Kingo Hamada -- Wasted Summer Love

 

It just so happens that the final day of June falls on the typical Urban Contemporary Friday for "Kayo Kyoku Plus", so let's make it a good one.

With a title like "Wasted Summer Love", I'll have to ask for Kingo Hamada's（濱田金吾）forgiveness for assuming that it is rather depressing. This is the penultimate track on his fifth album from August 1983, "Mugshot", but in spite of the title, it's another beautifully crafted ballad by the singer-songwriter with lyrics by Akira Ohtsu（大津あきら）and arrangement by Hiroshi Sato（佐藤博）. Maybe there was a love lost here but I'm hoping that the breakup was amicable and both parties learned something wonderful from each other during their time together.

Especially listening to the bridge, there is something rather Boz Scaggs or Bobby Caldwell in Sato's work, and the wistfulness is amped up due to the addition of that steel pedal guitar. Though I'm writing this in the early days of summer, "Wasted Summer Love" could be more for the latter days of the season (that August release date certainly hints at it) nearly hitting fall which would fit the theme of the song.