Happy Saturday everyone! Let’s kick back and relax with the Japanese idol group Bay Canyons (ベイキャニオンズ). The all-female idol group was formed in 1997 to promote the Fuji TV show “dai ba:ba”. The meaning of the group’s name, according to Wikipedia, is about the “cleavage of Odaiba”. Woah, talk about being a bit risque there. However, at that time, most of the members were gravure idols; a type of idol that you will usually see in swimsuits on those racy magazines, books, and other printed media at the adult section of your local Seven Eleven or bookstore. The group did release their own photobook in 1997, titled “Bay Canyons Shashinshuu”. I don’t know if it’s really racy or not because I haven’t been able to track down that rare treasure. But, I could say that I have successfully found their only single, “Runway Emotion”, which was released a month earlier.
Bay Canyons were sadly a one-time group as they either broke up when their sponsorship with “dai ba:ba” ended or stopped activities whenever they finished promoting their single. Don’t get too sad! We can still enjoy their now “historical” official homepage. Putting all jokes beside, a few girls went on to do other family friendly entertainment after the end of Bay Canyons. Kokubu Sachiko has acted in various films and television dramas like “Nurse no Oshigoto” (with a legendary idol, Mizuki Alisa), SAI-REN, and others. Other members joined groups like Hipp’s (which was another TV idol group sponsored by “THE Yoru Hippare’), Liberty’s Girls, and VENUS.
“Runway Emotion” is one of those typical pop songs from the 90s. It has the unison group parts, non-group members’ harmonies, crushing guitar riffs from time to time, and the overuse of the crystallized keyboard sound. Not to mention that the song was composed by Joey Carbone, who has written many hit songs over the past twenty or so years for artists like Hello!Project, Johnny’s (remember KAT-TUN’S “Signal”?), Crystal Kay, Koyanagi Yuki, and many others. The height of his career was in the 90s, at the same as Bay Canyons’ formation. Maybe, the song carried a bit of Joey’s musical charm? I’m not sure exactly. But, I’m positive that the pre-chorus and chorus are pretty catchy with its cascading melodies and pleasant resolutions. Even though “Runway Emotion” is not a grade A song, it definitely has its own charms in a unique approach.
You can watch a small performance here:
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm12936865
Don’t worry, there is nothing racy about the performance, It’s just a bunch of girls in black dresses, dancing and singing. And maybe swaying hips.
You can also listen to the song here.
More information can be found at:
generasia
Japanese Wikipedia
Lyrics
Everytime itsudatte anata wo miteita
Hitokomi ni magirate mo sugu ni miteiru
⊗ Murime no koi datte minna warau kedo (Who knows)
Dokoka dakyou nanka shite hito wa aisenai
♥ Dakara Runaway Runaway Emotion Runaway
Dakedo Futari deatta koto sore ga unmei dakara Runaway
Everything sono koe ga kikenai yoru ni wa
Kimochi wa sora wo koe tsukamae ni yukou
Ima betsu no dareka wo anata ga suki demo (Oh boy)
Tatoe senaka nanka chotto mukerareta tte
