日本のメディア: Ride on Time - Tatsuro Yamashita

The song Ride on Time is an example of the city pop genre, a genre that refers to Western-influenced Japanese music from the 1970s and 1980s characterized by its inspiration from disco, jazz, and rock. I enjoy the genre and this song in particular because of its funk, soft rock, and jazz-like attributes, which I see with the song's prominent brass section and bass guitar. I think this genre is unique in its smooth, calming, and uplifting nature. I think it is also interesting how the genre has made a resurgence with vaporwave music, which I also love to listen to. Example of vaporwave image and its Japanese influence below.

The song itself has a fantastic buildup that leads to the chorus that utilizes a crescendo of both volume and instrumentation, starting with just piano and adding drums, guitar and more, that leads into the full blast that comes with the chorus that is a mixture of English and Japanese. Later in the song, there is a great instrumental bride that uses a saxophone with a drum and bass guitar background that I think shows off the best of the genre perfectly. I have listened to this genre for about three or four years, yet this song, which was my introduction to the genre, is still my favorite. I was able to pick out words here and there that I was able to understand. Additionally, when reading the lyrics on a separate website, I noticed multiple kanji that I knew, so I was able to give myself a rudimentary, rough translation for a few of the lines. I think its interesting that the genre is partially a result of Western influence, and the connection is made stronger by the repeated use of English words in this song.