Hiromi Iwasaki -- Last Cruise（ラスト・クルーズ）

 

I remember from my youth and also from doing the blog that there have been a lot of old kayo that delved into one half of a former couple forlornly seeing off a ship from the pier with the assumption that their former lover was now on said ship since for whatever reason, they simply had to go. Certainly it was quite the shibui setting and kayo shows like "Enka no Hanamichi"（演歌の花道）loved to have those sets built.

Well, Hiromi Iwasaki（岩崎宏美）did record a contemporary pop version of that situation via "Last Cruise". This was the B-side to her 43rd single "Kaze no Juvenile"（風の童話集...Juvenile of the Wind） released in November 1987. Beginning like a song by Chika Ueda（上田知華）+ Karyobin, almost forty seconds into "Last Cruise", Iwasaki comes in with her beautiful voice and a classy pop melody swoops in hinting that the players involved were probably part of the well-to-do set, and the sweet sorrow of parting wasn't too bitter. They may meet again in the future at another soiree.

Singer-songwriter Haruhi Aiso（相曾晴日）, who's been represented here on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" with her own music, wrote and composed "Last Cruise" which peaked at No. 89 on Oricon. Both A and B sides would be placed on the 2007 remaster of Iwasaki's 1987 album "Yokubari"（よくばり...Greed）. Almost forgot to mention that Keiichi Oku（奥慶一）arranged everything.