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Helen Merrill(1930- )

In Japan, Helen Merrill had a great hit with this song. She lived in Japan from 1967 to 1972. The Japanese title on the CD is "I'd Be So Nice If You Come Home To"... a kind of twisted or opposite translation.

The original one means "It's so nice if you're home when I come home." It doesn't mean "I hope my boy/girl comes home".

In addition, many people think that this song is for female singers, but it's rather for male singers, to have their girls come home, I think.

Her attractive vocal has been called "sigh in N.Y." When I was 16, I went to her concert with the ticket given by my acquaintance working for Chu-nichi Broadcasting Company. I was quite matured (...especially about music. Of course I didn't notice such kinds of things. Don't worry.) It was her first visit to Japan.

Helen and Fuyuko

I was so surprised that my friend's sweet wife Fuyuko Nishizato(Yamashita) has been producing the events by Helen. It's a small world. One of players of a Japanese classical instrument shakuhachi has had session with jazz musicians. He is Prof. Hozan Yamamoto (professor of GEIDAI; Tokyo Academy of Arts) He is also friendly with Helen. Fuyuko is Prof. Yamamoto's friend, so maybe she arranged it.

Helen had a live concert at Blue Note in Minami Aoyama in April, 1999. I was looking forward to listening to her "sigh in N.Y.", after 41 years. I went there with Fuyuko and Prof. Yamamoto. We went to her dressing room and talked of old stories. At that time she said, "Oh! it's yesterday." The past of all is yesterday for her. I couldn't believe she was almost 70. She was still young and energetic.