Hiroko Moriguchi -- Dress Up The Night

They really did like those trumpet-sounding synthesizers back then, eh?

Starting off Monday with this sprightly song by singer/tarento/impressionist Hiroko Moriguchi（森口博子）, "Dress Up The Night". I've realized that another aural touchstone for my music of the late 1980s and early 1990s is that synth on horn mode since I've heard it with other singers such as Miki Imai（今井美樹）at around the same time.

In any case, the ever-smiling Moriguchi's "Dress Up The Night" seems to be all about the painting the town red and tripping the light fantastic. Placed as a track on her 2nd studio album "Prime Privacy" from November 1989, it's got that champagne-and-caviar Swingout Sister-esque sophisti-pop feeling of the times as Moriguchi sings about finding that Mr. Right in that great big city. Gee, I wonder if this was "Sex & The City: Tokyo Edition" years before the actual show? At this point, Kim Cattrall was even a couple of years away from portraying a turncoat Vulcan/Romulan on "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country".

No complaints here, though. It's all good as the song showcases the bright lights and big city of what must have been the heyday of the Bubble Era. Put on that body-hugging dress, red heels and Chanel No. 5 and drink down that crystal glass of hedonism with good friends. Yoshihiko Ando（安藤芳彦）was the lyricist while Kazuya Izumi（和泉一弥）provided the swanky music.

To finish off, here is Moriguchi plying that talent that I first knew her for. But this time, she's not imitating Shizuka Kudo（工藤静香）.