HIRAGANA SONG

HIRAGANA SONG
(D. Bloom / J. Fisher)
Goodnight Kiss Music & Records (BMI)
As performed by Alyssa Collins; produced by
Janet Fisher, Adam A. Johnson and Art Munson for Goodnight Kiss Records; additional music by Adam A. Johnson and Art Munson; music by Janet Fisher, lyrics by the Japanese people and Danny Bloom.

HIRAGANA SONG

Hiragana, katakana, hiragana ku
Hiragana, katakana, hiragana ku

A sounds like the "ah" in the English word father
I sounds like "e" in the English word machine
U is like truth
E sounds like "a" in prey
O is like most that's why we say-ay-ay

We're all saying!

Hiragana, katakana, hiragana ku (Nihongo!)
Hiragana, katakana (you can do it, too!)

Everybody go!

a i u e o
ka ki ku ke ko
sa shi su se so
ma mi mu me mo

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This song is an international effort between writers and musicians from around the world, who have never met face-to-face ... yet.

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sa shi su se so
ta chi tsu te to
na ni nu ne no
ha hi fu he ho (ho, ho, Nihongo!)

Hiragana, katakana, hiragana ku (Nihongo!)
Hiragana, katakana, you can do it, too!

NIHONGO!

ya yi yu ye yo
ra ri ru re ro
wa wi wu we wo
kya kyu kyo, sha shu sho

This is what you gotta know (hiragana, katakana)
A - i - u - e - o (hiragana, katakana)
This is what you gotta know (gotta know, gotta know, gotta know)
This is what you gotta know (gotta know, gotta know, gotta know)
CHO! VERY NIHONGO!

cha chu cho, nya nyu nyo
hya hyu hyo, ni-hon-go!
mya myu myo, rya ryu ryo,
ta tsu cho, ni-hon-go!

This is what you gotta know (hiragana, katakana)
A - i - u - e - o (hiragana, katakana)
This is what you gotta know (go, go!)
CHO! VERY NIHONGO!

A sounds like the ah
I sounds like "e"
U truth
E prey
O most, that’s what we say-say-say

Hiragana, katakana, hiragana ku (Nihongo!)
Hiragana, katakana (you can do it, too!)

We're all saying!

Hiragana katakana hiragana ku (ni-hon-go!)
Hiragana katakana (you can do it, too!)

This is NIHONGO!

Look for "HIRAGANA SONG" on I-Tunes!
Or, see Goodnight Kiss Music (BMI) for more announcements about this song
and other unique music projects.

THE PRESS IS EXCITED!

ALYSSA COLLINS - HIRAGANA SONG
Steve Gilmore Blogspot

Hang around long enough on the internet and you are likely to review just about everybody - or at least that's my excuse. Moreover, hang around even longer than that and you may get to review their children too, as is the case here. Alyssa Collins is the 15 year old daughter of Soundclick's regular Lucie Collins, so there is the first reason I picked this track for review. After all, I love the way Momma (that's Lucie Collins to the rest of us) sings so maybe it's passed down to her daughter. The second reason is that I am a complete Japan freak. I love the language, the people, the fashions and (most) of the manga/anime culture - although there are some areas of this that leave much to be desired. Why is it that all island races end up being a) completely bonkers and b) a nation of perverts??

I include, of course, my own island race - the perfidious brits.

Hiragana, just in case you are wondering, is the Japanese syllabi that constitute the language; the building blocks of Japanese if ya like, the ABC's. The song itself came about with a collab between Daniel Bloom and Goodnight Kiss's songwriter Janet Fisher and was produced by Art Munson, a very well known and respected producer with an unbelieveable pedigree. So, judging by all that, Hiragana Song should be a shoo-in right? Ah, you know me too well, you KNOW I wouldn't just let something slide by just because I happen to know the people who made it. The first listen confirmed pretty much all I had been expecting; a faultless performance and the kind of production values you would have expected from a known (ie a RW track record) producer. Where the track missed, at least on initial plays, was that I found it incredibly lightweight in a very poppy way. Nothing bad but it would obviously be a track that would only appeal to certain audiences.

Appearances, as always, can be very deceptive though...

It's after living with the track for a few days when it's obvious this is a very serious effort at that elusive 'worldwide' hit. To be sure to my ears - after some fairly consistent playing - it sounds like the real deal. Moreover, given the market it's aimed at, that kind of lightweight pop is exactly what the market requires. So, whether it will make that grade or not is up to the moves it makes within the real world music business. So what does this mean for us internet bottom feeders who want everything for free? There's talk that a fragment of the track will be uploaded onto Soundclick some time soon and if so, I do suggest you give it a listen because it is an excellently realised, very commercial track that presses all the right buttons. If you like the sound of the track and just want it anyway, the download at ITunes will cost you just under a pound in the UK and probably 79c in the US). On a more personal level, Alyssa has a different vocal quality to Lucie (as you would expect) but this track bodes very well indeed for this talented young singer. It takes talent to shine in company such as this and for a 15 year old, Alyssa has a surprising maturity about her performance. For me, living with the track is what finally sold me on it, the sheer professionalism of the technical side could only carry it so far. At the end of the day, this is a very catchy, likeable song encased in a classic pop setting and proves to be eminently listenable.

