Shinichi Mori -- Sore wa Koi（それは恋）

Looking at the translation for the title "Sore wa Koi" (That's Love), I would get that distinct impression of that old chestnut by Dean Martin, "That's Amore". However, Shinichi Mori's（森進一）53rd single from November 1981 is right up his way of love given in that exquisitely poignant way (I was actually going to say painful, but then all of us would suddenly be thinking of something rather naughty😁).

Written by Matsuyo Akimoto（秋元松代）and composed by Kosho Inomata（猪俣公章）, I couldn't get the entire meaning of "Sore wa Koi" but for me, the ballad has had me thinking of a young man in ancient times somewhere in an even more ancient forest pining (no pun intended) for a loved one. That somewhat forlorn arrangement lends to the heavier atmosphere of love parted. I don't know how "Sore wa Koi" fared on the charts but I would think that if I tried this at karaoke in front of some of my older students, I would probably get tons of beer ordered for me just for the shibui-ness of it all.

Haven't seen Mori in a while. I hope that he's doing OK.

(karaoke version)