Hibari Misora is a national treasure in Japan, and one can certainly see why. Hibari's parents reportedly realized early on that they had something special in their young Kazuo Katō (she changed her name to Hibari Misora, meaning "lark in the beautiful sky," with the advent of her recording career when she was 12) and her father, a fishmonger, spent a big chunk of family savings to launch her musical career. Her first hit single, released in 1949, was called "Kappa Boogie-Woogie." Hibari went on to release a whole slew of records, including the 1972 album I've posted here. She also appeared in more than 160 films, including this one:
From the picture on the cover of her "A Woman's Poem" LP and in the photo below, Misora reminds me of a Japanese Barbara Stanwyck! Does anyone else see that too? In 1957 Hibari was attacked with hydrochloric acid at the Asakusa International Theater by someone Wikipedia describes as "an overly enthusiastic fan." (I'd say I'm an overly enthusiastic fan of Doris Day... Is it strange that I've never considered throwing acid on her?) Song lyrics are included below, in Japanese.
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