Little April Shower - Manna Fujiwara

Hey everyone. It's Jamie from Fong Songs once again. The track I'm featuring today is Little April Shower. The song was composed by Frank Churchill with lyrics by Larry Morey for Bambi, the fifth Disney animated feature released in 1942. The two of them had previously collaborated on several classic songs from Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs including Someday My Prince Will Come, Heigh Ho, and Whistle While You Work.

The cover is performed by MANNA FUJIWARA on the Japanese Disney cover album DISNEY AGE @ D_100 CAFE, a gem of a CD I found on eBay. If you weren't aware, they take Disney covers very seriously in Japan. Walt Disney Records Japan in conjunction with Avex Records releases a ton of exclusive albums featuring prominent artists (not necessarily Japanese) remixing and retooling classic Disney tracks. There's practically no information about Manna Fujiwara, but the first google hit is her IMDb filmography which only consists of one credit: Peter Greenaway's 8½ Women. Oddly enough, Fujiwara plays the ½ woman.

The cover is performed in a child-like manner, lullabye-like with lots of tinkly sounds and plucked harp strings. It turns a little sinister halfway as the little April shower threatens to turn into an angry storm, but it soon resolves itself as Fujiwara charmingly chants: "How I love to hear your patter,
Pretty little pitter patter,
Helter skelter when you pelter,
Troubles always seem to scatter"
Some ominous strings return near the end just to leave you slightly unsettled.

Little April Shower Manna Fujiwara 2001