Hearing the news that The Kinks have released CD with remastered and unreleased remixes of “Muswell Hillbillies” and “Everybody’s in Show-Biz” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the release, I listened to the two albums again. I’m a bit of a kinky freak, so I like all the Kinks albums, including the early, punky Kinks, the Kinks when they were slipping a little bit from the mainstream, and the late, nasty rock ‘n’ roll Kinks, but these two albums are exceptional. At the same time, the Rolling Stones also released a series of cool albums influenced by American Southern music, but the Kinks’ approach is more all-encompassing, yet still interesting in the sense that they can’t seem to get away from the UK. Both are good, though. And above all, the ironic romantic side of Ray Davies is on full display, which is good. I’ve made a very long preface, but this time, I’d like to choose songs from the angle of “ironic romantics”. First of all, I would like to introduce from two albums by the Kinks.

”Holiday” is a laid-back song that makes you feel like you are relaxing on a holiday, but when I look at the lyrics carefully, I wonder that the song is not about a holiday, but about being laid off from work. “Sitting In My Hotel” is another song with a beautiful melody (Ray Davies wrote some of the most beautiful melodies I’ve ever heard)., but the lyrics seem to be self-mocking about his tour-soaked life.

　Next, I would like to introduce Randy Newman. This is another singer-songwriter who puts poignant and ironic lyrics on beautiful melodies. Lately, though, he has become completely associated with the image of writing music for Toy Story. I wonder if he wants to do it. But the reason of Toy Story’ is good movie is Randy Newman songs, so I’m happy about that.

　It starts out as like an American anthem, but about halfway through the song, it becomes clear that the song is sung by a slave trader. It is a beautiful song, but the lyrics are incredibly poignant.

　Next, I would like to introduce Warren Zevon. He is associated with the West Coast rock like Jackson Browne and the Eagles, but while Jackson Browne and the Eagles are romantic, his songs tend to have more ironic lyrics. That’s what I really like about him. It’s somewhat oblique all the time. I would like to introduce this song that Linda Ronstadt also sang and made famous.

　Well, a pop song with the title, “Poor poor pitiful me,” is still a bit of ironic , isn’t it?

Last but not least, I introduce Charlie Parker. Charlie Parker, of course, did not write lyrics, but in fact, his songs did not even have a title, and he called his songs by numbers, so the song titles were given at random by the producer. There is a story that the song I am going to introduce is the name of a drug dealer, which is a bit ironic considering Charlie Parker was devoured by drugs. The song is truly a great representative of Be-bop.

　As usual, I’ll end with my song. I wrote this song in the image of Bob Dylan around the time of the Rolling Thunder Revue, and there are some pretty ironic phrases in the lyrics.

Baby don’t cry　　 Lyrics: KANEKO Chalin

Ten Kindergarteners mowed down by an old man’s car
A high school student boy caring for his bedridden grandmother
Baby don’t cry
The shouting of the neighbor’s 40 years son who’ve never been seen years
Garbage of cup noodles piling up over the wall in the yard
Baby don’t cry

Sadness and overjoy are with you
Confusion and anger are with you
One side with really goodness
One side with really badness

I am living everyday hard
Is the world getting better or worse?
Baby don’t cry

A homeless buying junk food from a millionaire’s company
Money is rolling around and swelling up a big mountain money
Baby don’t cry
A Mercedes Benz bought with welfare that a young man got
Yellow beaten by black who were beaten by cops
Baby don’t cry

Dreamful space satellites that are falling day by day
A big stadium crushing vacant lots where children played
Baby don’t cry
Ants that couldn’t escape from a forest fire eternity
Melting ice and waters boiled by too much electricity
Baby don’t cry

Sadness and overjoy are with you
Confusion and anger are with you
One side with really strength
One side with really weakness
I am living everyday hard
Is the world getting better or worse?
Baby don’t cry