Customer Reviews

Ken Matsudaira

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

1.Matsuken Samba II (Short Version)
2.Matsuken Samba II (READYMADE SHOGUN MIX 2004) Remixed by Yasuharu Konishi
3.Matsuken Mambo
4.Matsuken Samba II (Short Version Karaoke)

This song's title "Matsuken" is an abbreviation of the singer's name Ken Matsudaira. This single had won prize such as "The Japan Record Awards Special Prize", "Best Hit Song Festival Gold Artist Prize" and preformed in many famous music festivals in Japan (Even in front of Destiny's Child, too!).

As far as I know, this is the most popular song in Japan. Singing and dancing everywhere, "Samba, Viva Samba! Matsu-Ken, Matsu-Ken, Matsu-Ken Samba!" Throughout the generation from young and old, even the kids love it.

Preformed by Matsudaira with his 35 Koshimoto lady dancers, all in glittering Kimono and geisha style hair in the stage. In the center with his golden sparkling Kimono (got the fabric from New York), all dance the step of samba.

Instead of calling by his name Ken Matsudaira, most people used to call him "Shogun-sama" from his jidaigeki career. Ken Matsudaira is a great jidaigeki Japanese actor. He had originated the role and played for 25 years as Yoshimune Tokugawa (the 8th shogun in the Tokugawa shogunate, 18th century) in "Abarenbo Shogun" (one of the longest-running TV series in jidaigeki, started in 1978). The one and only star that had been played so long as Shogun in the jidaigeki roles.

His debut was "Zatoichi" TV series in original "Zatoichi" of Shintaro Katsu. Shintaro Katsu had treated him as a future jidaigeki top star. Katsu told Matsudaira "To be a top star is to act as a top star in work and style." for example, "Instead of having good meal 10 times a month, go out to the best restaurant to have a best dinner a month." Katsu selected job for him not by the money but for his career.

This single used to be only available at theater that he played jidaigeki and preformed after the play ended. Single was released on July and sold 400,000 in year 2004. Year 2005, in Tokyo Dome, Baseball team "Yomiuri Giants" home stadium (Yankees Godzilla Matsui used played), concert will be held on March 8.

I lived in Japan for a year, and while I was there, Matsu-Ken became popular. It really can't be stressed enough how big of a hit this is; I heard it everywhere, usually two or three times a day.

The song (and it's variants) are a samba-styled showtune with lyrics in Japanese. It's as strange as it sounds, and amazingly catchy. While I was in Japan, there were a lot of things I fell in love with, and a lot of things I didn't understand at all -- this album is at the top of the list on both.

If you don't live in Japan, it'll probably be hard to appreciate.