The Maker Speaks
From the Apple Village
Spiritual Home Sung by Mihashi Michiya
Spiritual Home Sung by Mihashi Michiya
Hello, everyone. I'm talking about "From the Apple Village," a 1956 enka song sung by a Japanese late enka singer Mihashi Michiya now. He passed away in 1996, I suppose there are many who don't know what he was.
Mihashi Michiya was born in 1930 Hokkaido. His mother was a Japanese folk song teacher, which made him familiar with folk songs and the stages in his childhood.
He made his debut as a Japanese folk singer in 1954, but became popular as an enka singer somehow.
Mihashi Michiya was born in 1930 Hokkaido. His mother was a Japanese folk song teacher, which made him familiar with folk songs and the stages in his childhood.
He made his debut as a Japanese folk singer in 1954, but became popular as an enka singer somehow.
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It's considered that you are truly difficult to imagine how popular he was if you didn't know him. We are unable to check how many records he'd sold correctly today, because there were no checking organizations like Oricon at the time. But they officially say that he sold over 100 million copies.
It means that he was domestically more popular than B'z who've sold over 80 million CDs in Japan. If you don't know what B'z is, would you guess he was more popular than the Beatles and Madonna?
It's said that "From the Apple Village" sold over 2 million. The enka song released in 1956. The Pacific War finished in 1945, the San Francisco Treaty officially became effective in 1952. I believe you are not so difficult to imagine how poor Japanese people were in 1956.
The record became a big hit, however.
Japan was very poor at the time, therefore, the central government gathered people into Tokyo for economic recovery. It is said that the war killed over 2 million people of Japan, there was deep labor shortage. You can still find the reminders in Tokyo today.
"From the Apple Village" sings about spiritual home. There were many people who said goodbye to their families, got brought to unfamiliar Tokyo by night trains. So it is not difficult to imagine that the song swayed so many people emotionally at the time.
There were countless songs singing about home, but Mihashi Michiya could sing with a lot of local taste because he was originally a folk singer. So it is considered that his vocal peculiarly touched heartstrings of Japanese people, the song became a big hit.
It means that he was domestically more popular than B'z who've sold over 80 million CDs in Japan. If you don't know what B'z is, would you guess he was more popular than the Beatles and Madonna?
It's said that "From the Apple Village" sold over 2 million. The enka song released in 1956. The Pacific War finished in 1945, the San Francisco Treaty officially became effective in 1952. I believe you are not so difficult to imagine how poor Japanese people were in 1956.
The record became a big hit, however.
Japan was very poor at the time, therefore, the central government gathered people into Tokyo for economic recovery. It is said that the war killed over 2 million people of Japan, there was deep labor shortage. You can still find the reminders in Tokyo today.
"From the Apple Village" sings about spiritual home. There were many people who said goodbye to their families, got brought to unfamiliar Tokyo by night trains. So it is not difficult to imagine that the song swayed so many people emotionally at the time.
There were countless songs singing about home, but Mihashi Michiya could sing with a lot of local taste because he was originally a folk singer. So it is considered that his vocal peculiarly touched heartstrings of Japanese people, the song became a big hit.
about From the Apple Village
・Written by Yano Ryo
・Composed by Hayashi Isao
・Arranged by Hayashi Isao
・Performed by Mihashi Michiya
・Published by King Record
・Released on May, 1956
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