Seri Ishikawa -- Chiisana Nichiyoubi（小さな日曜日）

Not sure if this has anything to do with the fact that Windows 7 will no longer be getting any support or protection as of Tuesday, but my old laptop (approaching 8 years) which uses Windows 7 has been acting in the last couple of days as if the end is near and getting really slow really quickly for some reason. Fortunately, I've been breaking in its Windows 10-laden replacement over the past few days, so the transition will be made soon enough.

In any case, I thought that this might be an appropriate tune considering the day of the week, and it's titled "Chiisana Nichiyoubi" (Little Sunday). This was actually Seri Ishikawa's（石川セリ）debut single, released in March 1972, and true to its mellow and lilting melody by Yasuo Higuchi（樋口康雄）, the lyrics by Keisuke Yamakawa（山川啓介）talk of a couple of young lovers, probably high school kids judging by the one line that talks of them abandoning their bags, suddenly hopping on that last train to head to the sea for walk along the shore.

What I like about Ishikawa's first single is that mix of studio orchestra-friendly kayo provided by the horns and strings and then the rollicking piano and wah-wah guitar which kinda hints at something more rock or New Music. "Chiisana Nichiyoubi" seems to get bigger and grander as it plays to the end as if the kids are realizing that the whole world is becoming one great oyster to them.

I gotta say, though, that listening to Ishikawa's BEST collection, I prefer her oldest material in the 1970s.