Music critic Issei Tomizawa, who interacted with Rei Nakanishi after his death, described Rei Nakanishi as "the greatest lyricist of all time."
We asked Mr. Tomizawa about his charm as a lyricist and artist.
"Strong literary elements"
Mr. Nakashi wrote many hit songs that are popular with the public, but Mr. Tomizawa described the characteristics of the lyrics as "extremely literary elements" and "written lyrics in Japanese literature along with haiku and tanka." It was sublimated. "
"Mr. Nakashi originally studied French literature at university and translated Chanson, so I think that he was a literary-oriented young man. It's a famous episode, but to Mr. Yujiro Ishihara. When I met him, he said, "What are you doing?", And when he said that he was translating Chanson, he said, "If that's the case, write a Japanese song, it's perfect if you write it." Ishihara Having a song for Yujiro made her debut. I incorporated the underlying literary elements into the lyrics and completed it as a hit song. "
"Beyond the concept of poetry"
He said that the expressiveness of Mr. Nakashi's lyrics "beyond the concept of poetry" without being bound by precedent.
"'Ishikari Rika' is a documentary song based on a true story that my brother is going bankrupt, but it is also an adult love song that depicts the subtleties of love between men and women. Also,'Kita Sakaba' goes beyond the framework of enka. It was funky and had a wide range of lyrics that no one else could imitate. "
He also said that he was active not only as a lyricist but also as a novelist and a commentator on television. He was a hero created in the Showa era and also played the role of an opinion leader.
"I had a lot of things to say. The experience of repatriation and the feelings of anti-war are included in the song, and the parts that cannot be sung are made into novels. It is a heroic existence created in the Showa era, and inside There were a lot of young people who said that he was cool at that time. In 1970, when he started to play an active part during the security struggle and the student movement, I thought that he was also cool as a student at that time. ".
The existence that supported the Showa song world is lost one after another
This year, the composer Kyohei Tsutsumi died in October, and the lyricist and composer Taiji Nakamura died on the 20th of this month, and the existence that supported the Showa singing world was lost one after another.
Mr. Tomizawa said, "It is lonely that the lyricists and composers who represent the Showa era are dying one after another, who do not bend their beliefs like Mr. Nakashi. Music relations that have been inspired by seeing Mr. Nakashi's back I think there are many people, so I think it will have a big impact in the sense that one guide has been lost, "he said, regretting Mr. Nakashi's death.