Back in the Chrsitmas of 2008, there as a cute little video that I stumbled upon, or that it stumbled upon me.... ok ok so I had it sent to me by various friends until I actually watched it. "Christmas in Japan" as far as I could tell became very well known in a short span of time and in an equally short span of time, it was forgotten like a one hit wonder.
Where did this song come from? Who did this song come from? Where their more songs? Believe it or not these questions plagued me until I got off my lazy rear and started doing some research.
Turns out the song was created by Fatblueman which is headed by a Canadian, John, living in Japan. They have been creating, singing, and preforming in Japan from about 2008 and have their own album out, which if I remember correctly was free to download from their site. (I swear it was free!)
They have a sound that I find reminds me very much of my childhood and of my home, perhaps it is because the leader is Canadian, but regardless I found that they have a warm, friendly and upbeat feel good style that I love. And it doesn't hurt that they have a rendition of Mary Mack! (though their live performance at Blue Note in Nagoya was much better I think.)
There was one song that really stood out for me. Just Don't Forget About That was written back in 2009, shortly after Christmas in Japan got it's fame. The song is a conversation between a father and his son, teaching his son about compassion for the downtrodden and homeless. The lyrics are meaningful and touching on so many levels, reminding us that we are all the same, "the light that's in you, its in them too." There is a new version which is a duet using both English and Japanese.
Many things have made me come to respect this group and their work and I am sad to see that they have disbanded (with members following their own paths). I wish them nothing but success and happiness in the future, and hope that we will get to hear from them again.
