Rie Asakura -- Sayonara, Konnichiwa（さよなら、今日は）

 

It's certainly one of the largest temporal gaps that I've created between one singer's first article on KKP and the sophomore article. I first wrote about singer-actress Rie Asakura（朝倉理恵）back around summer 2013 since she had recorded a cover of folk band GARO's "Kimi no Tanjoubi" （君の誕生日）in 1973. Unfortunately in the years since, the YouTube video for Asakura's version has been taken down although I was able to provide a link to Apple for an excerpt of the song.

You can still find out about some basic information about Asakura there, but almost 10 years later, I have her 3rd single from November 1973, "Sayonara, Konnichiwa" (Goodbye and Hello). Written by Kazumi Yasui（安井かずみ）and composed/arranged by Koichi Sakata（坂田晃一）, it's got that folk and light pop lilt but at the same time, that French accordion perhaps gives the song some New Music cachet, too. I even pick up a bit of blues.

Alas, I couldn't find it on YouTube, but there was a drama called "Sayonara, Konnichiwa" that was broadcast on NTV at the same time which didn't utilize Asakura's song as the main theme but more as an insert song. Composer Sakata was responsible for the show's soundtrack. For the record, Asakura released a total of 10 singles and 3 original albums up to 1979.