“Come Come English”(*1)

  In September 1945, after Japan surrendered to the Allied Forces and World War ended on August 15, 1945, NHK Radio started a unique English conversation program called “Come, Come, English.” With Tadaichi Hirakawa as the instructor and featuring a theme song of “Come, Come, Everybody,” a melody rendition of the famous “Shojoji-no Tanuki Bayashi” composed by Shimpei Nakayama, the 15-mibute program aired Monday through Friday quickly sprung into prominence and acquired a nation-wide popularity.  
   
   
   
   
       
             
 

 

Come, come, everybody,

How do you do and how are you?

Won’t you have some candy,

One and two and three, four, five?

Let’s all sing a happy song,

Singing tra la la…