Mariko Takahashi -- Ai wa Rufuran（愛はルフラン）

 

Wherever singer-songwriter Mariko Takahashi（高橋真梨子）is right now, I hope that she is doing fine. I have been a little worried about her for the past few years since the last time I saw her on television, she appeared to be ailing somewhat. 

I have one of her earlier singles here. "Ai wa Rufuran" (Love is a Refrain) was released in March 1981 as her 6th single, and it's a mid-tempo pop tune that is so mellow that it could almost be categorized as a Fashion Music tune. Henri Laurent and Pierre Porte were responsible for the original French lyrics and melody but I couldn't find the original if it exists. Pianist/composer Porte actually already has one entry here on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" via his creation of "Cri D'amour" (Cries of Love) which became the theme song for NTV's Friday night movies under the title of "Friday Night Fantasy".

While Akira Inoue（井上鑑）arranged everything, Takashi Matsumoto（松本隆）came up with the Japanese lyrics of tentative romance for "Ai wa Rufuran" which would also become a theme song for a 1981 TBS drama titled "Genkotsu ni Kuchizuke"（拳骨にくちづけ...Kissing a Clenched Fist）. The synopsis reads that a young sculptor already engaged to be married ends up causing an accident for a client so that she has to volunteer to work for him to pay for the damages. Of course, a love triangle ensues. The single is also the lead track on Takahashi's fourth album "Tenderness" which was released in the same month a few weeks earlier.