Yumi Arai -- Yasashisa ni Tsutsumareta nara （やさしさに包まれたなら）

One of my early blog entries was "Rouge no Dengon"（ルージュの伝言...A Message in Rouge), an early Yumi Arai (荒井由実） song that was the opening theme for the Hayao Miyazaki classic "Kiki's Delivery Service"(1989). It was one of Arai's early New Music hits which had this rollicking novelty 50s feel to it as Kiki made her way on her trusty broom to a prospective new city. I didn't find out while I was writing the profile on it that the lyrics were much more gleefully sinister.

No such case with "Yasashisa ni Tsutsumaretara nara"(If It Could be Wrapped in Kindness). Arai sings almost as if she were a little girl wondering if only love and kindness were tangible things to be stored. There isn't a single cynical word in this lovely song. And the melody...thanks to that steel pedal guitar, it has that innocent fresh country air. It made for a wonderful ending theme to "Kiki".

There are two versions to "Yasashisa". The album version appears on Yuming's 2nd album, "Misslim" which was released in October 1974, and this was the version which was the ending theme for the movie.

For trivia purposes, the bassist on the song was Yellow Magic Orchestra's Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣）。

Actually, a bit of a correction. If you are looking for "Rouge no Dengon", look for the entry for Yuming's 3rd album, "Cobalt Hour"(1975). The track is in there.