Mariya Takeuchi -- Lonely Woman（ロンリー・ウーマン）/Tell Me, Tell Me

 

Happy to see that up to now, one hundred articles have included the vivacious Mariya Takeuchi（竹内まりや）. So, it is with some surprise that I hadn't written about these songs for Article No. 101.

https://music.apple.com/jp/album/bon-appetit/257400708

(excerpt only)

(karaoke version)

Allow me to make amends. "Lonely Woman" is Takeuchi's 26th single released in November 1996 and with words and music by the singer, the song talks about who I think is a lady who has been happy wrapping men around her pinkie but then she ends up meeting a fellow who she actually falls hard for, only to discover that he's already spoken for. Isn't it wonderful that Mariya can create a song about loneliness that sounds so bright and whimsical? 

(36:03)

Actually, it's the coupling song that I know more than "Lonely Woman". "Tell Me, Tell Me" caught me immediately by the intro of Takeuchi's chorus, and according to the J-Wiki article for both songs, it's the first time that she used the overdubbing technique to create her own background chorus for one of her own songs. Lyrically, it's another melancholy number about a relationship that is threatening to come apart at the seams. Another thing that I enjoy is the bluesy arrangement with the inclusion of the guitar, and of course, it's Tatsuro Yamashita（山下達郎）handling everything for both songs.

Both "Lonely Woman" and "Tell Me, Tell Me" were used for the 1996 TBS drama "Gimu to Engi"（義務と演技...Obligation and Performance） starring Yuko Asano（浅野ゆう子）. The single peaked at No. 13 on Oricon and both songs are also included in Takeuchi's 9th original album "Bon Appetit!" which came out in August 2001, becoming a million-seller, hitting No. 1 on the weekly charts and ending up as the 18th-ranked album of the year. The album also has the spritely Xmas song "Kon'ya wa Hearty Party"（今夜はHearty Party).

One other piece of trivia that I gleaned from the J-Wiki article is that "Lonely Woman" was allowed to become the theme song for the Kisei Expressway spanning from Mie Prefecture to Wakayama Prefecture. Of course, highways also need love and respect and what better way to show that than a Takeuchi love song?