A story about how the Japanese might have been the first in the world to recognize the Beatles’ true talent
The first person to take notice of the Beatles was the man who later became their manager.Brian EpsteinI mentioned that before.
However,In fact, there may have been someone who recognized the Beatles’ talent even before he did—and that person might have been Japanese!And that’s the surprising story.
1.
Were the Japanese the first in the world to recognize the Beatles’ talent?
On February 16, 2017, Tetsuya Funamura, a great Japanese composer, passed away.
He composed numerous enka masterpieces, including Murata Hideo’s “Osho,” Kitajima Saburo’s “Fusetsu Nagare Tabi,” Toba Ichiro’s “Kyodai-bune,” and Hosokawa Takashi’s “Yagiri no Watashi.”
He also worked on pop songs such as Yoko Naito’s “Runna of the White Horse.”
However, with Mr. Funamura,The BeatlesEveryone would wonder what kind of connection there is, right?
I mean, Japanese pop songs and British rock are totally different worlds, and besides, even the British themselves—the people at the source—hardly noticed their talent at first, so why were the Japanese the ones who realized it before they did?
Moreover, it’s astonishing that Mr. Funamura realized the Beatles’ talent even before they made their professional debut on October 5, 1962!
2.
Mr. Funamura’s encounter with the Beatles
Mr. Funamura composed the music for Toei's animated film Sarutobi Sasuke, released in theaters in 1959.
This is the trailer for that movie.
Boy Sarutobi Sasuke Trailer – YouTube
Can you believe this was made in 1959?
I'm amazed that Japanese anime has already reached this level.
The colors are beautiful, and the motion in the animation is smooth, so it doesn’t feel dated.
This film was distributed by MGM in the United States under the title “Magic Boy.”
At that time, the Japanese dialogue was dubbed into English, but it seems the music was broadcast as is.
Later, anime historian Jeff Beck stated that the factors behind its success were that Toei’s animators created it in a Disney style, used traditional Japanese music, and featured many cute animals.
3.
Mr. Funamura Encounters the Beatles
In 1960, the film achieved the remarkable feat of winning the Lion of Saint Mark in the children's film category at the Venice International Film Festival.
And Mr. Funamura earned high acclaim as a film music composer and was invited by EMI in the United Kingdom and Pathé Marconi in France, leading him to stay in Europe.
Mr. Funamura attended auditions for several musicians during his visit to London. Among them were the pre-debut Beatles, who were the only band among the musicians participating in the auditions.
Asked, “Which musician was good?” Mr. Funamura replied, "Aren’t that filthy foursome the funniest?He himself stated this in a conversation with Eiichi Ohtaki, saying, "That’s what I answered."
"Music Heard by Writers" No. 17 Special Feature: Eiichi Ohtaki vs. Toru Funamura
This is about when he himself was around 28, and since he traveled to Europe to receive the honor of an award, the memories must have remained vivid.
So when the Beatles later broke through, they immediately realized, “That’s the band we saw back then!”—so it’s almost certainly true.
4.
Mr. Funamura’s Memory
According to Mr. Funamura’s interview above, he says he met the Beatles when they auditioned at EMI, but there is no record of any Japanese person being present at that time.
Moreover, at that time he said, “that dirty one.”
This means it’s highly likely that the Beatles’ outfits weren’t Beatles suits but black leather jackets.
However, when they auditioned at EMI, they were already wearing stylish Beatles suits as part of their manager Brian Epstein's strategy.
Therefore, at least in appearance, it shouldn’t be “dirty.”
Also, the Beatles auditioned at EMI in 1962, and there are no records of any auditions before that.
Also, given EMI’s strict discipline, it’s hard to imagine they would bring in a guest judge for an important in-house audition to discover new talent—unless it were part of some commemorative event.
In such cases, I believe it was reviewed only by the junior development staff.
Also, the timing of Mr. Funamura’s visit to Europe is unclear, but it was no later than 1960 or 1961.
It's hard to believe that, despite winning in 1960, they would have been invited with a two-year delay.
In other words, it must have been before the Beatles auditioned at EMI.
That is, the timing is off, the appearance is different, and given EMI’s circumstances, this possibility is considered unlikely.
Judging from these facts, it seems that Mr. Funamura met the Beatles before they made their major debut.
With all due respect, I believe you may be misremembering when you say you saw them at EMI.
It would have been nice if Mr. Otaki had dug a bit deeper and interviewed about this time too—what a shame.
5.
So, when and where did we meet?
So, when and where did Mr. Funamura meet the Beatles?
In Manchester near Liverpool, there was an audition in 1959 called 'Search for a Star,' organized by Carroll Levis with the aim of discovering new talent.
This is the poster from that time.
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison changed the band’s name from the Quarrymen to Johnny and the Moondogs in order to take part in it.
Anyone who passed this could appear on TV and had a chance to become a star.
However, this is too early for the timing.
It was when the film was released in Japan, and he won at the international film festival the following year, in 1960.
They also auditioned in 1960 in an audition hosted by Larry Burns.
In this way, the Beatles did take part in that kind of audition, so if Mr. Funamura encountered them, it was most likely at one of those.
However, I'm still not quite sure when it was or which audition it was.
Apparently, he participated as a guest judge for that audition.
What’s noteworthy is that he said, “Everyone else was a solo singer, and they were the only band.”
This area seems like it could be a hint.
6.
It was the Japanese who first realized the Beatles’ true talent in the world!
Even setting that aside, it is certain that Mr. Funamura met the Beatles, that at the time they were still newcomers as professionals who hadn’t even met Brian yet, and that Mr. Funamura recognized their talent.
It was around the time they became regulars at the Cavern Club and went on tour to Hamburg, or perhaps even a little earlier than that.
In any case, Mr. Funamura saw the Beatles when they were still early in their professional career and recognized their talent.That’s what it comes down to.
Isn’t it incredibly exciting that the Japanese were the first to recognize their talent—even at a time when they weren’t acknowledged in their own country and hadn’t even made their major debut yet?
Ahh, I want people all around the world to know this fact!
There’s a leading Beatles scholar named Mark Lewisohn, but even he probably doesn’t know about Mr. Funamura.
I’d like to let him know about this.
Given his strong spirit of inquiry, I imagine he’ll come to Japan to conduct the research, won’t he?