Tomoyo Harada -- Motto Sunao ni...（もっと素直に…）

This is gotta be one of the catchier techno kayo tunes that I've encountered so far.

"Motto Sunao ni..." (More Straightforward) was written and composed by singer-songwriter Takako Shirai（白井貴子） as a track for 80s aidoru Tomoyo Harada's（原田知世）November 1984 mini-album "Nadeshiko Junjou"（撫子純情...Girlish Innocence[?]）. My knowledge of Shirai's material is still quite limited but my current impression is that of someone who started out as a City Popper but then years later went into a more pop/rock mode. From another angle, listening to "Motto Sunao ni..." would have had me thinking of regular aidoru with a hint of AOR goodness.

But then, the arranger was none other than Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）who was still embracing the technopop within himself in the early 1980s. And so, the computer-y sounds that I would often associate with a Yellow Magic Orchestra tune are also in "Motto Sunao ni...". However, indeed it's still sweet Harada behind the mike, exhorting the need to take the reins, not hold back, and go for it where potential love is concerned. Among all of the bleeps and bloops, I particularly enjoy that techno basso profundo moan in the refrain. It's almost as if Lurch from "The Addams Family" was helping out in the recording.