Misia -- Namida no Present（涙のプレゼント）

 Too bad about the breakup but some really fine music.

Groovy and cool are the words that I would use to describe "Namida no Present" (A Present of Tears), a track on Misia's 12th single, "Kokoro Hitotsu"（心ひとつ...One Heart） which saw the light of day in August 2003. With the singer providing lyrics and Shiro Sagisu（鷺巣詩郎）behind music and arrangement, as can be guessed from the title, it's the story of the end of a romance at some café, all tied up in a bow with a final present from the guy. I definitely do not want to be the wait staff servicing that table. Really awkward.

However as I said right off the top, that is some really nice melody by Sagisu flowing through my ears. There is elegance, soul, an urbane tone, a steady rhythm and even a touch of humour at the beginning as if "Namida no Present" were the theme song for a Tokyo-based rom-com that begins with the tabletop breakup that needed to be done to launch the plot. Misia's songs have been used as theme songs before but there's no sign that this particular one was used in that manner.

As for "Kokoro Hitotsu", it peaked at No. 7 on Oricon and earned a Gold standing. According to J-Wiki, the single was recorded in London. Hopefully, the breakup was done over high tea. I do love those scones with the clotted cream.😁