It is #SongLyricsSunday, thanks to our host Jim at An Unique Title For Me. This week’s theme is the modal verbs “Could/Might/Should/Would”. Today’s pick is a follow-up to Sonia’s newest single. Even though “A Night That’s Never-Ending” isn’t produced by Stock, Aiken, and Waterman, Sonia’s debut album is. And, so is the short career of today’s artist. This week’s pick is Kakko.
Kakko’s We Should Be Dancing
As I mentioned previously in the post “Battle of the Songs: Whenever You Need Somebody”, one of my prized possessions in my record collection is a signed 7-inch single of Kakko’s “We Should Be Dancing”. I got it about two years ago from a Reddit Secret Santa Exchange. The single was on my wishlist as I was interested in listening to the remixes. But, I didn’t expect it signed! I am so thankful for my Santa who was able to track down a signed single for me!
“We Should Be Dancing” is a basic SAW track. It’s is upbeat, danceable, and filled with lots of synthesizers. Fans might argue that this one of the worst songs in the SAW catalog, but you can’t argue that this song makes you want to get up and dance. Whenever I listen to this song, I begin to dance the routine naturally. It is so addicting!
You can hear a distinctive piano melody during the verses. This sounds similar to something I heard before in the SAW catalog but I can’t put my finger on. Yet, the percussion sounds like the PWL mix of Sandra’s “Everlasting Love”.
via Gfycat
I really enjoy “We Should Be Dancing”, even though a lot fo SAW fans might disagree. It is a fun and upbeat song that will make you want to get up and dance. I just think Kakko was unfortunate as a singer being produced by SAW as the legendary trio was losing popularity in 1990.
What do you think about the song? Listen to it below and let me know what you think in the comments!
Trivia: According to the blog Girls on Pop, “rumor has it that Kakko couldn’t pronounce the letter “R” properly, and Mike Stock had a hell of a time trying to figure out lyrics that didn’t feature the “R” sound prominently!”. 😮
Here is an interview with Kakko with a live performance on the British TV show Wide Awake Club 90:
Kakko, whose real name is Kakuko Yamagata, was born in Minoh City, Osaka Prefecture. She went to an international school in Kobe as a schoolgirl. After graduating from high school in Tokyo, she went to London in hopes to become a singer. She became a tea girl at Stock, Aiken, Waterman’s recording studio after she arrived. That is when the producing trio noticed her and have her sign a recording contract. The hope was to have a Japanese artist so SAW could reach Japan with their music.
The Japanese singer released her first single, “We Should Dancing”, in 1990. It charted #101 on the UK charts. She released a follow-up single entitled “What Kind Of Fool” that same year but didn’t chart. With two singles that didn’t perform well, Kakko was let go of her contract and returned back to her home country.
When Kakko came home, she began a career in acting. She has become a popular actress as she appeared in many TV dramas as well as movies. Kakko has also appeared as a host for the music program Music Fair from 1995 to 2016. She also appeared on variety shows and morning programs like ZIP!, serving as a guest or a host. She is currently a host on the radio program All Night Nippon MUSIC10.
The Rules
If you want to participate, here are the rules:
- Post the lyrics to the song of your choice, whether it fits the theme or not.
- Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due.
- Make sure you also credit the singer/band and if you desire you can provide a link to where you found the lyrics.
- Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
- Ping back to this post will eventually work, as long as you are being patient, but you can also place your link in the comments if you don’t like to wait.
- Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
- Feel free to suggest future prompts.
- Have fun and enjoy the music.
