Mariya Takeuchi -- Namida no One-Sided Love （涙のワンサイデッド・ラブ）

Well, here's one for Richie and Mary Beth...

If there's one song that could represent Mariya Takeuchi's （竹内まりや）song stylings in the early years of her career before she took her hiatus in the early 80s, I think "Namida no One-Sided Love" (Tearful One-Sided Love) is the one. The idea of kataomoi （片思い）or love from afar has been an easy plot or subplot device for a ton of Japanese dramas or comedies or anime for years and years. There are tons of Charlie Browns over there pining for naught (or not) over their little red-haired girls.

Takeuchi wrote and composed this tune from her 2nd album, "University Street" (May 1979) as this love letter to that unknown young man who was kind enough to offer an umbrella to her at the bus stop one rainy Saturday in October (perhaps sometime in the 1950s). Mariya was probably dreaming through pink cotton-candy clouds in her bobby-soxer outfit as she was writing that letter while lying on that bed. I'm sure there were a lot of loopy "l"s and hearts replacing the dots over the "i"s.

During that transition from the 70s into the 80s, while Japanese pop culture was starting to embrace the early raucous days of American rock n' roll of Danny Zuko, Takeuchi was often trying to represent her inner Sandy through her ballads. Yep, I did watch "Grease" a fair bit.