Yoko Nagayama -- Wakare Jouzu （別れ上手）

Young Yoko

I really ought to be giving myself a Gibbs-level slap to the back of my head right now since I've been quite amiss when it comes to enka singer Yoko Nagayama（長山洋子）. Up to now, the only Nagayama entry that I've had on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" is her cover of "Venus" and that was back in her aidoru days. She's been an enka singer for almost a quarter of a century and I had nothing to represent that period.

(short version)

Up until now, that is. For those TV Japan viewers who are also fans of Nagayama, the past week must have been seen as a good one since she appeared not only on "Uta Kon"（うたコン）but also on that new NHK kayo-and-talk show "Gogo Uta"（ごごウタ...Afternoon Songs）that's televised Friday afternoons.

Her most recent single is "Wakare Jouzu" (Good At Breaking Up) which to me is a great title for something that is a bit more on the Mood Kayo side rather than the enka side according to the Latin-ish arrangement. Maybe the title has been used before but it's the first time for me to hear it, and it rather embraces that classic Mood Kayo trope of the love 'em-and-leave 'em heel. However, the way Nagayama sings it, it doesn't sound like the latest victim of this Lothario is too broken up about it; perhaps she's pouty that the time flew by so fast but knows that he'll have her in his arms after a while again. The single, by the way, is dedicated to her 35th anniversary of being in show business, and yep, that includes her aidoru age.

Keisuke Hama（浜圭介）took care of the music while Noriyo Suzuki（鈴木紀代）provided the lyrics. "Wakare Jouzu" was released in July of this year according to her website. Not sure how it did on Oricon. But I'm glad that I finally got the singer's enka discography finally represented.