Yumi Matsutoya -- Hoshi no Rougerian （星のルージュアン）

(karaoke version)

For me, Yuming's（ユーミン）"Hoshi no Rougerian" (Rougerian of the Stars) is perhaps her most unusual single in that it's really an extended commercial jingle with a turn-of-the-decade disco beat. Released as her 16th single in August 1980, it was used for a Pola Cosmetics ad way back when and the Queen of New Music's lyrics wrote about a guy giving his impressions about how a woman she knows in the neighbourhood or at work simply transforms into a tigress (or the Rougerian...I wonder if she had seen a Ridley Scott movie at that time) with a bit of makeup. Oh, that Pola!

I had never heard of this song until the 21st century when it was included in the second of her 2007 2-part BEST album, "SEASONS COLOURS Aki Fuyu Senkyokushu"（秋冬選曲集...Autumn Winter Song Collection）. I didn't mind the disco beat at all but the vocal effects near the end and Matsutoya's vocals going squeaky-high in the refrain had me scratching my head when I first heard it. It probably won't go down in my list of Top 10 Yuming songs but I'm glad it's in the collection just for interest's sake. As it was, the original single went as high as No. 46 on Oricon. Decent for any other singer but not particularly a hit for Yuming.