Mariya Takeuchi -- Lonely Wind

Oh, you NHK you! Still trying to pull off those surprises when you set up an annual Kohaku Utagassen. Here I was showing a bit of disappointment over Masayuki Suzuki（鈴木雅之）not getting onto the New Year's Eve show when I found out that none other than the Mariya Takeuchi（竹内まりや）is going to make her very first appearance on the special.

She's coming on as a special guest and not as a member of the Red team, so I can only wonder what the lady will perform. Will it indeed be a song about some amity for synthetic compounds or one of her other big hits? Most likely, I think it will probably be a medley...a veritable Mariya meal for the fans. Maybe even her husband will show up?

Well, while we're all counting down the sleeps to December 31st, allow me to provide some tribute to the occasion by putting up a Takeuchi number from her 3rd album "Love Songs" released in March 1980, "Lonely Wind". This is straight from the Mariya songbook of her early period: a 1950s-ish doo-wop tune whose harmonies are mellow to the ears and comforting for the sense of nostalgia. With lyrics by Kazuko Kobayashi（小林和子）, the music was provided by Kingo Hamada（浜田金吾）, the singer-songwriter who may have come from a folk background thanks to his work with the 70s band Craft but has also shown love for the standards stylings of yesteryear.

I kinda doubt that "Lonely Wind" will make it onto the play list for any Mariya medley on the Kohaku, but I can still dream.