REVIEW 1: "KISS IN THE DARK"
On June 2nd, 1979, history was made as for the first time since Kyu Sakamoto's "Sukiyaki" hit number one here in 1963, a Japanese recording act made it's mark on America's Billboard charts, that act of course being our beloved Pink Lady with "Kiss in the Dark".
The novelty of two cute Japanese girls belting out a Disco tune in English caught on fast with American fans, especially teenagers who were instantly wowed by Mie and Kei. Of course, having performed KITD on The Leif Garrett Special a month earlier didn't hurt the girls any as their innate charm won over jaded Americans. Even though KITD never made it to the top spot, having peaked in the top 40 at 37, the song, and, more importantly, Mie and Kei left an indelible impression on the many people who followed them and quickly became fans, some of whom are still fans to this day.
ABOVE: Bet you've never seen this before! These are the costumes Mie and Kei wore for "Kiss in the Dark"!
To celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Mie and Kei's short-lived but fabulous foray into the U.S. music scene, we've got three unique features to whet your appetite. First up is John Vawter from California, a talented chap who's both a music engineer and graphic artist, he presents a fascinating technical review of KITD from the viewpoint of a music professional. Next up is Lady-X from Arizona, a regular contributor to the site who talks about the song as purely a fan, lastly, I'll do a historical slant on the song, what it meant to us as Pink Lady fans, and what could have been.
I think you'll enjoy this feature. In closing, if any of you out in cyber-space would like to comment on KITD, and what Pink Lady's first, and only U.S. charting meant to you, by all means, drop me a line at treetop.jeff@verizon.net and let your voice be heard. And now, on with the show!