love | ||||
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Kuko / Yukigesho (Japanese: 空港 / 雪化粧; English: Airport / Snow Covered) is the first Japanese studio album recorded by Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng, released via Polydor Records on October 21, 1974. The album was supported with the release of three singles: "Konya Kashira Ashita Kashira", "Airport", and "Yukigesho". The album was commercially successful in Japan and led Teng to receive several awards in Japan, including the New Artist Award at the 16th Japan Record Awards and the Silver Award at the 1974 Shinjuku Music Festival.
The Mandarin version of the album, titled Love Songs of the Island: Goodbye My Love, was released through Polydor on September 10, 1975. It spawned the single "Goodbye My Love".
Background[edit]
After recording various albums in Taiwan and Hong Kong in the 1960s and 1970s as a teenager, Teng, along with her record company, began to express interest towards expanding into the lucrative Japanese market. A Japanese executive was convinced that Teng would succeed in Japan as a "Taiwanese Hibari Misora"—an enka singer whom Teng had idolized since childhood. Teresa's father initially rejected the idea since she had already found adequate success in the Taiwanese and Hong Kong markets, but his opinion eventually changed and Teng subsequently began recording songs for her Japanese debut record.[1]
Mandarin version[edit]
The Mandarin version of the album, titled Love Songs of the Island: Goodbye My Love (島國之情歌: 再見, 我的愛人) was released on September 10, 1975.[2] It served as the first installment of Teng's "Love Songs of the Island" album series; the last record of which would be Love Songs of Island, Vol. 8: Messengers of Love in June 1984.
Singles[edit]
Teng made her Japanese debut on March 1, 1974, with the release of her first single "Konya Kashira Ashita Kashira" (No Matter Tonight or Tomorrow). The release contained a track titled "Ame ni Nureta Hana" as its B-side. The single underperformed on the charts in Japan upon its release, however, selling only around 30,000 copies in the country. Some pointed out that the single's underwhelming performance was attributed to Teng's Japanese pronunciation; in response, she made efforts to improve her pronunciation as well as her singing style.[3][4]
Teng would soon find greater success with the release of the album's second single "Airport" on July 1, 1974, coupled with the B-side track "Hagureta Koboto". The single reached number 29 on the weekly Oricon Singles Chart and saw significantly higher levels of sales compared to her previous effort, where it sold over 750,000 copies throughout Asia.[3][5] Its success led Teng to win various awards in Japan, including at the annual Japan Record Awards. The third single "Yukigesho", was released in conjunction with the album on October 21 and contained the B-side track "Tokukara Ai wo Komete". It performed modestly on the charts and reached number 41 on the Oricon Singles Chart.[6]
The song "Goodbye My Love" (a cover of Ann Lewis's song of the same name) was re-recorded in Mandarin and released as the lead single for Love Songs of the Island: Goodbye My Love on September 10, 1975.[7][8]
Accolades[edit]
| Year | Organization | Award | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Ginza Music Festival | Best Performance Award | Teresa Teng | Won | [9] |
| Japan Record Awards | New Artist Award | "Airport" | Won | ||
| Best New Artist Award | Nominated | ||||
| Shinjuku Music Festival | Silver Award | Won | [10] |
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Arrangement | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Airport" (空港; Kūkō) | Michio Yamagami | Kimisho Inomata | Kenichiro Morioka | 4:20 |
| 2. | "Tokukara Ai wo Komete" (遠くから愛をこめて) | Yamagami | Inomata | Morioka | 4:13 |
| 3. | "Konya Kashira Ashita Kashira" (今夜かしら明日かしら) | Yamagami | Kyohei Tsutsumi | Hiroshi Takada | 4:37 |
| 4. | "Hagureta Koboto" (はぐれた小鳩) | Yamagami | Inomata | Morioka | 4:14 |
| 5. | "Ame ni Nureta Hana" (雨にぬれた花) | Yamagami | Koichi Morita | Takada | 5:08 |
| 6. | "Yukigesho" (雪化粧) | Yamagami | Inomata | Morioka | 5:05 |
| 7. | "Minatomachi Blues" (港町ブルース) | Takeshi Fukatsu, Rei Nakanishi | Inomata | Morioka | 4:16 |
| 8. | "Goodbye My Love" (グッドバイ・マイ・ラブ) | Rei Nakanishi | Masaaki Hirao | Morioka | 3:50 |
| 9. | "Futari de Osake wo" (二人でお酒を) | Yamagami | Hirao | Morioka | 5:08 |
| 10. | "Tokyo Blues" (東京ブルース) | Kaoru Mizuki | Hideyuki Fujiwara | Morioka | 4:36 |
| 11. | "Tohiko" (逃避行) | Kazuya Senke | Shunichi Tokura | Morioka | 4:36 |
| 12. | "Anata" (あなた) | Akiko Kosaka | Kosaka | Morioka | 4:36 |
| Total length: | 45:27 | ||||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lover's Care" (情人的關懷) | 3:45 |
| 2. | "Please Stop Looking For Me" (請你別再找我) | 3:54 |
| 3. | "Whether Tonight or Tomorrow" (不論今宵或明天) | 2:58 |
| 4. | "It's Sweeter to Be Together" (相聚更甜蜜) | 3:47 |
| 5. | "Flowers Under Rain" (雨下的花朵) | 3:20 |
| 6. | "Winter Romance" (冬之戀情) | 3:38 |
| 7. | "Goodbye My Love" (再見，我的愛人) | 3:26 |
| 8. | "Who Will Love Me" (誰來愛我) | 4:17 |
| 9. | "Another Drink" (再來一杯) | 3:38 |
| 10. | "The Girl Under the Night Mist" (夜霧下的姑娘) | 4:25 |
| 11. | "Escape the Line" (逃避行) | 3:22 |
| 12. | "The Ideal of Love" (愛的理想) | 4:34 |
| Total length: | 45:04 | |
References[edit]
- ^ Gordon, David B. (2012). "Prodigy of Taiwan, Diva of Asia: Teresa Teng". Association for Asian Studies. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ "组图：美人如花一代歌后邓丽君(5)" [Photos: Teresa Teng, the beautiful and beautiful singer of the generation (5)]. Sina Entertainment (in Chinese). May 17, 2007. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
- ^ a b "十億個掌聲 鄧麗君文化傳奇 – 台灣光華雜誌" (in Traditional Chinese). Ministry of Foreign Affairs Taiwan (ROC). March 2013. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
- ^ Cheng, Chen-Ching (2016). Negotiating Deng Lijun: Collective Memories of Popular Music in Asia During the Cold War Period. University of Edinburgh. pp. 54–56, 204–218, A39–A44.
- ^ "攻進日本 鄧麗君兩階段升等 – 蕃新聞" (in Traditional Chinese). Yam News. January 29, 2013. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
she released her second single "Airport", with total sales exceeding 700,000 copies
- ^ "テレサ・テンのシングル売上TOP8作品" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
- ^ "组图：美人如花一代歌后邓丽君(5) 伊人风采 新浪网" [Photos: Teresa Teng, the beautiful and beautiful singer of the generation (5)]. Sina Entertainment (in Chinese). May 17, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ^ Lee, Wing-sze (January 29, 2018). "5 Teresa Teng classic hits to celebrate her 65th birthday today". South China Morning Post. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ^ "Teresa Teng's Awards in Japan". Asahi Net (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2007.
- ^ "『第７回新宿音楽祭（昭和49年（1974年）10月17日開催）の結果』" [Results of the 7th Shinjuku Music Festival (held on October 17, 1974)]. Ameblo (in Japanese). June 12, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2024.