interview with composer yoko kanno

“Each film has its own music. It's just bringing it out from there.”  Yoko Kanno

Q: What about this film made you decide to participate as a composer?

Basically, I make it my own policy to compose for the big project like feature films only once a year. I know some composers working on several TV series a year, but if I do that, it's too painful to leave a lot of things that I wanted to do just half done. It is not healthy for me to compromise due to shortness of the time or budget. So I once turned down the offer of this film because of my schedule conflict. However, I finally took a look at the footage after the persistent offer, and I just thought, "Who else but me can compose for this movie?" Although it was against my policy, I gave it a try to compose just one track, then it became 3 tracks, 5 tracks, then 10 tracks and more after all…I couldn't help it. (laugh) When I first saw this film, what occurred to me was that there are not so many composers who can squeeze all the essence of this film into something that's stupid, pretty, nonsense and the director's sarcasm into 2 hours.  I realized why they asked me, and I accepted it.

Q: Did the director give you any request regarding the specific image of sound tracks?

Well…not really. (laugh) He doesn't really go into such details like “Compose piano music” or whatever. The only thing that he asked me was to make it sound like a sort of “Yakuza Movie” in terms of the effect of the music.  From the start, he wanted to make this soundtrack something similar to that of favorite collected tunes from all the records on the floor.

Q: So what image was in your mind while you were composing?

Well…it was just like for 3 days while I was actually composing, so…

Q: Only for 3 days?!

Yeah, (laugh) it always goes fast after I become ready. But until then, it takes me a month to struggle and reach the break point. Whatever I work on, it's not like that I get inspired immediately as soon as I see the footage. I spend about a month thinking and thinking about how to match it up or make it look cool and all that.  At the end, I try to forget everything to go back in the beginning. 

As for this film, I was wondering for a while what part of this film I should be connected emotionally to. One day I decided to stop thinking and try making something to match up with the image of the film. After that, everything went so smooth. It is very tough for me as a professional soundtrack composer to forget everything, like the pride to make the best, or the goal to bring out the touching moment toward the ending by the variations of theme. It‘s a composer's ego to take time for choosing the best scene to put the most awesome track into.  But I know these egoistic efforts will end up with nothing much.  So I came back and listen to the film itself at the end.  Each film has its own music. It's just bringing it out from there.  It goes so smoothly once I reach this point.

Q: I felt that the theme track for Momoko was touchingly varied along with the story. Is it all in the mind?

Yes it is, (Laugh) but that was the only track that I composed as a 'soundtrack', I mean as the theme track specifically made for the character of Momoko. You are right. Other than that, each track followed the call of each scene, like typical “Fake-French” music, typical “Enka”(Traditional Japanese Ballad) or typical “Rock&Roll.”

Q: How did you feel when you saw the final cut of the film?

It was more interesting than I expected.

Q: “than you expected”…?

Usually, whenever I see the final cut, I cannot catch up with the movie emotionally or I end up feeling regret like “I should have done that more…” . Now this time I could enjoy the movie a lot. So this is the biggest compliment. (Laugh)

(Interviewer/ Toshihiko Nagano, Writer)

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Soundtrack Information

Original Soundtrack (Shimotsuma Monogatari)
by Yoko Kanno

1.  FLASHBACK WALTZ
2.  Hola Hola
3.  I LOVE Shimotsuma
4.  Momoko, The Stars Shine Bright i
5.  Punch Perm Funk
6.  Lucie Est Amoureuse
7.  Sweet home Rygasaki
8.  Parceque C'est Toi
9.  HUKUON STEP
10. Momoko, The Moon Shine Bright
11. She Said
12. Oikaze Fukumichi
13. Legend of Himiko
14. Honey You
15. Meatball
16. Momoko, The Stars Shine Bright ii
17. Une Belle Histoire
18. Negligee • Mary Jane
19. Immoral Diary
20. A Place For Me And You
21. Don Quixote
22. The Daddy's Zingi
23. Last • Sasurai
24. Television Killed The Shine Stars
25. Strawberry & Peach Pie
26. Momoko, The Stars Shine Bright iii
27. Super "shomin" Car (Short Version)
28. Time Machine ni Onegai

Purchase the soundtrack from CD Japan.