Highly recommended (song content and hooks are superb). Pop of the first order.
Posted by Steve Gilmore, Mar. 2007

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FEEDBACK & FAN NOTES:
WHAT SOME PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT 'HIRAGANA SONG'

1. ''I just love it. Especially the NI-HON-GO! shout-out in the background. I could see this track being forwarded like wildfire around the Internet , for the full spectrum of reasons: from sincere [a kawaii way to practice j-phonetic principles] to kitsch [a ludicrous sample for trip-hop compositions]. Seriously, this has "cult something" written all over it. I'm already picturing an animated video file, replete with lip-synching bunnies in sailor suits. Alyssa just nailed it!''

2. "LOL! That's the funniest things I've heard in a LONG time -- well done, you guys! I like the sound very, very much. The person who said you might be on to a cult hit has it right, I think, especially if you released it in Japan. I can just imagine millions of knock-kneed knee-socked blonde-bouffant burdened girls squealing, "KAWAIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!". Keep me posted on its evolution!"

3. An art book editor in NYC, 28, said: "Love it, it's Sesame Street meets Japanese pop. This could be "BIG!"

4. A woman in NYC, Japanese, said: "The song is VERY cute. You are right to call it that. It is certainly a great idea -- a J-pop song to teach people the very basic phonetics. What a creative idea. I’ll be curious to see how the song catches on. I am sure a number of Internet surfers will get into it -- AND it is the kind of thing that basic students of Japanese need."

5. A Japanese woman in Taiwan, aged 35, said: "Here how I feel about the song : The song sounds like very Japanse style. But also filled with Western elements in it, and yes, it sounds cute, more like cartoon or for elementary school kids or for a TV commercial. Also it sounds like a "teaching you something " song, no doubt.. I like the background music."

6. Former A&R director for major label: "Your cute/silly/goofy song has a huge potential, if you can find the right label to bring it out in a global launch...."

7. "A really great song. The techno/dance background is absolutely perfect for language studies, as the deep rhythms put a person in a mindset that makes it easy to absorb information. I usually have problems distinguishing between sounds in Japanese since I don't know the language, and don't have a context. But listening to the song made it much easier to hear the subtle sounds and tones. Admittedly I had already learned the vowel sounds, so when I listened to it I paid more attention to the consonant sounds to distinguish m's from n's, and g's from t's. I really hope you make more of these, it's a great way to learn Japanese."

8. In these times of war and world problems, this little song goes a long way toward giving people a smile on their faces, a chuckle, and the entire production is fantastic. Sign me up on iTunes as soon as it is ready. Who is the girl singer? She was a perfect match for the music and the words. By the way, what do those words mean? "

Alyssa Collins: Recording Artist - Alyssa Collins (15) was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on Christmas Day 1990. Alyssa lives in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada with her mother Lucie (a healthcare professional, and wonderful singer in her own right) and younger brother Jonathan (13).

Alyssa started to sing before she spoke her first coherent words; "Somewhere Out There" from "An American Tail," ¦in tune, and she wasn't yet two. A talented artist, Alyssa began drawing anime characters a few years ago.

As she became more interested (obsessed) with anime, she began watching the Japanese versions with English subtitles. She quickly learned common Japanese words and phrases, and became adept at the pronunciation just by mimicking what she heard on the anime. She continues her learning with books and CDs about the Japanese language, and has taught herself colors, objects, Japanese construction, etc. She's also taking Japanese classes through her school this year (she's in grade 11).

Daniel Bloom: Lyricist - Danny Bloom grew up in Massachusetts and didn't know a word of Japanese until he went to Tokyo in 1991.

A big fan of Japanese pop music and literature, Danny wrote the words for "The Hiragana Song" to inspire people around the world to start studying the basics of the Japanese language.

He also writes poetry, children's books and travel books in Asia.

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Janet Fisher: Composer, Co-producer - Janet Fisher is a longtime professional songwriter and song publisher for Film and TV, author and music journalist, and owner Goodnight Kiss Music and Records and sister-company Scene Stealer Music.

Janet loves all types of songs and produces a variety of unique projects and music events. She is a frequent guest at songwriter-related conferences, and writes and lectures on songwriting and intellectual property rights.

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Adam A. Johnson: Music Tracks, additional music, Co-producer - Adam A. Johnson is a versatile original music composer, performer, and producer of diverse musical genres with extensive professional experience in custom sound production for Film/TV/New Media, scoring to picture, and sound design.

You can contact him and access his music montages, video reel, and credits at www.architectofsound.com.

Art Munson: Additional Music, Co-producer - Art Munson has been involved in many facets of the music business, as a guitarist, recording engineer, song writer and record producer.

He has worked with artists as varied as John Lennon, Barbra Streisand, Cher, Billy Joel, The Righteous Bros, Paul Williams, Kris Kristofferson, Vonda Shepard, Brenda Russell, David Sanborn, Bill Medley and many more.

He has also been involved in numerous TV shows, jingles and films and has had numerous songs recorded by various artists. He and his wife Robin have recently completed over 100 electronica, techno, funk, rock and pop cues for HGTV.

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COVER ARTIST: Tubbypaws UK

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