Kenji Sawada -- Cobalt no Kisetsu no Naka de（コバルトの季節の中で）

 

Of course, kayo legend Kenji Sawada（沢田研二）has been known for his rock-out tunes, New Wave treats and his old Group Sounds efforts. 

However, it's also nice to encounter his straight pop stuff, too. There is an electric guitar in his September 1976 17th single "Cobalt no Kisetsu no Naka de" (In the Cobalt Season) but I think that this sweet tune is a sweet serenade from a guy to a girl in the autumn. Composed by Sawada with lyrics by novelist and TV producer Teruhiko Kuse（久世光彦）under one of his pen names of Natsu Kotani（小谷夏）and arrangement by Motoki Funayama（船山基樹）, the singer seems to have slightly infused the song with a bit of breezy early 60s pop, just a tad reminiscent of some of Eiichi Ohtaki's（大滝詠一）hits.

"Cobalt no Kisetsu no Naka de" reached No. 7 on the Oricon weeklies and ended up as the 62nd-ranked single of the year. I'm not sure if he performed the song on television or in concerts the same way as the above video features, but it's interesting to see him just standing there as if he's indeed admiring his lady love right beside him totally enraptured. The song was also a track on Sawada's 9th original album "Charcoal Gray no Shouzou"（チャコール・グレイの肖像...A Charcoal-Gray Portrait） from December 1976 which peaked at No. 22.