Akiko Kobayashi -- The Reply

A rather melancholy day for those who remember their 1960s TV like I do. First off, yesterday I got word that actress Peggy Lipton, who I knew for her role in ABC's "The Mod Squad" with its dynamic opening credits sequence, had passed away at the age of 72.

Then, this morning came the announcement that Hollywood legend Doris Day had died at the age of 97. Of course, there were all of her movies and songs, but I first knew her for her TV show, "The Doris Day Show" (which was my first glimpse of San Francisco) and its (and what is arguably her own) theme song, "Que Sera Sera". Plus, my parents even bought me and my brother a children's LP with her singing "Do Re Mi" and a tear-inducing rendition of "The Inch-Worm".

I was hoping beyond hope that there was a version of "Que Sera Sera" on YouTube as sung by Akiko Kobayashi (小林明子...although her cover gets a bit silly near the end with a baby Minnie Mouse-esque insertion into the singing) on her 1987 album "Naturally". Alas, such was not the case, but I did find something by her from the following album "City of Angels" released in 1988.

"The Reply" perhaps fits the mood I'm feeling on hearing about the deaths of Lipton and Day. As I mentioned in the original article for "City of Angels", this album answered the question of what if Kobayashi and Richard Carpenter of The Carpenters worked together. There had already been much talk on how similar Kobayashi sounded to the late Karen Carpenter among her fans, and finally their wishes were answered. "The Reply" is quintessential Carpenters with that familiar oboe in the intro and those glossy strings. The song was indeed written and composed by Richard.

It's a beautiful but sad ballad about opportunities lost in a relationship which eventually brings the romance to an end. The lyrics relate one side of the former couple trying to make amends and perhaps start things anew only for the other side to immediately pour ice on that idea permanently. The retort that comes to mind is "I've moved on...why don't you?". The comfortable feeling for "The Reply" is provided though by those instruments including Kobayashi's vocals. It's all short and (bitter)sweet.