Mari Kunitake -- Mou Hanararenai（もう離れられない）

Around four years ago, I wrote about this singer named Mari Kunitake（国武万里）that I hadn't ever heard until "Kayo Kyoku Plus" was well under way, but she had this appealing early 90s brand of City Pop hit with the quaintly outdated title, "Pokeberu ga Naranakute" (ポケベルが鳴らなくて).

That was her 2nd single from 1993, but tonight, it's about her debut single "Mou Hanararenai" (I Can Never Leave You) from November 1992. A more conventional pop song compared to "Pokeberu", it nonetheless has a current of rock n' blues running underneath which makes things a bit more interesting. It was created by the same duo for that 2nd single, lyricist Yasushi Akimoto（秋元康）and composer Tsugutoshi Goto（後藤次利）, and I also like the rich piano intro that strangely reminds me of a certain part of the "Goodfellas" soundtrack.

As with "Pokeberu", though, Kunitake's debut also had a TV drama connection. It was an insert song for the 1992 TBS drama "Homework"（ホームワーク）in a couple of episodes, but the show's theme song became much more popular as a seasonal tune. It was none other than Junichi Inagaki's（稲垣潤一）"Christmas Carol no Koro ni wa"（クリスマスキャロルの頃には）.